SIAI S.13

Società Idrovolanti Alta Italia (SIAI)

Industry	Aerospace, Aircraft manufacturing
Founded	1914
Founder	Emile Taddéoli (test pilot joined mid-1914)
Headquarters	Italy
Products	Aircraft, including the SIAI S.13 flying boat

The SIAI S.13 was an Italian biplane flying boat designed for reconnaissance duties, introduced in 1919.

Design and development

Conceived by Società Idrovolanti Alta Italia (SIAI) as a more compact derivative of the earlier SIAI S.12 model, the S.13 was a single-engine biplane flying boat serving reconnaissance and fighter roles. It was powered by a 187 kW (251 hp) Isotta Fraschini V.6 engine. The aircraft accommodated two crew members seated side-by-side behind a single windscreen; the observer was equipped with one machine gun.

Emile Taddéoli, a pioneering Swiss aviator, joined SIAI-Marchetti (also known as Savoia) as a test pilot in mid-1914. On 12 July 1919, piloting an SIAI S.13 with a passenger, he completed a flight from Calende on Lago Maggiore to Lake Geneva within 110 minutes, crossing over the Mont Blanc massif at an altitude of 4,695 m (15,404 ft).

The Regia Marina (Royal Italian Navy) acquired 12 units in 1919, while additional examples were exported to countries including Japan, Norway, Spain, Sweden, and Yugoslavia. In France, the S.13 was produced under license as the CAMS C.13, and Spanish naval workshops in Barcelona constructed seven licensed units.

A single-seat variant named the S.13 Tipo was commissioned by the Royal Italian Navy but was ultimately cancelled when preference shifted towards developing the Macchi M.7. Additionally, a civilian model called the S.13bis did not secure any orders.

Variants

File:SIAI S.13 front view.jpg

S.13

Standard production flying boat model.

S.13 Tipo

Proposed single-seat version that was never built.

S.13bis

Civilian adaptation that failed to enter production.

CAMS C-13

French license-manufactured version of the S.13.

Operators

Template:FRA (designated CAMS C-13)

• Aéronavale

Template:Country data Kingdom of Italy

• Regia Marina

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• Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service

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• Royal Norwegian Navy Air Service

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• Spanish Air Force

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• Swedish Navy (Marinens Flygväsen)

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• Royal Yugoslav Navy

References

• (also page 47)