Alaska Airways  Savoia-Marchetti S.55P    NC20K      (c/n 10517)

                                 

                                   Strictly speaking, this entry should not really have a place in the history of US licensed airlines, since it
                                   never made a revenue passenger flight.  Alaska Airways was started up by "Tony" Schwamm and a group
                                   of Southeast Alaska investors in the summer of 1937.   Two S.55s were purchased ostensibly to provide
                                   an air service from Seattle to Petersburg.  One of the S.55s was cannibalized to provide parts for the other
                                   one, NC20K.  This was then flown from New York to San Diego, where it is seen above in this image
                                   from the Ted Spencer collection on a US Navy dock   Once this exotic airliner reached Alaska, regis-
                                   tration and certification problems prevented its being put into service.  In the event it was first damaged at
                                   its mooring in Juneau and, having been towed to another mooring at Lena Cove, finally written off in Oct
                                  1937 by another storm.   Bob Mosher provides the fascinating image below of the remains of this elegant
                                   machine at Lena Cove shortly after it was ravaged by the storm.  The photograph was taken by his late
                                   father.