Boeing B-314
The Boeing clipper is widely regarded at the summit of flying boat technology. It inaugurated the world’s first transatlantic heavier-than-air service, and carried passengers and cargo around the globe in the 1930’s and 1940’s.
Large, luxurious, and reliable — and with an astounding range of 3,500 statute miles — the B-314 made intercontinental passenger airline service a practical reality.
Boeing B-314 "Dixie Clipper" (click photos to enlarge)
The development of the B-314
Early in 1936, Pan American solicited proposals for the next generation airliner for Atlantic service, and to stimulate interest among aircraft manufacturers, Pan Am offered a $50,000 cash prize for the winning design.
Sikorsky responded with a design that would eventually be developed as the S-44, which met Pan Am’s requirements for speed and range but was rejected because it carried too few passengers. (Three S-44’s would later be used by American Export Airlines, which competed with Pan Am across the Atlantic from 1945-1950.) Consolidated Aircraft proposed a four-engine ship based on its PB-Y Catalina flying boat (which would later gain fame as an anti-submarine and search-and-rescue aircraft during World War II), but the Consolidated design was also rejected as too small.
Martin, which made the M-130 China Clipper, proposed a model known as the M-156, but it was also rejected by Pam Am, leaving Glenn Martin furious; despite owing much of its success to the China Clipper. Pan Am had purchased only three of the M-130 aircraft. Martin had taken a loss on such a small production run, which he expected to make up with future business for the airline.
The winner of Pan Am’s competition was the Boeing Aircraft Company of Seattle, Washington, which was initially reluctant even to submit a proposal. But under the leadership of a relatively young engineer named Wellwood Beall, Boeing eventually constructed a ship widely recognized as the apex of flying boat design.
On June 31, 1936, Pan Am signed a contract for six of the Boeing 314 clippers, with an option for six more.
Boeing B-314 Passenger Accommodations
The B-314 could carry 74 passengers and 10 crew, although in overnight sleeper configuration, the ship accommodated 40 passengers in seven luxurious compartments, including a 14-seat dining room and a private “honeymoon suite” at the tail end of the plane.
B-314. Life Magazine, August 23, 1937.
B-214 Passenger Deck Plan (click to enlarge)
B-314 "Honeymoon Suite" |
B-314 Dining Room and Lounge |
Boeing 314 Dining Room
Boeing B-314 Technical Details
A giant aircraft for its day, the B-314 weighed over 40 tons and had a wingspan 3/4 that of a Boeing 747-100.
- Length: 106′
- Wingspan: 152′
- Max Gross Takeoff Weight: 82,500 lb B-314, 84,000 lb B-314A
- Engines: Four Wright GR-2600 Twin Cyclone, 14 cylinder radial engines (1,500 hp B-314, 1,600 hp B-314A)
- Propellers: Hamilton-Standard 3-blade, full-feathering constant speed (variable pitch), 14′ diameter
- Fuel capacity: 4,246 gallons B-314, 5,446 B-314A
- Crew: 10
- Maximum Speed: 199 mph
- Cruising Speed: 183 mph
- Service Ceiling: 13,400 ft B-314, 19,600 ft B-314A
- Range: 3,500 miles B-314, 5,200 miles B-314A
B-314 wing catwalk, allowing access to the engines during flight.
Among the technical innovations pioneered by the B-314 were the fully-feathering propellers insisted upon by Pan Am Chief Engineer Andre Priester. And important safety feature which would be incorporated in virtually all subsequent variable-pitch propellers, the full-feathering props also allowed mechanics to take advantage of the B-314’s unparalleled in-flight engine access made possible by the wing’s thick chord. The 314’s wing was thick enough to allow access through a walkway to the engines in flight, where the fully-feathering props made it possible for a mechanic to perform repairs in flight. Between June, 1939 and June, 1941, 431 in-flight engine repairs were performed by B-314 engineers.
Over the course of their careers, the B-314’s operated by Pan American made approximately 5,000 ocean crossings and flew more than 12.5 million miles, and each of Pan Am’s Boeing clippers accumulated mor ethan 18,000 flight hours. During World War II alone, B-314’s carried more than 84,000 passengers, almost all of whom were on journeys of importance to the war effort.
