Vickers Wellington

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

(Redirected from Wellington Bomber)
Jump to: navigation, search
Vickers Wellington
Vickers Wellington B Mk IA
Type bomber
Manufacturer Vickers-Armstrongs (Aircraft) Ltd.
Maiden flight 15 June 1936
Introduction October 1938
Primary users Royal Air Force
RCAF, RNZAF, RAAF
Number built 11,464

The Vickers Wellington was a British twin-engine, medium bomber designed in the mid-1930s at Brooklands in Weybridge, Surrey, by Vickers-Armstrongs' Chief Designer, R.K. Pierson. It was widely used in the first two years of World War II, before being replaced as a bomber by much larger four-engine designs like the Avro Lancaster. The Wellington was popularly known as 'the Wimpy' by service personnel, after J. Wellington Wimpy from the Popeye cartoons.

Contents

The Wellington used a geodesic construction method, which had been devised by the famous Barnes Wallis for use in airships, and had previously been used to build the single-engined Vickers Wellesley bomber. The fuselage was built up from a number of aluminium alloy (duralumin) channel-beams that were formed into a large network. Wooden battens were screwed onto the aluminium, and these were covered with Irish linen, which, covered with many layers of dope, formed the outer skin of the aircraft. The metal lattice gave the plane tremendous strength because any one of the stringers could support some of the weight from even the opposite side of the plane. Blowing out one side's beams would still leave the plane as a whole intact. Wellingtons with huge holes cut out of them continued to return home when other planes would not have survived, the dramatic effect enhanced by the doped fabric skin burning off, leaving the naked frames exposed.

However, the construction system also had some distinct disadvantages, in that it took considerably longer to complete a Wellington than for other designs using monocoque construction techniques. Also, it was not possible to cut holes into the fuselage to provide additional access or equipment fixtures. The Leigh light, for instance, was deployed through the mounting for the absent FN9 ventral turret. Nevertheless, in the late 1930s Vickers succeeded in building Wellingtons at a rate of one per day at Weybridge and 50 per month at Chester. Peak wartime production in 1942 saw monthly rates of 70 achieved at Weybridge, 130 at Chester and 102 at Blackpool.

Wellingtons of the RNZAF - anticipating war, the New Zealand government loaned these aircraft and their aircrews to the RAF in August 1939
Wellingtons of the RNZAF - anticipating war, the New Zealand government loaned these aircraft and their aircrews to the RAF in August 1939

The Wellington went through a total of 16 variants during its production life plus a further two training conversions after the war. The prototype serial K4049 designed to satisfy Ministry specification B.9/32, first flew as a Type 271 from Brooklands on 15 June 1936 with J. Summers as pilot, initially the type was named Crecy. After many changes to the design, it was accepted on 15 August 1936 for production with the name Wellington. The first model was the Wellington Mk I, powered by a pair of 1,050 hp (783 kW) Bristol Pegasus engines, of which 180 were built, 150 for the Royal Air Force and 30 for the Royal New Zealand Air Force. The Mk I first entered service with No. 9 Squadron RAF in October 1938. Improvements to the turrets resulted in 183 Mk IA Wellingtons and this complement of aircraft equipped the RAF Bomber Command heavy bomber squadrons at the outbreak of war. The Wellington was out-numbered by its twin-engined contemporaries, the Handley Page Hampden and the Armstrong Whitworth Whitley, but would ultimately outlast them in productive service.

The number of Wellingtons built totalled 11,461 of all versions.

The first RAF bombing attack of the war was made by Wellingtons of No. 9 and No. 149 Squadrons, along with Bristol Blenheims, on German shipping at Brunsbüttel on September 4, 1939. During this raid, the two Wellingtons became the first aircraft shot down on the Western Front. Wellingtons also participated in the first night raid on Berlin on 25 August 1940. In the first 1000-aircraft raid on Cologne, on May 30, 1942, 599 out of 1046 aircraft were Wellingtons (101 of them were flown by Polish aircrew).

