Albatros W.1

The Albatros W.1 was a German floatplane designed and built by the Albatros Flugzeugwerke during the final year of World War I. First flown in early 1918, the W.1 was intended to replace earlier reconnaissance seaplanes and to operate from coastal bases and naval vessels. Its airframe combined the familiar wooden, plywood‑covered wings of the successful Albatros D.V fighter with a newly designed biplane layout optimized for water operations. Powered by a 220‑horsepower Mercedes D.IVa six‑cylinder inline engine, the aircraft could reach a top speed of about 170 km/h and carried a modest payload of a single forward‑firing 7.92 mm machine gun and an observer’s flex‑mounted gun. The W.1 featured twin floats with a reinforced strut system that gave it good stability on rough seas, while the staggered wing arrangement provided excellent lift at low speeds, crucial for short water take‑offs. Although only a handful were produced before the armistice halted further development, the W.1 demonstrated the potential of integrating fighter‑type performance with maritime patrol duties. Its design lessons influenced later interwar German naval aircraft, marking an important step in the evolution of seaplane technology.