kawanishi e15k
The Kawanishi E15K was a reconnaissance seaplane developed in the early 1940s for the Imperial Japanese Navy.
The E15K was designed to equip the Ooyodo-class light cruisers, which were originally envisioned as flagships for submarine flotillas, with long-range aerial reconnaissance capabilities. The aircraft was built for speed, with retractable stabilizing floats in the wings and the ability to jettison the central main float in an emergency, but neither the retractable floats nor the main float jettison system worked reliably in practice. The aircraft also suffered from significant mechanical unreliability and high maintenance needs.
Ultimately, the planned use of the Ooyodo class was abandoned and the single completed ship of the class was refitted as a command cruiser for surface formations instead. Only 15 E15Ks were produced, and none was ever carried by Ooyodo. Even so, some Kantai Collection fan artists depict her with them instead of the Aichi E13A scout seaplanes she actually carried.
Called Shiun ("Violet Cloud") by the Japanese, the E15K had the Allied reporting name Norm.
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