- Pan Am Yankee Clipper
- Postcard of Boeing 314 Flight Deck
- Flight deck of Boeing 314
The Boeing Clippers
Operated by Pan American Airways (PAA)
Model B-314
- NC-18601 – Honolulu Clipper
- NC-18602 – California Clipper (renamed Pacific Clipper for a few months in 1941)
- NC-18603 – Yankee Clipper
- NC-18604 – Atlantic Clipper
- NC-18605 – Dixie Clipper
- NC-18606 – American Clipper
Model B-314A
- NC-18609 – Pacific Clipper (renamed California Clipper for a few months in 1941)
- NC-18611 – Anzac Clipper
- NC-18612 – Cape Town Clipper
Operated by British Overseas Airways Corporation (BOAC)
Model B-314A
- NC-18607/G-AGBZ – Bristol
- NC-18608/G-AGCA – Berwick
- NC-18610/G-AGCB – Bangor
{ 23 comments… read them below or add one }
Fans of the Clipper crews and their passengers may be interested in this page on The Short Snorter Project website:
http://www.shortsnorter.org/D_Ray_Comish_Short_Snorter.html
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Just found a one dollar bill in my late father’s bureau dated 1945. On it, he notes his flight from London to NY on the American Clipper #NC 18606 and it is signed by a number of men accompanying him. I believe they were returning from having installed the first radar installation in Europe/London.
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admin Reply:
July 16th, 2010 at 6:02 pm
That was known as a short snorter; you have found a great little piece of history!
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Chris Dawson Reply:
July 16th, 2010 at 6:09 pm
It actually says that on the bill (silver certificate). He was part of a team from MIT and this was their 2nd trip.
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Just correcting the typo in my E-mail address. It is eddover@longwayhome.com
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Hello out there
Looking for info on the menus. My dad has pictures we believe that are the front cover of the clippers dinner menus. They are pictures of clipper ships with a wright up from Pan Am/s modern Clippers of the air. Anybody got any info about the menus used and or palcemats used? Shar
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Hello,
I am in a bit of a search and am wondering if there is any resource anyone might know of to verify a passenger on the downed NC18603 Yankee Clipper. My Great grandfather’s name was Arthur A Lee, a captain of industry for American-British motion pictures.
All indications point to the accuracy of this but I have not been able to locate a passenger manifest or possible military documentation as NC18603 might have also been carrying military folks too.
Any information could be helpful, and by all accounts, I must say, I have found the clippers to be wonderful aeroplanes with all my research.
Respectfully,
Dave
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admin Reply:
July 16th, 2010 at 6:40 pm
Yes, Arthur Lee was a passenger on the Yankee Clipper when it crashed on the Tagus River, Lisbon, on Februarry 22, 1943, during Trip Number 9035.
Lee was president of Artee Corporation, representing British motion picture films, and he was returning to London to visit his son, who was an RCAF sergeant assigned to the RAF in England.
I will be posting a complete article about the crash in the near future.
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Magge Reply:
July 17th, 2010 at 9:03 am
Thanks for the article to come on crash of Yankee Clipper.
My dad flew as State Dept courier many times on the Yankee,
1940 till crash. A courier friend, James N. Wright, was onboard and died that day, acc to my mom’s account. I will
enjoy reading and this site is awesome. I have the movie about Jane Froman’s life who was injured badly in crash.
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Hi i don’t know if anyone could answer this but i’m going to try anyway my husbands grandfather was part of the crew of the china clipper in 1940 from Miami and i am looking from a place that would show the crew that would have been aboard can anyone suggest a web page ?
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what made them move in the water? before takeoff?
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admin Reply:
April 18th, 2010 at 11:54 am
The engines and propellers provided thrust both in the air and on the surface.
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I am sure this will start many of you daydreaming. Believe it or not there are people in this world planning a rescue attempt of a sunken B314 (!). If it sounds crazy, the minds behind this have done it before. So… who knows? I hope I’ll live to see the day! Here is the project site:
http://www.rbogash.com/B314.html
Thank god for those who dream… and do. Regards
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I have an old tie clip that depicts a 314 in flight. My late father may have obtained it during WWII. As a US Army officer, I think he may have flown from Rio de Janeiro to North Africa as a military passenger sometime after the allied invasion of the latter. Does anyone have any information on whether such flights were made at that time?
