The Felixstowe F.5 was a British

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll, one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, ...

flying boat A flying boat is a type of fixed-winged seaplane with a hull, allowing it to land on water. It differs from a floatplane in that a flying boat's fuselage is purpose-designed for floatation and contains a hull, while floatplanes rely on fuselag ...

Lieutenant Commander Lieutenant commander (also hyphenated lieutenant-commander and abbreviated Lt Cdr, LtCdr. or LCDR) is a commissioned officer rank in many navies. The rank is superior to a lieutenant and subordinate to a commander. The corresponding ran ...

John Cyril Porte Lieutenant Colonel John Cyril Porte, (26 February 1884 – 22 October 1919) was a British flying boat pioneer associated with the First World War Seaplane Experimental Station at Felixstowe. Early life and career Porte was born on 26 Februa ...

RN of the

Seaplane Experimental Station The Seaplane Experimental Station, formerly RNAS Felixstowe, was a British aircraft design unit during the early part of the 20th century. Creation During June 1912, surveys began for a suitable site for a base for Naval hydro-aeroplanes, with ...

Felixstowe Felixstowe ( ) is a port town in Suffolk, England. The estimated population in 2017 was 24,521. The Port of Felixstowe is the largest container port in the United Kingdom. Felixstowe is approximately 116km (72 miles) northeast of London. H ...

Design and development

Porte designed a better hull for the larger

Curtiss H-12 The Curtiss Model H was a family of classes of early long-range flying boats, the first two of which were developed directly on commission in the United States in response to the £10,000 prize challenge issued in 1913 by the London newspaper, t ...

flying boat, resulting in the

Felixstowe F.2 The Felixstowe F.2 was a 1917 British flying boat class designed and developed by Lieutenant Commander John Cyril Porte RN at the naval air station, Felixstowe during the First World War adapting a larger version of his superior Felixstowe F ...

A, which was greatly superior to the original Curtiss boat. This entered production and service as a patrol aircraft. In February 1917, the first prototype of the

Felixstowe F.3 The Felixstowe F.3 was a British First World War flying boat, successor to the Felixstowe F.2 designed by Lieutenant Commander John Cyril Porte RN at the naval air station, Felixstowe. Design and development In February 1917, the first pro ...

was flown. This was larger and heavier than the F.2, giving it greater range and a heavier bomb load but inferior manoeuvrability. The Felixstowe F.5 was intended to combine the good qualities of the F.2 and F.3, with the prototype (N90) first flying in November 1917. The prototype showed superior qualities to its predecessors but the production version was modified to make extensive use of components from the F.3, in order to ease production, giving a lower performance than either the F.2A or F.3.

Operational history

The F.5 did not enter service until after the end of the

, but replaced the earlier Felixstowe boats (together with the Curtiss machines), to serve as the

Royal Air Force The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's air and space force. It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by regrouping the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) an ...

's (RAF) standard flying boat until being replaced by the Supermarine Southampton in 1925.

Variants

;N90 :N90 was the air ministry serial of the prototype Felixstowe F.5 built by the Seaplane Experimental Station. ;Felixstowe F.5 :Main production variant built by sub-contractors, differed from prototype in the use of Felixstowe F.3 components to ease manufacture. ;Felixstowe F5L :American-built version of the F.5 with two

Liberty engine The Liberty L-12 is an American water-cooled 45° V-12 aircraft engine displacing and making designed for a high power-to-weight ratio and ease of mass production. It saw wide use in aero applications, and, once marinized, in marine use both ...

s; 137 built by the

Naval Aircraft Factory The Naval Aircraft Factory (NAF) was established by the United States Navy in 1918 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It was created to help solve aircraft supply issues which faced the Navy Department upon the entry of the U.S. into World War I. ...

(USA), 60 by Curtiss Aviation (USA) and 30 by

Canadian Aeroplanes Limited Canadian Aeroplanes Ltd. was an aircraft manufacturing company located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada that built aircraft for the Royal Flying Corps Canada during the First World War. Formed on December 15, 1916, when the Imperial Munitions Boa ...

(Canada). ;Gosport Flying Boat Felixstowe F

:One of the ten RAF aircraft built by the

Gosport Aircraft Company The Gosport Aircraft Company was a short-lived British aircraft manufacturer based at Gosport, Hampshire formed at the start of the First World War by Sir Charles Allom of White, Allom & Company and Charles Ernest Nicholson of Camper and Nicho ...

was civil registered as a ''Gosport Flying Boat'' in 1919 to appear at the First Air Traffic Exhibition at Amsterdam in August 1919. ;Gosport Fire Fighter :Proposed 10-seat version of the F.5 designed to carry men and material to the scene of a

forest fire A wildfire, forest fire, bushfire, wildland fire or rural fire is an unplanned, uncontrolled and unpredictable fire in an area of combustible vegetation. Depending on the type of vegetation present, a wildfire may be more specifically identi ...

or emergency. ;Gosport G5 :Proposed civilian version of the F.5 for two crew and six passengers,

mail The mail or post is a system for physically transporting postcards, letters, and parcels. A postal service can be private or public, though many governments place restrictions on private systems. Since the mid-19th century, national postal sys ...

and

cargo Cargo consists of bulk goods conveyed by water, air, or land. In economics, freight is cargo that is transported at a freight rate for commercial gain. ''Cargo'' was originally a shipload but now covers all types of freight, including tra ...

or either alone, fitted with two 365 hp

Rolls-Royce Eagle VIII The Rolls-Royce Eagle was the first aircraft engine to be developed by Rolls-Royce Limited. Introduced in 1915 to meet British military requirements during World War I, it was used to power the Handley Page Type O bombers and a number of ot ...

