Civilian seaplanes never caught on in the Netherlands, but the navy's Van Berkel crews toured the country enthusiastically it seems. W60 and W62 are seen visiting the fishing village of Volendam. People wear traditional costume. The gate to the terrace of Hotel Spaander, which still exists, is on the far right. Photo is probably from the 1920s because the aircraft don't seem to have all the upgrades the W-A went through. Photo by: LJ Karels / Zuiderzeemuseum

Overflying the Thousand Islands off Jakarta, then Batavia. Photo from: Nederlands Instituut voor Militaire Historie

A copy of the Hansa-Brandenburg W.12 by a maker of mincers and scales, the W-A played a major role in Dutch naval aviation as testified by the many photos available of the type in service. W62 and W69 are also visible. Photo from: Nederlands Instituut voor Militaire Historie

In 1918, a Hansa-Brandenburg W-12 got stranded near Rottumeroog. The aircraft was interned and studied by the Marine Luchtvaartdienst (MLD, now known as the Navy). The MLD liked what they saw and wanted to license-build the aircraft. A suitable factory was sought and eventually they wound up at Van Berkel, who was/is more known for their scales and meat cutting machines. In 1919-1920, a total of 35 aircraft were built. 15 of them stayed in the Netherlands, the rest went to the Netherlands East Indies. The real W57 (c/n 1) was built in 1920 and written off after a crash near Den Helder.

Van Berkels W8, W7 and W12 beached at Kupang, West Timor. Year approximate. By 1941 the Dutch navy had just a few true seaplane bases in the vast Indonesian archipelago, but there were some 50 auxiliary sites with rudimentary facilities. Photo from: Leiden University Libraries

De Mok is a bay on Texel Island, next to where the ferry now arrives from the mainland. The former seaplane station is a marines training facility today. The church of Den Hoorn is on the far left. W54 written off after accident at Loosdrecht Lakes in 1930. Photo from: Nederlands Instituut voor Militaire Historie

A scene like a painting in the port of Priok. Photo from: Leiden University Libraries

Van Berkels W53, W61 and W64 visiting Brielle, west of Rotterdam. Note the huge anchors carried by these small floatplanes! Photo from: Streekarchief Voorne-Putten

The Van Berkel W-A, a licence-built Hansa-Brandenburg W.12 seaplane, was an important type in the Dutch Naval Air Service, serving both in Holland and in the East Indies. W3, in the background, is listed as written off in mid-1924. Photo from: Leiden University Libraries

A squadron of nine W-As from De Mok naval air station, Texel Island, landed on the river Spaarne, reportedly because the engine of one of the aircraft was running hot. Photo from: Noord-Hollands Archief

'Three seaplanes from De Mok air station landed on the Amstel River near the gasworks [former Zuidergasfabriek] this morning. It was not an emergency, the aeroplane pilots very calmly taxied to the Amstel Bridge before turning back. It was just a routine exercise. After cruising around for half an hour, they took off again near the Amstellaan [now Vrijheidslaan, bridge there built in 1932] and flew to Schellingwoude naval air station.' Photo taken towards the eastern bank at Oetgensstraat. Photo from: Amsterdam City Archives

In April 1918, a Hansa-Brandenburg W.12 made an emergency landing in the neutral territory of the Netherlands, where it was interned and flight tested by the Dutch. In 1919 the Netherlands bought a licence to build the aircraft and 35 W.12s were subsequently manufactured by the Van Berkel company of Rotterdam as the W-A, serving with the Dutch Naval Air Service until 1933. This replica is under construction in the Aviodrome restoration hangar.

The Hansa-Brandenburg W.12 was a 1917 two-seat floatplane fighter with an unusual downward-pointing rudder. Following an emergency landing by a German W.12 in neutral Dutch waters, the type was licence-built by the Van Berkel company in Rotterdam as the W-A. This replica was added to the Aviodrome collection in 2017.