https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Short_Sunderland
The Short S.25 Sunderland was a British flying boat patrol bomber developed for
the Royal Air Force (RAF) by Short Brothers. It took its service name from the
town (latterly, city) and port of Sunderland in northeast England.
Based in part upon the S.23 Empire flying boat, the flagship of Imperial
Airways, the S.25 was extensively re-engineered for military service. It was one
of the most powerful and widely used flying boats throughout the Second World
War, and was involved in countering the threat posed by German U-boats in the
Battle of the Atlantic. RAF Sunderlands also saw service throughout the Korean
War and continued in service until 1959. It also took part in the Berlin
airlift. Sunderlands remained in service with the Royal New Zealand Air Force
(RNZAF) until 1967.
Sunderlands converted for civil use, known as Short Sandringhams, continued in
airline operation until 1974. A single airworthy example remains on display in
Florida at Fantasy of Flight.
The early 1930s saw intense competition in developing long-range
intercontinental passenger service between the United Kingdom, the United
States, France and Germany, but the United Kingdom had no equivalent to the new
American Sikorsky S-42 flying boats or the German Dornier Do X. However, 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 a fashion similar to the U.S. domestic
programme a decade earlier. In response, Imperial Airways announced a
competition to design and produce 28 flying boats, each weighing 18 long tons
(18 t) and having a range of 700 mi (1,100 km) with a capacity for 24
passengers.
The contract went to Short Brothers of Rochester and while the first example of
the new type, the S.23 Empire was under development,[3] the British Air Ministry
was taking actions that would result in a military version. The 1933 Air
Ministry Specification R.2/33 called for a next-generation flying boat for ocean
reconnaissance. The new aircraft had to have four engines but could be either a
monoplane or biplane design.
Role
Military flying boat bomber
Manufacturer
Short Brothers
Designer
Arthur Gouge
First flight
16 October 1937
Introduction
1938
Retired
RAF: 1959
RNZAF: 1967
Primary users
Royal Air Force
French Navy
Royal Australian Air Force
Royal New Zealand Air Force
Produced
1938-1946
Number built
777
Variants
Short Sandringham
Short Seaford
During the Second World War, although British anti-submarine efforts were
disorganized and ineffectual at first, Sunderlands quickly proved useful in the
rescue of the crews from torpedoed ships. On 21 September 1939, two Sunderlands
rescued 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.
Sunderlands also proved themselves in the Mediterranean theatre. They flew many
evacuation missions during the German seizure of Crete, carrying a surprising
number of passengers. One 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.
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 it was removed from service relatively quickly but in 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.
Specifications (Sunderland III)
General characteristics
to five gunners)
Length: 85 ft 4 in (26.0 m)
Empty weight: 34,500 lb (15,663 kg)
Loaded weight: 58,000 lb (26,332 kg)
kW) each
Performance
Maximum speed: 210 mph (336 km/h) at 6,500 ft (2,000 m)
Cruise speed: 178 mph (285 km/h) at 5,000 ft (1,500 m)
Stall speed: 78 mph (125 km/h)
Range: 1,780 mi (2,848 km)
Service ceiling: 16,000 ft (4,880 m)
Rate of climb: 720 ft/min (3.67 m/s)
Power/mass: .073 hp/lb (.121 kW/kg)
Armament
Guns:
Bombs: various defensive and offensive munitions, including bombs, mines and
depth charges carried internally and, some, winched out beneath the wings.
Manually launched flares, sea markers and smoke-floats.
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