With Bomber Command Wellingtons flew 47,409 operations, dropped 41,823 tons of bombs and lost 1,332 aircraft in action.

In 1944, Wellingtons of Coastal Command were deployed to Greece, and performed various support duties during the RAF involvement in the Greek Civil War. A few Wellingtons were operated by the Hellenic Air Force.

While the Wellington was superseded in the European Theatre, it remained in operational service for much of the war in the Middle East and Far East theatres. It was particularly effective with the South African Air Force in North Africa, where it could fly faster than most of the Italian fighter aircraft, and carried a heavier bomb load than the Italian aircraft.

Type 271
The first Wellington bomber prototype.
Type 285 Wellington Mk I
Pre-production prototype. Powered by two Bristol Pegasus X radial piston engines.
Type 290 Wellington Mk I
The first production version. Powered by two 746 kW (1,000-hp) Bristol Pegasus XVIII radial piston engines. Fitted with Vickers gun turrets.
Type 408 Wellington Mk IA
Production version. Powered by two 746 kW (1,000-hp) Bristol Pegasus XVIII radial piston engines. Fitted with Nash & Thomson gun turrets.
Type 416 Wellington Mk IC
The first main production variant was the Mk IC which added waist guns to the Mk IA and a total of 2,685 were produced. The Mk IC had a crew of six; a pilot, radio operator, navigator/bomb aimer, observer/nose gunner, tail gunner and waist gunner.
Type 406 Wellington Mk II
The B Mk II was identical with the exception of the powerplant; utilising the 1,145 hp (855 kW) Rolls-Royce Merlin X engine instead—400 were produced at Weybridge.
Type 417 Wellington B.Mk III
The next significant variant was the B Mk III which featured the 1,375 hp (1,205 kW) Bristol Hercules III or XI engine and a four-gun tail turret, instead of two-gun. A total of 1,519 Mk IIIs were built and became mainstays of Bomber Command through 1941.
Type 424 Wellington B.Mk IV
The 220 B Mk IV Wellingtons used the 1,200 hp (895 kW) Pratt & Whitney Twin Wasp engine and were flown by two Polish squadrons.
Type 442 Wellington B Mk VI
Pressurised with a long wingspan and 1,600 hp (1,190 kW) Merlin R6SM engines, 63 were produced and were operated by 109 Squadron and as Gee radio navigation trainers.
Type 440 Wellington B Mk X
The most widely produced variant of which 3,804 were built. It was similar to the Mk III except for the 1,675 hp (1,250 kW) Hercules VI or XVI powerplant and a fuselage structure of light alloy, instead of steel. The Mk X was the basis for a number of Coastal Command versions.

Type 429 Wellington GR Mk VIII
Mk IC conversion for Coastal Command service. Roles included reconnaissance, anti-submarine and anti-shipping attack. A Coastal Command Wimpy was the first aircraft to be fitted with the anti-submarine Leigh light.
Wellington GR Mk XI
Maritime version of B Mk X with an ordinary nose turret and mast radar ASV Mk II instead of chin radome, no waist guns.
Wellington GR Mk XII
Maritime version of B Mk X armed with torpedoes and with a chin radome housing the ASV Mk III radar - in the nose it had only one machinegun.
Wellington GR Mk XIII
Maritime version of B Mk X with an ordinary nose turret and mast radar ASV Mk II instead of chin radome, no waist guns.
Wellington GR Mk XIV
Maritime version of B Mk X with a chin radome housing the ASV Mk III radar and added RP-3 explosive rocket rails to the wings.

Wellington C Mk XV
Service conversions of the Wellington Mk IA, into an unarmed transport aircraft. The C Mk XV could carry up to 18 troops.
Wellington C Mk XVI
Service conversions of the Wellington Mk IC, into unarmed transport aircraft. The C Mk XVI could carry up to 18 troops.

