Martin MS

Last updated
MS-1
Martin MS-1 seaplane on SS-105 1923.jpg
A Martin MS-1 on the submarine USS S-1 in 1923.
RoleSubmarine-operated scout biplane
Manufacturer The Martin Company
Designer U.S. Navy Bureau of Aeronautics
First flight 1922
Introduction 1923
Retired 1926
StatusOut of service/scrapped
Primary user United States Navy
Number built6

The Martin MS-1 was an experimental scout biplane ordered by the United States Navy and was intended to operate from a submarine. It first flew in 1923 and the type was used for tests until 1926 when the project was cancelled.

Contents

Development

In 1921, representatives from the U.S. Navy Bureau of Aeronautics observed tests of the small M-1 Messenger for the United States Army Air Service and became interested in the use of small scouting aircraft aboard submarines. The Bureau consequently designed a tiny single seat scout airplane that could be disassembled and reassembled quickly. An innovative step was replacing the traditional wire bracing of the biplane wing with solid struts, thus avoiding tedious and time consuming rigging work during reassembly. After surfacing, this plane would be rolled out of a watertight hangar cylinder and quickly assembled. It was planned to launch the seaplane by ballasting the submarine until the deck was awash. Instead of building the aircraft itself at the Naval Aircraft Factory the Bureau let two contracts to build the aircraft to two slightly different designs. One contract went to The Martin Company for the MS-1, constructed with an aluminum frame and floats but with a fabric covered fuselage. The other contract went to the Cox-Klemin Aircraft Corporation for the wood frame and fabric Cox-Klemin XS. Other than the internal framework, both aircraft were virtually identical. [1]

Operational history

The submarine S-1 became the experimental platform for the operation of scout seaplanes late in 1923. The MS-1 and the Cox-Klemin XS were used for the trials, stored in a horizontal cylindrical hangar behind the conning tower fairwater. The first successful attempt was made on 5 November 1923. The first full cycle of surfacing, assembly, launching, retrieving, disassembly, and submergence took place on 28 July 1926, on the Thames River at New London, Connecticut using the XS-2. [2]

A total of six Martin MS-1s were built, with all six still being listed with the U.S. Navy as late as 1926. Testing showed that it took an inordinate amount of time to conduct a launching cycle (making the submarine vulnerable to enemy attack), and the cycle could only be safely conducted in very calm seas. The limited range and capability of the aircraft itself, due to its small size, greatly restricted the tactical utility of the concept [3] . After further trials during 1926, all the experimental aircraft were scrapped.

Variants

A Martin MS-1 being assembled on the submarine USS S-1 in 1923. Martin MS-1 being assembled on SS-105 1923.jpg
A Martin MS-1 being assembled on the submarine USS S-1 in 1923.
MS-1
six built (BuNo A6521-A6526).

Operators

Flag of the United States (23px).png  United States

Specifications

Data from

General characteristics

Performance

See also

Aircraft of comparable role, configuration, and era

Related lists

References

  1. ↑ Swanborough & Bowers, "United States Navy Aircraft Since 1911", pp. 423
  2. ↑ "S-1". Archived from the original on 2010-12-08. Retrieved 2011-09-22.
  3. ↑ PigBoats.COM S-1 page

Bibliography

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