A flying boat is a type of seaplane with a hull , allowing it to land on water. It differs from a floatplane in having a fuselage that is purpose-designed for flotation, while floatplanes rely on fuselage-mounted floats for buoyancy .
176-506: The Saunders-Roe SR.45 Princess was a British flying boat aircraft developed and built by Saunders-Roe at their Cowes facility on the Isle of Wight . It is the largest all-metal flying boat to have ever been constructed. The Princess had been developed to serve as a larger and more luxurious successor to the pre-war commercial flying boats, such as the Short Empire . It was intended to serve
352-454: A monoplane or biplane , which would have to have performance equal to the recently delivered Short Sarafand flying boat, along with various other requirements, including the need to be powered by a maximum of four engines and to be much more compact than the Sarafand. The release of Specification R.2/33 had been in advance of the publication of the commercial Imperial Airways requirement; by
528-574: A 214-foot wingspan, a height of 55 feet 9 inches, and a length of 148 feet. The proposed aircraft would be capable of a cruising speed of 340 MPH at an altitude of 37,000 feet, a range (dependent on payload) of 5,190–3,640 miles, and be outfitted with luxurious accommodation for a total of 104 passengers. During 1945, in response to an approach made by the British Ministry of Supply , which had been seeking design submissions from aviation companies for an envisioned new long range civil flying boat, which
704-453: A Ju 88, although the Sunderland's rear gunner was knocked unconscious. The next Ju 88 that attacked was hit by fire from the dorsal and nose turrets, and appeared to have been shot down. By this time, one crew member on the Sunderland had been mortally wounded and most of the others were wounded to varying degrees, while the aircraft's radio gear had been destroyed, among other damage. However,
880-556: A United States naval aviator in an M.5. The Aeromarine Plane and Motor Company modified the Felixstowe F.5 into Aeromarine 75 airliner flying boats which with Aeromarine West Indies Airways flew Air Mail to Florida, Bahamas, and Cuba along with being passenger carriers. The German aircraft manufacturing company Hansa-Brandenburg built flying boats starting with the model Hansa-Brandenburg GW in 1916. The Austro-Hungarian firm, Lohner-Werke began building flying boats, starting with
1056-538: A contract for the aircraft from British flag carrier British Overseas Airways Corporation (BOAC). Although the initial development contract had been successfully met, BOAC eventually decided to focus on its land-based routes using the jet-powered De Havilland Comet instead. The era of the large flying boat had effectively ended prior to the aircraft's completion. Work on the Princess was ultimately cancelled after having produced three examples, only one of which flew. By
1232-482: A determined depth and then explode. This eliminated the problem of bounce-back, and the shock wave propagating through the water augmented the explosive effect. While the bright Leigh searchlight was rarely fitted to Sunderlands, ASV Mark II radar enabled the flying boats to attack U-boats on the surface. In response, the German submarines began to carry a radar warning system known formally as " Metox ", and informally as
1408-406: A fashion similar to the U.S. domestic programme a decade earlier. In response, Imperial Airways announced a competition to design and manufacture a fleet of 28 large flying boats, each weighing 18 long tons (18 tonnes) and having a range of 700 mi (1,100 km) with a capacity for 24 passengers. A corresponding contract was issued to Short Brothers of Rochester for their design, which became
1584-469: A five-seat Sanchez-Besa from 1 August 1912. The French Navy ordered its first floatplane in 1912. None of these crafts to date were flying boats. In 1911–12, François Denhaut constructed the first flying boat , with a fuselage forming a hull, using various designs to give hydrodynamic lift at take-off. Its first successful flight was on 13 April 1912. Throughout 1910 and 1911 American pioneering aviator Glenn Curtiss developed his floatplane into
1760-463: A flying boat’s fuselage provides buoyancy, it may also utilize under-wing floats or wing-like hull projections (called sponsons ) for additional stability. Ascending into common use during the First World War , flying boats rapidly grew in both scale and capability during the interwar period , during which time numerous operators found commercial success with the type. Flying boats were some of
1936-693: A fully enclosed cabin. Trials of the America began on 23 June 1914 with Porte also as Chief Test Pilot; testing soon revealed serious shortcomings in the design; it was under-powered, so the engines were replaced with more powerful engines mounted in a tractor configuration. There was also a tendency for the nose of the aircraft to try to submerge as engine power increased while taxiing on water. This phenomenon had not been encountered before, since Curtiss' earlier designs had not used such powerful engines nor large fuel/cargo loads and so were relatively more buoyant. In order to counteract this effect, Curtiss fitted fins to
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#17328983600862112-480: A fully loaded aircraft from gaining enough speed to become airborne. The aircraft could be taken to a freshwater mooring for sufficient time to kill off the fauna and flora growing on the bottom, which would then be washed away during takeoff runs. The alternative was to scrub it off, either in the water or on land. Aircraft with lower hull damage were patched or had the holes filled with any materials to hand before landing. The aircraft would then be immediately put onto
2288-563: A further sum" from the Women's Aerial League of Great Britain. American businessman Rodman Wanamaker became determined that the prize should go to an American aircraft and commissioned the Curtiss Aeroplane and Motor Company to design and build an aircraft capable of making the flight. Curtiss' development of the Flying Fish flying boat in 1913 brought him into contact with John Cyril Porte ,
2464-576: A glide." At Felixstowe, Porte made advances in flying boat design and developed a practical hull design with the distinctive "Felixstowe notch". Porte's first design to be implemented in Felixstowe was the Felixstowe Porte Baby , a large, three-engined biplane flying-boat, powered by one central pusher and two outboard tractor Rolls-Royce Eagle engines. Porte modified an H-4 with a new hull whose improved hydrodynamic qualities made taxiing, take-off and landing much more practical, and called it
2640-488: A heavily modified Short Empire flying boat. The larger Maia took off, carrying the smaller Mercury loaded to a weight greater than it could take off with. This allowed the Mercury to carry sufficient fuel for a direct trans-Atlantic flight with the mail. Unfortunately this was of limited usefulness, and the Mercury had to be returned from America by ship. The Mercury did set a number of distance records before in-flight refuelling
2816-454: A joint bid. A company under combined ownership was then formed, Qantas Empire Airways. The new ten-day service between Rose Bay, New South Wales (near Sydney ), and Southampton was such a success with letter-writers that before long the volume of mail was exceeding aircraft storage space. A better solution to the problem was sought by the British government during the early 1930s, who released
2992-462: A long range aeroplane would be required to carry a large load of fuel, a larger size of the aircraft could be permitted without needing to cater for factors such as limited runway and airfield sizes. In addition, for services to far-flung parts of the British Empire, the ability to land and take-off from any available area of water was a distinct advantage for services to such places, many of which at
3168-423: A more revolutionary flying boat. During 1943, the chief designers of Saunders-Roe and Short had collaborated to produce a preliminary design specification for an innovative large flying boat. This design specification defined various criteria for the proposed aircraft, which would be the largest all-metal flying boat ever built; performance criteria included a weight of 140 tons, a pressurised 'double-bubble' hull,
3344-518: A new "N for Nuts", which was lost over the Bay of Biscay two months later, in an attack by six Ju 88s. On 2 June 2013, a memorial was dedicated on the green at Praa Sands. At the end of the Second World War, a number of new Sunderlands built at Belfast were simply taken out to sea and scuttled as there was nothing else to do with them. In Europe the type was removed from service relatively quickly but in
3520-402: A part of the servo-powered control system were to fail, a faulty section could be "trailed" so that it did not act against the remaining working sections. While the prototype aircraft had been fitted with advanced (but conventional) hydraulic controls, Saunders-Roe had intended production aircraft to use an analogue system featuring electrical servos with hydraulic final control actuators. Such
3696-453: A publicity stunt. It flew to America in 1930–31, crossing the Atlantic via an indirect route over 9 months. It was the largest flying boat of its time, but was severely underpowered and was limited by a very low operational ceiling. Only three were built, with a variety of different engines installed, in an attempt to overcome the lack of power. Two of these were sold to Italy. The Dornier Wal
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#17328983600863872-577: A result of this action, British flying boats were dazzle-painted to aid identification in combat. The Curtiss Aeroplane and Motor Company independently developed its designs into the small Model "F", the larger Model "K" (several of which were sold to the Russian Naval Air Service), and the Model "C" for the U.S. Navy. Curtiss among others also built the Felixstowe F.5 as the Curtiss F5L, based on
