Latham 47
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| Latham 47 | |
|---|---|
| Type | Twin-engined flying boat |
| Manufacturer | Société Latham & Cié |
| Maiden flight | 1928 |
| Introduced | 1929 |
| Primary user | French Navy |
| Number built | 16 |
The Latham 47 was a French twin-engine flying boat designed and built by Société Latham & Cié for the French Navy. The aircraft achieved notoriety in 1928 when aircraft number 47.02 disappeared without a trace after rescuing the explorer Roald Amundsen.
[edit] Design and development
Designed to meet a French Navy requirement for a long-range flying boat with a transatlantic capability. The prototype Latham 47 appeared in 1928, although it was lost in a fire after two flights. The Type 47 was a large sesquiplane powered by two Farman 12We engines mounted in tandem below the upper wing. The pilot and co-pilot sat side-by-side in an open cockpit, two further machine-gun equipped cockpits were located in the nose and amidships. Twelve production aircraft were built and delivered to the Navy.
Two further aircraft were built as the Latham 47P as civilian mail carriers with Hispano-Suiza 12Y engines. The 47Ps were used on Mediterranean routes until 1932.
[edit] Variants
- Type 47
- Two prototypes and twelve production military aircraft.
- Type 47P
- Civilian mail carriers, two built.
[edit] Operators
- French Navy
- Escadrille 3E1
- Escadrille 4R1
[edit] Accidents and incidents
On the 6 June 1928 the Latham 47.02 was tasked to help search for the airship Italia which earlier on the 25 May 1928 had crashed on pack ice in the Arctic Ocean just north of Spitsbergen. The aircraft picked up the explorer Roald Amundsen and a colleague at Bergen. On the 18 June the aircraft left Tromsö, Norway to fly across the Barents Sea; it disappeared without a trace.
[edit] Specifications (Type 47)
Data from The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Aircraft (Part Work 1982-1985). Orbis Publishing.
General characteristics
- Crew: 4
- Wingspan: 25.20 m (82 ft 8 in)
- Gross weight: 6886 kg (15,180 lb)
- Powerplant: 2 × Farman 12We, 373 kW (500 hp) each
Performance
- Maximum speed: 170 km/h (106 mph)
- Range: 900 km (559 miles)
Armament
- 2 x twin 7.7 mm (0.303 in) machine-guns
- 600kg (1323lb) bombs
[edit] See also
Related lists
[edit] References
- Taylor, Michael J. H. (1989). Jane's Encyclopedia of Aviation. London: Studio Editions.
- The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Aircraft (Part Work 1982-1985). Orbis Publishing.
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