Hiro Naval Arsenal - The Forgotten Pioneer of Japanese Flying Boats
Today we're taking a look at the flying boats built by the Hiro Naval Arsenal of Imperial Japan. Often forgotten, these aircraft pioneered the design techniques that led other companies - such as Kawanishi - to great success, kick-starting a love affair between the IJN and Flying Boats in general.
Sources:
Mikesh.R.C & Abe.S (1990), Japanese Aircraft 1910-1941 - geni.us/ADrheVX
Nozawa.T & Iwata.T (1959), Encyclopedia of Japanese Aircraft 1900-1945, Vol.3: Kawanishi, Hirosho.
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Producing these videos is a hobby of mine - and apparently its now a full-time job too! I have a passion for history, and personally own a large collection of books, journals and other texts, and endeavor to do as much research as possible. However if there are any mistakes, please don't hesitate to reach out and correct anything :)
F.A.Q Section Q: Do you take aircraft requests? A: I have a list of aircraft I plan to cover, but feel free to add to it with suggestions:) Q: Why do you use imperial measurements for some videos, and metric for others? A: I do this based on country of manufacture. Imperial measurements for Britain and the U.S, metric for the rest of the world, but I include text in my videos that convert it for both. Q: Will you include video footage in your videos, or just photos? A: Video footage is very expensive to licence, if I can find footage in the public domain I will try to use it, but a lot of it is hoarded by licencing studies (British Pathe, Periscope films etc). In the future I may be able to afford clips :) Q: Why do you sometimes feature images/screenshots from flight simulators? A: Sometimes there are not a lot of photos available for certain aircraft, so I substitute this with digital images that are as accurate as possible. Feel free to leave you questions below - I may not be able to answer all of them, but I will keep my eyes open :)
Staying with the aquatic theme then, would you consider adding the highly unusual Goodyear GA-33 Inflatoplane to your list of aircraft you intend to cover?
Would an analysis of a fictional aircraft (inspired by real ones), ever be on your list of potential video topics?
I’m baffled. Is that a map of Japan at 1:05??? I thought that the island chain ran north-south, not east-west.
@@pat8988 not if your Japanese
@@lorenrogers9269 I would love to make a similar aircraft in my garage
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@@keitatsutsumi [comment replying to comment and agreeing that the content creator has indeed made a good video]
@@purplewheelchair [comment replying to comment replying to comment and agreeing that teh content creator has indeed made a great video and a nice pun]
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[comment stating his dad/mom/grandad's friend's cousin helps develop the cup holder on this model]
Inside Kure's Yamato Museum, Hiro is part of Kure, there is a wall of models depicting all the aircraft produced by the factory and the factory history is also shared. If you want to see a depiction of the arsenal, the animated movie In This Corner of the World features it throughout as the protagonist's father in law is an employee. It even accurately depicts some of the arsenal bomb raids and Kure's colorful flak bursts, which are something that made it into B-29 bomber crew logs.
yeaaahhhh I was at this Yamato museum in ...2016... but damn , I dont remember the flyboats section ?!?!
@@oddballsok It's easy to miss as the wall panels telling the Kure story are on the opposite wall, so unless you turn around you'll miss it.
I've loved boats my entire life, add wings...I mean come on, you had me at boat. Great content mate!
Could you also cover dutch airplanes from WW2, because the Koolhovens and Fokkers from the dutch airforce were quite advanced and inflicted quite heavy casualties on the germans, but they are largely forgotten
Sounds like a good topic
That fixed gear Fokker fighter of that era was nice..... D21 I think it was.....
@@dillonpierce7869 D21, I had to look it up, cool
@@davidvavra9113 very nice plane I like that one. First found about it in a book in 7tt grade.
Koolhoven F.K.58, a Dutch fighter with a British engine, American guns, ordered by French, flown by Poles. Definitely should make an appearance on this channel.
Some beautiful designs here. I love flying boats. Thank You, Rex.
Very interesting. Aircraft evolved so quickly between the wars that I'm surprised any designs managed to be produced in numbers.
