Basil Smith: Dornier Wal Flying Boat

Artist: Basil Smith
1925 -
Nationality: British
Artwork Year: 1983
Image Size: 7 by 6 inches
Overall Size: 10 by 9 inches
Medium: Mixed Media on Hot Press Illustration Board

It was 1918 ... World War I had just ended. German Professor Claude Dornier was busy constructing a new twin-engine flying-boat when the news came. The Allies had ordered his creation destroyed under the terms of the Armistice. In April 1920, Germany complied, sinking the GsI. Its succesor, the GsII was similarly banned. But Professor Dornier was not easily discouraged. He enthusiastically continued his work and soon designed the famous Dornier Wal (whale). The Wal combined the best of his designs and became one of the most successful flying-boats ever made. A central-hull monoplane driven by two engines in tandem over the middle of the wing, the Wal carried two crew members and eight to ten passengers. Eventually, Italy, Germany, Japan, Spain and the Netherlands produced a total of 264 of the ever-impressive Wals. In 1925, Roald Amundsen used a Wal in an attempt to fly over the North Pole. And in 1926, Spain flew a Wal from Seville to Buenos Aires. King Alfonso XIII presented one of these flying boats to the Argentine nation. Today, it is on exhibition at Lujan, Argentina. In 1932, when restrictions on German aircraft construction were lifted, Dornier returned home to produce an improved Wal. It was used in trans-Atlantic postal flights to South America. A regular route was established in 1933 and, by August 1935, the Lufthansa Wal had made many successful crossings.

This painting was originally published on the Fleetwood® Trains & Boats & Planes & More Collection Description Card for the Dornier Wal.

Artwork Copyright © 1983 Unicover Corporation. All Rights Reserved under United States and international copyright laws. You may not reproduce, distribute, transmit, or otherwise exploit the Artwork in any way. Images of the Artwork may be watermarked and/or digitally watermarked. Any sale of the physical original does not include or convey the Copyright or any right comprised in the copyright.

Our Stock Number (SKU): XB08410

US$ Price: $950.00

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