Dornier Do 24

Do 24

A Dutch Do 24 flying-boat
Role	Bomber, reconnaissance and air-sea rescue flying boat
Manufacturer	Dornier Aviolanda, Potez
First flight	3 July 1937
Introduction	November 1937
Primary user	Luftwaffe
Produced	1937-1945
Number built	279

The Dornier Do 24 is a 1930s German three-engine flying boat designed by the Dornier Flugzeugwerke for maritime patrol and search and rescue. According to Dornier records, some 12,000 people were rescued by Do 24s during its flying career. A total of 279 were built among several factories from 1937–1945.

Design and development

The Dornier Do 24 was designed to meet a Dutch navy requirement for a replacement of the Dornier Wals being used in the Dutch East Indies, with the Netherlands government signing a contract for six Dornier Do 24s on 3 August 1936. Two more prototypes were built for the German navy to be evaluated against the Blohm & Voss BV 138.^[1]

The Do 24 was an all-metal parasol monoplane with a broad-beamed hull and stabilising sponsons. Twin tails were mounted on the upswept rear of the hull, while three wing-mounted tractor configuration engines powered the aircraft. Fuel was carried in tanks in the sponsons and the wing centre section.^[2]^[3] Up to 1,200 kg (2,600 lb) of bombs could be carried under the aircraft's wings, while defensive armament consisted of three gun turrets, one each in nose, dorsal and tail positions. In early aircraft the turrets were each fitted with a machine gun but later aircraft carried a 20 mm cannon in the dorsal turret.^[2]^[4]

Do 24 V3, the first of the Dutch boats, took off from Lake Constance on 3 July 1937, with the second Dutch boat, Do 24 V4 following soon after.^[2] As the Dutch required that their flying boats use the same engines as the Martin 139 bombers in use in the Dutch East Indies, they were fitted with 887 hp (661 kW) Wright R-1820-F52 Cyclone radial engines. Test results were good, with the new flying boat proving capable of operating from extremely rough open seas and the Dutch placed an order for a further 12 Do 24s on 22 July 1937.^[2] Do 24 V1, the first of the two aircraft for Germany, powered by three 600 hp (450 kW) Junkers Jumo 205C diesel engines, flew on 10 January 1938 but after evaluation, the two German boats were returned to Dornier for storage.^[5]

The Netherlands was enthusiastic about the new flying boat and planned to purchase as many as 90 Do 24s. Of these, 30 were to be built by Dornier (with all but the first two prototypes assembled by Dornier's Swiss subsidiary based at Altenrhein). The remaining aircraft were to be built under licence in the Netherlands by Aviolanda at Papendrecht. Of these aircraft, all but one of the German and Swiss built aircraft and the first seven Aviolanda-built aircraft were to be Do 24K-1s, powered by the original R-1820-F52 engines, while the remaining aircraft were to be Do 24K-2s, with more powerful 1,100 horsepower (820 kW) R-1820-G102 engines and more fuel.^[5]

Only 25 aircraft had been built on the Aviolanda assembly line before the German occupation. The Luftwaffe were interested in the completed and partially completed aircraft. The Dutch production line continued to produce aircraft under German control. 11 airframes were completed with Dutch-bought Wright Cyclone engines but later models used the BMW Bramo 323R-2. A further 159 Do 24s were built in the Netherlands during the occupation, most under the designation Do 24T-1.

Another production line for the Do 24 was established in the old CAMS factory at Sartrouville, France, during the German occupation. This line was operated by SNCAN and was able to produce another 48 Do 24s. After the liberation, this facility produced a further 40 Do 24s, which served with the French Navy until 1952.

Operation history

A Luftwaffe Do.24 in Romania, 1941

Thirty-seven Dutch- and German-built Do 24s had been sent to the East Indies by the time of the German occupation of the Netherlands in June 1940. Until the outbreak of war, these aircraft would have flown the tri-color roundel. Later, to avoid confusion with British or French roundels, Dutch aircraft flew a black-bordered orange triangle insignia. A Dutch Dornier Do 24 is credited with sinking the Japanese destroyer Shinonome on December 17, 1941 while the ship was escorting an invasion fleet to Miri in British Borneo.^[6] On 10 January 1942 a Dutch Dornier Do 24K spotted a Japanese invasion fleet heading for Tarakan Island in Dutch Borneo, giving adequate warning so that all oil installations could be destroyed before the Japanese arrived.^[7] After the Japanese invasion of the Netherlands East Indies, six surviving Do.24s were transferred to the Royal Australian Air Force in February 1942. They served in the RAAF through most of 1944 as transports in New Guinea, making the Do.24 one of the few aircraft serving operationally on both sides during World War II

On 31 October 1944, a German Do 24 (CM+RY of Seenotgruppe 81)made a forced landing in neutral Sweden, was impounded and eventually bought, and remained in Swedish service until 1952.

