Charles Edmonds left his observer behind and reduced fuel so a Short Type 184 could lift a 14-inch, 810-pound torpedo. On 12 August 1915 he struck an Ottoman ship that HMS E14 had already disabled and forced ashore, so the result must be shared with the submarine. His 17 August attack hit another ship and is credited here with probably sinking a vessel of about 5,000 tons. George Dacre then turned engine failure into a separate waterborne attack, chasing and torpedoing a tug while taxiing in the Dardanelles. He taxied for several more miles, briefly regained the air, and glided down close enough to Ben-my-Chree for recovery. These were the first successful carrier-supported aerial torpedo attacks, though early seaplane payload and reliability still constrained them.
Chapter · 38:28-42:10
Edmonds and Dacre make pioneering aerial torpedo attacks
Edmonds and Dacre carried out the first successful carrier-supported aerial torpedo attacks despite short endurance, tight payload margins, and unreliable engines.