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Supermarine Seafire
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Seafire | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Seafire XV in Royal Canadian Navy service. | |
| Type | Naval fighter |
| Manufacturer | Supermarine |
| Primary user | Fleet Air Arm |
| Number built | 2,334 |
The Seafire was a naval version of the Supermarine Spitfire, specially adapted for operation from aircraft carriers. The name Seafire was arrived at by collapsing the longer name Sea Spitfire.
Contents |
The first Seafire to reach the Royal Navy was the Seafire II, a basic adaptation of the Spitfire without folding wings. Additions to the basic Spitfire design included an arrester hook, folding wings, beginning with Mk. III, and other specialized equipment. However, like the Spitfire, the Seafire had a narrow undercarriage track, which meant that it was not well suited to deck operations. Due to the addition of heavy carrier equipment, it suffered from an aft centre-of-gravity position that made low-speed control difficult, and its gradual stall characteristics meant that it was difficult to land accurately on the carrier. These characteristics resulted in a very high accident rate for the Seafire.
Seafire F Mk. III was the first true carrier adaptation of the Spitfire design. It was developed from the Seafire II, but incorporated folding wings for improved fit in carrier hangars.[1] Most Mk. IIIs were produced as the LF variant, designed for low-altitude operations and using the Merlin 55M engine.
Compared with other naval fighters, the Seafire II was able to outperform the A6M5 (Zero) at low altitudes when the two types were tested against each other in World War II. Contemporary western carrier aircraft like the F6F Hellcat and the F4U Corsair, however, were considerably more robust and powerful. Late-war Seafire marks equipped with the Griffon engines enjoyed a considerable increase of performance compared to their Merlin-engined predecessors.
After initial placement on Russian convoy routes, Seafires saw most service in the Far East Pacific campaigns, serving with No. 887 and 894 Squadrons aboard HMS Indefatigable and joining the British Pacific Fleet late in 1944. Due to their good high altitude performance and lack of ordnance-carrying capabilities (compared to the Hellcats and Corsairs of the Fleet) the Seafires were allocated the vital defensive duties of Combat Air Patrol (CAP) over the fleet. Seafires were thus heavily involved in countering the Kamikaze attacks during the Iwo Jima landings and beyond. The Seafires' best day was 15 August 1945, shooting down eight attacking aircraft for a single loss. During the campaign 887 FAA claimed 12 kills, and 894 FAA claimed 10 kills (with two more claims earlier in 1944 over Norway).
The top scoring Seafire pilot of the war was Sub.Lt. R.H. Reynolds DSC of 894, who claimed 4.5 air victories in 1944–5.
Data from British Aircraft of World War II[2] and The Virtual Aviation Museum[3]
General characteristics
- Crew: one
- Length: 30 ft 2½ in (9.21 m)
- Wingspan: 36 ft 10 in (11.23 m)
- Height: ft in (m)
- Wing area: 241.97 ft² (22.48 m²)
- Empty weight: 6,204 lb (2,814 kg)
- Max takeoff weight: 7,640 lb (3,565 kg)
- Powerplant: 1× Rolls-Royce Merlin 55M liquid-cooled V-12, 1,585 hp (1,182 kW)
Performance
- Maximum speed: 348 mph (560 km/h) at 6,000 ft (1,830 m)
- Cruise speed: 218 mph (350 km/h)
- Range: 513 mi (825 km) with drop tanks
- Service ceiling: 24,000 ft (7,315 m)
- Rate of climb: 1.9 min to 5,000 ft (1,525 m)
- Wing loading: lb/ft² (kg/m²)
- Power/mass: hp/lb (kW/kg)
Armament
- 2× 20mm cannon
- 4× .303 cal machine guns
- 1× 500 lb (227 kg) bomb
- ^ Stone, Phil (2006-03-01). The Seafire. The Supermarine Spitfire. Retrieved on 2006-04-08.
- ^ Teeuwen, Jaap. Supermarine Seafire (Merlin, fighter). British Aircraft of World War II. Retrieved on 2006-04-08.
- ^ Supermarine Seafire Mk III. The Virtual Aviation Museum. Retrieved on 2006-04-08.
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