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If anyone would like to try this, you can get flight simulation software for the B314. I have it and have flown the aircraft from Honolulu to Canton Island, and from Midway to Wake. The software comes with the seaplane bases recreated at those and other locations used by the Clippers. You navigate using the Direction Finder radio, same as on the original. It’s slow and noisy, and you have to fly through weather (at about 9,000 ft). There is a gyro that serves as a rudimentary auto pilot, just as on the original B314s. The software is produced by an Austrian company, called PILOTS.
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Rui Reply:
April 5th, 2010 at 6:17 pm
I’ve flown it too, it is one of my favourite aicraft recreations ever… In case you don’t know, you can now navigate the B314 using a sextant in Microsoft Flightsimulator 9 too (just look for this free addon at the regular freeware sites).
I’ve started reading the book by ken follett and halted it so that I can continue while flying the B314 on the simulator.
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Rick Reply:
May 9th, 2010 at 10:42 pm
Interested in the Clipper. You mention if anyone would like it- I surely would. How can i get the FS program for FSX? Does one exist? I too, as others have mentioned, read the book about flying a Clipper over water in WW2. It was great.
If you have any information I would surely appreciate it. Thanks.
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David Williamson Reply:
July 16th, 2010 at 7:42 pm
You need to start with Microsoft Flight Simulator 9 (also called Flight Simulator 2004). Some stores still sell it, or you can order it from Amazon or find it on E-Bay. Then you need the B314 add on software of which there are both payware and free versions. You can buy it from simmarket (http://secure.simmarket.com/pilots-boeing-b314-the-clipper-online-v2.phtml) or download free versions from http://www.flightsim.com (search on FS2004 – early aircraft). I recommend the payware version. It only works with FS2004 or FS2002, not FSX.
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Just a question; The China Clipper II crashed and sunk off Port-of-Spain Trinidad – what’s become of the wreck? Has it ever been explored / recovered?
Desi Cortez
Denver Co
desicortez@gmail.com
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Hello,
I am helping an 87-year old, former Pan Am pilot write his autobiography. During his 39-year career with Pan Am, Jack Burke flew in 3 wars, including piloting the Boeing 314 flying boats from New York to London (and Ireland) during WWII. I didn’t realize how few of the flying boats there were, and the high level of skill and expertise required of the crews.
Basically I’m looking for any images, anecdotes or background info you might have, or know of, on the flying boats, especially those on the New York-London route in WWII, that we might include in his memoirs. Any info or leads you have is greatly appreciated.
Thanks!!
Charles Ganong
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David Williamson Reply:
March 12th, 2010 at 12:21 am
Hello Charles,
I believe the main route the Clippers followed to UK from NY, back before the US entered WWII, was via Bermuda, then the Azores, then to Lisbon, and then north to Southampton, and Foynes. I imagine the Lisbon to Southampton segment was dicey considering the presence of German Luftwaffe reconnaissance planes (Condors) flying out of France.
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TerryB Reply:
March 30th, 2010 at 9:12 am
The Long Way Home-The Pacific Clipper
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ms84WfJwalI
The trials and tribulations of flying WEST from Auckland to New York City
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Ed Dover Reply:
May 18th, 2010 at 2:36 pm
Also try the website http://www.longwayhome.com for the real story about Captain Robert Ford and his crew as they took their Clipper – Pacific Clipper – on a history-making globe girdling flight to escape enemy forces following the attack on Pearl Harbor on Decemer 7, 1941.
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Meg Dondero Reply:
June 2nd, 2010 at 5:37 am
Hi Charles,
I’m sure I’ll uncover more info., as I go….Dad’s got at least 2 full file cabinet’s worth of documentation/photos/etc. of PAA stuff! 
My father, Ralph Conly, was a FRO for Pan Am from 1940 to 1950, and has quite a collection of papers…letters from retired PAA employees, flight logs, and who knows what else…(I’m just scratching the surface of his files, as he passed away this past Friday and I’m trying to see what he has, so I can pass things on to some PAA historical societies/museums). There may be some ’stories’/anecdotes/info. in the numerous letters/emails Dad has, and there are photos in various places throughout the house, so I’m trying to gather all those together to see what he has, as well….Will likely be scanning most of them, for a celebration of his life in the next month, or so, as well as for our family ‘history.’ Have you contacted the Pan Am Historical Society yet?…and/or gone to the Miami University, where they have about 500+ boxes of PAA’s business records, etc…?
