Handley Page Type O

infobox Aircraft
name = Handley Page Type O
type = Bomber
manufacturer = Handley Page



caption = Handley Page O/400 lands at RAF Andover, 1918
designer =
first flight = December 1915
introduced = 1916
retired = 1921
status = Retired
primary user = Royal Air Force
more users = RNAS
produced =
number built = 600
unit cost =
developed from =
variants with their own articles = The Handley Page Type O was an early bomber aircraft used by Britain during World War I. At the time, it was the largest aircraft that had been built in the UK and one of the largest in the world. It was built in two major versions, the Handley Page O/100 (H.P.11) and Handley Page O/400 (H.P.12).

Development and design

When Britain entered the War in August 1914 the Royal Air Force had not yet been formed and the British Army and the Royal Navy were competing for control of aircraft production. Handley Page, then established around five years, offered their services to both the army and the navy, but past difficulties over a contract to manufacture BE.2a aircraft had led to some friction with the War Office and Royal Aircraft Establishment at Farnborough. In the climate of inter-service rivalry it was natural that what the army disdained the navy would take up with alacrity, and the Director of the Navy's Air Department, Captain Murray Sueter, was quick to take up Handley Page's offer. Early drafts of coastal patrol models internally designated M/200 and MS/200 (for their 200 hp engines) were discussed, but Seuter's technical advisor, Harris Booth, favoured a large seaplane for coastal patrol and dockyard defence, capable also of bombing the German High Seas Fleet at its base in Kiel, and a prototype (AD Seaplane Type 1000) had already been commissioned from J Samuel White & Co. of Cowes.

The threat posed by German Zeppelin bombers seemed very real, and the Admiralty had been given the task of defending Britain from air attack, something for which it was completely unprepared. Since the difficulty of intercepting the Zeppelins themselves was an unknown quantity, the Admiralty decided to focus on a strategy of attacking their bases and factories instead. In practice, this proved difficult, given the limitations in range of the aircraft of the day and the small bomb loads they could carry. It was clear that in order to be effective, the Royal Naval Air Service needed a much larger aircraft. Commander Samson had called urgently from Flanders for "a bloody paralyser" to hold back the German advance on Antwerp, a phrase which was relayed and became the nickname of the O/100. Against this background, then, a specification was issued in December 1914 for a long-range patrol bomber.

Handley Page responded with an enormous biplane with a wingspan of 100 feet (30 m) (the original source of the O/100 designation). The first prototype flew on December 7 1915 and featured a glazed cockpit and extensive armour around the crew compartment and engines. The aircraft proved somewhat underpowered, so the glazing and armour were deleted on the second prototype that flew the following April and formed the basis for series production of the machine. A total of 46 of the O/100s were built. Bowyer 1992, p.201.]

The success of the type prompted the development of an uprated version with more powerful engines and other refinements, designated the O/400. First flying in 1918, over 400 were supplied before the Armistice. Another 107 were licence-built in the USA by the Standard Aircraft Corporation (out of a total order of 1,500 by the air corps). Forty-six out of an order for fifty were built by Clayton & Shuttleworth in Lincoln. [Walls 1977, p.10]

Operational history

The first O/100s to be deployed to France were received by 7A Squadron of the RNAS's 5th Wing at Dunkirk in late 1916. Bruce 1953, p.255.] Their first combat came on the night of March 16 1917 when a single aircraft was sent to bomb a railway junction at Moulins-lès-Metz. Bowyer 1992, p.23.] Initially, there were also used for daylight attacks, damaging a German destroyer on 23 April 1917, but the loss of an aircraft to fighter attack two days later resulted in a switch to exclusive night attacks, usually by single aircraft against German occupied Channel ports, railway targets and airfields. Bruce 1953, p.256.] O/100s were also used for anti-U boat patrol off the mouth of the River Tees in September 1917, while a single O/100 was flown to Moudros on the Greek island of Lemnos, being used to carry out bombing raids on Constantinople. Barnes, p.90.]

The improved O/400 started to enter service in April 1918, Barnes 1976, p.96.] gradually allowing the re-equipment of more squadrons, being used for both support for the ground forces on the Western Front, particlularly during the German Spring Offensive, Bruce 1953, p.258.] and for strategic bombing under the control of the Independent Air Force. Bruce 1953, p.257.] In service, the O/400s could carry a new 1,650 lb (750 kg) bomb and were deployed in force, with up to 40 aircraft participating in a raid. A single O/400 also served with 1 Squadron, Australian Flying Corps in the Middle East.

After the war, O/400s remained in British service until replaced by the Vickers Vimy towards the end of 1919. About 10 war-surplus aircraft were converted for civilian use in the UK and India by Handley Page's pioneering airline, Handley Page Transport.

Six aircraft were assembled post-war for sale to Republican China under the designation O/7, principally for use as transports. Barnes 1976, p.149.] These were delivered to China and re-assembled at Nanyuan near Beijing. The aircraft flew their first service, carrying both airmail and passengers, between Beijing and Tientsin on 7 May 1920. These services were disrupted by the outbreak of civil war, with the aircraft being taken over by various warlords. Barnes 1976, p.158.] During the First Zhili-Fengtian War, O/7 bombers carried three 200 lb bombs, and played a significant role in the victory of the Zhili clique since the opposing Fengtian clique had only liaison and reconnaissance aircraft. During the Second Zhili-Fengtian War, O/7 bombers of the Fengtian clique carried a single 500 lb bomb and played an important role in the battle of Stone Gate Camp (Shi Mei Zhai, 石門寨) near Shanhai Pass on October 19, 1924: the O/7 bomber (piloted by a White Russian) dropped its single 500 lb bomb on the densely packed Zhili force on the ground, causing large casualties. Consequently, the enemy's morale collapsed, resulting in the Zhili clique losing the battle.