4048-449: A retired Royal Navy lieutenant, aircraft designer and test pilot who was to become an influential British aviation pioneer. Recognising that many of the early accidents were attributable to a poor understanding of handling while in contact with the water, the pair's efforts went into developing practical hull designs to make the transatlantic crossing possible. At the same time the British boat building firm J. Samuel White of Cowes on
4224-436: A rounded, bulbous, "double-bubble" pressurized fuselage which contained two full passenger decks ; these decks had sufficient room to accommodate up to 105 passengers in great comfort. The planing bottom of the hull had only a slight step in the keel to minimize drag in the air. The Princess was powered by an arrangement of ten Bristol Proteus turboprop engines. These engines drove six sets of four-bladed propellers ; of these,
4400-590: A single Sunderland operating off Norway was attacked by six German Junkers Ju 88C fighters; during the engagement, it shot one down and damaged another until it retreated and drove off the rest. The Germans reputedly nicknamed the Sunderland the Fliegendes Stachelschwein ("Flying Porcupine") due to its defensive firepower. Sunderlands in the Mediterranean theatre proved themselves on multiple high-profile occasions, flying many evacuation missions during
4576-522: A slipway with its wheeled beaching gear or beached on a sandy shore before it could sink. More than two fuselage compartments had to be full of water to sink the aircraft. During the Second World War, a number of severely damaged aircraft were deliberately landed on grass airfields ashore. In at least one case, an aircraft that made a grass landing was repaired to fly again. On the Sunderland Mk V, fuel could be dumped from retractable pipes that extended from
4752-429: A small "deck" and demountable marine bollard used during mooring manoeuvres on the water. The change of armament in the nose to the much lighter gun moved the centre of gravity rearwards. After the first series of flights, the prototype was modified to have a wing that was swept 4.25° to the rear, thereby moving the centre of pressure into a more reasonable position in relation to the new centre of gravity. This left
4928-486: A specification calling for a new large aircraft capable of carrying up to 24 passengers in spacious comfort along with adequate room for airmail or freight while simultaneously being capable of a cruising speed of 170 mph and a range of at least 700 miles; the capacity for an extended range of 2,000 miles to serve the North Atlantic route was also stipulated. Originally intended for use by IAL, partner Qantas agreed to
5104-419: A system had been built and undergone ground-testing, but the Princess had been terminated prior to any aircraft having been fitted with the system. Data from Saunders and Saro Aircraft since 1917 British Flying Boats and Flight 1952 General characteristics Performance Related development Aircraft of comparable role, configuration, and era Related lists Flying boat Though
5280-447: A two- or four-wheel trolley and towbar attached under the rear of the hull. A standard stocked anchor was stowed in the forward compartment alongside the anchor winch. Depending on the operating area, a number of different kinds of anchor could be carried to cope with different anchorages. Another means of direction control on the water was by application of the rudder and aileron flight controls. The ailerons would cause asymmetric lift from
5456-549: A weak hull and poor water handling. The combination of the new Porte-designed hull, this time fitted with two steps, with the wings of the H-12 and a new tail, and powered by two Rolls-Royce Eagle engines, was named the Felixstowe F.2 and first flew in July 1916, proving greatly superior to the Curtiss on which it was based. It was used as the basis for all future designs. It entered production as
Saunders-Roe Princess - Misplaced Pages Continue
5632-415: A wobble pump could transfer fuel faster than the auxiliary pump. In sheltered moorings or at sea, fuelling was accomplished by a powered or unpowered barge and with engine driven or hand powered pumps. At regular moorings, there would be specially designed refuelling barges to do the job, normally manned by trained marine crew. These vessels could refuel many aircraft during the course of the day. Handling of
5808-523: The Elbe near Hamburg to the isolated city, landing on the Havel river near RAF Gatow until it iced over. The Sunderlands were frequently used for transporting salt , as their airframes were already protected against corrosion from seawater and their control cables were roof-mounted, as opposed to underfloor in most other aircraft. Transporting salt in standard aircraft risked rapid and severe structural corrosion in
5984-651: The Far East , where large developed runways were less prevalent. Between mid-1950 and September 1954, several squadrons of RAF Sunderlands saw combat action during the Korean War . Around a dozen aircraft had also participated in the Berlin airlift , delivering supplies to the blockaded German city. The RAF continued to use the Sunderland in a military capacity up to 1959. In December 1960, the French Navy retired its aircraft, which were
6160-728: The Far East , where well developed runways were less common and large land based maritime patrol aircraft like the new Avro Shackleton could not be used so easily, there was still a need for it, and it remained in service with the RAF Far East Air Force at Singapore until 1959, and with the Royal New Zealand Air Force 's No. 5 Squadron RNZAF until 1967. During the Berlin Airlift (June 1948 – August 1949) 10 Sunderlands and two transport variants (known as " Hythes ") were used to transport goods from Finkenwerder on
6336-528: The Felixstowe F.1 . Porte's innovation of the "Felixstowe notch" enabled the craft to overcome suction from the water more quickly and break free for flight much more easily. This made operating the craft far safer and more reliable, although similar devices had been in use in France since 1911. The "notch" breakthrough would soon after evolve into a "step", with the rear section of the lower hull sharply recessed above
6512-598: The German seizure of Crete , each carrying as many as 82 passengers. One Sunderland flew the reconnaissance mission to observe the Italian fleet at anchor in Taranto before the famous Royal Navy Fleet Air Arm 's torpedo attack on 11 November 1940 . The largest flying boat of the war was the Blohm & Voss BV 238 , which was also the heaviest plane to fly during the Second World War and
6688-589: The Gnome Omega –powered Hydravion , a trimaran floatplane. Fabre's first successful take off and landing by a powered floatplane inspired other aviators and he designed floats for several other flyers. The first hydro-aeroplane competition was held in Monaco in March 1912, featuring aircraft using floats from Fabre, Curtiss, Tellier and Farman. This led to the first scheduled seaplane passenger services at Aix-les-Bains , using
6864-689: The Isle of Wight set up a new aircraft division and produced a flying boat in the United Kingdom. This was displayed at the London Air Show at Olympia in 1913. In that same year, a collaboration between the S. E. Saunders boatyard of East Cowes and the Sopwith Aviation Company produced the "Bat Boat", an aircraft with a consuta laminated hull that could operate from land or on water, which today we call an amphibious aircraft . The "Bat Boat" completed several landings on sea and on land and
7040-629: The Lohner E in 1914 and the later (1915) Lohner L which was copied widely. In September 1919, British company Supermarine started operating the first flying boat service in the world, from Woolston to Le Havre in France , but it was short-lived. A Curtiss NC-4 became the first aircraft to fly across the Atlantic Ocean in 1919, crossing via the Azores . Of the four that made the attempt, only one completed
7216-645: The PBY Catalina and Short Sunderland played key roles in both the Pacific Theater and the Atlantic of the Second World War. The popularity of flying boats gradually tailed off during the Cold War era, partially because of the difficulty in maintaining operations in inclement weather when sea conditions may easily prevent takeoffs and landings while land based aircraft are unaffected, and investments in airports during
Saunders-Roe Princess - Misplaced Pages Continue
7392-643: The Portuguese Navy . During the conflict, the type was heavily involved in Allied efforts to counter the threat posed by German U-boats in the Battle of the Atlantic . On 17 July 1940, a RAAF Sunderland (of No. 10 Squadron ) performed the type's first unassisted U-boat kill. Sunderlands also played a major role in the Mediterranean theatre, performing maritime reconnaissance flights and logistical support missions. During
7568-555: The Royal Air Force (RAF). The aircraft took its service name from the town (latterly, city) and port of Sunderland in North East England . Developed in parallel with the civilian S.23 Empire flying boat, the flagship of Imperial Airways , the Sunderland was developed specifically to conform to the requirements of British Air Ministry Specification R.2/33 for a long-range patrol/reconnaissance flying boat to serve with
7744-421: The Royal Air Force . As designed, it served as a successor to the earlier Short Sarafand flying boat. Sharing several similarities with the S.23, it featured a more advanced aerodynamic hull and was outfitted with various offensive and defensive armaments, including machine gun turrets , bombs , aerial mines , and depth charges . The Sunderland was powered by four Bristol Pegasus XVIII radial engines and
