 That prototype did, however serve operationally from bases in French North Africa until scrapped in 1943.The Potez-CAMS 141 was designed by Chantiers Aéro-Maritimes de la Seine (or CAMS, which since 1933 had been part of Potez) to meet a 1935 French Navy specification for a long range marine reconnaissance flying boat to replace obsolete aircraft such as the Breguet Bizerte, competing against the Latécoère 611 and Breguet 730.The prototype first flew on 21 January 1938 at Caudebec-en-Caux, starting official trials in August 1938.