The Caspar U.1 (sometimes known as the Caspar-Heinkel U.1) was a 1920s

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ger ...

patrol

seaplane A seaplane is a powered fixed-wing aircraft capable of takeoff, taking off and water landing, landing (alighting) on water.Gunston, "The Cambridge Aerospace Dictionary", 2009. Seaplanes are usually divided into two categories based on their tec ...

Ernst Heinkel Dr. Ernst Heinkel (24 January 1888 – 30 January 1958) was a German aircraft designer, manufacturer, ''Wehrwirtschaftsführer'' in Nazi Germany, and member of the Nazi party. His company Heinkel Flugzeugwerke produced the Heinkel He 178, th ...

and built by

Caspar-Werke The Caspar-Werke was a German aircraft manufacturer of the early 20th century. It was founded in 1911 by Karl Caspar under the name Zentrale für Aviatik in Fuhlsbüttel. In its early years, the firm built Etrich and Rumpler types under licence, an ...

. 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 ; 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 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 Anacostia is a historic neighborhood in Southeast Washington, D.C. Its downtown is located at the intersection of Good Hope Road and Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue. It is located east of the Anacostia River, after which the neighborhood is nam ...

in late 1922, and were tested during 1923; one of the aircraft was damaged beyond repair whilst mounted on a truck for a parade.

Operators

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Reichsmarine The ''Reichsmarine'' ( en, Realm Navy) was the name of the German Navy during the Weimar Republic and first two years of Nazi Germany. It was the naval branch of the ''Reichswehr'', existing from 1919 to 1935. In 1935, it became known as the ''K ...

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United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...

Specifications

References

Notes

Bibliography