7920-587: The S.23 Empire . While the Empire flying boat has often been credited as a predecessor of the Sunderland, according to aviation author Geoffrey Norris, this impression "is not strictly true". During November 1933, the British Air Ministry released Specification R.2/33 , which called for the development of a next-generation long-range general purpose flying boat, intended to perform ocean reconnaissance missions. The specification envisioned an aircraft, either
8096-803: The Short Empire and Short S.26 to build up a network of long-distance routes. These flying boats had not only pioneered new aerial routes across the British Empire which had previously not been served at all, passengers were transported within an unprecedented level of comfort, being provided with luxurious first class accommodation, including a promenade , sizable galley , separate bathrooms for men and women, and individual cabins for passengers. However, operations of these flying boats had been disrupted by wartime, during which Imperial Airways had also merged with British Airways Ltd to form British Overseas Airways Corporation (BOAC) in 1940. While restricted operations of commercial flying boats did continue, such as
8272-414: The astrodome hatch with a 360-degree white light to show that the aircraft was moored. The crewmembers were trained in common marine signals for watercraft to ensure safety in busy waters. The craft could be moored to a buoy by a pendant that attached to the keel under the forward fuselage. When the craft was off the buoy, the forward end of the pendant was attached to the front of the hull just below
8448-430: The hydrodynamics properties. On 7 March 1938, K4774 conducted its first post-modification flight, having been outfitted with the intended Bristol Pegasus XXII radial engines , each one capable of generating 1,010 hp (750 kW). On 21 April 1938, the first Sunderland Mark 1 of the development batch conducted its first flight. By this point, manufacturer testing of the prototype had already been completed and
8624-473: The transatlantic route, carrying up to 100 passengers between Southampton , United Kingdom and New York City , United States in spacious and comfortable conditions. To achieve this, it was decided early on to make use of newly developed turboprop technology, opting for the Bristol Proteus engine still in development to power the aircraft. The project suffered delays due to difficulties encountered in
8800-569: The "Cross of Biscay" due to the appearance of its receiving antenna, that was tuned to the ASV frequency and gave the submarines early warning that an aircraft was in the area. Kills fell off drastically until ASV Mark III radar was introduced in early 1943, which operated in the centimetric band and used antennas mounted in blisters under the wings outboard of the floats, instead of the cluttered stickleback aerials. Sunderland Mark IIIs fitted with ASV Mark III were called Sunderland Mark IIIAs. Centimetric radar
8976-484: The "bomb doors" that formed the upper half walls of the bomb room on both sides. The bomb racks were able to run in and out from the bomb room on tracks in the underside of the wing. In order to load them, weapons were hoisted up to the extended racks that were run inboard and either lowered to stowages on the floor or prepared for use on the retracted racks above the stowed items. The doors were spring-loaded to pop inwards from their frames and would fall under gravity so that
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#17328983600869152-521: The 1930s, flying boats made it possible to have regular air transport between the U.S. and Europe, opening up new air travel routes to South America, Africa, and Asia. Foynes , Ireland and Botwood , Newfoundland and Labrador were the termini for many early transatlantic flights. In areas where there were no airfields for land-based aircraft, flying boats could stop at small island, river, lake or coastal stations to refuel and resupply. The Pan Am Boeing 314 Clipper planes brought exotic destinations like
9328-498: The 350-mile (560 km) journey to Britain. At 2248 hours, Walker managed to beach the aircraft at Praa Sands , Cornwall. The 10 surviving crew members were able to wade ashore, while the Sunderland broke up in the surf. Walker received the Distinguished Service Order and several other crew members also received medals. They claimed three Ju 88s destroyed. With the exception of Walker, the crew returned to operations in
9504-578: The Curtiss Model E, and soon tested landings on and take-offs from ships using the Curtiss Model D. In Britain, Captain Edward Wakefield and Oscar Gnosspelius began to explore the feasibility of flight from water in 1908. They decided to make use of Windermere in the Lake District , England's largest lake to test their floatplane. The latter's first attempts to fly attracted large crowds, though
9680-450: The Far East within reach of air travelers and came to represent the romance of flight. By 1931, mail from Australia was reaching Britain in just 16 days – less than half the time taken by sea. In that year, government tenders on both sides of the world invited applications to run new passenger and mail services between the ends of the British Empire , and Qantas and IAL were successful with
9856-470: The Felixstowe F.2A, being used as a patrol aircraft, with about 100 being completed by the end of World War I. Another seventy were built, and these were followed by two F.2c, which were built at Felixstowe. The Felixstowe F.5 was intended to combine the good qualities of the F.2 and F.3, with the prototype first flying in May 1918. The prototype showed superior qualities to its predecessors but, to ease production,
10032-495: The Ju 88s, which belonged to V. Kampfgeschwader 40 and were led by Leutnant Friedrich Maeder. Walker ordered the dumping of the bombs and depth charges, and took the engines to full power. Two Ju 88s made simultaneous passes at EJ134 from both sides, scoring hits and disabling one engine, while the pilots fought fires and took the Sunderland through corkscrew manoeuvres. On a third pass, the dorsal turret gunner badly damaged or shot down
10208-596: The L series, and progressing with the M series. The Macchi M.5 in particular was extremely manoeuvrable and agile and matched the land-based aircraft it had to fight. 244 were built in total. Towards the end of the First World War, the aircraft were flown by the Italian Navy Aviation, the United States Navy and United States Marine Corps airmen. Ensign Charles Hammann won the first Medal of Honor awarded to
10384-667: The Navy, as a member of the Royal Naval Air Service . Appointed Squadron Commander of Royal Navy Air Station Hendon , he soon convinced the Admiralty of the potential of flying boats and was put in charge of the naval air station at Felixstowe in 1915. Porte persuaded the Admiralty to commandeer (and later, purchase) the America and a sister craft from Curtiss. This was followed by an order for 12 more similar aircraft, one Model H-2 and
10560-719: The Princess was shared with the United States Navy , who were at the time examining the possibility of converting the three stored aircraft to make use of nuclear power . This interest resulted in a delegation from Saro being dispatched to the US to discuss a sale of the preserved Princesses. However, this interest ultimately amounted to nothing. In 1964, the three Princesses were all purchased by Eoin Mekie on behalf of Aero Spacelines , who planned to use them as heavy-duty freight aircraft for transporting Saturn V rocket components for NASA . When
10736-473: The Proteus engine, once perfected, would be capable of enabling the type to achieve its envisioned performance figures. G-ALUN was the only model to fly, performing 46 test flights in total during which 100 hours flight hours were accumulated. Princess Air Transport Co Ltd was formed with the object of studying the factors affecting the operation of the Princess flying boats and to tender for their operation should
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#173289836008610912-555: The River Seine with a towed kite glider on floats. The first of his unpowered flights was 150 yards. He later built a powered floatplane in partnership with Louis Blériot , but the machine was unsuccessful. Other pioneers also attempted to attach floats to aircraft in Britain, Australia, France and the USA. On 28 March 1910, Frenchman Henri Fabre flew the first successful powered floatplane,
11088-441: The S.23, the interior of the Sunderland's fuselage contained two individual decks; the lower deck contained a total of six bunks , along with a galley outfitted with a twin kerosene pressure stove , a yacht -style porcelain flush toilet , an anchoring winch, and a small machine shop for performing inflight repairs. The crew was originally intended to total seven members; this was subsequently increased for later versions of
11264-554: The S.25 proposal was submitted by the company to the Air Ministry. Rival firm Saunders-Roe had also designed and submitted its own flying boat, known as the Saro A.33 , as its response to the issuing of Specification R.2/33. Following an initial evaluation of the submissions, the Ministry decided to place orders for the production of prototypes for both the S.25 and A.33 proposals; this measure
11440-456: The Short Empire that had been ordered at the same time. The military flying boat design received the internal designation of S.25. While the S.25 design bore a strong resemblance to the civil S.23, it featured an improved aerodynamic form, and sheetmetal with curvature in more than one direction. This compound curve was more complex to manufacture but gave a more ideal shape. During late 1934,