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John Wilson Reply:
July 20th, 2010 at 1:27 pm
Hi Meg,
I have been researching the operations of the PanAm Clippers during WW2 for a long time and am always eager to learn of the existence of flight logs from any of the crews of these great aeroplanes. I would be extremely grateful for photocopies of any flight logs in the period December 1941 through December 1942 and later, and have already had generous help from a number of venerable ex PanAm crew members. I know this is a great imposition but would you be willing to get photocopies of such logbooks as you may have, or better still digital scans and let me see them? I will of course pay any expenses that may be incurred and as the story will eventually be published in specialist aviation journals, full acknowledgement will be given so that the true extent of what these crews achieved will be remembered.
With kindest regards,
John Wilson
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Charles Ganong Reply:
July 25th, 2010 at 2:58 pm
Ms. Dondero,
Thank you for your reply to my comments about the Boeing 314 flying boats. We are still gathering pictures, info, etc. for Mr. Burke’s autobiography. The 314 was the first Boeing plane he flew, after transferring from Alaska. I plan to contact the Boeing Museum of Flight here in Seattle to see what other pictures and records they might have.
Thanks again.
Charles Ganong
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glen myers Reply:
June 29th, 2010 at 10:36 am
Hi Charles – my mother who is almost 92, flew on the Yankee Clipper from Southampton in 1945. It was right at the end of the war. She had an appointment fron the Foreign Office in London to the British Embassy in Washington DC. However she recalls landing in Baltimore Harbour, not N.Y. If you would like to contact her for memories, contact me via email.
I love hearing all her stories about being a young girl in London at the time of the Blitz!
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Magge Reply:
July 17th, 2010 at 9:17 am
Charles,
My dad was often WWII courier passenger on Yankee Clipper, Atlantic Clipper and others to and from LaGuardia to London via Lisbon (Azores), also via Foynes, Ireland, near
Limerick. I don’t know if pilots ever got to know the regular passengers but dad’s
passed on now, name- Orris Gates (nickname Butch). Don’t know too many details
of these flights as much was hush-hush at the time and he didn’t reveal much later.
I’m researching his exploits and am having little results so far but more and more is
being de-classified from NARA and service histories. I know before US entered the war and maybe afterward, couriers weremilitary required to dress in civilian suits in Allied countries.
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John Wilson Reply:
July 20th, 2010 at 1:14 pm
Hi,
I am researching the operations pf the PanAm Clippers during WW2 and have been fortunate enough to locate a few living crew members who have sent me photocopies of their flying logbooks so that I can check where the clippers were flying to and from. Does Jack Burke still have his logbook and would he be generous enough to let me have photocopies to add to my limited collection of data? You are absolutely right about the skill of these crews, and what a tribute to their expertise that they managed to keep the supply routes open with remarkably few “incidents”, apart from the loss of “Yankee Clipper” in Portugal – almost certainly due to over-enthusiastic flying by the captain.
I would sincerely appreciate any help you may be able to give.
Kindest regards,
John Wilson
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The Boeing Clippers were magnificent flying machines, which provided an excellent service, for the pre-jet era. But comparing the flight performance and carrying capacity with large modern passenger aircraft, such as the Boeing 747, in various configurations and modifications, the Clippers may be regarded as amongst the major pioneers of seaplane passenger operations.
Is it not clear that today there could be an opportunity for a new major seaplane, such as the
superb Saunders-Roe Princess, of 1952, whose wingspan of over 200 feet ( 60 metres) and range of 5000 nautical miles are still comparable with a Boeing 747 ?
The two chief problems of the SARO Princess were its limited carrying capacity of +/- 100
passengers, and turbo-prop engines (with contra-rotating props) and resultant lack of jet-age speeds
of say, Mach 0.82 (592 mph/515.53 knots). These problems might be resolved by installing modern, relatively lightweight jet engines, and lengthening the fuselage to increase the passenger and/or freight-carrying capacity.
Although the three Princess aircraft actually built were broken up in 1967, one of them had already successfully clocked up over 100 hours flying time, apparently with little trouble. One factor in the decision to abandon the project appears to have been that 1952 saw the inauguration of the first ever jet passenger aircraft service, with the commencement of the de Havilland Comet I service to South Africa; and the major developments then planned at London Airport, Heathrow (LHR)
The current near-saturation situation at airports such as LHR, needs a solution, alternative, or even amelioration, urgently. This could suggest that a major new seaplane design may be the way ahead; as this would create virtually zero environmental problems on the ground; marine terminal facilities adjacent to water, at nominal cost; and the obvious advantage of greater safety in terms of landing, and taking-off approaches, over water, as at say, La Guardia Airport, New York, or the Thames Estuary.
