Supermarine Sea King

Last updated

Sea King
Supermarine Sea King.png
Supermarine Sea King II
Rolefighter aircraft
National originUnited Kingdom
Manufacturer Supermarine
Designer R. J. Mitchell
First flightEarly 1920
Number built2 [1]

The Supermarine Sea King was a British single-seat amphibious biplane fighter designed by Supermarine in 1919. Developed from the Supermarine Baby and the Supermarine Sea Lion I, the Sea King was a single seater biplane powered by a pusher 160 horsepower (120 kW) Beardmore engine. It first flew in early 1920 and was exhibited by Supermarine at the 1920 Olympia Show in London. The company released drawings of the aircraft's design prior to the show; what it exhibited was probably a modified Supermarine Baby.

Contents

The Sea King was redesigned by Supermarine's new chief designer Reginald Mitchell in 1921, perhaps in order to meet the Air Ministry's specifications for a fighter aircraft capable of operating both from an aircraft carrier and from the water. Designated as the Sea King II, it was powered by a 300 horsepower (220 kW) Hispano-Suiza 8 engine. It first flew in December 1921 and demonstrated excellent manoeuvrability and stability, but was not selected for production. It was rebuilt by Mitchell and fitted with a Napier Lion engine; renamed as the Sea Lion II, it went on to win the Schneider Trophy race in 1922.

Design and development

Sea King I

The general arrangement drawings for the Supermarine Sea King I Supermarine Sea King Plan.png
The general arrangement drawings for the Supermarine Sea King I

On 29 October 1919, Supermarine commenced design of a single seat flying boat fighter. It was developed from the Supermarine Baby and an aircraft developed from it, the Supermarine Sea Lion I. [2] The prototype of the Baby had first flown upon its completion in February 1918, [3] [4] but never saw action during World War I. [5] and was no longer used after the end of the war. [2] The Sea Lion I had participated in the 1919 Schneider Trophy race, the results of which were annulled when the race ended in chaos due to the fog. [6]

The resulting aircraft, known as the Sea King, was a single seater biplane powered by a pusher 160 horsepower (120 kW) Beardmore engine. Few details about the design in its original form are known. The aircraft's machine gun mounting was positioned low enough for the pilot to have an unobstructed view ahead of him. [2]

Sea King II

In 1921, Reginald Mitchell, by now chief designer of Supermarine, produced a revised design of the Sea King. This was perhaps done to meet the requirements of Specification N6/22, which required the design of a fighter aircraft capable of operating both from the deck of an aircraft carrier and from water. [7] In December 1921, six months after the completion of the design, the aircraft was built and ready for tests. [8]

The resulting Sea King II was a single seat biplane, with a wooden hull, a retractable main landing gear and a fixed tail skid. The tail—now greatly modified—was of monoplane type mounted halfway up the single fin with a single rudder; both fin and rudder were larger than those of the Sea King I. The aircraft was powered by a single 300 horsepower (220 kW) Hispano-Suiza 8 engine. [8] The Sea King II's starting handle and the petrol cap were accessed from behind the pilot's seat. The undercarriage struts were designed to ensure shocks to the hull were reduced when the machine landed. A unique feature of the Sea King II was a tube that ran through the hull to supply air to the rear step. [note 1] [10]

The Sea King II was the first aircraft designed by Mitchell after having become Chief Designer at Supermarine in 1919. [11] [12] He designed it with ease of maintenance in mind—the engine was mounted independently of the wings, and only 18 bolts needed to be removed to take off the wing structure, the power unit and the undercarriage. [10]

Operational history

The Supermarine Sea King I at the Olympia Show in 1920 Supermarine Sea King at the Olympia Show 1920.jpg
The Supermarine Sea King I at the Olympia Show in 1920

The Sea King I is thought to have first flown in early 1920 following its construction, although it may not ever have flown, as it was never registered. [13] the exact date and the name of the test pilot are unknown. The aircraft was exhibited by Supermarine at the 1920 Olympia Show in London, where it was the sole example of a single-seat seaplane fighter at the show. [2] Supermarine released drawings of the Sea King's design prior to the show; the aircraft exhibited was probably a modified N60 Baby. [14] There is evidence that modifications to the wing structure had been undertaken before the aircraft appeared at Olympia, and that its performance improved when it was flown using a Siddeley Puma engine. [2]

The Sea King II was registered as E-BAH in December 1921—when it was named as the Supermarine Amphibian Scout [13] —and first flew that month. [1] During trials it demonstrated excellent manoeuvrability and stability, without 'porpoising' or bouncing when coming into contact with water. [11] It was not selected for production, [13] and the Fairey Flycatcher and the Parnall Plover, both biplanes that could be converted between having conventional tailwheel undercarriage and floats, were ordered in small numbers for further evaluation. The Flycatcher succeeded in being selected to equip the Royal Navy's aircraft carriers. [7]

Legacy

The Sea Lion II's hull and Napier Lion engine on display. R.J. Mitchell is standing second from the left. Sea Lion II hull and Napier Lion engine on display.jpg
The Sea Lion II's hull and Napier Lion engine on display. R.J. Mitchell is standing second from the left.