In 1944, 12 Dutch-built Do 24s were delivered to Spain with the understanding that they would assist downed airmen of both sides. After the war, a few French-built Do 24s also found their way to Spain. Spanish Do 24s were operational at least until 1967, and possibly later. In 1971, one of the last flying Spanish Do 24s was returned to the Dornier facility on Lake Constance for permanent display.

Variants

The restored and re-engined Do.24 ATT

Do 24K-1: Swiss production & Dutch license production aircraft, 36 built.
Do 24K-2: Dutch licence production powered by three 746 kW (1,000 hp) Wright R-1820-G102 engines. 1 built.
Do 24N-1: Dutch-built Do.24K-2s completed for Luftwaffe for air-sea rescue powered by three 746 kW (1,000 hp) Wright R-1820-G102 engines, 11 conversions.
Do 24T-1: French production, 48 built
Do 24T-1: Dutch production for the Luftwaffe powered by three BMW Bramo 323R-2 engines, 159 built (including T-2 and T-3).
Do 24T-2: Do 24T-1 with minor changes.
Do 24T-3: Do 24T-1 with minor changes.
Do 24 ATT: Post-war restoration/amphibian conversion with three Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-45 turboprop engines, one converted.
Do 318: One Do.24T modified in 1944 with a boundary-layer control system.

Operators

Australia

Royal Australian Air Force

France

French Navy (Postwar)

Nazi Germany

Luftwaffe

Netherlands

Royal Netherlands Navy
- Netherlands Naval Aviation Service^[8]

Norway

Royal Norwegian Air Force (Postwar)

Spain

Spanish Air Force

Sweden

Swedish Air Force

Survivors

Dornier Do 24 on Display

Four complete aircraft survive:

In February 2004, a restored and re-engined (with turboprop engines) aircraft, the Do-24 ATT, began flying around the world on a UNICEF mission to assist children in the Philippines. The Do-24 ATT is piloted by Iren Dornier, the grandson of Dornier founder Claudius Dornier. Upon completion of the work with UNICEF, it will be run as a special charter airliner by South East Asian Airlines. HOME | Do 24ATT - An Iren Dornier Projekt It was flying at the Berlin ILA in May 2014, equipped with the Advanced Technology Wing developed during the Dornier Do 228 programme. It was then the only airworthy Do 24 of any sub-type.^[9]

A Do 24T-3 is on display at the Nationaal Militair Museum, Soesterberg, The Netherlands and is painted in the livery of the Marine Luchtvaartdienst (Netherlands Naval Aviation Service). The quality of the restoration job is of such quality that the aircraft could be made airworthy with relative ease. The plane is located on the ground floor, in the north-west corner of the museum.
A Do 24T-3 is on display at the Flugwerft Schleißheim branch of the Deutsches Museum in Oberschleißheim.
A Do 24T-3 is on display at the Museo del Aire (Spain), Cuatro Vientos, Madrid, Spain.

Specifications (Do 24T-1)

Data from The Cosmopolitan Dornier...Last of the Sponson 'Boats^[10]

General characteristics

Crew: 6^[11]
Length: 21.89 m (71 ft 9 ³⁄₄ in)
Wingspan: 27.00 m (88 ft 7 in)
Height: 5.75 m (18 ft 10¹⁄₃ in)
Wing area: 108.0 m² (1,163 ft²)
Empty weight: 10,600 kg (23,369 lb)
Loaded weight: 16,200 kg (35,714 lb)
Max. takeoff weight: 18,400 kg (40,564 lb)
Powerplant: 3 × Bramo 323R-2 Fafnir 9-cylinder radial engines, 701 kW (940 hp) at 4,000 m (13,120 ft), 1,200 hp (895 kW) with water injection each

Performance

Maximum speed: 340 km/h (183 knots, 211 mph) at 4,800 m (15,750 ft)
Cruise speed: 264 km/h (159 knots, 183 mph) at 5,400 m (17,720 ft)
Range: 2,700 km (1,459 nmi, 1,678 mi)
Service ceiling: 6,300 m (26,670 ft)
Climb to 1,000 m (3,300 ft): 4.5 min
Climb to 4,000 m (13,125 ft): 21 min

Armament

Guns:
- 1 × 20 mm Hispano-Suiza HS.404 cannon
- 2 × 7.92 mm (.312 in) MG 15 machine guns