You say that, yet the Hurricane, the Ju-87, the Wellesley et. al. all inter-war planes
That’s why there’s an argument that the 1930s rearmament had to be relatively ‘late’, otherwise the RAF would have started the war with a huge force of Hawker Harts & Hinds! By starting a bit later, they were able to start the buildup with the likes of Hurricanes (okay, and Fairey Battles etc…) and others.
Anything about IJN flying boats is a must see for me!
On Monday. See your GP. 💡
I know this has been the "Jet Age" since 1945 but the old prop planes, they're just beautiful works of art. Today's planes are almost without art. Function now rules the air.
Function has always ruled the air, actually. Planes we consider beautiful look that way because of aerodynamics etc. Also, I disargee that planes are no longer beautiful. The F-22 has nice lines.
I agree with each. Whenever I see the Cutlass, I just have to stop what I’m doing and gape. But I had an art deco stylized poster of the Martin M-130 that made my heart ache, but I had to give it to a man with a business at the Oshkosh airport who was beginning some T-28 restoration projects - I wish I remembered his name, this was some 25 years ago - but he appreciated it even more so I had to give it to him. I often wonder what it is about aircraft that can sway a man - is it the technical aspects or the artistic that causes man to love machine.
I love airplane blueprints. As a kid it just blew my mind that all these different military planes from this book I had just started as drawings. Same with their engines, and the angles of the airframe, etc.... it was all some guy with a pencil and paper, and maybe some simple mathematical knowledge... there is always help from technicians, of course, but at that point you're manufacturing the thing.
Thank you for shining a light into the corners of aviation history .
Resemblance of Pan Am Clippers of that Era. Gotta love them Sea Planes. TY, again for the Educational & Entertaining peeks.
Brilliant as ever. Love watching the rapid evolution of these planes. Can really see what was being learned with each iteration.
I’ve got quite addicted to your videos, being an aircraft fan myself I find your videos well presented, well researched and highly entertaining. I love how your focusing on the stranger side of aviation. I’ve just found your video on the Buffalo…a plane i utterly adore! Keep up the great work
Amazing work. I never would have thought I would find the subject of interwar era Japanese flying boats to be the least bit interesting, and I found your video to be quite fascinating. Bravo!
Excellent content on Japanese flying boats! The Kawanishi was always a favorite of mine.
A very very interesting video about a little known topic. Thank you!
Looking at the Hiro's , the Kawanishi's did away with lumps n bumps and put in flow to their Designs ..Good one Rex..please do the Shitei Recon..
Well done Rex!
Awesome as always. I've always loved flying boat's!
Thanks for sharing 👍
Really interesting video there. Fascinating to see how the designs of other countries were taken and tweaked.
Wonderful video. Thank you
Finally flying boats... go on, don't stop.
GREAT video, Rex...👍👍
Another great vid! I do love me some interesting flying boat history. I know you get lots of requests.. I would KILL for your take on the interesting, colorful, checkered history on the Lockheed F-104 Starfighter (my favorite unforgiving little wasp of a plane!) I know it's a bit newer than most planes on this channel, but I'm hoping it's right in that sweet spot of cold war history that you'd be willing to cover?
I think it's crazy to think Japan still makes flying boats. To some degree.
and they are some of the best in the world...it does seem to have become something of a speciality
@@kidmohair8151 ..only in the world...
@@dallesamllhals9161 well...as far as this world is concerned. I can't speak for any others
@@kidmohair8151 What i meant: Aren't Japan the only ones that uses new'ish designed 4 engined flying boats(Amphibious aircrafts)?
@@dallesamllhals9161 There one of a few countries that domestically uses there own aircrafts mostly.
beautiful development story
Thank you for a look at a less-common aspect!
Your vids are outstanding.
Another good one
yesterday i discovered your channel "The flying tea rex" simply by listening. Your voice is simply authentic. Please do more tutorials on the t.rex channel. I just bought IL-2 BOS and would appreciate more help from a knowing player. Thx in advance from the "Ruhrpott" in germany. keep up the good work and always remember to include players and viewers , that do not use VR 🤘
Excellent videos Rex, the more obscure the aircraft you feature the more interesting they are to the average, reasonably well informed aircraft buff. Probably more work to put together though right ?
Thank you.
