Glen Hammond Curtiss, the American aviation pioneer, began his project for a large flying boat in 1914. John Porte, a British naval pilot who was hoping to use the Curtiss H-16 to fly across the Atlantic, persuaded the Royal Naval Air Service to buy two of these aircraft. They were so impressive that 62 more were ordered.

A larger and better armed version, the Curtiss H-16, appeared in 1917. This model was armed with six machine-guns and could carry 920 lbs (416 kg) of bombs.