Latham 47
Chantiers Aéronautiques Latham · France · first flew 1926 · transport aircraft
The Latham 47 was a large French twin-engine biplane flying boat designed for long-range maritime patrol, remembered primarily as the aircraft lost while searching for Roald Amundsen in the Arctic.
Recognition (WEFT)
| W — Wings | High-mounted, straight |
|---|---|
| E — Engines | 2 × piston, wing-mounted |
| F — Fuselage | 15.3 m fuselage |
| T — Tail | Conventional |
WEFT is AircraftIQ's four-point recognition method — how it works.
Spot it by:
- Large twin-engine biplane flying boat with high-mounted engines above the upper wing
- Broad hull with sponsors; unequal-span biplane wings with pronounced strut arrangement
- Open cockpit at the bow; long blunt nose hull with two-step planing bottom
A massive biplane flying boat with engines mounted above the upper wing in tractor nacelles on struts. The broad hull with lateral sponsors and unequal-span wings with heavy N-bracing make it unmistakable among early French flying boats.
Specifications
- The Latham 47 has a length of 15.3 m (50 ft).
- It has a wingspan of 25.2 m (83 ft).
- Its maximum speed is 170 km/h (106 mph).
- Typical crew: 4–5.
Figures are for the representative variant described above; marks differ. See how AircraftIQ sources figures.
History
Built by Chantiers Aéronautiques Latham at Caudebec-en-Caux, the 47 was designed for transatlantic and polar reconnaissance. In June 1928 a Latham 47 carrying Roald Amundsen and five others departed Tromsø, Norway on a rescue mission to find survivors of the airship Italia disaster; the aircraft vanished in the Barents Sea and the crew, including Amundsen, were never found. Only wreckage was later recovered. The aircraft's specifications matched a wingspan of 25.2 m confirming the large open-sea patrol role.
Variants
Latham 42 earlier variant; 47 the refined production version with uprated Farman engines.
Where you'll see it
A small number built for Aéronavale evaluation and polar exploration roles. The tragic 1928 mission cut short further development interest.
Related aircraft
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