The legacy of the aircraft was such that for many years after the war, any large aircraft came to be called a "Handley Page" in Britain. Furthermore, the aircraft plays a prominent part in the short story "Turnabout" by William Faulkner; the story provides an insider's view of what it was like to fly the Type O in combat.

The importance of the Type O to the company cannot be underestimated, establishing the firm as a maker of large multi-engine aircraft as well as establishing an uneasy relationship with the defence ministry which is credited by former employees as the reason why no Halifax was placed in preservation, and for the greater prominence given to the Avro Vulcan over the (technically superior) VictorFact|date=February 2007.

"Prior to 1924, Handley Page used an alphabetical system for aircraft designations and thus, the Type O followed the Type M and Type N. Nevertheless, the Type O aircraft are very frequently misnamed as "Handley Page 0/100" and "0/400" in publications, the numeral "0" replacing the letter "O". Curiously, Handley Page had previously conspicuously avoided using the designation "Type I", presumably to avoid confusion with the numeral "1" but apparently neglected to consider that "O" would create a similar problem."

Variants

* O/7 - Export version for China.
* O/10 and O/11 - Ten 0/400 bombers were converted into transport aircraft.
* O/100 - Original version - Two 260 hp Rolls Royce Eagle II engines. (Four prototypes, 42 Production).
*O/400 - More powerful version - Two 360 hp Rolls Royce Eagle VIII engines. (554 produced.)

Operators

Civil

;China as ROC
* The Government of China.
* Indo Burmese Transport.;UK
* Handley Page Transport.
* Imperial Airways.

Military

;AUS
* Australian Flying Corps
** No. 1 Squadron AFC in Palestine.;China as ROC ;UK
* Royal Air Force
** No. 58 Squadron RAF (O/400)
** No. 70 Squadron RAF (0/400)
** No. 97 Squadron RAF (0/400)
** No. 100 Squadron RAF (0/400)
** No. 115 Squadron RAF (0/400)
** No. 116 Squadron RAF (0/400)
** No. 207 Squadron RAF (0/400)
** No. 214 Squadron RAF (0/400)
** No. 215 Squadron RAF (0/100 and 0/400)
** No. 216 Squadron RAF (0/400)
* Royal Naval Air Service
** No. 7 Squadron RNAS (0/100)
** No. 7A Squadron RNAS (0/100)
** No. 14 Squadron RNAS (0/100)
** No. 15 Squadron RNAS (0/100)
** No. 16 Squadron RNAS (0/100 and 0/400);USA

pecifications (O/400)

aircraft specifications
plane or copter?=plane
jet or prop?=prop
ref=The British Bomber since 1914Cite book
author=Mason, Francis K
authorlink =
|title=The British Bomber since 1914
publisher=Putnam Aeronautical Books
year=1994
id= ISBN 0 85177 861 5
crew= 4 or 5
capacity=
length main= 62 ft 10¼ in
length alt= 19.16 m
span main= 100 ft
span alt= 30.48 m
height main= 22 ft
height alt= 6.71 m
area main= 1,648 ft²
area alt= 153.1 m²
airfoil=
empty weight main= 8,502 lb
empty weight alt= 3,856 kg
loaded weight main=
loaded weight alt=
useful load main=
useful load alt=
max takeoff weight main= 13,360 lb
max takeoff weight alt= 6,060 kg
more general=
engine (prop)= Rolls-Royce Eagle VIII
type of prop= piston
number of props=2
power main= 360 hp
power alt= 268 kW
power original=
max speed main= 97.5 mph
max speed alt= 84.7 knots, 157 km/h
cruise speed main=
cruise speed alt=
never exceed speed main=
never exceed speed alt=
stall speed main=
stall speed alt=
range main= 608 nm
range alt= 700 mi, 1,120 km
ceiling main= 8,500 ft
ceiling alt= 2,600 m
climb rate main=
climb rate alt=
loading main=
loading alt=
thrust/weight=
power/mass main=
power/mass alt=
more performance=
*Rate of climb: 23 min to 5,000 ft
*Endurance: 8 hours
guns= 5 × 0.303 in Lewis guns (2 on nose Scarff ring, 2 on dorsal position and 1 at ventral hatch)
bombs=Up to 2000 lb (900 kg) of bombs

ee also

aircontent
related=*Handley Page W.8

similar aircraft=
*Handley Page V/1500
*Gotha G.IV
*Sikorsky Ilya Muromets
*Caproni Ca.32

lists=
*List of aircraft of the Fleet Air Arm
*List of bomber aircraft
*List of aircraft of the Royal Air Force

see also=

References

Notes

Bibliography

* Barnes, C. H. "Handley Page Aircraft Since 1907". London: Putnam, 1976. ISBN 0 370 00030 7.
* Barnes, C. H. "Handley Page Aircraft Since 1907". London: Putnam & Company, Ltd., 1987. ISBN 0-85177-803-8.
*Bowyer, Chaz. "Handley Page Bombers". Bourne End, Bucks UK: Aston Publications, 1992. ISBN 0 946627 68 1.
* Bruce, J.M. " [http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1953/1953%20-%200256.html Handley Page O/100 and O/400: Historic Military Aircraft No. 4] ". "Flight", 27 February 1953, pp.254–259.
* Clayton, Donald C. "Handley Page, an Aircraft Album". Shepperton, Surrey, UK: Ian Allan Ltd., 1969. ISBN 0-7110-0094-8.
*cite book |last=Walls |first=John |authorlink= |coauthors= |title= Clayton & Shuttleworth and Marshall Aircraft Production |year=1977 |publisher= Control Column|location= Lincoln |isbn=

External links