World War II Database

Contributor: C. Peter Chen

ww2dbaseThe S-43 flying boats were designed by Igor Sikorsky and first saw flight in 1935. Due to their appearance as the smaller version of the S-42 Clipper design, they were nicknamed "Baby Clippers". In Apr 1936, A S-43 aircraft set the altitude record for an amphious aircraft at 27,950 feet. Most of the 53 built were in civilian use, most of which were sold to Pan American Airways for flights to Cuba and flights within Latin America; the Reeve Aleutian Airways of the US Territory of Alaska operated two aircraft, the Inter-Island Airways of the US Territory of Hawaii operated three, Panair do Brasil of Brazil operated seven, Det Norske Luftfartselskap of Norway operated one, among others. Two examples were sold to private use (Harold Vanderbilt and Howard Hughes). In 1937, the US Army Air Corps purchased five examples and operated them under the designation of OA-8 as transports. Between 1937 and 1939, the US Navy purchased 17 examples, two of which were transferred to the US Marine Corps; they operated under the designation of JRS-1. Ten JRS-1 aircraft were present on Ford Island when Japan attacked Pearl Harbor, Hawaii on 7 Dec 1941, all of which survived, and they were immediately launched in search of the Japanese fleet. They would remain in military service until the end of the war in 1945.

S-43 Timeline

SPECIFICATIONS

S-43

Machinery	Two Pratt & Whitney R-1690-52 radial engines rated at 750hp each
Armament	Depth charges or capacity for 18 to 20 passengers
Crew	2
Span	26.21 m
Length	15.60 m
Height	5.38 m
Wing Area	72.50 m²
Weight, Empty	4,816 kg
Weight, Loaded	5,783 kg
Weight, Maximum	8,662 kg
Speed, Maximum	306 km/h
Service Ceiling	6,310 m
Range, Normal	1,247 km

Photographs