11616-524: The Sunderland had a far longer commercial lifespan than its civilian market Empire sibling and was one of the last large WWII-era flying boats in airline service. Several examples were preserved, including a single airworthy Sunderland which has been placed on display in Florida at Fantasy of Flight . During the early 1930s, there was intense international competition to develop suitable aircraft to operate new long-range intercontinental passenger service between
11792-435: The Sunderland to around 11 crew members and sometimes greater, dependent upon the specific mission being undertaken. The Sunderland featured all-metal, mainly flush- riveted construction, except for the flight control surfaces , which used a fabric-covered metal frame construction. Of these, the flaps employed unusual Gouge-patented devices that slid backwards along curved tracks, moving rearwards and downwards to increase
11968-515: The U-boats guns had superior range, hitting power and accuracy. Attempting to shoot down Allied aircraft did, however, prolong the U-boat's presence on the surface, which made sinking the vessel easier. Nonetheless, fitting of substantial arrays of anti-aircraft guns temporarily decreased U-boat losses while both Allied aircraft and shipping losses rose. As a countermeasure to the increased defensive armament of
12144-521: The U-boats, the Australians fitted their aircraft in the field with an additional four .303s (7.7 mm) in fixed mounts in the nose, allowing the pilot to add fire while diving on the submarine before bomb release. Most aircraft were similarly modified. The addition of single .50 inch (12.7 mm) flexibly mounted M2 Browning machine guns in the beam hatches behind and above the wing trailing edge also became common. The type's capacity to defend itself
12320-604: The United Kingdom, the United States, France and Germany. It was recognised that the United Kingdom had no existing equivalent to the new American Sikorsky S-42 flying boats or the German Dornier Do X . Accordingly, in 1934, the British Postmaster General declared that all first-class Royal Mail sent overseas was to travel by air, establishing a subsidy for the development of intercontinental air transport in
12496-556: The ability for the aircraft to conduct a water landing would also be advantageous for proximity landing at sea, or on nearby lakes in Florida . Ultimately, this plan was deemed to be impractical, though the existing Guppies continued to function throughout the Apollo program as efficient air transport of the outsize hardware used in these missions. Conroy quipped that the British were "offended when we named our aircraft 'The Pregnant Guppy'. Man, can you imagine what they would have said if we produced 'The Pregnant Princess' !" They were
12672-497: The after compartments—were fitted with swash doors to keep them watertight to about two feet (610 mm) above normal water level; these doors were normally kept closed. There was another external door in the tail compartment on the right side. This door was intended for boarding from a Braby ( U -shaped) pontoon that was used where there was a full passenger service mooring alongside a wharf or similar. This door could also be used to accept passengers or stretcher-bound patients when
12848-407: The aircraft an endurance of 18 hours, during which it could cover 2,750 statute miles (4,430 km). The take-off distance was found to be 680 yd (620 m). The Short S.25 Sunderland was a large four-engined flying boat developed for military use. The design of the S.25 shared much in common with the civil-orientated S.23, principally differing in its use of a deeper hull profile. As with
13024-459: The aircraft crashed into the lake. Wakefield's pilot however, taking advantage of a light northerly wind, successfully took off and flew at a height of 50 feet to Ferry Nab, where he made a wide turn and returned for a perfect landing on the lake's surface. In 1913, the Daily Mail newspaper put up a £10,000 prize for the first non-stop aerial crossing of the Atlantic which was soon "enhanced by
13200-400: The aircraft failed to take off and required a re-design of the floats incorporating features of Borwick's successful speed-boat hulls. Meanwhile, Wakefield ordered a floatplane similar to the design of the 1910 Fabre Hydravion. By November 1911, both Gnosspelius and Wakefield had aircraft capable of flight from water and awaited suitable weather conditions. Gnosspelius's flight was short-lived as
13376-410: The aircraft positioned on the next bombing run. The fixed nose guns (introduced when in service with Australian units) were removed when the aircraft was on the water and stowed in the gun room just aft of the bow compartment. The toilet was in the right half of this same compartment and stairs from the cockpit to the bow area divided the two. Maintenance was performed on the engines by opening panels in
13552-534: The aircraft to be outfitted with some form of powered flight controls , including an early fly-by-wire implementation, in order that pilots would be able to effectively actuate its large control surfaces, which would have to overcome equally larger forces. However, it was decided to opt for a traditional mechanical linkage approach that was augmented by a series of electrically driven power assist units to effectively support actuation instead. The ailerons and rudder were split into multiple sections in order that, if
13728-440: The aircraft was in the open water; this was because the engines had to be kept running to maintain the aircraft's position for the approaching vessel and the front door was too close to the left inboard propeller. Normal access to the external upper parts of the aircraft was through the astrodome hatch at the front of the front spar of the wing centre section, just at the rear of the navigator's station. Bombs were loaded in through
13904-450: The aircraft was returned to the workshop where it underwent further modifications; the adoption of a wing sweepback of 4° 15' was achieved via the addition of a spacer into the front spar attachments. This design change, which had been made to account for the changes in defensive armament, repositioned the flying boat's centre of lift enough to compensate for the altered centre of gravity; further alterations were necessary to maintain
14080-440: The aircraft's centre of gravity , which was initially achieved via the presence of ballast positioned in the forward area. By the end of September 1937, the prototype had been completed. On 16 October 1937, the initial S.25 prototype ( K4774 ) performed the type's maiden flight , fitted with Bristol Pegasus X radial engines capable of generating 950 hp (710 kW) of power each. The more powerful Pegasus XXII model
14256-457: The airflow and, ultimately, drop a float into the water to cause drag on that wing. The pilots could vary engine power to control the direction and speed of the aircraft on the water. In adverse combinations of tide, wind, and destination, this could be very difficult. The Sunderland was usually entered through the bow compartment door on the left forward side of the aircraft. The internal compartments—bow, gun room, ward room, galley, bomb room and
14432-469: The airline presently had no need for the Princess, or any new large flying boat. The airline had already elected to terminate its existing flying boat services during 1950. In late 1951, it was announced that construction of the three Princesses would proceed with the intention of using them as transport aircraft in RAF service. However, in March 1952, it was announced that while the first prototype would be completed,
14608-503: The basic principles of the S.25's design while the crucial final design conference was held around the same time as the flight. The competitive fly-off was abandoned after the sole A.33 was destroyed due to a structural failure, resulting in the S.25 being the only candidate. As construction of the prototype S.25 proceeded, several design changes were performed for various reasons. In terms of its armament, in response to feedback from Air Ministry and Royal Air Force (RAF) experts reviewing
14784-541: The best flying boat of the conflict, the Kawanishi H8K . Its design was based upon its immediate predecessor, the Kawanishi H6K , but was a considerably larger and longer-ranged aircraft designed at the request of the Navy just prior to the outbreak of war. On the night of 4 March 1942, two H8Ks conducted the second raid on Pearl Harbor , refuelling en route by submarine at French Frigate Shoals in order to achieve
14960-413: The bomb aimer's window. For anchoring, there was a demountable bollard that fixed to the forward fuselage from where the front turret was retracted to allow an airman to man the position and pick up the buoy cage or to toss out the anchor. For taxiing after landing, the galley hatches were used to extend sea drogues that could be used to turn the aircraft or maintain its crosswind progress (by deploying
15136-444: The bow of the craft to accompany the single Lewis gun installed in its tail. As with the S.23, he made efforts to produce a fuselage that generated the lowest amount of drag possible, while a much longer nose than had been used for the S.23 was ultimately adopted. During October 1934, Shorts settled upon the general configuration and geometry of the design, opting for a four-engine shoulder-wing monoplane configuration, similar to
15312-588: The change being made official on 1 April 1940. BOAC continued to operate flying boat services from the (slightly) safer confines of Poole Harbour during wartime, returning to Southampton in 1947. When Italy entered the war in June 1940, the Mediterranean was closed to allied planes, and BOAC and Qantas operated the Horseshoe Route between Durban and Sydney using Short Empire flying boats. The Martin Company produced
15488-519: The cocooning was removed, it was found that they were badly corroded (the contract for maintenance and inspection of the stored aircraft had been allowed to lapse, which resulted in the airframes deteriorating rapidly), and all three Princesses were broken up by 1967. In the wake of the success of his Pregnant Guppy , constructor Jack Conroy discussed his concepts for other outsize transports with Air Progress in their publication, World's Greatest Aircraft (Petersen Publications, 1973). Conroy considered
