by law. He completed the instruction in October that year and was ordered to Philadelphia Navy Yard, where he assisted in fitting out of new battleship USS South Carolina, which was completed in March 1910. He served as assistant gunnery officer to Thomas T. Craven and participated in her shakedown cruise to the Caribbean Sea and Sea trials at Virginia Capes. Bellinger convinced Craven to assign him command of one of the four 12-inch turrets for the trials and his guns made hits 88.5 percent of the time on a towed target and in record time. Due to Bellinger's skills, South Carolina won the Fleet Gunnery Trophy and Craven was promoted to Head of Fleet Gunnery Training in the Office of Chief of Naval Operations. Bellinger then took part in the cruise to Europe with stops at Cherbourg, France and at the Isle of Portland and after which South Carolina returned to the United States for maintenance. The South Carolina then returned with the Atlantic Fleet to Europe, visiting Copenhagen, Denmark; Stockholm, Sweden; and Kronstadt, Russia and Kiel, Germany, where Bellinger was charmed by a plane flying over the harbor. First aviation duty After return stateside and naval review in New York City, Bellinger asked his old superior officer, Thomas Craven, who was now in Washington, D.C., to be assigned for aviation training. Craven agreed and recommended him to Lieutenant Theodore G. Ellyson, who headed aviation training at the Naval Academy. Bellinger also had requested submarine duty in April 1912 so he could learn about gasoline engines that were similar to aircraft engines. He reported to the Atlantic Submarine Flotilla under then-Lieutenant Chester W. Nimitz and completed his instruction aboard submarine tender USS Severn in September that year. Bellinger was promoted to Lieutenant (junior grade) on June 7, 1912. He then assumed command of training submarine USS C-4 and sailed to Greenbury Point Aviation Experimental Camp across the Severn River from the Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland. Bellinger and Ellyson then participated in the test to see if submarines could be located under water from the air. The results of the test convinced Bellinger of the usefulness of aircraft to the Navy. Future admiral John H. Towers also participated in the tests and took Bellinger for observation flights. Due to error in the administration, Bellinger was not ordered for aviation training until mid-November 1912, when he urged Ellyson, who arranged