, 450 hp

Napier Lion The Napier Lion is a 12-cylinder, petrol-fueled 'broad arrow' W12 configuration aircraft engine built by D. Napier & Son from 1917 until the 1930s. A number of advanced features made it the most powerful engine of its day and kept it in produ ...

or 500 hp

Cosmos Jupiter The Bristol Jupiter was a British nine-cylinder single-row piston radial engine built by the Bristol Aeroplane Company. Originally designed late in World War I and known as the Cosmos Jupiter, a lengthy series of upgrades and developments tur ...

engines. As the ''Fire Fighter'' above, the G5 could be adapted to operate in remote areas for locating forest fires and transporting personnel and fire-fighting equipment. ;Gosport G5a :Proposed smaller variant of the G5 with a 97 ft 6in span and 46 ft in length, for two crew and six passengers with an increased loading capacity.Bruce, 23 December 1955, p.931 ;Aeromarine 75 :American civilian version of the Felixstowe F5L, eight converted by the

Aeromarine Plane and Motor Company The Aeromarine Plane and Motor Company was an early American aircraft manufacturer founded by Inglis M. Upperçu which operated from 1914 to 1930. From 1928 to 1930 it was known as the Aeromarine-Klemm Corporation. History The beginnings of the ...

for three crew, 10–14 passengers and mail, fitted with two

Liberty 12A The Liberty L-12 is an American water-cooled 45° V-12 aircraft engine displacing and making designed for a high power-to-weight ratio and ease of mass production. It saw wide use in aero applications, and, once marinized, in marine use both ...

engines. Entered service 1 November 1920. ;Navy F.5 :An improved Japanese version of the F.5 known as the ''Navy F.5'' used by the

Imperial Japanese Navy The Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN; Kyūjitai: Shinjitai: ' 'Navy of the Greater Japanese Empire', or ''Nippon Kaigun'', 'Japanese Navy') was the navy of the Empire of Japan from 1868 to 1945, when it was dissolved following Japan's surrender ...

(IJN) between 1922 and 1930. The

Hiro Naval Arsenal The Hiro Naval Arsenal (''Hiro Kaigun Kōshō'' or ''Dai-Jūichi Kaigun Kōkū-shō'' (11th Naval Arsenal), often abbreviated as ''Hiroshō'') at Kure (呉), Hiroshima prefecture, was a production facility for seaplanes, flying boats, and aero engi ...

first licence-built the Felixstowe F.5 from October 1921,

Aichi is a prefecture of Japan located in the Chūbu region of Honshū. Aichi Prefecture has a population of 7,552,873 () and a geographic area of with a population density of . Aichi Prefecture borders Mie Prefecture to the west, Gifu Prefecture ...

continued manufacture until 1929. ;Hiro H1H :Hiro Naval Arsenal produced their own variant of the ''Navy F.5'', as the H1H. The first version, ''Navy Type 15'' with a wooden hull was powered by either Lorraine W-12 or

BMW VII __NOTOC__ The BMW VII was a water-cooled twelve-cylinder engine derived from the successful BMW VI. The engine was not as popular as the VI, due in no small part to the Great Depression, and only a small number were built. Experiments with super ...

engines, the ''Type 15-1'' had a longer wing span, whilst the ''Type 15-2'' had an all-metal hull and four-bladed propellers. It was retired in

1938 Events January * January 1 ** The new constitution of Estonia enters into force, which many consider to be the ending of the Era of Silence and the authoritarian regime. ** State-owned railway networks are created by merger, in France ...

Saunders hull

S. E. Saunders were awarded a contract in 1922 to investigate the merits of a tunnel type wooden hull in comparison with an all-metal hull built by Short Brothers. The new 'hollow bottom' ventilated hull was patented by Saunders and fitted to F.5 (N178), the aircraft delivered to the Marine Aircraft Experimental Establishment in September 1924, however trials were brief and it was dismantled and scrapped by mid 1925. The Short Brothers' design proved the merit of metal hulls.

Short S.2

In 1924 the

Air Ministry The Air Ministry was a department of the Government of the United Kingdom with the responsibility of managing the affairs of the Royal Air Force, that existed from 1918 to 1964. It was under the political authority of the Secretary of Stat ...

invited tenders for two hulls of modern design to suit the wings and tail surfaces of the F.5.