15664-885: The conflict that eased the introduction of larger, and more efficient, land-based airliners. Despite being largely overshadowed, limited use of the type continued with some operators, such as in the case of the Shin Meiwa US-1A and the Martin JRM Mars . In the 21st century, flying boats maintain a few niche uses, such as dropping water on forest fires , air transport around archipelagos, and access to undeveloped areas. Many modern seaplane variants, whether float or flying boat types, are convertible amphibious aircraft where either landing gear or flotation modes may be used to land and take off. The quest for an aircraft that could take off or land from water began with float planes, which are not flying boats. The Frenchman Alphonse Pénaud filed
15840-585: The creation of an outsize transport from the Princess to have been basically feasible, in that it shares a sectional 'double-bubble' fuselage construction similar to that of the Boeing 377 Stratocruiser , on which the Guppies were based. The reason for considering producing such an aircraft was the desire of NASA to possess a means of transporting first stage of the Saturn V rocket by air, if this were possible, to Cape Canaveral ;
16016-453: The crews were not very careful to keep within maximum all-up weight limitations, and getting airborne just took a little longer. At the outbreak of the Second World War, on 3 September 1939, 39 Sunderlands were in service with the RAF. Although British anti-submarine efforts were disorganised and ineffectual at first, Sunderlands quickly proved useful in the rescue of the crews from torpedoed ships. On 21 September 1939, two Sunderlands rescued
16192-514: The development of the Proteus engine. On 22 August 1952, the first prototype Princess, G-ALUN , conducted its maiden flight . Between 1952 and 1954, the first prototype performed a total of 47 test flights, including two public appearances at the Farnborough Airshow . This work was carried out under a development contract for the Ministry of Supply , the intention being that this would lead to
16368-444: The downward pull of the water on the surface of the hull. Somewhat rough water was a help in freeing the hull, but on calm days it was often necessary to have a high speed launch cross in front of the aircraft to cause a break in the water flow under the aircraft. It was a matter of judgement of the coxswain to get the crossing close enough but not too close. Because it was expected that some takeoffs would be protracted affairs, often
16544-483: The drogue on one side only), or to slow forward motion as much as possible (both deployed). When not in use, the drogues were hand hauled back inboard, folded, and stowed in wall-mounted containers just below the hatches. Operation of the drogues could be a very dangerous exercise if the aircraft was travelling on the water at speed or in strong currents, because the approximately three-foot-diameter (one-metre) drogue would haul up on its five-tonne attachment cable end inside
16720-653: The end of the conflict, the Navy opted to scaled back their order, buying only the five aircraft. The five Mars were completed, and the last delivered in 1947. The U.S. used several 4-engine flying boats during World War II, including those that had been operating as civilian airliners. This included five Boeing B-314 Clippers , four more as the C-98s; two Martin M-130 Clippers ,a Martin XPB2M-1/XPB2M-1R prototype, and one JRM-1 Mars ; three Sikorsky VS-44s (JR2S-1). However,
16896-468: The engagement, it shot one down, damaged another enough to cause it to retreat and later perform a forced landing and drove off the rest. The Germans are reputed to have nicknamed the Sunderland the Fliegendes Stachelschwein ("Flying Porcupine") due to its defensive firepower. Sunderlands also proved themselves in the Mediterranean theatre. They flew many evacuation missions during the German seizure of Crete , carrying as many as 82 passengers. One flew
17072-400: The engines and wing floats canted out from the aircraft's centreline. Although the wing loading was much higher than that of any previous Royal Air Force flying boat, a new flap system kept the takeoff run to a reasonable length. The RAF received its first Sunderland Mark I in June 1938 when the second production aircraft ( L2159 ) was flown to 230 Squadron at RAF Seletar , Singapore . By
17248-526: The entire 34-man crew of the torpedoed merchantman Kensington Court from the North Sea . As British anti-submarine measures improved, the Sunderland began to inflict losses as well. A Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) Sunderland (of No. 10 Squadron ) made the type's first unassisted kill of a U-boat on 17 July 1940. During its service, the Sunderland Mark I received various improvements. The nose turret
17424-477: The evacuation of Crete , shortly after the German invasion of the island, several aircraft were used to transport troops. Numerous unarmed Sunderlands were also flown by civil operator British Overseas Airways Corporation (BOAC), traversing routes as far afield as the Pacific Ocean . During the post-war era, use of the Sunderland throughout Europe rapidly declined, while greater numbers remained in service in
17600-468: The event of a spillage. When the Havelsee did freeze over the Sunderland's role was taken by freight-converted Handley Page Halifaxes with salt being carried in panniers fitted under the fuselage to avoid the corrosion problem. From mid-1950, RAF Sunderlands also saw service during the Korean War initially with No. 88 Squadron but shortly followed by Nos. 205 and 209 Squadrons. The three squadrons shared
17776-415: The excellent conditions present on the day. The prototype was quickly put through several test flights with the hope of being able to sufficiently ready the flying boat to appear at the 1952 Farnborough Airshow , however indications of engine reliability issues were encountered and this led to the intended flight display at Farnborough that year being abandoned. As further testing of the prototype continued,
17952-400: The fate of the programme. In addition to the prototype, a further two Princesses ( G-ALUO and G-ALUP ) were under construction, but these would never fly. While a decision from the government was pending, the three aircraft were placed into storage, being cocooned and retained, one at Cowes and two at Calshot Spit ; it had been hoped that work on the programme would be restarted when a buyer
18128-665: The final Porte hull designs and powered by American Liberty engines . Meanwhile, the pioneering flying boat designs of François Denhaut had been steadily developed by the Franco-British Aviation Company into a range of practical craft. Smaller than the Felixstowes, several thousand FBAs served with almost all of the Allied forces as reconnaissance craft, patrolling the North Sea, Atlantic and Mediterranean oceans. In Italy, several flying boats were developed, starting with
18304-449: The first patent for a flying machine with a boat hull and retractable landing gear in 1876 but failed to build one. Austrian Wilhelm Kress is credited by some with attempting to build the first successful seaplane Drachenflieger , a floatplane , in 1898, although its two 30 hp Daimler engines were inadequate for take-off and it later sank when one of its two floats collapsed. On 6 June 1905, Gabriel Voisin took off and landed on
18480-575: The flight plan; the aircraft was a conventional biplane design with two-bay, unstaggered wings of unequal span with two pusher inline engines mounted side-by-side above the fuselage in the interplane gap. Wingtip pontoons were attached directly below the lower wings near their tips. The design (later developed into the Model H ), resembled Curtiss' earlier flying boats, but was built considerably larger so it could carry enough fuel to cover 1,100 mi (1,800 km). The three crew members were accommodated in
18656-506: The flight. Before the development of highly reliable aircraft, the ability to land on water was a desirable safety feature for transoceanic travel. In 1923, the first successful commercial flying boat service was introduced with flights to and from the Channel Islands . The British aviation industry was experiencing rapid growth. The Government decided that nationalization was necessary and ordered five aviation companies to merge to form
18832-524: The flying boat's viability within the House of Commons , which was being increasingly regarded as a high-risk initiative with unreliable costing. Specifically, designing and testing of the airframe, as well as the independently conducted development of the Proteus engine to power the SR.45, had been major contributors to the higher-than-expected costs. In 1951, BOAC re-evaluated its standing requirements, and determined that
19008-464: The forward lower hull section, and that characteristic became a feature of both flying boat hulls and floatplane floats. The resulting aircraft would be large enough to carry sufficient fuel to fly long distances and could berth alongside ships to take on more fuel. Porte then designed a similar hull for the larger Curtiss H-12 flying boat which, while larger and more capable than the H-4s, shared failings of
19184-410: The fuel nozzles and opening/closing the aircraft fuel tanks would normally be an aircraftman's task. Airframe repairs were either effected from the inside or delayed until the aircraft was in a sheltered mooring or beached. One serious problem that beset the aircraft was that the heat-treated rivets in the hull plates were susceptible to corrosion after a period in salt water (depending on the quality of
