Supermarine Seafire

A Seafire III landing on a carrier.

The Supermarine Seafire was the carrier-based counterpart of the Supermarine Spitfire.

History

Development

Supermarine first responded to Admiralty interest in a carrier capable version of the Spitfire, complete with arrester hook and folding wings, in January 1940 but, due to RAF requests for Spitfires taking precedence, the first 'Hooked Spitfire' - a modified Spitfire VB - did not take to the air until January 7th 1942. This aircraft was then used by Commander P. H. Bramwell for a series of deck landing trials aboard the carrier HMS Illustrious, which led to an order for a batch of forty eight Seafire IBs, produced through the conversion of existing Spitfire VB airframes by Air Service Training Ltd at Hamble.

Variants

• IB: Navalised Spitfire VB. 1,415hp Merlin 46. Fixed wings. 166 examples.
• IIC: Equivalent to Spitfire VC, with catapult spools, strengthened landing gear and universal wing. 1,645hp Merlin 32 with four bladed propeller. Production: 262 by Supermarine, 110 by Westland.
• III: Version with manual double fold wing. 1,585hp Marlin 55M. Production: 870 Westland, 350 Cunliffe-Owen.
• XV (later F.15): 1,850hp Griffon VI, four bladed propeller and asymmetric radiators. 390 produced.
• XVII (later F.17): Increased fuel and cut down fuselage with bubble hood.232 produced.
• 45: New aircraft corresponding to Spitfire 21. Griffon 61 with 5 blade propeller or Griffon 85 with contraprop. Fixed wing with four 20mm cannon. 50 produced.
• 46: Bubble hood like Spitfire 22. 24 produced.
• 47: Navilised Spitfire 24 with hydraulic folding wings, carb air intake behind propeller and increased fuel. 140 produced.