D-1919  Heinkel He 58                                        (c/n  365)

                                        

                                             This rare shot from the Gunther Ott collection shows the He 58 'Bremen Atlantic' being
                                             launched from the catapult of the Bremen Steamship Co's SS Europa.   The mailplane was
                                             dispatched from the ocean liner whilst en route to New York from Germany, thus saving
                                             some 20 hours of mail delivery time   DLH undertook the operation of the aircraft flights.
                                             The He 58 was developed from the earlier He 12 which had been carried by the steamship
                                             New York, and operated on these catapult launching mail runs for a number of years.  The
                                             He 58 was eventually replaced by Ju 46 floatplanes which were carried by both liners.