Flying boats: capability as well as necessity

Flying boats supported escort, minelaying, and reconnaissance work while building a closer connection between the navy and aircraft industry. The capability-or-necessity question has no simple answer. Maritime forces needed large aircraft for long-range reconnaissance, transport, and anti-submarine patrols, yet relatively few land airfields could support machines of the required size and weight. Flying boats shifted part of that basing requirement from prepared runways to suitable water and comparatively rudimentary shore facilities. Their operating flexibility created a useful maritime capability while answering the shortage of conventional airfields.