Seaplane Experimental Station, Felixstowe
| Seaplane Experimental Station | |
|---|---|
| Felixstowe, Suffolk | |
| Coordinates | 51°56′42″N 1°19′16″E / 51.945°N 1.321°E |
| Type |
Naval air station Royal Air Force station |
| Site information | |
| Controlled by |
 Royal Navy (1913-18) Royal Air Force (1918-19) |
| Site history | |
| In use | August 1913-June 1919 |
| Battles/wars | First World War |
The Seaplane Experimental Station, formerly RNAS Felixstowe, was a British aircraft design unit during the early part of the 20th century.
The unit at Felixstowe was commissioned 5 August 1913 on the River Orwell at Landguard under the command of Captain C. E. Risk, RM as Seaplanes, Felixstowe followed by Lieutenant C. E. H. Rathborne, RN in 1914 and Lieutenant-Commander John Cyril Porte, RN 1915.
RNAS Felixstowe was created soon after the outbreak of World War I following the formation of the Royal Naval Air Service 1 July 1914. Three hangers were built by Norwich engineers Boulton and Paul; the base would become the largest operational seaplane station in the United Kingdom.
As the name implies, the unit designed seaplanes and flying boats. These were generally known by the Felixstowe name although, apart from the prototypes, these flying boats were built by aircraft manufacturers such as Short Brothers, Dick, Kerr & Co. and Phoenix Dynamo Manufacturing Company (the latter two forming part of English Electric in 1918–1919).
Upon Porte's recommendation, the station was initially equipped with Curtiss flying boats. He improved their hull designs, before developing the Felixstowe flying boats from those experiments. Many Felixstowe boats were built under licence in the USA. The craft were flown on long-range patrols to spot the German High Seas Fleet and Zeppelins, with many based at RNAS Felixstowe.
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