19360-423: The fuselage, firing from ports just below and behind the wings. These machine guns were later upgraded to 0.5-inch calibre Brownings. There were two different nose turret weapons, the most common, later, being two Browning machine guns. The nose weapons were later augmented by four fixed guns, two each side, in the forward fuselage that were fired by the pilot. Much later, a twin-gun turret was to be dorsal-mounted on
19536-404: The galley very sharply and powerfully. Once deployed, it was normally impossible to recover a drogue unless the aircraft was stationary relative to the local tidal flow. Portable beaching gear could be attached by ground crew so that the aircraft could be pulled up on land. The gear consisted of a pair of two-wheeled struts that could be attached to either side of the fuselage, below the wing, with
19712-406: The heat treatment process). The heads would pop off from stress corrosion, allowing seawater to leak into the bilges. The only option was to haul the aircraft out onto the "hard" and replace them, usually at the cost of many additional heads breaking off from the vibration of the riveting. A large float mounted under each wing maintained stability on water. With no wind, the float on the heavier side
19888-407: The hull and were attached to the bomb room side of the galley aft bulkhead . It was expected that dumping would be done while airborne, but it could also be performed while floating on the water, albeit with care to ensure that the floating fuel went downwind away from the aircraft. The takeoff run of a flying boat was often dependent only on the length of water that was available. The first problem
20064-451: The initiative and undertook to purchase six of the new Short S23 "C" class or "Empire" flying boats as well. Being ordered from aviation manufacturer Short Brothers , the Empire was reportedly hailed as being "one of the world's boldest experiments in aviation", while early sceptics referred to the order less favourably as being a 'gamble'. IAL were so impressed by the Empire that it placed a follow-on order for another 11; when combined with
20240-513: The inner four propellers were double, contra-rotating propellers which were driven by a twin version of the Proteus, named the Bristol Coupled Proteus , each engine drove one of the propellers. The two outer propellers were single and each powered by a single engine. The cockpit of the Princess was designed to be operated by a pair of pilots, two flight engineers , a navigator , and a radio operator . Early on, it had been intended for
20416-531: The largest aircraft built and flown by any of the Axis Powers . Only the first prototype ever flew, commencing flight trials in April 1944. Months later, it was strafed and partially sunk while moored on Lake Schaal , to the east of Hamburg ; it never returned to flight, instead being intentionally sunk in deep water after the end of the conflict. The Imperial Japanese Navy operated what has been often described as
20592-485: The largest aircraft of the first half of the 20th century, exceeded in size only by bombers developed during the Second World War . Their advantage lay in using water instead of expensive land-based runways, making them the basis for international airlines in the interwar period. They were also commonly used as maritime patrol aircraft and air-sea rescue , particularly during times of conflict. Flying boats such as
20768-516: The last fixed-wing commercial aircraft produced by Saunders-Roe. The company constructed one more fixed-wing design, the Saunders-Roe SR.53 mixed-power (rocket and turbojet) fighter design; aside from that venture, the company primarily concentrated its efforts on helicopters and hovercraft after this point. The SR.45 Princess was a large flying boat, being the largest all-metal flying boat to have ever been constructed. The Princess featured
20944-669: The last remaining examples in military use within the Northern Hemisphere . The type also remained in service with the RNZAF up to 1967, when they were replaced by the land-based Lockheed P-3 Orion . A number of Sunderlands were converted for use within the civil sector, where they were known as the Hythe and the Sandringham ; in this configuration, the type continued in airline operation until 1974 - despite being originally made for military use,
21120-604: The last unit to operate Sunderlands in the Northern Hemisphere. The first S.25, now named the Sunderland Mark I, flew from the River Medway on 16 October 1937 with Shorts' chief test pilot , John Lankester Parker at the controls. The deeper hull and installation of nose and tail turrets gave the Sunderland a considerably different appearance from the Empire flying boats. The prototype was fitted with Bristol Pegasus X engines, each providing 950 hp (709 kW ), as
21296-463: The leading edge of the wing either side of the powerplant. A plank could be fitted across the front of the engine on the extensions of the open panels. A small manually started auxiliary petrol engine, which was fitted into the leading edge of the right wing, powered a bilge pump for clearing water and other fluids from the fuselage bilges and a fuel pump for refuelling. Generally, the aircraft were reasonably water tight, and two people manually operating
21472-521: The main 4-engined flying boat of the U.S. forces was the PB2Y Coronado , of which nearly 220 were used in several versions:maritime patrol, bombing, medical/hospital transport, and for regular cargo; it also served with British forces in the Battle for the Atlantic . Short Hythe The Short S.25 Sunderland is a British flying boat patrol bomber , developed and constructed by Short Brothers for
21648-436: The mid-1950s, large commercial flying boats were being increasingly overshadowed by land-based jet airliners . Factors such as runway and airport improvements had added to the viability of land-based aircraft, which did not have to compromise to accommodate the additional weight and drag of the boat hulls that were necessary on seaplanes, or the mitigating measures needed against the corrosion caused by seawater. Following
21824-501: The most notable of these flights was a 43,500 km (27,000 mi) expedition conducted during 1927 and 1928; it was carried out by four Southamptons of the Far East Flight , setting out from Felixstowe via the Mediterranean and India to Singapore . Both the RAF and Supermarine acquired considerable acclaim from these flights, as well as proving that flying boats had evolved to become reliable means of long-distance transport. In
22000-448: The necessary range; poor visibility caused this attack on Pearl Harbor to fail to accomplish any significant damage. An improved H8K2 variant of the type, featuring extremely heavy defensive armament, was also introduced. In November 1939, IAL was restructured into three separate companies: British European Airways , British Overseas Airways Corporation (BOAC), and British South American Airways (which merged with BOAC in 1949), with
22176-542: The operational task equally with rotational detachments of three or four aircraft and crews based at Iwakuni , Japan. Missions lasting 10 to 13 hours were flown daily throughout the war, and also during the Armistice period that followed, until September 1954. The Sunderland also saw service with the RNZAF until 1967. The French Navy Escadrille 7FE , which received Sunderlands when it was formed in 1943 as No. 343 Squadron RAF , continued to operate them until December 1960,
22352-420: The opportunity have arisen. The company's directors were M D N Wyatt (chairman), Sir Archibald Philip Hope, 17th Baronet , Geoffrey Tyson, P D Irons and Capt H W C Alger (general manager). 75 per cent of the share capital were held by Saunders-Roe Ltd and the balance by Airwork Ltd. Following the completion of flying tests performed by the prototype, the British government exercised considerable indecision over
22528-430: The original order for 28 flying boats, this was the largest single order to have ever been placed for a British civil aircraft at that time. Delivering the mail as quickly as possible generated a lot of competition and some innovative designs. One variant of the Short Empire flying boats was the strange-looking " Maia and Mercury ". It was a four-engined floatplane "Mercury" (the winged messenger) fixed on top of "Maia",
22704-652: The outbreak of war in Europe, in September 1939, RAF Coastal Command was operating 40 Sunderlands. The main offensive load was up to 2,000 lb (910 kg) of bombs (usually 250 or 500 lb [110 or 230 kg]), mines (1,000 lb or 450 kg) or other stores that were hung on traversing racks under the wing centre section (to and from the bomb room in the fuselage). Later, depth charges (usually 250 lb) were added. By late 1940, two Vickers K machine guns had been added to new hatches that were inserted into
22880-561: The over-water sectors of the Deutsche Luft Hansa South Atlantic Airmail service. The military value of flying boats was well recognized, and every country bordering on water operated them in a military capacity at the outbreak of the Second World War . Flying boats such as the PBM Mariner patrol bomber, PBY Catalina , Short Sunderland , and Grumman Goose were procured in large numbers. The Sunderland, which
23056-410: The planned Pegasus XXII engines of 1,010 hp (753 kW) were not available at the time. The 37 mm gun, originally intended as a primary anti-submarine weapon, was dropped from the plans during the prototype phase and replaced with a Nash & Thompson FN-11 nose turret mounting a single .303-inch (7.7 mm) Vickers GO machine gun. The turret could be winched back into the nose, revealing
23232-569: The production version was modified to make extensive use of components from the F.3, which resulted in lower performance than the F.2A or F.3. The Felixstowe flying boats were extensively employed by the Royal Navy for coastal patrols, including searching for German U-boats . In 1918 they were towed on lighters towards the northern German ports to extend their range; on 4 June 1918 this resulted in three F.2As engaging with ten German seaplanes, shooting down two confirmed and four probables at no loss. As
