After the submarineSMU-9 sank three British armored cruisers on 22 September 1914 shortly after the war began, the German Imperial Naval Office (Reichsmarine-Amt) decided to try mounting torpedoes on aircraft as they were far easier and faster to build than submarines. Early trials with land-based aircraft were unsuccessful because of the great weight of the torpedo (645 kilograms (1,422lb)) was more than existing aircraft could easily lift and the danger of trying to fly from an uneven grass airstrip with such a large weight of explosives. At the beginning of 1915 the Naval Office ordered the development of seaplanes capable of carrying torpedoes and the Seaplane Experimental Command (Seeflugzeug-Versuchs-Kommando (SVK)) issued requirements for these aircraft. They had to be twin-engine airplanes armed with a machine gun for self-defense and with a crew of two or three men: a pilot and observer for torpedo missions and a pilot, bombardier and gunner for bombing missions.[1]
Friedrichshafen's submission was similar in general design to their G.I bomber and the FF.35 was a conventional four-bay biplane with unstaggered, unequal-span wings. The undercarriage consisted of two widely spaced floats to allow for the torpedo to be carried between them. The floats were attached to the fuselage by multiple V-struts. The horizontal stabiliser was mounted halfway up the vertical stabilizer to keep it clear of spray while taxiing. The 160-metric-horsepower (118kW)Mercedes D.IIIstraight-six engines were positioned between the wings in pusher configuration with the two-blade propellers behind the engines and the radiators at the front. The engines were supported by a pair of struts in an inverted V configuration.[2]
The torpedoes used by the FF.35 and other German torpedo bombers were not designed for aerial use and had very narrow parameters for a successful launch, namely that the aircraft had to be flying straight and level and at an altitude of no more than 10 meters (33ft). To give pilots a method by which all of these conditions could be judged, the aircraft were fitted with an Anschützgyroscopic inclinometer to assess their flight attitude. Their height above water was measured by a 10-meter weighed steel cable that triggered a light in the cockpit when it touched the water, completing an electrical circuit.[3]
Operational history
The SVK placed an order for one prototype in February 1915,[Note 1] but construction was significantly delayed by Friedrichshafen's existing commitments and did not begin until 2 February 1916. It was delivered to the SVK in May for testing which was completed on 24 May and the aircraft received the serial number (Marine-nummer) 300.[Note 2] The performance of the FF.35 was deemed satisfactory, but it was structurally obsolete by the time it was delivered. Although no further examples were built, the FF.35 formed the basis for the more successful and streamlinedFF.41.[6]
The Naval Air Service began flying bombing missions with the FF.35 from the Naval Air Station (Seeflugstation) at Engure, Latvia, (Angern, Courland) on the western shore of the Gulf of Riga before the end of May. The floatplane also was extensively used by the SVK for trials; the last reference to it is from September when it was noted as being equipped with a radio and a machine gun.[7]
Specifications
Data from Flugzeugbau Friedrichshafen GmbH: Diplom-Ingenieur Theodor Kober;[8] Friedrichshafen Aircraft of WWI: A Centennial Perspective on Great War Airplanes[5]
↑ Aviation historian Siegfried Borzutzki claims that the aircraft was ordered on 24 March.[4]
↑ Some sources say that another aircraft was built with Marine-nummer 310, but aviation historian Jack Herris states that SVK records show that the entire block of 301–400 numbers was never used.[5]
Borzutzki, Siegfried (1993). Flugzeugbau Friedrichshafen GmbH: Diplom-Ingenieur Theodor Kober[Friedrichshafen Aircraft Company: Diploma-Engineer Theodore Kober] (in German). Berlin: Burbach. ISBN3-927513-60-1.
Herris, Jack (2016). Friedrichshafen Aircraft of WWI: A Centennial Perspective on Great War Airplanes. Great War Aviation Centennial Series. Vol.21. n.p.: Aeronaut Books. ISBN978-1-935881-35-3.
Schmeelke, Michael (2020). "Torpedo Los!": The German Imperial Torpedo-Flieger. n.p.: Aeronaut Books. ISBN978-1-953201-17-1.
