J.Davilla, A.Soltan French Aircraft of the First World War (Flying Machines)

Latham High Seas Flying Boat

  Jean Latham founded a company for building seaplanes in 1917. The Societe Latham & Cie built 24 Levy HB.2 flying boats before constructing its own design for a large flying boat to meet the new requirement for a "high seas" aircraft.
  The French navy decided in 1918 that it wanted a flying boat in the same category as the British Felixstowe series. This category was termed the "high seas" flying boat and the requirements called for a crew of four (two pilots and two observers), a T.S.F. radio with long-range, an endurance of eight hours, a 75-mm cannon with 30 rounds, two machine guns, a bomb load of 120 kg, a speed of 140 km/h, and an ability to climb to 1,000 meters in 15 minutes. Several aircraft submitted designs to meet the "high seas" specification, including Donnet-Denhaut, Farman, Tellier, Levy, Besson, and Latham.
  The Latham design featured three Panhard-Levassor P1-12CB engines; two were mounted as tractors and one was a pusher. The propellers were four-bladed Chauvieres. The tail had a cruciform configuration and there were three rudders between the upper and lower horizontal stabilizers.
  Four of these aircraft were ordered and were designated CH.1. However, the "high seas" category of flying boat had been rendered superfluous by the Armistice and no further aircraft were ordered, although consideration was given to using them in the colonial reconnaissance role.


Latham CH.1 Flying Boat with Three 350-hp Panhard-Levassor P1-12CB Engines
   Span 31.17m; length 18.05m; height 6.00 m; wing area 176 sq. m
   Empty weight 4,700 kg; loaded weight 7,190 kg
   Maximum speed: 145 km/h; cruising speed 110 km/h; ceiling 3,000 m; range 1,000 km; endurance eight hours
   Four built