23408-426: The project's termination, the three airframes were stored with the intention of selling them on; however, upon receipt of a promising offer for the aircraft, it was found that corrosion had set in while in storage. As a result, all three aircraft prototypes were subsequently scrapped. Before the Second World War , British airline Imperial Airways had successfully used large long-range passenger flying boats such as
23584-412: The project, it was decided to change its intended defensive weapons, resulting in the switch to a single 0.303 Vickers K machine gun for the nose turret while an arrangement of four 0.303 Browning machine guns in the tail position was also adopted at the same time. The tail turret was also changed to a powered version; Gouge therefore had to devise a solution to account for the resulting movement aft of
23760-437: The proposed giant flying boat. In May 1946, the bid made by Saunders-Roe was selected as the winner, leading to the company receiving an order for the production of three SR.45 flying boats. Work on the SR.45 commenced almost immediately upon receipt of the order. From an early stage in development, progress on the programme was subject to schedule overruns and higher than projected costs being incurred, leading to scepticism of
23936-529: The prototype XPB2M Mars based on their PBM Mariner patrol bomber, with flight tests between 1941 and 1943. The Mars was converted by the Navy into a transport aircraft designated the XPB2M-1R. Satisfied with the performance, 20 of the modified JRM-1 Mars were ordered. The first of the five production Mars flying boats entered service ferrying cargo to Hawaii and the Pacific Islands on 23 January 1944. Following
24112-591: The prototype had been transferred to the Seaplane Experimental Station at Felixstowe , Suffolk for its official evaluation by the Marine Aircraft Experimental Establishment (MAEE); on 8 March 1938, it was joined by the second production aircraft. On 28 May 1938, this second aircraft, which had been cleared for operations under tropical conditions, flew a record-breaking flight to Seletar , Singapore , stopping off along
24288-412: The racks could run out through the space left in the top of the compartment. The bombs could be released locally or remotely from the pilot's position during a bomb run. Normally, the weapons were either bombs or depth charges and the racks were limited to a maximum of 1,000 lb (450 kg) each. After the first salvo was dropped, the crew had to get the next eight weapons loaded before the pilot had
24464-460: The rear gunner had recovered, and when EJ134 was attacked from behind, another Ju 88 was badly damaged and left the fight. The remaining Ju 88s continued to attack and the front gunner damaged one of these, setting its engines on fire. Two more Ju 88s were also damaged and the Germans disengaged. EJ134 was badly damaged and the crew threw everything they could overboard, while nursing the aircraft over
24640-591: The reconnaissance mission to observe the Italian fleet at anchor in Taranto before the famous Royal Navy Fleet Air Arm 's torpedo attack on 11 November 1940 . New weapons made the flying boats more deadly in combat. In 1939 during an accidental fratricidal attack, one 100 lb (45 kg) anti-submarine bomb hit the British submarine Snapper doing no more damage than breaking its light bulbs; other bombs had reportedly bounced up and hit their launch aircraft. In early 1943, these ineffective weapons were replaced by Torpex -filled depth charges that would sink to
24816-442: The reliability of the engines and gearboxes continued to be problematic, but not to the extent that flight testing was prevented. Evaluation of the flying boat continued into 1953, during which particular attention was devoted towards addressing the difficulties uncovered. During the 1953 Farnborough Airshow, the prototype was displayed. Flight tests of the prototype continued up until 27 May 1954, by which point it had been found that
24992-498: The remaining as Model H-4 's. Four examples of the latter were assembled in the UK by Saunders . All of these were similar to the design of the America and, indeed, were all referred to as America s in Royal Navy service. The engines, however, were changed from the under-powered 160 hp Curtiss engines to 250 hp Rolls-Royce Falcon engines. The initial batch was followed by an order for 50 more (totalling 64 Americas overall during
25168-434: The route at Gibraltar , Malta , Alexandria , Habbaniyah , Bahrain , Karachi , Gwalior , Calcutta , Rangoon , and Mergui . Testing showed that the aircraft could be fully refueled in 20 minutes, and that its most economical cruising speed was about 130 kn (150 mph; 240 km/h) at 2,000 ft (600 m). At this speed and altitude, a consumption rate of 110 imperial gallons per hour (500 L/h) gave
25344-511: The second and third would be suspended to await more powerful engines. On 22 August 1952, the prototype, G-ALUN , conducted its maiden flight , piloted by Geoffrey Tyson . The initial flight lasted for 35 minutes, in which the flying boat performed a complete circumnavigation of the Isle of Wight . According to aviation author Phillip Kaplan, the Princess had not been intended to fly that day at all and only taxiing tests had been scheduled to take place, and that Tyson had decided to proceed due to
25520-406: The sides of the bow to add hydrodynamic lift, but soon replaced these with sponsons , a type of underwater pontoon mounted in pairs on either side of a hull. These sponsons (or their engineering equivalents) and the flared, notched hull would remain a prominent feature of flying boat hull design in the decades to follow. With the problem resolved, preparations for the crossing resumed. While the craft
25696-500: The state-owned Imperial Airways of London (IAL). IAL became the international flag-carrying British airline, providing flying boat passenger and mail transport links between Britain and South Africa using aircraft such as the Short S.8 Calcutta . During the 1920s, the Royal Air Force (RAF) Far East flight performed a series of "showing the flag" long-distance formation flights using the newly developed Supermarine Southampton . Perhaps
25872-467: The successful Curtiss Model D land-plane, which used a larger central float and sponsons. Combining floats with wheels, he made the first amphibian flights in February 1911 and was awarded the first Collier Trophy for US flight achievement. From 1912 his experiments resulted in the 1913 Model E and Model F , which he called "flying-boats". In February 1911, the United States Navy took delivery of
26048-474: The time had no airport facilities at all. With the end of the Second World War, flying boats services were resumed with other types being operated, such as the Short Hythe , Short Sandringham , and Short Solent . However, the war had also produced a legacy of large runways and sizable airports formerly used for military purposes that could now meet the needs of a larger generation of land aircraft. Even prior to
26224-421: The time that Short received Imperial Airways' priority request, the company had already started planning the design of the prospective military flying boat. After reviewing both sets of requirements, Short decided to prioritise the development of the civil S.23 design but also to work on a response to specification R.2/33. Chief designer Arthur Gouge had originally intended for a COW 37 mm gun to be mounted in
26400-399: The upper fuselage, about level with the wing trailing edge, bringing the total defensive armament up to 16 machine guns. As with all water-based aircraft, there was a need to be able to navigate on water and to control the craft up to and at a mooring. In addition to the standard navigation lights, there was also a demountable mooring mast that was positioned on the upper fuselage just aft of
26576-429: The upper sides of the fuselage just aft of the wing, with appropriate slipstream deflectors. A second gun was added to the nose turret. New constant speed propellers and deicing boots were installed as well during 1940. The Sunderland had difficulty in landing and taking off from rough water, but, other than in the open sea, it could be handled onto and off a short chop, by a skilled pilot. Many rescues were made, early in
26752-445: The use of Boeing 314s for the transatlantic route , many were requisitioned for service with the Royal Air Force (RAF) where they were typically used as maritime patrol aircraft . During the pre-war era, flying boats had been preferred for conducting long-distance flights as, unlike their land-based counterparts, they were not limited by available runway length – the majority of which were still grass-surfaced at this point – and as
26928-475: The vast distances of the Pacific Theater and the Atlantic , locating enemy vessels and sinking numerous submarines. In May 1941, the German battleship Bismarck was discovered by a PBY Catalina flying out of Castle Archdale Flying boat base , Lower Lough Erne , Northern Ireland. A flight of Catalinas spotted the Japanese fleet approaching Midway Island , beginning the Battle of Midway . On 3 April 1940,
27104-531: The war's end, the British Air Ministry was enthusiastic on the prospects for reviving the shuttered flying boat routes. The Ministry approached two British flying boat manufacturers – Saunders-Roe (Saro) and Shorts – requesting that the two firms collaborate on the development and manufacture of a new aircraft, which would emerge as the Short Shetland . As such, Saunders-Roe designed the Shetland and manufactured
