Short Singapore

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S.19 Singapore
Type military flying boat
Manufacturer Short Brothers
Maiden flight 15 June 1934
Primary users RAF
RNZAF
Number built 37

The Short S. 19 Singapore was a multi-engined biplane flying boat from the interwar period.

The Singapore name first appeared in the mid 1920s, on a one off twin-engined record breaking aircraft. The design was developed into two four-engined versions the Singapore II which acted as a prototype for the Singapore III which became the Royal Air Force's main long range biplane maritime patrol flying boat of the 1930s, and saw service against the Japanese with the Royal New Zealand Air Force.

Contents

[edit] Development

The first large all-metal flying boat called a Singapore was the Short S.5 Singapore I. This was a biplane design with single fin and rudder, originally powered by two Rolls-Royce Condor IIIA 650 hp engines. One aircraft was built and first flew at Rochester on 17 August 1926. The type did not enter production, but was used by Sir Alan Cobham for a survey flight flight around Africa. Registered G-EBUP it left Rochester on 17 November 1927 and arrived at the Cape on 30 March 1928, returning to Rochester on the 4 June 1928. It was displayed at Olympia in July 1929.

The Short S.12 Singapore II which followed was a development of the Singapore I with with 4 engines, mounted in tractor/pusher pairs (push-pull configuration). The single example of this to be built was first flown in 1930.

From the Singapore II came a design with 4 engines and triplen fins. In 1933 the British Air Ministry ordered 4 flying boats based upon the Singapore II for trials with squadrons under specification R 3/33. These would be followed by a further production order to specification R. 14/34. These aircraft, the Short S.19 Singapore III, had all-metal hulls, with fabric covered metal flying surfaces. Singapores proved surprisingly tough; after the type was retired by the RNZAF the "Kiwis" attempted to crush one with a bulldozer, only to see the dozer drive the length of the lower wing without making an impression[citation needed]. They were powered by four 675 hp Rolls-Royce Kestrel IX mounted between the wings in two tandem push pull pairs, similar to the Singapore IIs. The crew of 6 were located in a central cabin and fore, aft and midships open gun positions (Vickers machine gun or Lewis gun). A long range fuel tank could be carried externally on the dorsal hull. The first Short Singapore III flew on 15 June 1934. Although obsolescent by the time the first aircraft entered service with No. 210 Squadron RAF in January 1935, the type arrived just in time to benefit from the arms race of the late 1930s and 37 were built. Production terminated in June 1937.

[edit] Service History

No. 230 Squadron RAF was the first squadron equipped with Singapore IIIs. It deployed to Alexandria in 1935. During 1937 the Singapores of No. 209 Squadron RAF and No. 210 Squadron moved from Malta to Algeria as part of an international effort to prevent gun running during the Spanish Civil War.

Replacement of the Singapore with the Short Sunderland was well underway by the outbreak of World War II, however 19 survivors saw limited service in secondary theatres, mainly in a training role. The last RAF unit operating the type was No. 205 Squadron RAF in, appropriately enough, Singapore which relinquished its aircraft in October 1941. Four 205 squadron aircraft found their way to No. 5 Squadron RNZAF in Fiji, for use against German raiders. When Japan attacked in December, the New Zealand aircraft found themselves in the front line. They accounted for a Japanese submarine and conducted several air sea rescues before being replaced by Consolidated Catalinas.

No Singapores are known to have survived.

[edit] Specifications (Singapore III to R.14/34)

Data from Singapore:Shorts Last Biplane Boat[2]

General characteristics

  • Crew: 6
  • Length: 64 ft 2 in (19.56 m)
  • Wingspan: 90 ft (27.43 m)
  • Height: 23 ft 7 in (7.19 m)
  • Wing area: 1,465 sq ft (170.4 m²)
  • Empty weight: 20,364 lb (9,237)
  • Loaded weight: 28,160 lb (12,773 kg)
  • Max takeoff weight: 32,390 lb (14,692 kg)
  • Powerplant: 4× Rolls-Royce Kestrel VIII/IX piston (pusher/tractor configuration), 675 hp (418 kW) each

Performance

Armament


  • Guns: Three 0.303 in Lewis guns
  • Bombs: Up to 1,100 lb bombs under wings.

[edit] Operators

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b British Aircraft of World War II. Retrieved on January 19, 2007.
  2. ^ Green, W; Swanborough, G (May-Aug 1989). "Singapore: Short's Last Biplane Boat". Air Enthusiast 39: 43-50. 

[edit] External links

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