Port Victoria P.V.1

The Port Victoria P.V.1 was a British prototype floatplane fighter of the First World War, built at the Royal Naval Air Service's Port Victoria Marine Experimental Aircraft Depot on the Isle of Grain by fitting a Sopwith Baby with high-lift wings.

Squadron-Commander J.W.Seddon RN, officer commanding of the Marine Experimental Aircraft Depot, realised that high-lift wings, as described by the National Physical Laboratory in 1916, had the potential to improve the lifting capacity of the Sopwith Baby seaplane.

The new wings had the same area as the thinner aerofoils used on the Baby but were mounted with greater stagger; larger floats were also fitted.

While it successfully demonstrated the performance of the new high-lift wings, the Fairey Hamble Baby was placed in production instead.

The P.V.1 was retained by the Depot for test operation, including the investigation of the catapult launching of aircraft.