After having a good time with the Avro seaplane, Prince Yamashina (see previous post) was taken for a flight with a Felixstowe F.5 flying boat. Again, this is a delightful and incredibly rare video featuring an F.5 from the Yokosuka Kokutai (maybe "Y-53, the full tail marking is not visible).
According to the Japanese Wiki:
In 1919, the Japanese Navy planned to domestically produce this aircraft as a bomber flying boat, and in September 1920, they signed a license agreement with Short and purchased eight completed aircraft. Later, in April 1921, 21 people from Short, including engineers Dodds and Flesher, were invited to Yokosuka Naval Arsenal's Ordnance Department to conduct a course on the manufacturing techniques of this aircraft using equipment from six aircraft. In addition to military personnel from the Yokosuka Arsenal, engineers from Hiro Naval Arsenal and Aichi also participated in this course. In June, the Sempill Mission from the Royal Navy came to Japan, and in the flight course that began in July, Major Blackley conducted a flight course on the newly completed aircraft. Four additional aircraft were purchased in conjunction with this flight course. On November 22, 1923, the F.5 was officially adopted as the "F" No. 5 flying boat (F-5 flying boat). Sixty were produced at Yokosuka Arsenal, Hiro Naval Arsenal, and Aichi and remained in service until around 1930.
Hiroshima Arsenal also produced prototypes with Lorraine 400 hp and 450 hp engines, the former of which was called the F-1 flying boat and the latter the F-2 flying boat. Several other prototypes with modified engines and airframes were also produced.
This was the first official flying boat for the Imperial Japanese Navy, and the first flying boat to be fully manufactured in Japan. Taking advantage of its long flight range, it was used for various training purposes, such as anti-ship bombing experiments conducted on the battleship Iwami on July 9, 1921. The successor, the Type 15 flying boat, was based on the design of the F-5.
