A large permanent flotation chamber was built into the fuselage under the nose and the pilot was in a watertight cockpit.
The propeller shaft ran underneath the cockpit from the Hispano-Suiza V-8 engine which was over the centre of gravity of the aircraft.
[2] The single prototype first flew at Beardmore's Dalmuir factory on 12 December 1917, being delivered for evaluation at Martlesham Heath in July 1918.
[3] The W.B.IV had poorer performance than the much simpler and smaller shipborne version of the Sopwith Camel and was not developed further.
[5] Data from Jane's Fighting Aircraft of World War I[1]General characteristics Performance Armament