References

↑ Green and Swanborough Air Enthusiast April–July 1983, pp. 9–10.
1 2 3 4 Green and Swanborough Air Enthusiast April–July 1983, pp. 10–11.
↑ Smith and Kay 1972, p. 121.
↑ King Flight 9 November 1939, p. b.
1 2 Green and Swanborough Air Enthusiast April–July 1983, p. 11.
↑ Visser, Jan (1999–2000). "Who sank IJN destroyer Shinonome, December 1941?". Forgotten Campaign: The Dutch East Indies Campaign 1941-1942.
↑ L, Klemen (1999–2000). "The capture of Tarakan Island, January 1942". Forgotten Campaign: The Dutch East Indies Campaign 1941-1942.
↑ Broshot, James A. "Dutch Air Force Order of Battle in the Dutch East Indies, 30 November 1941". Forgotten Campaign: The Dutch East Indies Campaign 1941-1942.
↑ Air Britain Aviation World pp. 127, 129, September 2014
↑ Green and Swanborough Air Enthusiast April–July 1983, p. 15.
↑ Donald 1994, p. 36.

"Back to base". Air Enthusiast. Vol. 2 no. 1. January 1972.
Donald, David (1994). Warplanes of the Luftwaffe. London: Aerospace Publishing. ISBN 978-1-874023-56-2.
Green, William; Swanborough, Gordon (April–July 1983). "The Cosmopolitan Dornier...Last of the sponson 'boats". Air Enthusiast. No. Twenty-one. pp. 9–20. ISSN 0143-5450.
King, H.F. (9 November 1939). "The Dornier Flying Boats". Flight. Vol. XXXVI no. 1611. pp. a–d (between p. 372 and p. 373).
Smith, J. R.; Kay, Antony L. (1972). German Aircraft of the Second World War. London: Putnam. ISBN 0-85177-836-4.
Web page dedicated to the latest flight of the last airworthy Do.24 in the world

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Dornier Do 24.

Dornier and Zeppelin-Lindau aircraft

Zeppelin-Lindau 1914-1919	Rs.I Rs.II Rs.III Rs.IV C.I C.II CS.I CL.II D.I V1

Dornier designations 1919-1933	Do A Do B Do C Do D Do E Do F Do G Do H Do J Do K Do L Do N Do O Do P Do Q Do R Do S Do T Do U Do V Do X Do Y Delphin Komet Libelle Merkur Spatz Wal

RLM designations 1933-1945	Do 10 Do 11 Do 12 Do 13 Do 14 Do 15 Do 16 Do 17 Do 18 Do 19 Do 20 Do 22 Do 23 Do 24 Do 25 Do 26 Do 29 Do 212 Do 214 Do 215 Do 216 Do 217 Do 317 Do 318 Do 335 Do 417 Do 435 Do 635 P.59 P.85 P.174 P.184 P.192 P.231 P.232 P.238 P.247 P.252 P.254 P.256 P.273 P.1075

Dornier designations post-1945	Do 24 Do 25 Do 27 Do 28 Do 29 Do 31 Do 32 Do 34 Do 128 Do 132 Do 228 Do 231 328 328JET 428 528 728JET 928JET Aerodyne Alpha Jet Projekt 621 Seastar S-Ray 007

See also Claudius Dornier and Dornier Museum Friedrichshafen

Reich Air Ministry aircraft designations

1 to 100	B 9 Gö 9 Do 10 Do 11 Wn 11 Do 12 Do 13 Do 14 Do 15 Wn 15 Do 16 Wn 16 Do 17 Do 18 Do 19 Do 20 Do 22 Do 23 Do 24 Kl 25 Do 26 Kl 26 M 27 Do 29 Kl 31 Kl 32 W 33 L 33 W 34 Kl 35 Kl 36 HD 37 HD 38 G 38 DFS 39 BV 40 DFS 40 A 40 Fw 42 He 42 Fw 43 HD 43 Fw 44 He 45 He 46 Ju 46 Fw 47 Ju 47 K 47 A 48 He 49 Ju 49 He 50 A 50 He 51 K 51 Ju 52 K 53 NR 54 Fw 55 NR 55 Fw 56 Fw 57 Fw 58 He 58 He 59 He 60 Ju 60 Fw 61 He 61 Fw 62 He 62 He 63 Ar 64 He 64 Ar 65 He 65 Ar 66 He 66 Ar 67 Ar 68 Ar 69 He 70 He 71 He 72 He 74 Ar 76 Ar 77 Ar 79 Ar 80 Ar 81 Ju 85 Ju 86 Ju 87 Ju 88 Ju 89 Ju 90 Ar 95 Ar 96 Fi 97 Fi 98 Fi 99 He 100

