The Glenn L. Martin Company was an American aircraft and aerospace manufacturer associated with bombers, flying boats and missile development. Glenn Martin's first company was incorporated in California in 1912; the later enterprise established a major industrial complex at Middle River, Maryland. Its 1961 merger with American-Marietta created Martin Marietta.[1][2][3]
Early aviation and Maryland expansion
Martin began designing and flying aircraft before the First World War. His 1912 flight to Catalina Island demonstrated an early seaplane and preceded the incorporation of his business that August. The enterprise's later growth brought a move to Middle River, where Martin acquired extensive land for an integrated aircraft plant. The initial production complex opened in October 1929. Water access supported flying-boat operations, while factory expansion created facilities for increasingly large aircraft and established a lasting centre of Maryland aviation manufacturing.[1][2]
Bombers, flying boats and factory growth
The B-10 bomber represented a significant advance in metal aircraft design during the 1930s. Martin also built the M-130 flying boats used by Pan American to develop trans-Pacific services. Wartime programmes included the B-26 bomber and PBM Mariner and JRM Mars flying boats. Expansion required large assembly buildings, additional production facilities and a workforce recruited from a wide area. Industrial architect Albert Kahn's firm designed major elements of the complex, linking the history of Martin aircraft with the development of large-scale manufacturing architecture.[2][3][4]
Missiles and industrial succession
During the post-war period Martin increasingly moved into missile and space work. The Titan programme continued through the successor organisation and provided the launch vehicle for Gemini astronaut missions. Martin retired in 1952 and died in 1955; the company merged with American-Marietta six years later. Martin Marietta subsequently joined Lockheed in 1995. The Glenn L. Martin Maryland Aviation Museum preserves aircraft, plans, photographs, tools and components that document the original manufacturer's products and the wider industrial community surrounding Middle River.[3][5]