The Sopwith Bat Boats were

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. * British national identity, the characteristics of British people and culture ...

flying boat A flying boat is a type of seaplane with a hull, allowing it to land on water. It differs from a floatplane in having a fuselage that is purpose-designed for flotation, while floatplanes rely on fuselage-mounted floats for buoyancy. Though ...

s designed and built from 1912 to 1914. A single-engined pusher

biplane A biplane is a fixed-wing aircraft with two main wings stacked one above the other. The first powered, controlled aeroplane to fly, the Wright Flyer, used a biplane wing arrangement, as did many aircraft in the early years of aviation. While ...

, the Bat Boat was the first successful flying boat and

amphibious aircraft An amphibious aircraft, or amphibian, is an aircraft that can Takeoff, take off and Landing, land on both solid ground and water. These aircraft are typically Fixed-wing aircraft, fixed-wing, though Amphibious helicopter, amphibious helicopte ...

built in the United Kingdom, with examples used by the

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the naval warfare force of the United Kingdom. It is a component of His Majesty's Naval Service, and its officers hold their commissions from the King of the United Kingdom, King. Although warships were used by Kingdom ...

and by Greece and Germany.

Development and design

In summer 1912, the British pioneer aviator

Thomas Sopwith Sir Thomas Octave Murdoch Sopwith, Order of the British Empire, CBE, Hon FRAeS (18 January 1888 – 27 January 1989) was a British aviation pioneer, businessman and yachtsman. Early life Sopwith was born in Kensington, London, on 18 ...

, also a keen yachtsman and power-boat racer, started design of a

, to be called the "Bat Boat" after a flying machine in

Rudyard Kipling Joseph Rudyard Kipling ( ; 30 December 1865 – 18 January 1936)''The Times'', (London) 18 January 1936, p. 12. was an English journalist, novelist, poet, and short-story writer. He was born in British Raj, British India, which inspired much ...

's short story ''

With the Night Mail "With the Night Mail" is a 1905 science fiction novella by Rudyard Kipling. Setting The story is set in the early 21st century and describes the Aerial Board of Control, a fictional supranational organization dedicated to the control and aid ...

'', to combine his interests in aviation and the sea. The resultant design was a

, powered by a

Gnome A gnome () is a mythological creature and diminutive spirit in Renaissance magic and alchemy, introduced by Paracelsus in the 16th century and widely adopted by authors, including those of modern fantasy literature. They are typically depict ...

rotary engine The rotary engine is an early type of internal combustion engine, usually designed with an odd number of cylinders per row in a radial configuration. The engine's crankshaft remained stationary in operation, while the entire crankcase and its ...

in a

tractor configuration In aviation, a tractor configuration is a propeller-driven fixed-wing aircraft with its engine mounted with the propeller in front, so that the aircraft is "pulled" through the air. This is the usual configuration; the pusher configuration ...

. The hull, which was made of

Consuta Consuta was a form of construction of watertight hulls for boats and marine aircraft, comprising four Wood veneer, veneers of mahogany planking interleaved with waterproofed Calico (textile), calico and stitched together with copper wire. The na ...

, (i.e.

plywood Plywood is a composite material manufactured from thin layers, or "plies", of wood veneer that have been stacked and glued together. It is an engineered wood from the family of manufactured boards, which include plywood, medium-density fibreboa ...

sheeting sewn in place with copper wire) was built by

S. E. Saunders S. E. Saunders Ltd, was a British marine and aero-engineering company based at East Cowes, Isle of Wight in the early 20th century. History The firm was established in 1908 to continue the use of the lightweight Consuta material previously devel ...

, the shipbuilders based at

Cowes Cowes () is an England, English port, seaport town and civil parish on the Isle of Wight. Cowes is located on the west bank of the estuary of the River Medina, facing the smaller town of East Cowes on the east bank. The two towns are linked b ...

on the

Isle of Wight The Isle of Wight (Help:IPA/English, /waɪt/ Help:Pronunciation respelling key, ''WYTE'') is an island off the south coast of England which, together with its surrounding uninhabited islets and Skerry, skerries, is also a ceremonial county. T ...

who were experienced in the construction of power-boats, while the wings, of about 30 ft (9.15 m) span, were built at Sopwith's flying school at

Brooklands Brooklands was a motor racing circuit and aerodrome built near Weybridge in Surrey, England, United Kingdom. It opened in 1907 and was the world's first purpose-built 'banked' motor racing circuit as well as one of Britain's first airfields, ...

