USAFirst successful crossing by a woman
Sources disagree
The crossing established the first successful Channel swim by a woman and surpassed the previous men’s time.
CSA and the specific museum record give 14h39m; historical durations and clock times conflict.
Elapsed swim time · 14h 39m
CSA-recorded duration
Started · Friday, 6 August 1926 · 07:05 · Dover Museum’s specific swim entry; contemporary AP report instead gives 07:09; time standard not stated
Finished · Friday, 6 August 1926 · 21:44 · Dover Museum’s specific swim entry; contemporary AP report instead gives 21:40; time standard not stated
Timing note · The CSA gives 14h39. The detailed Dover record gives 07:05–21:44. The CS&PF historical database also gives 14h39 but prints 06:09–20:48. Both pairs span 14h39. Neither entry specifies its time standard, and the difference between the two pairs is 56 minutes. The signed timing sheet has not been located in this review.
Format · Solo · 1-way
Direction · France → England
Departure · Cap Gris-Nez, France
Arrival · Kingsdown, England
Stroke · Front crawl
Pilot / piloting team · Joe Costa (Louis Corthes), with Thomas Burgess
Escort vessel · Alsace; press tug La Morinie
Ratification / historical recognition · Independent swim; Dover Museum records retrospective CSA recognition on 16 August 1928
Conditions · Spring tide; the museum records a start two hours before high tide.
Dover Museum accounts · Between Wars gives 14h34. Records & Firsts gives 14h33. Both identify Ederle as the first woman to cross.
Contemporary reports · The Associated Press account preserved in the Capital Journal gives 07:09–21:40 and 14h31. TIME also reported 14h31. The Manchester Guardian’s report of 7 August instead printed 14h45.
French archival account · The Pas-de-Calais departmental archive gives 14h32. Its narrative gives 07:05 and 21:33, which span 14h28 on one clock. The elapsed figure and the clock pair are retained separately.
How this record was checked
CSA record 2236 identifies Ederle, United States, solo France to England and 14h39. CS&PF historical entry 442807 names the CSA as ratifier and gives the same elapsed time. The Dover swim entry records independent observation followed by CSA recognition on 16 August 1928. These sources establish the crossing and its registered duration. Accounts disagree on the clocks.
Channel Swimming Association: Gertrude Ederle, 1926
Checked 2026-10-30
Dover Museum: Ederle swim record, 6 August 1926
Checked 2026-10-30
Olympedia: Gertrude Caroline Ederle
Checked 2026-10-30
TIME, 16 August 1926: contemporary Channel Crossing report
Checked 2026-10-31
Supports · Contemporary account of Ederle’s crossing, Kingsdown landing, Alsace escort and a reported 14h 31m duration.
Limitations · A contemporary magazine narrative, not a timing log. Its duration disagrees with CSA’s 14h 39m and other published times.
Dover Museum: Records and Firsts
Checked 2026-10-31
Supports · Identifies Ederle’s and Abertondo’s pioneering swims, but prints different elapsed times.
Limitations · Retrospective summary prints 14h 33m for Ederle and 43h 05m for Abertondo. Those figures are not adopted over the individual CSA records.
Capital Journal, 6 August 1926, page 1 — Associated Press report
Checked 2026-10-31
Supports · Contemporary named report gives 6 August departure 07:09 and arrival 21:40 at Kingsdown, with 14h31m elapsed.
Limitations · Original newspaper scan visually inspected through University of Oregon Libraries. These clocks and duration conflict with the museum record; this is press reporting, not an original timing log.
CS&PF historical database, Ederle 442807
Archives départementales du Pas-de-Calais
Manchester Guardian, original report of 7 August 1926
The four linked accounts above were checked on 31 October 2026.