The Friedrichshafen FF.41a was a large, German-built, three-seat, twin-engine floatplane reconnaissance aircraft designed by Flugzeugbau Friedrichshafen in 1917.
Friedrichshafen FF.49 was a German, two-seat, single-engine float-plane designed by Flugzeugbau Friedrichshafen in 1917.
The Friedrichshafen G.I was a prototype heavy bomber aircraft that was built in Germany by Flugzeugbau Friedrichshafen in 1915. It was Karl Gehlen's first design for the company, and although it was not produced in quantity, it provided the foundation for the later, highly successful bombers culminating in the G.III.
The Friedrichshafen FF.29 was an unarmed maritime reconnaissance floatplane built for the Imperial German Navy's Naval Air Service that was produced by Flugzeugbau Friedrichshafen during World War I. The aircraft entered service in November 1914, mostly conducting maritime patrols over the North Sea and the English Channel, and played a small role in the Raid on Cuxhaven the following month. A FF.29 became the first aircraft to be transported by a submarine when it was used in experiments in January 1915. In May an emergency landing by a FF.29 was the cause of the action off Noordhinder Bank when German forces were searching for the floatplane when they encountered a superior British force. The aircraft was also involved in developing methods of controlling artillery fire from the air.
The Friedrichshafen FF.31 was a two-seat prototype German maritime reconnaissance floatplane built by Flugzeugbau Friedrichshafen during the First World War. Although primarily intended for reconnaissance duties, the aircraft was provided with a machine gun to engage other aircraft. Although it was satisfactory for its intended mission, it lacked the performance necessary for use as a fighter. A pair of aircraft were built in 1915 and it was not accepted for production by the Imperial German Navy's Naval Air Service.
The Friedrichshafen FF.34 was a German biplane floatplane of the 1910s produced by Flugzeugbau Friedrichshafen.
The Friedrichshafen FF.40 was a German three-seat floatplane of the 1910s produced by Flugzeugbau Friedrichshafen.
The Friedrichshafen FF.64 was a German two-seat biplane floatplane of the 1910s produced by Flugzeugbau Friedrichshafen.
The Friedrichshafen FF.43 was a German single-seat floatplane fighter of the 1910s produced by Flugzeugbau Friedrichshafen.
The Friedrichshafen FF.48 was a German two-seat floatplane fighter of the 1910s produced by Flugzeugbau Friedrichshafen.
The Friedrichshafen FF.53 was a German torpedo-carrying biplane floatplane of the 1910s produced by Flugzeugbau Friedrichshafen.
The Friedrichshafen FF.60 was a German experimental floatplane produced by Flugzeugbau Friedrichshafen.
The Friedrichshafen FF.27 was a reconnaissance floatplane built in Germany during World War I.
The Friedrichshafen FF.1 was a German experimental floatplane built in 1912. It was the first aircraft designed and built by the newly established Flugzeugbau Friedrichshafen. Only one prototype was constructed and it set a German national record for endurance in 1913 before crashing in early 1914.
The Friedrichshafen FF.2 was a floatplane built in Germany in 1913. It was derived from a design by the Swiss pilot and designer René Grandjean. Only one aircraft was built before the design was reworked into the Friedrichshafen FF.4 the following year.
The Friedrichshafen FF.8 was a seaplane built in Germany in the early 1910s.
The Friedrichshafen FF.17 was an experimental floatplane built in Germany in 1914. Originally designed and flown with a single main float and two outriggers as the FF.17, it was later modified as the FF.17b with two floats.
The Friedrichshafen FF.19 was an unarmed maritime reconnaissance floatplane built for the Imperial German Navy's Naval Air Service that was produced by Flugzeugbau Friedrichshafen. Built in small numbers, the aircraft first flew in 1914 and saw service during the early months of World War I, mostly conducting maritime patrols over the North Sea, although they did attack British ships participating in the Raid on Cuxhaven at the end of the year.
The Friedrichshafen FF.63 was a German experimental floatplane produced by Flugzeugbau Friedrichshafen.
The Friedrichshafen FF.67 was a German experimental floatplane produced by Flugzeugbau Friedrichshafen.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply. Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.