. Although the aircraft was approaching completion by August 1912, it was abandoned and was never flown.London 2003, p. 3. Sopwith then produced a completely new design of flying boat, still called "Bat-boat", this time a

pusher configuration In aeronautical and naval engineering, pusher configuration is the term used to describe a drivetrain of air- or watercraft with propulsion device(s) after the engine(s). This is in contrast to the more conventional tractor configuration, wh ...

two-bay biplane powered by a 90 hp (67 kW)

Austro-Daimler Austro-Daimler was an Austrian car manufacturer from 1899 until 1934. It was a subsidiary of the Germany, German ''Daimler-Motoren-Gesellschaft'' (DMG) until 1909. History In 1890, Eduard Bierenz was appointed as Austrian retailer. The company so ...

engine. The hull, which was again built by Saunders of Consuta, accommodated two people side by side in an open cockpit in line with the leading edge of the wings, and had a curved, vee-profile planing bottom. The wings, of 41 ft (12.5 m) span, were unstaggered, with lateral control by

wing warping Wing warping was an early system for lateral (roll) control of a fixed-wing aircraft or kite. The technique, used and patented by the Wright brothers, consisted of a system of pulleys and cables to twist the trailing edges of the wings in opposit ...

. The tail, which had no fixed fin, was carried on tailbooms connected to the wings, while an additional forward

elevator An elevator (American English) or lift (Commonwealth English) is a machine that vertically transports people or freight between levels. They are typically powered by electric motors that drive traction cables and counterweight systems suc ...

was fitted to the front of the hull to supplement the normal elevator fitted to the tail. The new Bat-boat was assembled at Sopwith's new factory at

Kingston upon Thames Kingston upon Thames, colloquially known as Kingston, is a town in the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames, south-west London, England. It is situated on the River Thames, south-west of Charing Cross. It is an ancient market town, notable as ...

early in 1913, and was displayed at the International Aero Show at

Olympia, London Olympia Events, formerly known as Olympia London and sometimes referred to as the Olympia Exhibition Centre, is an exhibition centre, event space and conference centre in West Kensington, in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham, L ...

in February that year.Mason, ''Air Enthusiast'', 1982, p. 75. The Bat-Boat was sent from Olympia to Cowes for tests in March, with both Thomas Sopwith and

Harry Hawker Harry George Hawker, MBE, AFC (22 January 1889 – 12 July 1921) was an Australian aviation pioneer. He was the chief test pilot for Sopwith and was also involved in the design of many of their aircraft. After the First World War, he co-fo ...

attempting, with little success, to get the Bat Boat airborne. The Bat Boat was wrecked by a storm. A second Bat Boat soon followed, omitting the forward elevator, while a third aircraft was built using components of the first prototype, but with a 100 hp (75 kW)

Green Green is the color between cyan and yellow on the visible spectrum. It is evoked by light which has a dominant wavelength of roughly 495570 nm. In subtractive color systems, used in painting and color printing, it is created by a com ...

engine and an amphibious undercarriage. Thus equipped, the third Bat Boat won the £500

Mortimer Singer Sir Adam Mortimer Singer, KBE, JP (25 July 1863 – 24 June 1929) was an Anglo-American landowner, philanthropist, and sportsman. He was one of the earliest pilots in both France and the United Kingdom. Childhood and family Singer was born in ...

prize for the first all-British amphibious aircraft on 8 July 1913.London 2003, p. 5. In 1914, Sopwith laid down a second pair of Bat Boats. These two aircraft had a similar layout to the first three aircraft, but were larger, having a span of 55 ft (16.76 m), and were powered by 200 hp

Salmson Salmson is a French engineering company. Initially a pump manufacturer, it turned to automobile and aeroplane manufacturing in the 20th century, returning to pump manufacturing in the 1960s, and re-expanded to a number of products and services ...

engines. The first of these pair was displayed at the Olympia Air Show in March 1914.London 2003, p. 9. Also in March, Sopwith commenced building a final Bat Boat to compete in the 1914 ''

Daily Mail The ''Daily Mail'' is a British daily Middle-market newspaper, middle-market Tabloid journalism, tabloid conservative newspaper founded in 1896 and published in London. , it has the List of newspapers in the United Kingdom by circulation, h ...

'' Circuit of Britain race for seaplanes. This was similar to the Salmson powered Bat Boat exhibited at Olympia, but was powered by a 225 hp (168 kW)

Sunbeam A sunbeam, in meteorological optics, is a lightbeam, beam of sunlight that appears to radiate from the position of the Sun. Shining through openings in clouds or between other objects such as mountains and buildings, these beams of light scatter ...

engine. However, the outbreak of the

First World War World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

led to cancellation of the Circuit of Britain race.

Operational history

The second Bat-Boat was purchased by the

Admiralty Admiralty most often refers to: *Admiralty, Hong Kong * Admiralty (United Kingdom), military department in command of the Royal Navy from 1707 to 1964 *The rank of admiral *Admiralty law Admiralty can also refer to: Buildings * Admiralty, Tra ...

and delivered to Calshot Naval Air Station in June 1913, being allocated the

serial number A serial number (SN) is a unique identifier used to ''uniquely'' identify an item, and is usually assigned incrementally or sequentially. Despite being called serial "numbers", they do not need to be strictly numerical and may contain letters ...

