J.Herris Albatros Aircraft of WWI. Vol.3: Bombers, Seaplanes, J-types (A Centennial Perspective on Great War Airplanes 26)

Albatros W.3

   The Albatros W.3 was ordered in October 1915 and delivered in July 1916. It was the first torpedo bomber built by Albatros and only a single prototype, Marine Number 527, was built.
   The W.3 was a twin-engine floatplane with its two 150 hp Benz Bz.III engines mounted as pushers. To improve streamlining the pusher propellers had spinners. The large, boxy radiators were mounted at the top front of the nacelles. The wood structure was typical of Albatros practice of the time and the design had typical Albatros lines. The design provided for a torpedo carried under the fuselage and semi-recessed to reduce drag.
   Little is known about the W.3's handling qualities, but the overall design was worthy of development into the very similar Albatros W.5 that was essentially the production version of the W.3 prototype.


Albatros W.5
  
   A batch of five Albatros W.5 torpedo bombers, Marine Numbers 845-849, was ordered in July 1916, the same month the W.3 was delivered. Apparently the priority of the W.5 was fairly low as deliveries of the five aircraft were stretched out from May 1917 to January 1918.
   The W.5 was essential a refined derivative of the original W.3 and shared many similarities with the earlier design. Wing span and length of the W.3 and W.5 were the same and both types were powered by two 150 hp Benz Bz.III engines mounted as pushers. Like the W.3, the W.5 had propeller spinners and provision for a single torpedo mounted below the fuselage, although the torpedo recess under the fuselage was larger in the W.5. The radiators and engine nacelles of the W.5 were more refined for lower drag with better cooling. Photos of Marine Number 845 show ailerons on the upper wing only like the W.3, but apparently lateral control needed improvement because Marine Number 847 had ailerons on all four wings connected by an actuating strut. The SVK drawing of the W.5, which indicated it applied to all five Marine Numbers built, show ailerons on all four wings, so that was intended as the standard configuration. It is not known if MN 845 was later modified to have four ailerons or left in its original configuration. The floats of the W.5 were enlarged compared to the W.3.
   The small production order is an indication that the W.5's performance was below that of its Gotha and Brandenburg competitors, and the leisurely delivery schedule reflects the low priority given torpedo bombers after the Navy abandoned aerial torpedo attacks due to the vulnerability of the attacking aircraft.


Albatros Seaplane Specifications
Type W.1 W.2 W.3 W4 MN747 W4 (948-967) W.5 W.8
Engine 150 hp Benz Bz.III or 160 hp Mercedes D.III 150 hp Benz Bz.III 2x150 hp Benz Bz.III 160 hp Mercedes D.III 160 hp Mercedes D.III 2x150 hp Benz Bz.III 195 hp Benz Bz.IIIb
Span 14.3 m 10.0 m 22.7 m 9.50 m 9.50 m 22.7 m 11.46 m
Length 8.56 m 8.2 m 13.1 m 8.50 m 8.50 m 13.1 m 9.59 m
Wing Area 43.0 m2 31.4 m2 - 31.0 m2 - 100 m2 -
Empty Weight - 935 kg. - 709 kg 784 kg 2,263 kg -
Flying Weight - 1,215 kg - 989 kg 155 km/h 3,665 kg -
Maximum Speed - 176 km/h 133 km/h 155 km/h 160 km/h 133 km/h 150 km/h
Climb to 1,000m - - - - 5.5 min. 20.0 min. 6.5 min.
Climb to 2,000m - - - - 8.5 min. -
Climb to 3,000m - - - - 23 min. - 34 min.
Duration - - - - - 4 hours 3.5 hours
Guns None 1 gun 1 gun 1 gun 2 guns 1 gun 1-2 fixed guns + 1 flexible gun


Albatros W.1-W.8 Seaplane Production
Aircraft Number Built Marine Numbers
Albatros W.3 1 527
Albatros W.5 5 845-849

M.Schmeelke "Torpedo Los!" (Aeronaut)

German Torpedo Aircraft

Albatros

  Albatros Gesellschaft fur Flugzeug Unternehmungen m.b.H, at Berlin-Johannisthal was the producer of the Albatros W3 and W5 type aircraft. Albatros W3 (527) was first referenced in documents on July 9, 1916; but was destroyed by fire following an accident on July 18. Prior to the accident, W3 (527) served with the Torpedo-Versuchs-Kommando (TVK, torpedo experimental command) in Eckernforde. Albatros W5 (845 - 849) did not arrive in Warnemunde until July 1917; only Nos. 845, 846, and 847 were ready for use at the front lines as GT type aircraft in August 1917. On May 11, 1916 SVK communicated to the seaplane bases that, aluminum fuel lines, particularly on Albatros aircraft, were prone to clogging. A few days later, on May 29, 1916, SVK issued orders for all filters, fuel lines, and tanks to be emptied and cleaned after each flight.



Albatros W.3 Torpedo Bomber Prototype

  The Albatros W.3 was ordered in October 1915 and delivered in July 1916. It was the first torpedo bomber built by Albatros and only a single prototype, Marine Number 527, was built.
  The W.3 was a twin-engine floatplane with its two 150 hp Benz Bz.III engines mounted as pushers. To improve streamlining the pusher propellers had spinners. The large, boxy radiators were mounted at the top front of the nacelles. The wood structure was typical of Albatros practice of the time and the design had typical Albatros lines. The design provided for a torpedo carried under the fuselage and semi-recessed to reduce drag.
  Little is known about the W.3's handling qualities, but the overall design was worthy of development into the very similar Albatros W.5 that was essentially the production version of the W.3 prototype.


Albatros W.5 Torpedo Bomber

A batch of five Albatros W.5 torpedo bombers, Marine Numbers 845-849, was ordered in July 1916, the same month the W.3 was delivered. Apparently the priority of the W.5 was fairly low as deliveries of the five aircraft were stretched out from May 1917 to January 1918.
  The W.5 was essential a refined derivative of the original W.3 and shared many similarities with the earlier design. Wing span and length of the W.3 and W.5 were the same and both types were powered by two 150 hp Benz Bz.III engines mounted as pushers. Like the W.3, the W.5 had propeller spinners and provision for a single torpedo mounted below the fuselage, although the torpedo recess under the fuselage was larger in the W.5. The radiators and engine nacelles of the W.5 were more refined for lower drag with better cooling. Photos of Marine Number 845 show ailerons on the upper wing only like the W.3, but apparently lateral control needed improvement because Marine Number 847 had ailerons on all four wings connected by an actuating strut. The SVK drawing of the W.5, which indicated it applied to all five Marine Numbers built, show ailerons on all four wings, so that was intended as the standard configuration. It is not known if MN 845 was later modified to have four ailerons or left in its original configuration. The floats of the W.5 were enlarged compared to the W.3.
  The small production order is an indication that the W.5's performance was below that of its Gotha and Brandenburg competitors, and the leisurely delivery schedule reflects the low priority given torpedo bombers after the Navy abandoned aerial torpedo attacks due to the vulnerability of the attacking aircraft.


German Torpedo Bomber Production
Type Albatros W.5 Gotha WD11 Gotha WD14 Brandenburg GW Friedrichshafen FF41AT
Number 5 17 52* 21 8
* 69 ordered, production was curtailed by the Armistice.
There were a number of prototype torpedo bombers; this table shows only production types. The Albatros W.5 was produced in the smallest quantity of any production type, an indication of its relative merit. The Gotha WD14 received by far the largest orders. It was also the only aircraft in the table powered by 200 hp Benz Bz.IV engines; the others were all underpowered by 150 hp Benz Bz.III engines.