27280-566: The war). Porte also acquired permission to modify and experiment with the Curtiss aircraft. The Curtiss H-4s were soon found to have a number of problems; they were underpowered, their hulls were too weak for sustained operations and they had poor handling characteristics when afloat or taking off. One flying boat pilot, Major Theodore Douglas Hallam, wrote that they were "comic machines, weighing well under two tons; with two comic engines giving, when they functioned, 180 horsepower; and comic control, being nose heavy with engines on and tail heavy in
27456-552: The war, of crews that were in the Channel having abandoned or ditched their aircraft, or abandoned their ship. During May 1941, during the Battle of Crete Sunderlands transported as many as 82 armed men from place to place in one load. Steep ocean swells were never attempted, however a calm ocean could be suitable for landing and takeoff. Beginning in October 1941, Sunderlands were fitted with ASV Mark II "Air to Surface Vessel" radar . This
27632-405: The wing area and generating 30% greater lift for landing. The thick wings, upon which the aircraft's four nacelle -mounted Bristol Pegasus XXII radial engines were carried, also accommodated a total of six drum-style fuel tanks, which had a total capacity of 9,200 litres (2,025 Imperial gallons , 2,430 U.S. gallons). In addition to the main fuel tanks, an arrangement of four smaller fuel tanks
27808-415: The wing while Shorts produced the remainder of the aircraft. While two examples of the Shetland were completed, the project was considered a failure and the pair of flying boats were scrapped in 1951. Saunders-Roe considered the Shetland to have not resembled the flying boat that they sought to develop, but was otherwise a useful learning experience; even prior to the Shetland, the company had wanted to develop
27984-512: Was "easily the greatest commercial success in the history of marine aviation". Over 250 were built in Italy, Spain, Japan, The Netherlands and Germany. Numerous airlines operated the Dornier Wal on scheduled passenger and mail services. Wals were used by explorers, for a number of pioneering flights, and by the military in many countries. Though having first flown in 1922, from 1934 to 1938 Wals operated
28160-442: Was adopted. Sir Alan Cobham devised a method of in-flight refuelling in the 1930s. In the air, the Short Empire could be loaded with more fuel than it could take off with. Short Empire flying boats serving the trans-Atlantic crossing were refueled over Foynes; with the extra fuel load, they could make a direct trans-Atlantic flight. A Handley Page H.P.54 Harrow was used as the fuel tanker. The German Dornier Do X flying boat
28336-444: Was always in the water; with some wind, the aircraft could be held using the ailerons with both floats out of the water. In the event of a float being broken off for some reason, as the craft lost airspeed after landing crew members would go out onto the opposite wing, to keep the remaining float in the water until the aircraft could reach its mooring. Marine growths on the hull were a problem; the resulting drag could be enough to prevent
28512-500: Was demonstrated in particular by an air battle over the Bay of Biscay on 2 June 1943, when eight Junkers Ju 88Cs attacked a single Sunderland Mk III of No. 461 Squadron RAAF : EJ134 , squadron code: "N for Nuts". The 11 crew, led by F/Lt Colin Walker, were on an anti-submarine patrol, while also watching for any signs of a missing airliner, BOAC Flight 777 . At 1900 hours, the rear gunner saw
28688-479: Was developed in parallel to the civilian Empire flying boat, was one of the most powerful and widely used flying boats throughout the conflict, while Catalinas were one of the most produced ASW of the war, with over 2,661 being produced in the US alone. Flying boats were commonly utilized to conduct various tasks, from anti-submarine patrol to air-sea rescue and gunfire spotting for battleships. They would recover downed airmen and operate as scout aircraft over
28864-469: Was duly awarded the Mortimer Singer Prize . It was the first all-British aeroplane capable of making six return flights over five miles within five hours. In the U.S. Wanamaker's commission built on Glen Curtiss' previous development and experience with the Model F for the U.S. Navy which rapidly resulted in the America , designed under Porte's supervision following his study and rearrangement of
29040-400: Was found to handle "heavily" on takeoff, and required rather longer take-off distances than expected, the full moon on 5 August 1914 was selected for the trans-Atlantic flight; Porte was to pilot the America with George Hallett as co-pilot and mechanic. Curtiss and Porte's plans were interrupted by the outbreak of the First World War. Porte sailed for England on 4 August 1914 and rejoined
29216-508: Was found. Over the ensuing years, several offers were issued with the intention of purchasing the Princesses, including two proposals which would have involved re-engining them with Rolls-Royce Tynes . In 1954, Aquila Airways had offered £1 million each for the stored Princesses, but this offer was rejected. In 1957, Saro itself had proposed the conversion of the aircraft to serve as landplane troop carriers/freighters. In 1958, information on
29392-499: Was installed behind the rear wing spar later on; with the extra tanks fitted, the Sunderland had a combined total fuel capacity of 11,602 litres (2,550 Imperial gallons, 3,037 U.S. gallons), which was enough to enable the type to conduct eight- to 14-hour patrols. The specification to which the Sunderland was developed to conform with had called for an offensive armament of a 37 mm gun and up to 2,000 lb (910 kg) of bombs, mines or (eventually) depth charges . The ordnance
29568-761: Was invisible to Metox and baffled the Germans at first. Admiral Karl Dönitz , commander of the German U-boat force, suspected that the British were being informed of submarine movements by spies. In August 1943, a captured RAF airman misled the Germans by telling them that the aircraft were homing in on the signals radiated by the Metox, and consequently U-boat commanders were instructed to turn them off. The Germans responded to Sunderland attacks by fitting some U-boats with one or two 37 mm and twin quad 20 mm flak guns to fire back at their attackers. While Sunderlands could suppress flak to an extent with their nose turret guns,
29744-502: Was noticeably different from its UK and U.S.-built counterparts. It had wing-like protrusions from the fuselage, called sponsons , to stabilize it on the water without the need for wing-mounted outboard floats. This feature was pioneered by Claudius Dornier during the First World War on his Dornier Rs. I giant flying boat, and perfected on the Dornier Wal in 1924. The enormous Do X was powered by 12 engines and once carried 170 persons as
29920-544: Was originally made for the purpose of performing flight tests in support of a detailed evaluation, after which production order would be awarded to one of the competitors. During April 1936, the Air Ministry was sufficiently confident in Shorts' submission that a development contract for an initial batch of 11 further S.25 boats was issued to the company. On 4 July 1936, the first of the Empire flying boats to be built, G-ADHL, named 'Canopus', conducted its first flight which affirmed
30096-741: Was outfitted with various detection equipment to aid combat operations, including the Leigh searchlight , the ASV Mark II and ASV Mark III radar units, and an astrodome . The Sunderland was one of the most powerful and widely used flying boats throughout the Second World War . In addition to the RAF, the type was operated by other Allied military air wings, including the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF), Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF), South African Air Force (SAAF), Royal New Zealand Air Force (RNZAF), French Navy , Norwegian Air Force , and
30272-434: Was stored inside the fuselage in a purpose-built bomb room and was winched up to racks, under the wing centre section, that could be traversed out through doors on each side of the fuselage above the waterline to the release position. Defensive armament included a Nash & Thompson FN-13 powered turret with four .303 British Browning machine guns in the extreme tail and a pair of manually-operated .303 set on either side of
30448-418: Was to gain sufficient speed for the craft to plane , otherwise, there would never be enough speed to become airborne. Once planing, the next problem was to break free from the suction (from Bernoulli's principle ) of the water on the hull. This was partly helped by the "step" in the hull just behind the craft's centre of buoyancy at planing speed. The pilot could rock the craft about this point to try to break
30624-450: Was to operate in BOAC's fleet to operate its transatlantic passenger services, Saunders-Roe decided to submit a bid based upon the earlier collaborative design specification. Following evaluations of a range of different propulsion methods and configurations, the design team selected the undeveloped Bristol Proteus – one of the first turboprop engines – to meet the enormous power requirements of
30800-418: Was unavailable at the time. Flown by Shorts' chief test pilot John Lankester Parker and Harold Piper, the initial flight lasted for around 45 minutes; later that day, a second flight of a similar duration was performed. Parker later declared his satisfaction with the basic design. Prior to the first flight, the type had received the name Sunderland . Following early flight trials with the first prototype,
30976-410: Was upgraded with a second .303 (7.7 mm) gun. New propellers together with pneumatic rubber wing de-icing boots were also fitted. Although the .303 guns lacked range and hitting power, the Sunderland had a considerable number of them and it was a well-built machine that was hard to destroy. On 3 April 1940, a Sunderland operating off Norway was attacked by six German Junkers Ju 88C fighters; during
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