The Sea King II was rebuilt by Mitchell as a racing flying boat and fitted with a Napier Lion engine to become the Supermarine Sea Lion II, which won the 1922 Schneider Trophy contest. [11] The Sea Lion II was powered with a 450 hp (340 kW) Napier Lion engine, [15] loaned by Napier. [16] The new engine resulted in an increase in power of 50 per cent. [17] The aircraft won the race at an average speed of 145.7 mph (234.5 km/h). [15] The victory was the first post-World War I success by a British aircraft in an international competition, and generated a large amount of publicity for Supermarine. [17]

Variants

Sea King I
Flying boat fighter. Powered by 160 horsepower (120 kW) Beardmore or 240 horsepower (180 kW) Siddeley Puma engine. One aircraft was built. [11]
Sea King II
A revised Sea King I, converted in 1922. [1] Powered by 300 horsepower (220 kW) Hispano engine.

Specifications (Sea King I)

Data from Supermarine Aircraft since 1914 [11]

General characteristics

Performance

Specifications (Sea King II)

Data from Supermarine Aircraft since 1914 [11]

General characteristics

Performance

Armament

See also

Notes

  1. A step is a break in the bottom of a flying boat. [9]

Related Research Articles

Supermarine

Supermarine was a British aircraft manufacturer that is most famous for producing the Spitfire fighter plane during World War II as well as a range of seaplanes and flying boats, and a series of jet-powered fighter aircraft after World War II. The company had successes in the Schneider Trophy for seaplanes, with three wins in a row of 1927, 1929 and 1931.

Supermarine Stranraer 1930s British flying boat

The Supermarine Stranraer was a flying boat designed and built by the British Supermarine Aviation Works company at Woolston, Southampton. It was developed during the 1930s on behalf of its principal operator, the Royal Air Force (RAF).

AD Flying Boat

The AD Flying Boat was designed by the British Admiralty's Air Department to serve as a patrol aircraft that could operate in conjunction with Royal Navy warships. Intended for use during the First World War, production of the aircraft was terminated as the end of the war came into sight, and the type saw little operational use. A number were repurchased after the end of the war by Supermarine Aviation and rebuilt as civil transports, becoming known as the Supermarine Channel.

Supermarine Southampton

The Supermarine Southampton was a flying boat of the interwar period designed and produced by the British aircraft manufacturer Supermarine. It was one of the most successful flying boats of the era.

Supermarine Seagull (1921) 1920s British flying boat

The Supermarine Seagull was a amphibian biplane flying boat designed and produced by the British aircraft manufacturer Supermarine. It was developed from the experimental Supermarine Seal II.

Supermarine S.4

The Supermarine S.4 was a 1920s British single-engined single-seat monoplane racing seaplane built by Supermarine to compete in the 1925 Schneider Trophy. It crashed and was destroyed before the competition started.

Vickers Vixen

The Vickers Vixen was a British general-purpose biplane of the 1920s. Designed and developed by Vickers in a number of variants, with 18 Vixen Mark V sold to Chile. A prototype of a version with metal wings was built as the Vickers Vivid. The Vixen also formed the basis of the closely related Venture and Valparaiso aircraft, which were also built and sold in small numbers in the 1920s

Supermarine Sparrow 1920s British light aircraft

The Supermarine Sparrow was a British two-seat light sports aircraft designed by R.J. Mitchell and built by Supermarine at Woolston, Southampton.

Supermarine Sea Lion II 1920s British racing flying boat

The Supermarine Sea Lion II was a British racing flying boat built by the Supermarine Aviation Works. Designed by Reginald Mitchell, it was a modification of Supermarine's Sea King II. Sea Lion II was powered by a 450 hp (340 kW) Napier Lion engine.

Supermarine Sea Lion I British racing flying boat

The Supermarine Sea Lion I was a British racing flying boat designed and built by Supermarine for the Schneider Trophy contest at Bournemouth, England, in September 1919. It was based on a version of the Supermarine Baby, the first single-seat flying boat fighter aircraft to be designed and built in the United Kingdom, that first flew in February 1918.