Type 487 Wellington T Mk XVII
Service conversions of the Wellington bomber into training aircraft. Powered by two Bristol Hercules XVII radial piston engines.
Type 490 Wellington T Mk XVIII
Production version. Powered by two Bristol Hercules XVI radial piston engines. 80 built, plus some conversions.
Wellington T Mk XIX
Service conversions of the Wellington Mk X. It was used for navigation training. The Wellington remained in use as a trainer until 1953.
Type 619 Wellington T.10
Postwar conversions of the Wellington Bomber into training aircraft. Some sold to France and Greece.

Type 298 Wellington Mk II
One prototype only. Powered by two 854 kW (1,145-hp) Rolls-Royce Merlin piston engines.
Type 299 Wellington Mk III
Two prototypes only.
Type 410 Wellington Mk IV
One prototype only. Powered by two Pratt & Whitney Twin Wasp radial piston engines.
Type 418 Wellington DWI Mk.I
Conversion of 4 Wellington Mk.IA to minesweeping aircraft. Fitted with Ford V-8 petrol engine and Maudsley electrical generator to induce magnetic field in large loop mounted under fuselage. They had a solid nose with a bracket supporting the loop, which was also supported under the rear fuselage and the wings, outboard of the engines. DWI stood for Directional Wireless Installation, a cover story for the true purpose of the loop.
Type 418 Wellington DWI Mk.II
DWI Mk.I aircraft upgraded by installation of De Havilland Gipsy engine for increased generation power. At least 11 further aircraft converted to this standard.[1]
Type 407 and Type 421 Wellington Mk V
Three were built, designed for pressurised, high-altitude operations using turbocharged Hercules VIII engines.
Type 432 Wellington Mk VI
One high-altitude prototype only.
Type 449 Wellington Mk VIG
Two production aircraft only.
Wellington Mk VII
Single aircraft, built as a test-bed for the 40 mm Vickers S machine gun turret.
Type 437 Wellington Mk IX
One Mk IC conversion for troop transport.
Type 454 and Type 459 Wellington Mk IX
The Type 454 and Type 459 are prototypes with ASV.Mk II, ASV.Mk III radars, and powered by two Bristol Hercules VI and XVI radial piston engines.

Wellington IA Serial Number N2980 on display at Brooklands
Wellington IA Serial Number N2980 on display at Brooklands

Only two Vickers Wellingtons survive, both in the United Kingdom:

  • Wellington IA Serial Number N2980 is on display at the Brooklands Museum of Motor Sport and Aviation at Brooklands, Surrey - recovered from the bottom of Loch Ness, Scotland in 1985.
  • Wellington T.10 Serial Number MF628 is on display at the Royal Air Force Museum, London - the last Wellington built (completed in the Autumn of 1945).

Flag of Australia Australia
Flag of Canada Canada
Flag of Czechoslovakia Czechoslovakia
Flag of France Free France
Flag of Germany Germany
Flag of Greece Greece
Flag of New Zealand New Zealand
Flag of Poland Poland
Flag of South Africa South Africa
Flag of the United Kingdom United Kingdom

General characteristics

  • Crew: six
  • Length: 64 ft 7 in (19.68 m)
  • Wingspan: 86 ft 2 in (26.26 m)
  • Height: 17 ft 6 in (5.33 m)
  • Wing area: 840 ft² (78.04 m²)
  • Empty weight: 18,556 lb (8,417 kg)
  • Max takeoff weight: 28,500 lb (12,927 kg)
  • Powerplant: 2× Bristol Pegasus Mk. XVIII radial engine, 1,050 hp (783 kW) each

Performance

Armament

  • 8x .303 Browning machine guns:
    • 2 in nose turret
    • 4 in tail turret
    • 2 in waist positions
  • 4,500 lb (2,041 kg) bombs

