Sopwith Admiralty Type C

The Sopwith Admiralty Type C was an early British floatplane designed and built by Sopwith Aviation to drop torpedoes. A single engined tractor biplane floatplane, three were delivered to the Royal Navy in November 1914 but proved unable to lift a torpedo.^[1]

The Admiralty had ordered a special torpedo carrying biplane (the Sopwith Special torpedo seaplane Type C, serial number 170) in February 1914 and followed it with an order in July 1914 for three similar Type C floatplanes (serial numbers 157, 158 and 159).^[1] The specification called for folding wings, bomb gear, a gun and radio.^[2] Work started at the Sopwith factory at Kingston-upon-Thames on 5 April 1914 and the three Type Cs, powered by a 200 hp (150 kW) Salmson (Canton-Uneé) piston engine, were completed by October.^[2] They went to RNAS Calshot for evaluation in November 1914.^[1] The Special, tested that July, had failed to lift a torpedo and the new Type Cs were little better, failing to take off under load:^[2] 157 could not get airborne with a 14 in (360 mm) Whitehead torpedo and the other two had similar poor performance.^[1] 158 was accepted by the service on 4 February 1915 but it sank following a forced landing a few days later on 8 February.^[1] The two survivors, 157 and 159, were withdrawn from service at the end of 1915.^[1]

 United Kingdom

• Royal Naval Air Service^[1]

Related lists

• List of flying boats and floatplanes

Notes

Sources

• Goodall, Michael H.; Tagg, Albert E. (2001). British Aircraft before the Great War. Atglen, PA, USA: Schiffer Publishing Ltd. ISBN 0-7643-1207-3.
• Sturtivant, Ray; Page, Gordon (1992). Royal Navy Aircraft Serials and Units 1911-1919. Tonbridge, Kent, UK: Air-Britain Historians Ltd. ISBN 0-85130-191-6.