101 to 200	Al 101 Al 102 Al 103 Fi 103 Fh 104 Kl 105 Kl 106 Kl 107 Bf 108 Bf 109 Bf 110 He 111 He 112 He 113 He 114 He 115 He 116 Hs 117 He 118 He 119 He 120 Hs 121 Hs 122 Hs 123 Hs 124 Hs 125 Hs 126 Hs 127 Hs 128 Hs 129 Hs 130 Bü 131 Hs 132 Bü 133 Bü 134 Ha 135 Ha 136 Hü 136 Ha 137 BV 138 Ha 139 Ha 140 BV 141 BV 142 BV 143 BV 144 Go 145 Go 146 Go 147 Ju 147 Go 149 Go 150 Kl 151 Ta 152 Kl 152 Ta 153 Ta 154 BV 155 Fi 156 Fi 157 Fi 158 Fw 159 Ju 160 Bf 161 He 162 Bf 162 Bf 163 Me 163 Me 164 Fi 166 FK 166 Fi 167 Fi 168 He 170 He 172 He 176 He 177 He 178 Bü 180 Bü 181 Bü 182 Ta 183 Fl 184 Fl 185 Fw 186 Ju 186 Fw 187 Ju 187 Ju 188 Fw 189 Fw 190 Fw 191 Ao 192 DFS 193 DFS 194 Ar 195 Ar 196 Ar 197 Ar 198 Ar 199 Fw 200

201 to 300	Si 201 Si 202 DFS 203 Si 204 Fw 206 Me 208 Me 209 Me 209 (1943) Me 210 Hü 211 Do 212 Do 214 Do 215 Do 216 Do 217 Hs 217 He 219 He 220 BV 222 Fa 223 Fa 224 Ao 225 Fa 225 BV 226 Ho 226 FGP 227 DFS 228 Ho 229 DFS 230 Ar 231 Ar 232 Ar 233 Ar 234 Do 235 BV 237 BV 238 Fw 238 Ar 239 Ar 240 Go 241 Go 242 Go 244 BV 246 Ju 248 BV 250 Fw 250 Ho 250 Ho 251 Ho 252 Ju 252 Fi 253 Ho 253 Ta 254 Ho 254 Fi 256 Sk 257 Fw 261 Me 261 Me 262 Me 263 Me 264 Fl 265 Me 265 Fa 266 Ho 267 Ju 268 Fa 269 He 270 We 271 Fw 272 He 274 He 275 He 277 He 278 He 280 Fl 282 Fa 283 Ta 283 Fa 284 Fl 285 Ju 286 Ju 287 Ju 288 Ju 290 Me 290 As 292 Hs 293 Hs 294 Hs 295 Ar 296 Hs 296 Hs 297 Hs 298 Fw 300

301-	Me 309 Me 310 Do 317 Do 318 He 319 Me 321 Ju 322 Me 323 Me 328 Me 329 Fa 330 DFS 331 DFS 332 Fi 333 Me 334 Do 335 Fa 336 Fl 339 E.340 WNF 342 He 343 Rk 344 So 344 Go 345 DFS 346 Rk 347 Ba 349 Ju 352 Me 362 Me 364 Ju 388 Ju 390 Fw 391 Ar 396 Ta 400 Me 409 Me 410 Do 417 He 419 ZMe 423 Ar 430 Ka 430 Ar 432 Do 435 Ar 440 Ju 452 Me 462 Ju 488 Fw 491 Me 509 Me 510 He 519 ZSO 523 Ar 532 Do 535 E.555 Me 609 Ar 632 Do 635

Swedish Air Force military aircraft designations 1940–present

1-25	B/S/T/Tp 16 Sk 16 B/S 17 B/S/T 18 J 19 J 20 A/J 21 A/J 21R J/S 22 J 23 B/J 24 Tp 24 Sk 25

26-50	Sk 26 B/S 26 J/S 26 J 27 A/J/Sk 28 A/J/S 29 J 30 S 31 A/J/S 32 J 33 J 34 J/S/Sk 35 A 36 AJ/JA 37 A/Sk 38 JAS 39 Tp 45 Tp 46 Tp 47 Sk 50

51-100	Fpl 51 Tp 52 Tp 53 Fpl 54 Tp 54 Tp 55 Sk 60 Sk/Fpl 61 Tp 78 Tp 79 Tp 80 Tp 81 Tp 82 Tp 83 Tp 84 Tp 85 Tp 86 Tp 87 Tp 88 Tp 89 Tp 91

100-	Tp 100 Tp 101 Tp 102 Tp 103

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