In 1917, Curtiss Aeroplane and Motor Company saw a need for a
more powerful flying boat, and developed the HS-1 with a
200-horse power engine. The United States Navy wanted even more power, and had the
Curtiss Aeroplane and Motor Company install its 360-horse power
Liberty engine. They renamed the aircraft the "HS-1L." It was
then was redesigned with a larger wingspan to increase the lift
power and was identified as the "HS-2L."
The HS-2L was first put into service during the week of
the 22nd to 28th
September 1918. France, the United States and Canada all used it
as an anti-submarine aircraft during the First World War. The
United States Navy used the HS-2L in bases at Dartmouth and
Sydney in Nova Scotia. In all, 1,121 HS-1Ls and HS-2Ls were
produced.
At the end of the First World War, the United States gave
Canada 12 HS-2Ls. Two of these aircraft were later loaned to
civilian companies in 1920, but the Air Board used the rest. The
Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) also eventually used the HS-2L
aircraft.
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