Fairey Seafox

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Seafox
Fairey Seafox.jpg
General information
Typeship-borne reconnaissance seaplane
National originUnited Kingdom
Manufacturer Fairey Aviation
Primary user Royal Navy (Fleet Air Arm)
Number built66
History
Introduction date23 April 1937
First flight27 May 1936
Retired1943

The Fairey Seafox was a 1930s British reconnaissance floatplane designed and built by Fairey for the Fleet Air Arm. It was designed to be catapulted from the deck of a light cruiser and served in the Second World War. Sixty-six were built, with two finished without floats and used as landplanes.

Contents

Design and development

The Fairey Seafox was built to satisfy Air Ministry Specification S.11/32 for a two-seat spotter-reconnaissance floatplane. The first of two prototypes appeared in 1936, first flying on 27 May 1936, [1] and the first of the 64 production aircraft were delivered in 1937. [2] The flights were organised as 700 Naval Air Squadron of the Fleet Air Arm.

The fuselage was of all-metal monocoque construction, the wings being covered with metal on the leading edge, otherwise fabric. It was powered by a 16-cylinder 395  hp (295 kW) air-cooled Napier Rapier H engine. It cruised at 106 mph (171 km/h), and had a range of 440 mi (710 km). The Seafox handled well but it was criticised for being underpowered, engine cooling was poor and landing speeds were higher than desired.

Operational history

In 1939, a Seafox played a part in the Battle of the River Plate against the German pocket battleship Admiral Graf Spee, by spotting for the naval gunners. Seafoxes operated during the early part of the war from the cruisers HMS Emerald, Neptune, Orion, Ajax, Arethusa and Penelope and the armed merchant cruisers HMS Pretoria Castle, Asturias and Alcantara. They remained in service until 1943.

Operators

Specification

Data fromFairey Aircraft since 1915 [4]

General characteristics

Performance

Armament

See also

Aircraft of comparable role, configuration, and era

Related lists

References

Notes

  1. ↑ Taylor 1974, p.285.
  2. ↑ Taylor 1974, p.287.
  3. ↑ Sturtivant and Ballance 1994, p. 362.
  4. ↑ Taylor 1974, p.288.

Bibliography

  • "For Light Reconnaissance" (PDF). Flight , 9 December 1937. pp. 570–574. ISSN   0015-3710
  • Mondey, David. The Hamlyn Concise Guide to British Aircraft of World War II. London; New York: Aerospace Publishing Ltd., 1982. p. 87. ISBN   0-600-34951-9, ISBN   0-600-34967-5.
  • Sturtivant, Ray and Balance, Theo. The Squadrons of the Fleet Air Arm. Tonbridge, Kent, UK: Air Britain (Historians) Ltd., 1994. ISBN   085130-223-8.
  • Taylor, H. A. Fairey Aircraft since 1915. London: Putnam, 1974. ISBN   0-370-00065-X.
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