The Portuguese naval museum is a wonderful place to admire the exploits of Portuguese sea farers. This very rare Fairey IIID was the aircraft that finished the first aerial crossing of the South Atlantic in the hands of Artur de Sacadura Freire Cabral and fellow aviator Gago Coutinho. This particular aircraft has a Rolls Royce VIII engine. It completed the crossing between Fernando de Noronha and Rio de Janeiro. Later, it served on the mainland, and in Macau.

The second Fairey IIID used for the first flight across the South Atlantic is delivered off the little port of Fernando de Noronha. Wearing c/n F.401, it was Portuguese navy s/n 16, christened either Patria or Portugal. The given date is just nine days after the crash of s/n 15 at the Saint Peter and Saint Paul Rocks. Gago Coutinho and Sacadura Cabral backtracked to the Rocks on 11 May to continue from there, but then lost this aircraft too. The third, 17, set out from Fernando de Noronha towards Recife. Thus apparently the stage between the Rocks and Fernando de Noronha was only covered by this aircraft in the opposite direction. Photo from: Museu de Marinha (Portugal)

Sacadura Cabral and Gago Coutinho arriving in Rio de Janeiro in their third Fairey IIID, completing the first flight across the South Atlantic. They alighted near the Ilha das Enxadas, then home to Brazilian naval aviation. Photo from: Museu de Marinha (Portugal)

Portugal's first Fairey IIID departing for the first aerial crossing of the South Atlantic with Artur de Sacadura Cabral and Carlos Viegas Gago Coutinho, the navigator. Serial 15 and aircraft name Lusitânia are not painted on, but c/n 400 is. This plane was lost while landing at the Saint Peter and Saint Paul Rocks, 500 nautical miles off Brazil. Its replacement was also lost, but s/n 17 Santa Cruz completed the flight to Rio de Janeiro. Photo from: Museu de Marinha (Portugal)

A10-3 was undertaking a 44-day round-Australia survey flight. At Perth it was beached at South Perth before continuing its counterclockwise journey back to Melbourne. Total distance covered 13,600km. Photo from: State Library of Western Australia

About half way through a circumnavigation of Australia that started and ended at Point Cook and went anticlockwise. Due to its historical significance, A10-3 was offered to various institutions between 1928 and 1930. With no takers, it was stored at Sydney's Victorian Barracks. Its fate after that is not recorded.

A10-2 had made the first seaplane crossing of Bass Strait prior to being exhibited at Kings Pier during the annual Hobart Regatta. Photo from: Libraries Tasmania

The caption to this photo says the aircraft was from HMAS Geranium, a survey ship. The location is unclear, with the suggestion it may be on Pittwater on Sydney's northern outskirts. However it is far more likely to be Sydney Harbour and the headland in the background may be Middle Head. Geranium and A10-2 were brought together on Sydney Harbour after it was decided aircraft would be useful for survey work ahead of the mapping of reefs in Northern Australia. Photo from: City of Sydney Library

Reportedly the only known example of this type left in the world

The Dutch navy bought these four Fairey IIIDs in 1925. They were sent to the East Indies in 1926 to serve aboard the cruisers Java and Sumatra, but did not fare well and were disposed of to the colonial army. The Dutch roundels are applied wrongly in modern eyes. Photo from: Nederlands Instituut voor Militaire Historie