Notes
  1. ^ Pewter Aircraft Wellington DWI page
Bibliography
  • Andrews, C.F. The Vickers Wellington I & II. Leatherhead, Surrey: Profile publications Ltd, 1967. No ISBN.
  • Bowman, Martin. Wellington, The Geodetic Giant. Shrewsbury, UK: Airlife Publishing Ltd., 1989. ISBN 1-85310-076-5.
  • Bowyer, Chaz. Wellington at War. Shepperton, Surrey: Ian Allan Ltd., 1982. ISBN 0-7110-1220-2.
  • Cooksley, Peter G. Wellington, Mainstay of Bomber Command.Wellingborough, Northhamptonshire: Patrick Stephens Ltd., 1987. ISBN 0-85059-851-6.
  • Flintham, V. Air Wars and Aircraft: A Detailed Record of Air Combat, 1945 to the Present. Facts on File. (1990) ISBN 0-81602-356-5.
  • Hall, Alan W. Vickers Wellington, Warpaint Series No. 10. Husborne Crawley, Berfordshire: Hall Park Books Ltd., 1997. No ISBN.
  • Lumsden, Alec. Wellington Special. Shepperton, Surrey: Ian Allan Ltd., 1974. ISBN 0-7110-0527-3.
  • Mackay, Ron. Wellington in Action, Aircraft Number 76. Carrollton, TX: Squadron/Signal Publications, Inc., 1986. ISBN 0-89747-183-0.

Wikimedia Commons has media related to:

Designation sequence

Vickers Wellesley - Vickers Wellington - Vickers Warwick - Vickers Windsor

v • d • e
Strategic bombing during World War II by the Royal Air Force
Overviews and documents RAF Bomber Command • Bomber Command • Strategic bombing • Aerial bombing of cities • Butt report • dehousing paper
Prominent People Sir Archibald Sinclair • Sir Charles Portal • Norman Bottomley • Arthur "Bomber" Harris • Sir Arthur W. Tedder • Professor Lindemann
Bombing Campaigns and Operations Augsburg • Berlin • Chastise • Cologne • Crossbow • Dresden • Gomorrah (Hamburg) • Heilbronn • Hurricane • Kassel • Pforzheim • Würzburg
Aircraft Blenheim • Boston • Halifax • Hampden • Lancaster • Mosquito • Stirling • Ventura • Wellesley • Wellington • Whitley
Technology Window • H2S • GEE • Oboe • G-H • Monica • Blockbuster bomb • Bouncing bomb • Fire bomb • Grand Slam bomb • Tallboy bomb
Tactics Area bombing • Bomber stream • Pathfinders • Shuttle bombing
Other Aerial Defence of the United Kingdom • USAAF • Luftwaffe

v • d • e
Lists relating to aviation
General Timeline of aviation · Aircraft · Aircraft manufacturers · Aircraft engines · Aircraft engine manufacturers · Airports · Airlines
Military Air forces · Aircraft weapons · Missiles · Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) · Experimental aircraft
Notable incidents
and accidents		 Military aviation · Airliners · General aviation · Famous aviation-related deaths
Records Flight airspeed record · Flight distance record · Flight altitude record · Flight endurance record · Most produced aircraft
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vickers_Wellington"
Advanced Search
Included Web Search Engines


Safe Search

close

Top Matching Results

Occasionally Search.com will highlight specialized results that are based on the context of your query. Examples of specialized results include specific links to news, images, or video.

Top Matching Results may highlight information from other Search.com pages, content from the CNET Network of sites, or third party content. The listings are based purely on relevance. Search.com does not receive payment for listings in this section but our partners that provide this data may get paid for listing these products.

Sponsored Links

This section contains paid listings which have been purchased by companies that want to have their sites appear for specific search terms and related content. These listings are administered, sorted and maintained by a third party and are not endorsed by Search.com.

Search Results

Search.com sends your search query to several search engines at one time and integrates the results into one list which has been sorted by relevance using Search.com's proprietary algorithm. You can customize the list of search engines included in your metasearch from the preferences.

The search engines that are used in your metasearch may allow companies to pay to have their Web sites included within the results. To view the Paid Inclusion policy for a specific search engine, please visit their Web site. Search.com does not accept payment or share revenue with any search engine partner for listings in this section.