Supermarine Baby British WWI fighter aircraft

The Supermarine Baby was a World War I fighter aircraft that was the earliest example of single-seat flying boat fighter to be built in the United Kingdom. It was designed by Supermarine to meet a 1917 Navy Board specification which stipulated the aircraft have a speed of 95 knots, a ceiling of 20,000 feet (6,100 m), and be capable of being launched from ships at sea. When it first flew in February 1918 it was the smallest and fastest flying boat then in existence.

Supermarine Commercial Amphibian 1920s British flying boat

The Supermarine Commercial Amphibian was a passenger-carrying flying boat. The first aircraft to be designed by Supermarine's Reginald Mitchell, it was built at the company's works at Woolston, Southampton, for an Air Ministry competition that took place during September 1920. Based on the Supermarine Channel, the Amphibian was a biplane flying boat with a single engine, a wooden hull, unequal wingspans and a 350 horsepower (260 kW) Rolls-Royce Eagle engine. The front of the aircraft was designed to lift clear of the water prior to take-off. The pilot sat in an open cockpit behind two passengers.

Supermarine Nanok 1920s British flying boat prototype

The Supermarine Nanok was a British three-engined biplane flying boat built by Supermarine. Built to meet a Royal Danish Navy requirement, the single prototype was rebuilt as a private air yacht and renamed the Supermarine Solent.

Supermarine Seal II 1920s British flying boat

The Supermarine Seal II was a British flying boat developed by Supermarine after it secured a British Air Ministry order for a prototype three-seater fleet spotter amphibian. The prototype, which had to be capable of landing on Royal Air Force (RAF) aircraft carriers, was designed by Supermarine's R.J. Mitchell, who incorporated suggestions made after the Supermarine Commercial Amphibian achieved second place after it was entered for an Air Ministry competition in 1920.

Vickers Vampire

The Vickers F.B.26 Vampire was a British single-seat pusher biplane fighter built by Vickers during the First World War.

Vickers F.B.14

The Vickers F.B.14 was a British two-seat fighter/reconnaissance biplane designed and built by Vickers Limited. About 100 were built for the Royal Flying Corps but saw only limited use as it was designed for a larger engine which was not available when production commenced and it did not meet performance expectations.

Norman Thompson N.T.2B

The Norman Thompson N.T.2B was a British single-engined flying boat trainer of the First World War. A single-engined biplane, the N.T.2B was adopted as a standard flying boat trainer by the Royal Naval Air Service, training pilots for larger patrol flying boats such as the Felixstowe F.2.

Supermarine Channel Version of the AD Flying Boat

The Supermarine Channel was a modified version of the AD Flying Boat, purchased by Supermarine from the British Air Ministry and modified for the civil market with the intention of beginning regular air flights across the English Channel. The aircraft were given airworthiness certificates in July 1919. The Mark I version, later called the Channel I, was powered with a 160 horsepower (120 kW) Beardmore engine; a variant designated as Channel II was fitted with a 240 horsepower (180 kW) Armstrong Siddeley Puma engine. Designed by Supermarine to accommodate up to four passengers, the company produced a series of interchangeable interiors that could be used at short notice, which enabled the Channel to be used as a fighter or for training purposes.

The Vickers F.B.24 was a British two-seat fighter aircraft of the First World War. Only a few prototypes were built, as, although it had good performance, the Bristol F.2 Fighter was preferred.

Vickers F.B.25

The Vickers F.B.25 was a British two-seat night fighter prototype of World War I designed to attack enemy airships. Completed in 1917, it failed in its official flight tests that year and no order for production resulted.

References

  1. 1 2 3 Andrews & Morgan 1981, p. 355.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 Andrews & Morgan 1981, p. 52.
  3. Pegram 2016, p. 19.
  4. Bruce 1957, p. 647.
  5. Andrews & Morgan 1981, p. 4.
  6. Pegram 2016, pp. 23–24.
  7. 1 2 Lewis 1979, p. 143.
  8. 1 2 Andrews & Morgan 1981, p. 54.
  9. Rathbun 1918, chapter 25 (Glossary of aeronautical words).
  10. 1 2 Andrews & Morgan 1981, p. 55.
  11. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Andrews & Morgan 1981, p. 56.
  12. Price 2002, p. 11.
  13. 1 2 3 Pegram 2016, p. 34.
  14. Pegram 2016, p. 27.
  15. 1 2 Jackson 1988, p. 314.
  16. Andrews & Morgan 1981, p. 60.
  17. 1 2 Pegram 2016, p. 36.
  18. 1 2 3 4 5 "The Supermarine Single-Seater Fighting Scout "Sea King" Mark II". Flight Magazine. 20 April 1922 via Internet Archive.

Sources