Supermarine Stranraer
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| Stranraer | |
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| Type | Flying boat |
| Manufacturer | Supermarine |
| Designed by | R. J. Mitchell |
| Maiden flight | 24 July 1934 |
| Introduced | 1937 |
| Retired | 1945 |
| Primary users | RAF RCAF |
| Number built | 57 |
| Developed from | Supermarine Scapa |
The Supermarine Stranraer was a 1930s British flying boat designed and built by Supermarine Aviation Works which marked the end of biplane flying-boat development for the Royal Air Force. They entered service in 1937 and many were still in service at the outbreak of the Second World War undertaking anti-submarine and convoy escort patrols. They were withdrawn from operational service in March 1941 but continued to serve in a training capacity until October 1942.
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[edit] Design and development
Designed by R. J. Mitchell as a tender to Air Ministry R.24/31 Specification for a coastal reconnaissance flying boat for the RAF, it was initially turned down but Supermarine proceeded with the type as a private venture first known as the Southampton V. A contract was placed in 1933 for a prototype powered by two 820 hp Bristol Pegasus IIIM and the type became known as the Stranraer.
The structure was mainly duralumin, with the hull covered with sheet metal and the wings with fabric.
Following the initial flight-test programme, the Stranraer prototype (K3973) was delivered to the RAF on 24 October 1934. On 29 August 1935, an initial order was placed for 17 aircraft (serial numbers K7287 to K7303) to the production specification 17/35. The production version was fitted with the 920 hp Pegasus X and first flew in December 1936, entering service operations on 16 April 1937; the last Stranraer was delivered 3 April 1939. An additional order for six aircraft (K9676 to K9681) was placed in May 1936, but subsequently cancelled. A total of 40 Stranraers were built in Canada by Canadian Vickers Limited; Supermarine and Canadian Vickers being subsidiaries of Vickers-Armstrongs.
[edit] Operational history
In service, the Stranraer was sometimes referred to as a "whistling shithouse". It drew this derisive nickname because the toilet opened out directly to the air and when the seat was lifted, the airflow caused the toilet to whistle. The Canadian Vickers-built Stranraers Served with the Royal Canadian Air Force until 1945. Some units passed into civilian use after the war, several serving with Queen Charlotte Airlines in British Columbia.
[edit] Operators
- Royal Air Force
- No. 201 Squadron RAF
- No. 209 Squadron RAF
- No. 210 Squadron RAF
- No. 228 Squadron RAF
- No. 240 Squadron RAF
[edit] Specifications (Stranraer)
General characteristics
- Crew: 6-7
- Length: 54 ft 9 in (16.7 m)
- Wingspan: 85 ft 0 in (25.9 m)
- Height: 21 ft 9 in (6.6 m)
- Wing area: 1,457 ft² (135.4 m²)
- Empty weight: 11,250 lb (5,100 kg)
- Loaded weight: 19,000 lb (8,620 kg)
- Powerplant: 2× Bristol Pegasus X radial engines, 920 hp (685 kW) each
Performance
- Maximum speed: 165 mph (265 km/h) at 6,000 ft (1,830 m)
- Range: 1,000 mi (1,610 km)
- Service ceiling 18,500 ft (5,640 m)
- Rate of climb: 1,350 ft/min (6.8 m/s)
- Wing loading: 13 lb/ft² (63.7 kg/m²)
- Power/mass: 0.097 hp/lb (159 W/kg)
Armament
- 3 × 0.303 in (7.7 mm) Lewis guns
- 1,000 lb (454 kg) of bombs or depth charges
[edit] See also
Comparable aircraft
Related lists
[edit] References
[edit] Notes
[edit] Bibliography
- Andrews, C.F. and Morgan, E.B. Supermarine Aircraft Since 1914. London: Putnam Books Ltd., 2nd revised edition 2003. ISBN 0-851-77800-3.
- Kightly, James and Wallsgrove, Roger. Supermarine Walrus & Stranraer. Sandomierz, Poland/Redbourn, UK: Mushroom Model Publications, 2004. ISBN 83-917178-9-5.
- Taylor, John W.R. "Supermarine Stranraer." Combat Aircraft of the World from 1909 to the present. New York: G.P. Putnam's Sons, 1969. ISBN 0-425-03633-2.
- Thetford, Owen. British Naval Aircraft Since 1912, Fourth Edition. London: Putnam, 1978. ISBN 0-370-30021-1.
[edit] External links
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