Crashed into the Maude Bridge in Baghdad on 2 May 1929. One of the crew was killed. This was one of a flight of three Wals going to the Dutch East Indies by air. Photo from: Harvard University Library

The Spanish government ordered the first six Dornier Wal flying boats, built at Marina di Pisa in Italy, off the drawing board. In 1926 three of these made a return flight to Equatorial Guinea, including W-5 which was at that time named Cataluña. W-5 was written off after a landing accident at Melilla in 1929. A man seems to be riding in the engine bay forward of the radiator here. IWM could not identify this aircraft and the only link with Britain seem to be the Rolls-Roye Eagle engines. Photo from: Imperial War Museums

First Wal flying boat built by Aviolanda. Royal Netherlands Navy serial D-6 worn on nose. Photo taken during press visit. Date gathered from the Dutch newspaper archive, Delpher. Aircraft has a dual construction number with Aviolanda c/n 1. Photo from: Regionaal Archief Dordrecht

Photographed not in the Netherlands East Indies but at the scenic seaplane base on Texel Island. D-41 to D-46 were improved Wal F aircraft with keeled hulls, increased span and Lorraine 12E Courlis engines. Except D-42, these remained in service in the NEI at the time of the Japanese invasion. D-41 was reportedly damaged and D-43 shot down by Japanese aircraft during a training flight on 3 February 1942. Photo from: Nederlands Instituut voor Militaire Historie

In the defence plans for the Netherlands East Indies, the Dornier Wal played an important role, scouting for the navy's submarines whilst operating from forward locations. The second aircraft is said to be D-40. By 1938, the Dornier Do 24 was entering service and D-39 and D-40 were both struck off charge in January 1939. Photo from: Nederlands Instituut voor Militaire Historie

One of three Dornier Wals to be flown, rather than shipped, to the Netherlands East Indies, D-22 did not make it, crashing against the Maude Bridge in Baghdad on 2 May 1929. Photo from: Nederlands Instituut voor Militaire Historie

Aircraft of the German Airline Pilot School (DVS) flown by Walter von Gronau. Von Gronau and crew flew it from Sylt to New York City in 47 hours in August 1930 via the Faroes, Iceland, Greenland and Labrador. Earlier it was N-25 of Roald Amundsen, see other picture, and G-EBQO used by Frank Courtney. The flying boat was preserved in the Deutsches Museum in Munich in 1932 but badly damaged by Allied bombing in 1944. Photo from: Finnish Heritage Agency

By late 1927 the SANA company operated nine Dornier Wal Cabina passenger flying boats on the Genova - Rome and Rome - Naples - Palermo routes. Services to Tripoli, Libya via Syracuse and Barcelona via Marseille were inaugurated during 1928. Dornier produced the Wal in Marina di Pisa at this time. This aircraft was reportedly assembled by Piaggio. The c/n is also quoted as 81. Note fleet number in Roman numerals! Photo from: ETH-Bibliothek Zürich

A new Wal is hoisted into the water at the Aviolanda factory. Retired at Surabaya March 1940. Photo from: Nederlands Instituut voor Militaire Historie

Seen with Van Berkel W-A floatplanes at De Mok, Texel Island. This Aviolanda-built machine was shipped to the Netherlands East Indies in the course of 1928. Photo from: Nederlands Instituut voor Militaire Historie

This Wal was to be added to Roald Amundsen's aborted North Pole flight with N-24 and N-25 as a gift from Benito Mussolini. This did not go ahead and Mussolini suggested that Antonio Locatelli's crew should fly to the North Pole on their own. Instead, Locatelli left Marina di Pisa on 25 July 1924 for a North Atlantic crossing, more or less joining the US Army Douglas World Cruisers on the final legs of their circumnavigation of the globe. The Wal had to make an emergency landing off Greenland on 21 August. The crew was rescued after four days by the American picket ship USS Richmond. Photo from: Nederlands Instituut voor Militaire Historie

Delivered in 1925 and used by Roald Amundsen on an aborted North Pole flight. Seen here during trial flights on an Oslo - Kristiansand - Amsterdam - Harwich route. Flew Horten - Kiel - Friedrichshafen later in March 1925 month for resale by Dornier. Flew to New York as D-1422 in 1930 with Wolfgang von Gronau. Transferred to Deutsches Museum Munich in 1932 but damaged beyond repair by bombing in 1944. Photo from: Amsterdam City Archives

From 1926 the Wal was the mainstay of the Dutch navy's air fleet in the Netherlands East Indies, now Indonesia. The type was built under licence by Aviolanda in Papendrecht, Holland. Seen here off the fishing village of Volendam, D-21 was one of three to be flown - rather than shipped - to the Far East in April-May 1929. D-22 crashed in Baghdad. Photo from: Jaap de Moor collection

Built in Pisa in 1926 for the Italian air force. Civil registered for the rescue effort following the crash of Umberto Nobile's airship Italia. Photo by: Vilhjelm Riksheim / Perspektivet Museum

On its way north to take part in the rescue effort following the crash of the airship Italia. The Italian air force sent two Wals, registered I-PLIF and I-XAAF, and a Savoia-Marchetti S.55, I-SAAT. Photo from: Haugalandmuseet

This is the military version of the Wal (Whale) with a crew of two to four stationed in an open cockpit near the nose of the hull and a machine gun position in the bow and one or two amidships. The Wal was used by the Republican side in the Spanish Civil War. This replica is on dispay in Hangar 1 of the super Museo del Aire at Cuatro Vientos.