The flying boat is a Felixstowe *Porte* Baby, not "port" -- named for John Cyril Porte, commander of NAS Felixstowe, and the designer of the plane. It was a big, slow-moving target for German floatplane fighters, so it was kept as far as possible from places it might see combat.
The pic shows a test vehicle for deploying fighters against Zeppelins swiftly; a successful launch was completed 05/17/1916, but the idea was not proceeded with.
So here is my answer to this Zeppelin menace, a trifecta of defense, I give you the Clipper Intercept Combo!
A destroyer towed lighter sporting a Felixstowe which quickly attains its max altitude and releases the parasite comic Camel to bring down the big nasty Zeppelin!
The penultimate combo also comes with fresh fish and chips on the way home!
The elves are proceeding on this one . . . : )
So how many books are in your personal library?
Porte Baby:
General characteristics
Crew: 5
Length: 63 ft 0 in (19.21 m)
Wingspan: 124 ft (37.8 m)
Height: 25 ft 0 in (7.62 m)
Wing area: 2,364 ft˛ (219.7 m˛)
Empty weight: 14,700 lb (6,682 kg)
Loaded weight: 18,600 lb (8,455 kg)
Powerplant: 3 × Rolls-Royce Eagle VII V12 inline piston, 345 hp (257 kW) each
Performance
Maximum speed: 87.5 mph (76 knots, 141 km/h) at 2,000 ft (610 m)
Service ceiling: 8,000 ft (2,440 m)
Climb to 6,500 ft (1,980 m): 25 min 5 s
Armament:
Guns: 3 × Lewis guns (1 in nose, 2 amidships)
F2A (hybrid of a Curtiss H-4 and Felixstowe F1):
General characteristics
Crew: 4
Length: 46 ft 3 in (14.1 m)
Wingspan: 95 ft 7˝ in (29.15 m)
Height: 17 ft 6 in (5.34 m)
Wing area: 1,133 ft˛ (105.3 m˛)
Empty weight: 7,549 lb (3,424 kg)
Loaded weight: 10,978 lb (4,980 kg)
Powerplant: 2 × Rolls-Royce Eagle VIII V12 piston, 345 hp (257 kW) each
Performance
Maximum speed: 95˝ mph at 2,000 ft (83 knots, 154 km/h)
Service ceiling: 9,600 ft (2,926 m)
Wing loading: 9.69 lb/ft˛ (47.4 kg/m˛)
Power/mass: 0.063 hp/lb (0.10 kW/kg)
Endurance: 6 hours
Climb to 2,000 ft (610 m): 3 min 50 s.
Climb to 10,000 ft (3,050 m): 39 min 30 s.
Armament
Guns: 4 × .303 in (7.7 mm) Lewis Guns, 1 in nose, 3 amidships
Bombs: Up to 460 lbs of bombs beneath wings
Well its no worse than the Russian tanks with glider wings!!
Bookmarks