''38''. It was badly damaged, however, sinking at its moorings on 23 August 1913, having to be rebuilt again by Sopwith's. After serving at several Naval Air Stations, it was destroyed in a gale at

Scapa Flow Scapa Flow (; ) is a body of water in the Orkney Islands, Scotland, sheltered by the islands of Mainland, Graemsay, Burray,S. C. George, ''Jutland to Junkyard'', 1973. South Ronaldsay and Hoy. Its sheltered waters have played an impor ...

Orkney Orkney (), also known as the Orkney Islands, is an archipelago off the north coast of mainland Scotland. The plural name the Orkneys is also sometimes used, but locals now consider it outdated. Part of the Northern Isles along with Shetland, ...

, on 21 November 1914. The third Bat Boat was also purchased by the RNAS in February 1914, and given the serial number ''118''. It was used for a night flying demonstration at the Fleet Review in July 1914, and for bomb dropping trials at Calshot, being scrapped in February 1915 when it was found that its hull was badly rotted.London 2003, p. 4. The first of the two Salmson powered Bat Boats was purchased by the German Navy Air Service, being used as a trainer at

Kiel Kiel ( ; ) is the capital and most populous city in the northern Germany, German state of Schleswig-Holstein. With a population of around 250,000, it is Germany's largest city on the Baltic Sea. It is located on the Kieler Förde inlet of the Ba ...

. The second Salmson powered Bat Boat was, after testing at Calshot of radio equipment, sold to Greece in July. The Circuit of Britain machine was subject to compulsory purchase by the RNAS following the outbreak of war. While it suffered engine problems, it remained in use until April 1915.

Variants

;Bat Boat Type 1 :Two-seat, single-engined flying boat, powered by 90 hp Austro-Daimler engine ;Bat Boat Type 1A :Amphibious version of Bat Boat Type 1, based on wreckage of first prototype and powered by British built 100 hp Green E.6 engine to compete for Mortimer Singer prize. Refitted with Austro-Daimler engine before sale to RNAS. ;Bat Boat Type 2 :Enlarged version of bat boat, powered by 200 hp Salmson engine. Two built. ;Bat Boat Type 2 (Circuit of Britain) :Improved version of Bat Boat Type 2, powered by 225 hp Sunbeam engine.

Operators

; *

Kaiserliche Marine The adjective ''kaiserlich'' means "imperial" and was used in the German-speaking countries to refer to those institutions and establishments over which the ''Kaiser'' ("emperor") had immediate personal power of control. The term was used partic ...

; *

Greek Navy The Hellenic Navy (HN; , abbreviated ΠΝ) is the naval force of Greece, part of the Hellenic Armed Forces. The modern Greek navy historically hails from the naval forces of various Aegean Islands, which fought in the Greek War of Independence ...

; *

Royal Naval Air Service The Royal Naval Air Service (RNAS) was the air arm of the Royal Navy, under the direction of the Admiralty (United Kingdom), Admiralty's Air Department, and existed formally from 1 July 1914 to 1 April 1918, when it was merged with the British ...

Specifications (Bat Boat Type 2)

References

;Notes ;Bibliography *
Mortimer Singer £500 Prize
. ''

Flight Flight or flying is the motion (physics), motion of an Physical object, object through an atmosphere, or through the vacuum of Outer space, space, without contacting any planetary surface. This can be achieved by generating aerodynamic lift ass ...

'', 12 July 1913, p. 762. *
Sopwith Batboat Wrecked
. ''Flight'', 30 August 1913. p. 967. *

. ''Flight'', 21 March 1914. pp. 294–312. *

. ''Flight'', 31 July 1914. p. 800. *

. ''Flight'', 21 August 1914, pp. 873–875. *

. ''Flight'', 6 February 1919, pp. 163–174. * Bruce, J. M. "The Sopwith Bat-Boat" Part 1. ''

Aeroplane Monthly ''Aeroplane'' (formerly ''Aeroplane Monthly'') is a British magazine devoted to aviation, with a focus on aviation history and preservation. __TOC__ ''Aeroplane Monthly'' Issue 1 of ''Aeroplane Monthly'' was published in May 1973 at a cov ...

'', August 1991, Vol 19 No. 8. London: IPC. . pp. 484–487, 500. * Bruce, J. M. "The Sopwith Bat-Boats – Part 2" ''Aeroplane Monthly'', September 1991, Vol 19 No. 9. London: IPC. . pp. 540–543. * Bruce, J. M. "The Sopwith Bat-Boats – Part 32" ''Aeroplane Monthly'', October 1991, Vol 19 No. 10. London: IPC. . pp. 632–637. * King, H. F.
Fighting Breed...Forty Years of Sopwith and Hawker Aircraft
. ''Flight'', 30 November 1951. pp. 677–696. * London, Peter. ''British Flying Boats''. Stroud, UK: Sutton Publishing, 2003. . * Mason, Tim. "Tom Sopwith...and his Aeroplanes 1912–14". ''

Air Enthusiast ''Air Enthusiast'' was a British, bi-monthly, aviation magazine, published by the Key Publishing group. Initially begun in 1974 as ''Air Enthusiast Quarterly'', the magazine was conceived as a historical adjunct to ''Air International'' magaz ...