It was obvious from the very start of heavier-than-air flights that a craft capable of taking off and landing on water would be desirable. As early as 1910 a Frenchman, Henri Fabre (1883-?), built the first seaplane by attaching floats rather than wheels to his aircraft. The next year Glenn Curtiss (1878-1930) designed a plane that had a light boat for its body. Curtiss demonstrated the military potential of his seaplanes by landing near a United States Navy ship and allowing the ship to hoist the craft on board via a crane.

Seaplanes were used during World War I. Although they did not receive the publicity or acclaim that land-based fighters did, they were widely used by both sides for reconnaissance, bombing, and torpedo attacks. It was a seaplane that warned the British about the movements of the German ships that led to the battle of Jutland. By the...