Editing Torpedo bomber (section)

=== First torpedo bombers ===
[[File:Short Folder S.64 IWM Q 090115.jpg|thumb|Short Folder ''81'' being hoisted aboard the cruiser [[HMS Hermes (1898)|HMS ''Hermes'']]]]

The [[British Admiralty]] ordered the [[Short Admiralty Type 81]] biplane floatplane as a reconnaissance aircraft. It first flew in July 1913 and was loaded aboard the cruiser {{HMS|Hermes|1898|6}}, which had been converted to become the [[Royal Navy]]'s first [[seaplane tender]]. When the rival [[Sopwith Special]], designed from the outset as a torpedo bomber, failed to lift its payload off the water, Shorts converted the Type 81 to carry torpedoes in July 1914, just before the outbreak of the First World War.<ref>Barnes C.H. Shorts aircraft 1914-18: Putnam, London 1957.</ref>

On 28 July 1914, [[Arthur Longmore]] dropped the first aerial torpedo, a 14-inch 810&nbsp;lb torpedo, from a Type 81 at the Royal Naval Air Station Calshot.<ref name="jackson20">Jackson 1993, p.20</ref> The support wires of the floats were moved to allow the torpedo to be carried above the water and a specially designed quick-release mechanism was used.<ref name="jackson20" />

The first plane designed from the outset as a torpedo bomber was the five-seat floatplane biplane [[AD Seaplane Type 1000]] or AD1. However, it proved to be a failure. When the prototype built by [[J. Samuel White]] from the [[Isle of Wight]] first flew in June 1916, it was found to be too heavy and its float struts too weak for operations. Remaining orders were cancelled.<ref>Goodall, Mike. "Wight Elephants: Murray Sueter's Quest for a Large Military Aircraft". [[Air Enthusiast]], No. 73, January/February 1998. Stamford, Lincs, UK:Key Publishing. {{ISSN|0143-5450}}</ref>