A few dozen aircraft were divided among many squadrons: 53 flying boats across nine squadrons in one example, then 37 Short Singapores across seven squadrons in 1934. The Short Sunderland represented a later move toward a much larger and more capable maritime-patrol force. The earlier command's global commitments looked far larger on paper than they did in available aircraft.
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The thin flying-boat force before the Sunderland
Felixstowe and Singapore flying boats sustained an interwar patrol presence, but their small numbers limited what the force could cover.