08/31/2019. Remarks by Johan Visschedijk: "Following the Italian declaration of war on Austria-Hungary on May 26, 1915, an Austrian Lohner L.l flying boat was captured intact at Porto Corsini, Rimini, Italy, during the night of May 27.

Società Anonima Nieuport-Macchi (as Macchi was formed in 1912, the name Nieuport was dropped in 1921) at Varese, Italy, produced a copy of this Austrian flying boat and gave it the same type designation, L.1. A direct development was the L.2, and the L.3 was a further development which was first flown in April 1916.

Later the L.3 was redesignated as M.3, to emphasize Macchi's influence."