Any comments, please ?
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To: The guy above who went through Dakar while connected the Clippers: From 1944-1946 my father was an air traffic controller with the Army Air Corps at Dakar. Most of the stories he told were pretty funny, but one Did have an edge. The Clippers would land at Dakar. The Air Traffic Controllers used normal “telegraph keys”. The Clipper crews had a gadget called a “bug”. A button on one side of the Bug sent a dot and a button on the other side sent a dash. An experienced telegraph operator using a Bug could go faaast. One of the Pan-Am radio operators decided to be a smart-aleck and send as fast as he could. The Air Traffic Controllers couldn’t understand him and repeatedly asked him “repeat please”. They finally had enough and went downstairs to “Point-To-Point”. As in “Dakar-To-New York” or “Dakar-To-Boston”. Those guys sent LOTS of code every day and all had Bugs. The next time the smart aleck started his “hah hah hah, i’m so fast” routine he was answered by an operator brought up to the tower from Point-to-Point
HE was aking “repeat please”. Several times, before they let him off the hook. –Bob
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Greg Schubert Reply:
April 3rd, 2010 at 12:55 pm
Hi Bob,
I am curious to know if your Dad was stationed at the Air base at Rufisque
just east of Dakar.?? I knew a former bomber pilot who landed at Rufisque(Dakar)
many times during the war. I am interested to find any additional takes on
people serving in this theatre.
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Robert Maynard Reply:
April 23rd, 2010 at 7:50 pm
Hi Greg,
Sorry about taking so long to reply.
I’m not sure which base my dad was at.
He spoke of being “a sergeant in the tower at Dakar”.
He also spoke of “Point-to-Point” (Long Distance Radio) being downstairs from the control tower.
He said they brought in the Pan-Am Clippers and a great many Army Air Corp planes.
He regularly joked about a C-54 (DC-4) pilot named “NAY-gard” (phonetic, I never saw the proper written spelling.)
–Bob
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…oppppsss…I did not realize it would not show in the body of the comment…ssooooo…view if wish : flightoftheresolution.org
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I was quite taken with the QANTAS poster above.
I saw many a flying boat leave Rose Bay in Sydney…great stuff to see them “bangin’ away” across Sydney Harbour if there was chop running…
See my site re BCPA pre QANTAS…no flying boats for them, alas !
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there was a sea plane whitch featured a smoking out door balcony…… but it was a fictionalized feature from a late 30’s movies called …..i think “18 hours by air”……………..see if you can look it up john loder…………………
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joe j Reply:
September 12th, 2009 at 12:46 pm
Sorry about that …..john loder and anna lee stared in the picture ” nonstop new york”its a british film 1937 ………its pretty corny but it gives a good idea on what people were thinking about when and if people were expecting when crossing the atlantic by boat…………….see previous reply…..joe
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Dear Stefan,
Yes, I worked at Pan Am at the Marine base at La Guardia from the fall of 1943 to March of 1948 and I well remember American Export hanger right behind ours. I’m not sure that the planes I saw were VS-44s and I did not meet any of the crewmembers.
Gerald Gibson
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I just finished a novel by Ken Follet “Night over water” that takes place in a clipper and I was checking the websites about that seaplane (Boeing B-314). I just thought some of you might be interested.
It’s a novel but it really gives a good idea of what travels could be on board. And the writer was very well documented apparently (the plane is very important in the novel)
I have been a stewardess on Air France (1971-1975) and my husband was a captain on the same airline (1960-1992) and I am always very interested in aeronautics of all forms.
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Roberto D'Antonio Reply:
January 4th, 2010 at 1:28 pm
I’m in the middle of the Ken Follet book now and I don’t want it to end.
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Donna Reply:
April 18th, 2010 at 11:08 am
I just finished the ken follet book myself and you’re right you dont want it to end, but the last few scenes afre fablous!!
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I worked for Pan Am from 1943 to 1950 and wonder if there is anyone out there who worked for
Pan Am during those years. I was a mechanic at LaGuardia from 1943 to 1948. Then I went to Africa at Leopoldville, Dakar & Liberia from 1948 to 1950.
w
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Stefan A. Bailis, Psy.D. Reply:
September 7th, 2009 at 11:05 am
Gerald,
Were you around the Marine Air Terminal during your time at LGA? Do you remember Pan Am’s competition, American Export Airlines? Did you see the VS-44s of American Export Airlines or meet any of their crewmembers? If so, I have a surprise for you!
