”Hansa” numbers 42-47, (Reconnaissance Seaplanes, 1924-1935)

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The Navy bought three ”Hansas” with Rolls Royce Eagle IX of 369 hp in 1923. The were built in Sweden by the Heinkel-controlled manufacturer Svenska Aero AB. This two-seated Hansa version was named Heinkel HE 2.

A Fairey D III fitted with the same engine was bought from England, but was badly damaged before any comparing trials could be executed. Further two HE 2s were built in Sweden, one by Svenska Aero and one by the Navy at Galärvarvet. Most of the ”Rolls-Hansas”, which were numbered 42-46 in the Navy,  made a long duty. The last were scrapped in 1935, after nearly ten years under the Air Force designation S 3.

A three-seated version, Heinkel HE 4 was also ordered. This aircraft was built by Heinkel in Germany and delivered in 1926. It got the Navy number 47. It was designated S 4 in the Air Force and was scrapped in 1931 after 910 flying hours.  

This Hansa variant  was armed with one 7,9 mm machine-gun m/22.

Length: 12,67 m. Span:18,00 m. MTOW 2.450 kg. Max. speed: 165 km/h.

Below: In March 1925 Hansa number 42 visited Tallinn, the capital of Estonia. Pilot was the legendary Captain Arvid Flory and observer Lieutenant Einar Christell.  

Arvid Flory (1885 – 1948) was a navy officer who learned to fly in 1916. After his training he became a legendary pilot in the Swedish naval aviation. Flory was commander of the War Flying School (F 5) at Ljungbyhed 1926 – 1932 and of Air Force wing F 2 1932 – 1934. F 2 was located at Hägernäs near Stockholm and its main duty was naval reconnaissance.

Christell was one of the members of the Swedish rescue expedition 1928 which searched for survivors from the Italian airship “Italia”. The airship flew over the North Pole as intended, but crashed on the return voyage in the vicinity of Svalbard. The leader of the Italian expedition, Umberto Nobile, was rescued by Einar Lundborg in a Swedish Air Force Fokker C.V-E. 

Updated 2009-05-13