Transocean Air Lines   Douglas DC-4   N30045                 (c/n  10434)

                                    

                                        Transocean Air Lines was founded in Oakland California in 1946 and was the most innovative
                                        and opportunist, if not the largest, of all the non-scheduled airlines.  Headed by the inspirational
                                        Orvis Nelson, its business empire extended far beyond providing transportation within the United
                                        States.  The above ex C-54B-1-DC, for instance, was leased to Iranian Airways as EP-ADZ
                                        along with operational expertise (and probably flight deck crew) from Transocean.   The company
                                        also provided technical expertise to Philippine Air Lines, Japan Air Lines, Air Jordan and Saudia.
                                        Most Transocean aircraft had the diminutive 'TALOA' which stood for 'Transocean Air Lines Oak-
                                        land' on the tail.    The airline owned, operated or leased the largest fleet of DC-4s of any line, some
                                        75 of them having been registered under their name at one time or another between 1946 and 1960.
                                        Many came from United Air Lines and this is evident in the overall look of their livery.  Colors were
                                        different, though, as seen in image of the nose of the DC-4 below. This one, N4665V was operated
                                        on the pseudo-scheduled 'Royal Hawaiian' flights from Oakland to Honolulu.    Transocean's equip-
                                         ment and facilities were used in the making of a number of movies, most notable of these being
                                         "The High and the Mighty".    Having been refused time and again to obtain scheduled certification
                                         by a seemingly indifferent, if not outright antagonistic bureaucracy in the form of the CAB, and
                                         thwarted in its attempt to enter the jet age with Boeing 707s, (by a major airline who shall remain
                                         nameless, but promised to pull its orders from Boeing should they sell to Taloa) the company, in
                                        1960 found itself in need operating capital.       It would appear that the California banks were
                                         unwilling to go on a limb to extend financing to the company (even though Japan Air Lines, who
                                         by that time were more than solvent in their own right and willing to back Transocean), and thus
                                         the airline which had been so instrumental in shaping the future of so many companies was forced
                                         into filing for bankruptcy.   Incidentally, these same cautious banks were, four decades later, as we
                                         know, to throw common sense out the window and offer housing loans which could not possibly be
                                         paid.     Transocean's ROI on the other hand would have been substantial. 

                                      Douglas DC-4  N4665V                  (c/n  10538)