Everything about John Cyril Porte totally explained
Lieutenant Commander John Cyril Porte RN
CMG US
DCM (
26 February 1884 -
22 October 1919) was a
flying boat pioneer associated with the
World War I Seaplane Experimental Station at
Felixstowe.
At an early age Porte joined the
Royal Navy submarine service, but contracted
tuberculosis and was discharged in 1911. Instead he learnt to fly and participated in air races, before becoming interested in flying boats. He met American aircraft designer
Glenn Curtiss at
Volk's Seaplane Base at
Brighton, and they worked together on a design in the USA for the "
America" flying boat, in which they intended to cross the Atlantic, but the commencement of hostilities in 1914 stopped this plan.
War service
His health not withstanding, he returned to England and was recommissioned a
Wing Commander in the
Royal Naval Air Service and given command of a training unit in
Hendon and later the
naval air base at
Felixstowe. While in this position he encouraged the purchase of
Curtiss H-4 flying boats, a military version of their earlier twin 100 h.p. "America" flying boat design.
These early flying boats didn't have sufficient power, and were soon re-engined with
Anzani powerplants. More Curtiss aircraft were ordered, but their 160 h.p. Curtiss engines were soon replaced with 250 h.p.
Rolls-Royce Falcon engines, being known as
H-12s or 'Large Americas'.
Porte's first design to be implemented in Felixstowe was the
Felixstowe Porte Baby, a large, three-engined
biplane flying-boat powered by one central pusher and two outboard tractor
Rolls-Royce Eagle engines.
Porte modified an H-4 with a new hull whose improved hydrodynamic qualities made taxiing, take-off and landing much more practical, and called it the
Felixstowe F.1. Porte then modified the hull of the larger
Curtiss H12 flying boat, creating the
Felixstowe F.2, which was greatly superior to the original Curtiss boat. Under his supervision the Seaplane Experimental Station continued to enlarge and improve the design of the Felixstowe aircraft independently of Curtiss, through the
F.3 and the
F.5; Porte's final design was the 123' span five-engined
Felixstowe Fury triplane (also known as the "Porte Super-Baby").
The Felixstowes were mainly used on long range patrols to look for the German fleet or submarines, however the aircraft were also initially used successfully to intercept Zeppelins. To keep away from this danger Zeppelins were forced to fly higher, resulting in Porte developing the first
composite aircraft experiments in 1916, with a Porte Baby carrying a small
Bristol Scout fighter piggyback. The flying boat would provide the long range while the fighter would be able to climb rapidly to engage the enemy. Porte successfully flew the Baby launch craft in its one and only trial flight, and, although the parasite was successfully released, the scheme was abandoned as impractical for
North Sea conditions.
Several hundred seaplanes of Porte's design were built for war-time patrolling the east coast of England, for naval reconnaissance around the
Mediterranean Sea, and were even sold to the US for coast patrols. Armed with torpedoes and depth charges they could attack ships and
U-boats. A measure of of the success of Porte's work is that the
Curtiss Aeroplane and Motor Company manufactured the F.5 as the
F5L and Aeromarine 75.
In November 1917 Porte and William Augustus Casson were indicted in London's Central Criminal Court on charges of profiteering under the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1906. Before the war, Porte had arranged to receive a 20-25% commission on all Curtiss flying boats that he sold. Porte continued to receive monies secretly through Casson, as a commission agent, when he was in the position of ordering aircraft on behalf of the Navy, and was accused of receiving £48,000 in this manner. Casson was found guilty but, on the return of the money, charges against Porte were dropped in light on his failing health and important war service.
Death
Porte was in
Brighton in 1919 when his tuberculosis at last overcame him and he died on 22 October. He is buried in
West Norwood Cemetery where his monument is a cross and anchor.
Sir Walter Raleigh, quoted in
Flight Magazine in 1955, summed up the importance of Porte's work during the
First World War as follows: "The shortest possible list of those who saved the country in its hour of need would have to include his name."
He wasn't quite 36 when he died.
Further Information
Get more info on 'John Cyril Porte'.
|
External Link Exchanges
Do you know how hard it is to get a link from a large encyclopaedia? Well we're different and will prove it. To get a link from us just add the following HTML to your site on a relevant page:
<a href="http://john_cyril_porte.totallyexplained.com">John Cyril Porte Totally Explained</a>
Then simply click through this link from your web page. Our crawlers will verify your link, extract the title of your web page and instantly add a link back to it. If you like you can remove the words Totally Explained and embed the link in article text.
As long as your link remains in place, we'll keep our link to you right here. Please play fair - our crawlers are watching. Your site must be closely related to this one's topic. Any kind of spamming, dubious practises or removing the link will result in your link from us being dropped and, potentially, your whole site being banned. |
