Caspar U.1 Explained

The Caspar U.1 (sometimes known as the Caspar-Heinkel U.1) was a 1920s German patrol seaplane designed by Ernst Heinkel and built by Caspar-Werke. The U.1 was designed to fit into a cylindrical container to allow it to be carried, then launched from a submarine.

Development

The U.1 was designed to meet a requirement to fit inside a cylindrical container long with a diameter of 1.7m (05.6feet); this allowed the aircraft to be carried by a submarine. To reduce the time to launch the aircraft, it was built as a cantilever biplane to remove the need to rig struts and wires on assembly. The U.1 had two single-step floats and was powered by a front-mounted 55hp Siemens radial piston engine. The pilot had an open cockpit behind the upper wing which gave a clear view forward. It is claimed that during tests, four men could remove the U.1 from the container and erect it in 1 minute 3 seconds. Two aircraft were bought by the United States Navy for evaluation; these were delivered to Naval Air Station Anacostia in late 1922, and were tested during 1923; one of the aircraft was damaged beyond repair whilst mounted on a truck for a parade.^[1]

Operators

• Reichsmarine

• United States Navy

References

Bibliography

• Book: The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Aircraft (Part Work 1982-1985). Orbis Publishing.
• Book: Herris . Jack . German Aircraft of Minor Manufacturers in WWI: A Centennial Perspective on Great War Airplanes . 2020 . Aeronaut Books . n.p. . 978-1-935881-85-8. 1: Alter to Korn. Gret War Aviation Centennial Series (49).
• Passingham. Malcolm. Les hydravions embarqués sur sous-marins . Avions: Toute l'aéronautique et son histoire . February 2000 . 83 . 7–17 . Submarine-carried Seaplanes . French . 1243-8650.

Notes and References

1. Treadwell. Terry. February 1983. Submarine Aviation. Naval Aviation News. Naval Air Systems Command. Washington, DC. 65. 2. 9. 0028-1417.