Short Brothers Short Brothers plc, usually referred to as Shorts or Short, is an aerospace company based in Belfast, Northern Ireland. Shorts was founded in 1908 in London, and was the first company in the world to make production aeroplanes. It was particu ...

submitted a proposal for an all-metal hull developed from the Short Silver Streak. Built of

duralumin Duralumin (also called duraluminum, duraluminium, duralum, dural(l)ium, or dural) is a trade name for one of the earliest types of age hardening, age-hardenable aluminium alloys. The term is a combination of ''Dürener'' and ''aluminium''. Its ...

, then a largely untried and untrusted material, the aircraft was first flown on 5 January 1925 and delivered to the

Marine Aircraft Experimental Establishment The Marine Aircraft Experimental Establishment (MAEE) was a British military research and test organisation. It was originally formed as the Marine Aircraft Experimental Station in October 1918 at RAF Isle of Grain, a former Royal Naval Air Serv ...

on 14 March where it was subjected to a series of strenuous tests, including dropping the aircraft onto the water by stalling it at a height of 30 ft (9 m): the aircraft withstood all trials, and after a year an inspection revealed only negligible corrosion. Thereafter, all Short flying boats were of metal construction and other manufacturers pursued the same practice following development of their own construction methods. The trials succeeded in overcoming official resistance to the use of duralumin, and led to the order for the prototype Short SingaporeBarnes 1967, p. 197. (N179).

Operators

– generally formed from RNAS flights. ** No. 230 Squadron RAF **

No. 231 Squadron RAF No. 231 Squadron RAF was a squadron of the Royal Air Force between 1918 and 1946, active in both World War I and World War II in various roles. History First World War No. 231 Squadron was formed from Nos. 329 and 330 Flights of the seaplane ...

No. 232 Squadron RAF No. 232 Squadron of the Royal Air Force was active in both World War I and World War II in a variety of roles, having seen action as an anti-submarine patrol, fighter and transport squadron. History In World War I The squadron was formed on 20 A ...

** No. 238 Squadron RAF **

No. 247 Squadron RAF No. 247 Squadron was formerly a squadron of the Royal Air Force. It was also known as No. 247 (China British) Squadron in recognition of the donations made by the British communities of the foreign concessions established on the Chinese coast. ...

** No. 249 Squadron RAF ** No. 259 Squadron RAF **

No. 261 Squadron RAF No. 261 Squadron RAF was a squadron of the Royal Air Force during World War I and World War II. It was involved in the defence of Malta from August 1940 till May 1941 and the campaign in Burma. History Formation and World War I The squadron ...

No. 267 Squadron RAF No. 267 Squadron RAF was a unit of the Royal Air Force that served during World War I & World War II. The squadron has been formed a total of four times. History The squadron was formed at RAF Kalafrana, Malta on 27 September 1918 from Nos. ...

* Gosport Aircraft and Engineering Company – one civil registered F.5. *

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...

Aeromarine Airways The Aeromarine Plane and Motor Company was an early American aircraft manufacturer founded by Inglis M. Upperçu which operated from 1914 to 1930. From 1928 to 1930 it was known as the Aeromarine-Klemm Corporation. History The beginnings of the ...

– (Post-war) *

Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service The was the air arm of the Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN). The organization was responsible for the operation of naval aircraft and the conduct of aerial warfare in the Pacific War. The Japanese military acquired their first aircraft in 1910 ...

– licence built by the Hiro Naval Arsenal and Aichi.

Specifications (F.5)

References

Notes Bibliography * Barnes, C.H. ''Shorts Aircraft Since 1900''. London: Putnam, 1967. * * * * Donald, David and Jon Lake, eds. ''Encyclopedia of World Military Aircraft''. London: AIRtime Publishing, 1996. . * A.J.Jackson, ''British Civil Aircraft since 1919'' Volume 2, Putnam & Company, London, 1974, * Taylor, Michael J.H., ed. ''Jane's Encyclopedia of Aviation''. London: Studio Editions, Ltd., 1989. . * Thetford, Owen. ''Aircraft of the Royal Air Force since 1918''. London: Putnam & Co., 1979. .

External links

First visit of an English flying boat to Kristiana
Film of the arrival and overflight by an RAF Felixstowe F.5 flying boat (N4044) at Kristiania (later

Oslo Oslo ( , , or ; sma, Oslove) is the capital and most populous city of Norway. It constitutes both a county and a municipality. The municipality of Oslo had a population of in 2022, while the city's greater urban area had a population of ...

), Norway, July 1919.
Royal Air Force
Film of

Fleet Air Arm The Fleet Air Arm (FAA) is one of the five fighting arms of the Royal Navy and is responsible for the delivery of naval air power both from land and at sea. The Fleet Air Arm operates the F-35 Lightning II for maritime strike, the AW159 Wi ...

aircraft and aircraft operating from shore bases, including the F.5, 1925.
Felixstowe Flying-Boats
{{ADF aircraft designations F.5 1910s British patrol aircraft Flying boats Aircraft first flown in 1917 Twin piston-engined tractor aircraft Biplanes