Perhaps the most remarkable achievement of 1912 was the Curtiss flying-boat. Glenn Curtiss, who won the James Gordon Bennett race in 1909, had succeeded in rising from the water in 1913 with a similar biplane fitted with a central pontoon float instead of a wheeled under-carriage. This he made into a genuine flying-boat, consisting of a proper hydroplane-boat, with wings and engine superimposed
One, known as the Model H-12, which was turned out in 1917, was the largest craft of its kind that had been adopted by U.S. naval forces to that time.
Top Speed: 95 m.p.h.
Engine: two 660 h.p. Liberty 12-cylinder inlines
Wingspan: 96.5 feet
Weight: 10,172 pounds
Specifications from “Practical Aviation,” by Charles Hayward, 1919
This model, Fig. 26, is the same as that of a number of flying boats built by the same company for …
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… boat and are direct-connected to propellers designed to act as tractors. Between the propeller and its motor in each case is placed the circular radiator from which the cooling water is circulated by means of a centrifugal pump. These radiators had every appearance of being flywheels, but it will be noted that they surround the forward end of the crankcase, so that the propeller shafts merely project through them. The gasoline consumption per brake horsepower hour is 0.54 pound and that of oil, 0.03 pound.
The weight of each motor with its propeller but without oil or water is 690 pounds. Hull. The boat itself is completely inclosed and is entered through a hatch on the top at the right-hand side. Just forward of this hatch, which is closed and locked from the inside, is a series of celluloid windows affording a clear view in every direction.