Like for the "Holding out for a hero" reference.
Good show.
Thanks!
Excellent topic, and cudos for listening and being moderate with the ads, integrity matters a lot for such otherwise high quality channels, the money will come with the viewership.
My paternal grandmother was Jenny Short. Yes, of the Short family. I'm not sure who she was the daughter of, just some 'trivia' from my father from eons ago. Sadly, he's passed away, so I can't find out. My grandfather was RNVR, Lt.Comm, & served on corvettes in WW2, got sunk twice, & wound up inspecting Liberty ships being built on the US West Coast.
Fascinating peer into a little studied chapter of aviation.
Looks super similar to the modern design!
I wish I understand why I love flying boats and seaplanes so much, this is completely useless information but i absolutely love it.
Hey Rex, could you do a video on the J1N? It’s a rather forgotten IJN aircraft that I’ve not seen videos about.
I would love to see you do a follow on series of Kawanishi flying boats.
Great 👍 grandad 👏 love these Japanese aircraft from WW2.
Thumbnail title win. 💯
3:00 Japanese written horizontally was generally written right to left before 1946. This is written with the classic old characters as used at that time in China as well, but the characters were simplified after the war. It says: 霞ヶ浦湖上F5號飛行艇. A model F5 flying boat ("hikoutei") on Kasumigaura Lake. (Since 1948 or so, 號 is now written 号.) 4:00 This was written left to right, which I honestly haven't seen in pre-war postcards, and I wonder if it was re-captioned as the printing looks modern. The photo is labelled Roorubahha ("Rolbach") R-1 flying boat at the bottom, and in white is labelled "Feb 1973 issue of Airplane Maniacs," I assume a magazine. Since it's not called a Hiro I assume it's an actual German-made plane. 5:04 This is credited Roorubahha/Hiro model R-3 flying boat. 8:02 一五式飛行艇改一: Type 15 flying boat (modified) 9:25 I can't guess where this might be from current maps, due to continued land reclamation all along the Japanese coast. If this shot is somewhere near the factory it might be the Muko river in Amagasaki, but who knows. 19:35 no idea why カモヰ (kamowi) is written on it but Google shows a model of a different flying boat with this registration. (Several other aircraft pictured have registration ヨ-60 so whatever this number is it's clearly reused.)
I'd love to see you cover the supermarine walrus
Your best video yet perhaps . So little pre ww II info on Japanese efforts
Loving your videos! This one was especially interesting. One small note on pronunciation: Yokosuka is not pronounced phonetically. It is properly 'Yo-ku-ska'.
That thumbnail got me lol
Yo-KO-ska. SAS-eh-bo. Keep up the good work.
Our kind is nearly extinct, and no one will mourn us 🤪
SA SE BO. Japanese syllables end in vowels, except -n- for the pedants.
@@grizwoldphantasia5005 I just remember how the natives spoke it. Was stationed in Yoko for five years.
@@MrCenturion13 I was really glad you didn't try the way sailors said YA KOOS KA. I was there for three years and took some classes afterwards, enough to read train schedules and recognize station names and bus signs.
@@grizwoldphantasia5005 : I always hated that. They lived there for years and it was clear from the way they talked that no shits were given.
I'm going to like this just for the title.
I'll have you know I had a proper groan at the thumbnail. Good job.
Not all Hiros wear capes
What is a bench- vs horn-type aileron balances?
Great... I was about to go to sleep and now I will have Bonnie Taylor singing in made head all night... Look what you done, look what you done, Mr. Hangar.
😁
fascinatingly obscure. Obviously the experience influenced Japan's later continuation of the concept. Flying boats are obviously well-suited to Japan's configuration and scarcity of flat places not required for rice-growing.
Read the title and ... it suddenly dawned on me. Had to actually laugh so hard, I needed to pause and write this comment at 0:03
I think I'd have subbed on the strength of this video's cheeky title, if I hadn't already...
Every time when I hear the engine start in the intro I think that there will a rap music video start :D
11:06 Where exactly does the fuselage meet the hull?
the waterline…above is plane, below is boat 😉
Was this "friendly" competition as friendly as the "friendly" rivalry between the army and navy?
