Seaplanes and warships

If you ever get to see the Australian T V series, "Battleships",you will see a Short 184 being launched for obs, and later flying. They were craned over the side with motor running, wings folded, crew aboard, then when afloat, wings spread, and away they went. Later recovered in reverse order.
Yes, seaplanes were attatched to warships for obs duties. Not necessarily on flat-tops as we know them today.

My favorite seaplane was the Sopwith 807 Folder. The documentary material I have seen on them is very sparse. I would like to know where to find some good plans. I don't know if these ever operated from ships at all.

[Volker_Nemsch]

Hello Arthur!

The Hilfskreuzer (or armed merchant ship or raider) "Wolf" was the only cruiser of this type with an aircraft.

Why? An aircraft simply needed very much space on an heavily armed merchant ship (up to 6 guns, amunition, up to 200 (or more) seamen, up to 200 prisoners, a lot of food, on some occasions mines, loads of camouflage material and as much coal as possible). Additionally the aircraft had to be hidden inside the ship instead of showing it on deck. It was an experiment with some success.

Maybe the Junkers all-metal CLS.I would have been a good aircraft for such a task because it was easy to put away the wings. But in summer 1918 there were no more Hilfskreuzer.

Hope this helps!

[Barker]

Somebody should say it....one look at some of those birds and the distinction between the two becomes rather less....some of them birds is real boats!