The SIAI S.13 was an Italian biplane reconnaissance flying-boat from 1919.

SIAI S.13
Role Reconnaissance-fighter flying-boat
National origin Italy
Manufacturer SIAI
Status Retired
Primary user Regia Marina

Design and development

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Designed by the Società Idrovolanti Alta Italia (SIAI) as a smaller version of the earlier S.12, the S.13 was a single-engine biplane reconnaissance-fighter flying boat powered by a 187 kW (251 hp) Isotta Fraschini V.6 engine. It had a crew of two in side-by-side seats behind a single windscreen; the observer had a single machine gun.

Emile Taddéoli, a Swiss flight pioneer was hired as test pilot for Savoia in mid-1914. On 12 July 1919, with a passenger on board, he flew from Calende on Lago Maggiore to Lake Geneva in 110 minutes, overflying the Mont Blanc (4,695 m (15,404 ft)) massif in a SIAI S.13.

The Royal Italian Navy took delivery of 12 aircraft in 1919, and examples were exported to Japan, Norway, Spain, Sweden, and Yugoslavia. In France, the S.13 was built under license as the CAMS C.13 and the Spanish naval workshops in Barcelona also built seven under licence.

A single-seat version, the S.13 Tipo, was ordered by the Royal Italian Navy, but was later cancelled when the Royal Navy decided to develop the Macchi M.7 instead and a civilian version, the S.13bis, failed to attract any orders.

Variants

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S.13
Production flying boat
S.13 Tipo
Single-seat variant, not built.
S.13bis
Civil variant, not built.
CAMS C-13
French licence-built S.13

Operators

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  France (as CAMS C-13)
  Kingdom of Italy
  Japan
  Norway
  Spain
  Sweden
  Yugoslavia

Specifications (S13)

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General characteristics

Performance

  • Maximum speed: 197 km/h (122 mph, 106 kn)

Armament

  • 1 × 7.7mm (0.303in) machine-gun

See also

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Related lists

References

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  • Taylor, Michael J. H. (1989). Jane's Encyclopedia of Aviation. London: Studio Editions.
  • The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Aircraft (Part Work 1982–1985). Orbis Publishing.
  • Hirschauer, Louis; Dollfus, Charles, eds. (1920). L'Année Aéronautique: 1919-1920. Paris: Dunod. p. 15. (also page 47)