Going from hero to zero usually revolves around lack of...Dinero
Yup! WAY to much Kawanishi ♥ these days...wait...me too 😲
_Hiro factory, we build Hiros!_
Liked... And added to watch later... Because I'M too busy now😅
You can share videos to your own email too,
Did any of the experience in pre-war Japanese flying boats get carried over to the post-war Shin-Meiwa US-1A design of the early 1950s?
Something tells me the Catalina flying boat hull design is inspired by the Japanese flying boats. Or at least the NC Curtiss.
who are you that is so knowledgeable in the ways of things?
Hmm? I wonder where the PBY Catalina came from?
Mmm I wonder how much “input” the 19th Lord Sempill gave as well….
SKY BANANA-WHALES! :D
2:50 this one's very cute :)
Yes it is
That H1H1 shows up in Porco Rosso.
i wonder if they ever built an H3H3
0:45 Rex's Hangar: (talks about using Japanese source to talk about the Hiro Naval Arsenal) Also Rex's Hanger: (shows a biplane made by Mitsubishi, a different manufacturer) LOL
talks about being an innovator…mentions multiple aircraft from Germany and the UK that it “borrowed” designs from
Was it wood or bamboo ?
I can be your hiro babeh I can fly you on this plane Allies: We... can take.... your breath away XD
Oh yes the Japanese Air Navy
spending the first half of this video hoping there's an H3H3 so I can make a joke about how everyone claimed to start hating it when it started flying left but it hasn't really hurt the viewing numbers and honestly yesterday's episode with Tana Mongeau, Jeff Wittek, and Mike Majlak was _surprisingly_ good.
oh baby here we go! H3H1! Hasan take the yoke!
広 Japanese version of 广 pronounced as HIRO means WIDESPREAD， BROAD
I can see how development took forever in Japan, what with them constantly nodding and bowing over to their perceived superiors.
Similar to Catalina
It's literally completely different.
@@randomnickify you’re right…the Catalina was actually not stolen nor slapped together from parts from multiple countries
We don’t need another Hiro. Or do we?
it’s not the Hiro you want, but it’s the Hiro you need
Did not Japan recently reintroduce flying boats into naval & civil service?
They never got rid of them. The newest model, the US-2, has a trick system to eliminate boundary layer turbulence by sucking air inside the wing through tiny holes, like an air hockey table in reverse. It can take off in extremely short distances.
Recall Boeing started out in a boat shop
not a shop, an entire shipyard…Boeing pretty much assumed ownership of the shipyard due to the shipyard owing him a yacht but went under before it could be built. they used the facility for 20 years before moving away from flying boats
I guess still flying boat are needed for japan
The title made me listen to Bonnie Tyler and i have no regrets
Shout out to everyone else who was really hoping for the intro to be set to Bonnie Tyler
liking and commenting (so there, tube of you. suck on that)
Sounds dirty
@@jeebusk that hadn't occurred to me... shall I rephrase?...let's see...feast?...gargle? regurgitate? ingest?
@@kidmohair8151 i think we can do worse...
@@jeebusk over to you JK!
@@jeebusk I thought those were all pretty disgusting
ヨ is a japanese letter, sounds like yo. not a kanji.
Yes, the Europeans put in a great effort to help backward tribal Japan, to turn on their helpers ... yeah! There's a lesson there.....
every one of the designs were a modified European design, yet he’s claiming that they’re innovative 🤣🙄
PLEASE CONSIDER EXPANDING THIS ANALYSIS BY CONTINUING UP TO , THRU WWII , AND BEYOND , WITH SPECIAL ATTENTION TO THE " EMILY "
Who knew that the IJN was supported by female songstresses from Wales?!
this is a comment
how exactly can you be a pioneer when the bulk of your designs are a ripoff of other successful designs! the company didn’t innovate, it stole ideas and altered them then passed them off as new
How are you stupid enough to not understand the point, so you could build your own version of an F35 if I gave you the specs? No you couldn't you still need understanding of the subject of which you have none. Stick to trains 🤓
Boring. I did not like this one.
Another excellent video, especially given the paucity of information. Thank you!
Well done Rex!