Supermarine Baby

The Supermarine Baby, also called the N.1B Baby, was a First World War fighter flying boat and the earliest single-seat flying boat fighter built in the United Kingdom. Supermarine designed it to a 1917 Navy Board specification that asked for a speed of 95 knots, a ceiling of 20,000 feet and the ability to be launched from ships at sea. William Hargreaves based the design on the AD Flying Boat, adding folding wings, a streamlined hull and a 150 horsepower Hispano-Suiza engine, and it first flew in February 1918 as one of the smallest and fastest flying boats of its day. A single aircraft was built and it performed well in trials, but no production contract followed because the Admiralty chose to fly Sopwith Pup and Camel fighters from ships. Its design led to later machines including the Sea Lion I.