Watercolour & Gouache Illustration Of 1917 Blackburn (Sopwith) Baby Seaplane, Signed ADM Ritchie (Dated 1924 or 1974)

Watercolour & gouache illustration Of 1917 Blackburn (Sopwith) Baby seaplane. Signed ADM Ritchie (Dated 1924 or possible 1974).

The Sopwith Baby seaplane was operated by the Royal Naval Air Service from 1915 onwards. Although designed by Sopwith (based on the Sopwith Schneider) it was built by both Sopwith (100) and Blackburn Aircraft Limited (186).

The Baby was used as a shipborne reconnaissance and bomber aircraft operating from seaplane carriers and cruisers, as well as naval trawlers and minelayers. Many Babies were attached to RNAS coastal air stations located in England and Scotland and RNAS stations in Egypt, Greece and Italy. A major role of the Baby was to warn of German Zeppelin raids as far from Britain as possible, along with tracking German naval movements.

The baby also service with the United States, France, Chile, Greece and Norway and remained in service up to the early 1930s.