Fairey Seal
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| Fairey Seal | |
|---|---|
| Type | torpedo bomber |
| Manufacturer | Fairey Aviation |
| Maiden flight | 1930 |
| Primary users | Fleet Air Arm Royal Air Force |
The Fairey Seal was a British carrier-borne torpedo bomber aircraft, operated in the 1930s. The Seal was derived, like the Fairey Gordon from the Fairey IIIF. To enable the Fairey Seal to be launched by catapult from warships it was able to be equipped with floats.
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[edit] Service life and operations
The Seal was designed and built by Fairey Aviation. It first flew in 1930 and entered squadron service with the Fleet Air Arm (FAA) in 1933. Ninety-one aircraft were produced.
The FAA started to replace it with the Fairey Swordfish Mk1 from 1936. By 1938 all FAA torpedo squadrons had entirely re-equipped with the Swordfish. It was removed from front-line service by 1938, but remained in secondary and support roles. By the outbreak of the Second World War only four remained in service. The type was retired fully by 1943. The last example of the types use saw it being sent to India to be used as an instructional airframe from the Royal Navy Photographic Unit.
The RAF also operated the Seal as a target-tug. Twelve aircraft were part of the RAF's No 10 Bombing and Gunnery School until 1940. A further four aircraft were used by 273 Squadron in Ceylon. These aircraft were used on coastal patrols, some as floatplanes. By May 1942 the type had been retired from RAF service.
[edit] Variants
- Fairey IIIF Mk VI : The first prototype was converted form a Fairey IIIF MK IIIB.
- Fairey Seal : Two-seat torpedo bomber for the Royal Navy.
[edit] Survivors
There are no known survivors of this type in existence.
[edit] Specifications (type)
General characteristics
- Crew: 2 or 3
- Length: 36 ft 9 in (11.2 m)
- Wingspan: 45 ft 9 in (13.94 m)
- Height: 14 ft 1 in (4.32 m)
- Empty weight: 3,500 lb (1,588 kg)
- Max takeoff weight: 5,904 lb (2,679 kg)
- Powerplant: 1× Armstrong Siddeley Panther IIA radial piston engine , 605 hp (450 kW)
Performance
- Maximum speed: 145 mph @ 3,000 ft (233 km/h @ 915 m)
- Range: 600 nm (966 km)
- Service ceiling: 22,145 ft (6,705 m)
Armament
- Guns
- 1 fixed forward .303 in (7.7 mm) Vickers machine gun
- 1 rear .303 in (7.7 mm) Lewis Gun
- Bombs
- 500 lb (230 kg) or stores carried on lower wing
[edit] Operators
[edit] References
- Sturtivant, R. & Burrow, M (1995), Fleet Air Arm Aircraft 1939 to 1945, Published by Air Britain (Historians) Ltd, 1995 ISBN 0-85130-232-7
