The Short Seaplane, Admiralty Type 184 was designed to carry a torpedo. Long folding wings and the characteristic large fin of the Short seaplanes make it quickly recognizable. In the Dardanelles campaign, it became the first plane to sink an enemy ship with a torpedo when a Short 184 attacked a Turkish steamer on 12 June 1915. The weight of a torpedo, however, severely limited the plane’s range and operating conditions. More often the Type 184 ran patrol, bombing, and even anti-Zeppelin missions, including the Battle of Jutland. While most served in the North Sea and from seaplane-carriers, a few were sent to Mesopotamia in February 1916. As the war progressed, the original 225hp Sunbeam engine was replaced with more powerful Sunbeams and Renaults.
While Short Bros. produced many 184’s, a large number were subcontracted to other firms, including Mann Egerton, Phœnix Dynamo, Sage, Saunders, and Westland. They were still in production at the end of the war, but they were starting to be phased out by Fairey Campanias, Fairey IIIBs, and other types. During its long service life there were many experiments with alternative engines, wing adjustments, float shapes, and armament.
Their missions ran from anti-submarine patrols (especially as the war progressed) to bombing, patrol, and torpedo attack. Though underpowered for its size, the 184 served faithfully from the beginning of the war through the end and beyond, fighting in the Russian Civil War in 1919-1920. Some were taken by the Russians after they were abandoned by the British, and eight were given to Estonia, five to Chile, five to Greece, and one to Japan.
Two 1:144 Short 184 miniatures are now available from Great War Planes by Reduced Aircraft Factory: one with a loaded bomb rack and one carrying a torpedo.
