[3] The CAMS 54 was a single-bay biplane with equal span, rectangular plan wings mounted without stagger.

Two types of engine could be used, either 370 kW (500 hp) Hispano-Suiza 12Mbr V12 enclosed in a common streamlined cowling and cooled with tubular radiators on the wing undersides on either side of the engines or 360 kW (480 hp) Gnome-Rhône 9Akx Jupiter nine-cylinder radials, mounted uncowled for cooling, with a circular section cowling between them.

[3][4] These engines were much more powerful than the 280 kW (380 hp) Gnome et Rhône 9Aas of the CAMS 51 and to accommodate them and their propellers on new mountings required the inter-plane gap to be increased.

At the nose the underside had a sharp V-section but this softened aft into a double curvature section; there were two steps, the forward one below the rear of the wing.

Behind the last bulkhead was a long, empty hold which reached back to the tail and was easily accessed though an upper, port-side hatch.

The French Marine Ministry therefore decided to bring La Frégate back to the mainland by boat.

[9] In February 1929 La Frégate was being prepared for another flight over the South Atlantic, equipped with 450 kW (600 hp) V-12 Hispano engines.