Stef Bailis
Former F/O, F/E, on the DC-6, DC-7, Super Constellations, late 1970s-late 80s.
Aviation enthusiast all my life.
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Conrad Shad Reply:
February 27th, 2010 at 6:38 pm
My uncle had worked for Pan Am and help set up the Sea Plane Bases in the South Pacfic before World War II. He was in Auckland when Pearl Harbor was attacked and was ordered to help bring the Boeing 314 back to the states by flying west to LGA. He continued to work for Pan Am till his death around 1954 or 55. His name was Pierson Clark Washer. Nick name Bud.
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Rui Reply:
April 5th, 2010 at 6:12 pm
Dear Gerald, I wonder if you have any pictures of Leopoldville from that time that you could share? I’m portuguese and fascinated by propliners. Our portuguese national airline, TAP, made stops at Leopoldville, on the way to Angola and Mozambique, from 1947 on to the mid 50s. I’d love to see pictures of the airport during this era. Kind regards, Rui
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Meg Dondero Reply:
June 2nd, 2010 at 5:29 am
My father, Ralph Conly, was a FRO for Pan Am from 1940 to 1950, and I know he worked out of Miami, then NY/LaGuardia, then out of SF area….I’m in the middle of researching all of this, right now, as he just passed away on Friday…. I know he flew to Rio and Africa, among many other places…flying the ‘Cannonball’(?) for the Orient-Africa Division during WW2. He was the ‘unofficial historian’ for the FRO’s from about 1950 to about 2007/present. (Last published contact list was 2007….There may be more info. in his paperwork, including contacts I could put you in touch with…(?) Have you tried the Pan Am Historical Society back east?
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As a boy in 1938, I went with my parents to the Solent uk area on holiday. A Pan Am “Clipper” arrived and, being “plane crazy” all my life – obtained the autographs of three crew members. They were Hugh H. Gordon, Elkins H. Hale and F.A.Humanson. Does anyone recognize these names? In the 1960’s, I gained my own flying licence and flew two of types of seaplanes. The fun was whilst on the water. Once airbourne, the ‘plane was just another aeroplane !
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Hugh Armstrong Reply:
November 21st, 2009 at 3:11 pm
Hugh Gordon was my grandfather. Originally from Athens, GA, he received flight training in the U.S. Marines and was a pilot for Pan Am from the 1930’s until his retirement in the early ’70’s. He was captain aboard the Pan Am clipper “America” which flew the first round-the-world commercial flight.
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Jim Empson, Ipswich, UK Reply:
January 7th, 2010 at 2:50 pm
Wonderful – what a boon home computers are !
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I’m sure I’ve seen old footage of people going out on a “balcony” type arrangement on a flying boat to have a smoke. Can anyone help me out here?
Cheers
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admin Reply:
July 8th, 2009 at 10:47 am
None of the flying boats had an external balcony of any type, but you may be referring to the “promenade deck” on the C-Class Empire flying boats built by Short Brothers. Since you seem to be writing from Australia, here is an example from an old QANTAS advertisement (click to enlarge):
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Mike Brown Reply:
July 8th, 2009 at 11:52 pm
I am indeed writing from Oz.
Thank you very much for that – very informative.
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John Bennetts Reply:
March 20th, 2010 at 4:43 pm
I think you may be thinking of a scene from a pre-WW2 film, probably made in the 1930’s or even before, which showed an unconvincing model of a flying boat of the future crossing the Atlantic. At one point a man and woman go out on to a balcony to smoke and talk. I have only seen it once, on t.v. many years ago, and remember thinking that even a prop driven aircraft would generate too much slipstream for a cigarette to stay alight, and that it would be too cold over the Atlantic at night to be comfortable in evening dress in the open air. It’s possible that the film was one of the versions of a story about an Atlantic tunnel made at the time. possibly The Tunnel, made in 1935.
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If you’re ever in Ireland, you can see a full scale B-314 replica at the Foynes Flying Boat Museum, They have posted some pictures at this URL, http://flyingboatmuseum.smugmug.com/gallery/3400013#190139725_3TeGk.
Cheers! Jamie
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