Supermarine Southampton

infobox Aircraft
name = Southampton
type = Military reconnaissance flying boat
manufacturer = Supermarine



caption =
designer =
first flight = 10 March 1925
introduced = 1925
retired =
status =
primary user = Royal Air Force
more users = Argentina
Australia
Japan
Turkey
produced = 1924-1934
number built = 83
unit cost =
developed from = Supermarine Swan
variants with their own articles = Scapa
Stranraer

The Supermarine Southampton was a 1920s British flying boat, one of the most successful flying boats of the between-war period. It was a development of the Supermarine Swan, which was used for a 10 passenger service between England and France.

Development

The Southampton was designed by the team of R. J. Mitchell, better known as the designer of the later Spitfire. Due to the success of the Swan, the Air Ministry ordered six Southamptons direct from the drawing board, which was very unusual. As the Swan had acted in effect as a prototype, development time was short. The first flight of a production aircraft was made on 10 March 1925, and delivery to the RAF started in the middle of 1925. Further aircraft were sold to a number of other countries. Eight new aircraft were sold to Argentina, with Turkey purchasing six aircraft and Australia buying two ex-RAF Mk 1 aircraft. Japan also purchased a single aircraft which was later converted into an 18 passenger cabin airliner. One aircraft was placed on the British Civil Register (G-AASH) and was operated by Imperial Airways.In all 83 Southamptons were constructed, excluding the three-engined Southampton MK X which was a single prototype. Andrews and Morgan 1987, p.358.]

Design

The Southampton was a two-engine biplane flying boat, with the tractor engines mounted between the wings. The Southampton Mk I had both its hull and its wings manufactured from wood. The Southampton Mk II had a hull with a single thickness of metal (duralumin) (the Mk I had a double wooden bottom). This change gave a weight saving of 900 lb (409 kg) allowing for an increase of range of approximately 200 miles (325 km). In 1929 24 of the Mk I were converted by having newly-built metal hulls replacing the wooden ones. Some of the later aircraft were built with metal wings and were probably designated as Mk III.There were three positions for machine guns, one in the nose and two staggered in the rear fuselage.

Variants

Different powerplants were fitted in variants:
* Mk I: Napier Lion V engine, wooden hull. 23 built. Andrews and Morgan 1987, p.357.]
* Mk II: Napier Lion Va, 39 built Andrews and Morgan 1987, p.357-358.]
* Argentina : Lorraine-Deitrich 12E. Five wooden hulled + three metal hulled aircraft.
* Turkey: Hispano-Suiza 12Nbr. Six built..

* Bristol Jupiter IX and Rolls-Royce Kestrel in experiments

Operators

Military Operators

;ARG
*Argentine Navy (8);AUS -
* Royal Australian Air Force
** Coastal Reconnaissance Flight RAAF
** No. 1 Flying Training School's Seaplane Squadron RAAF;;UK
* Royal Air Force Thetford 1957, p.385.]
** No. 201 Squadron RAF
** No. 203 Squadron RAF
** No. 204 Squadron RAF
** No. 205 Squadron RAF
** No. 209 Squadron RAF
** No. 210 Squadron RAF

Civil Operators

;JPN
*Japan Air Transport
*Nippon Kokuyuso Kenkyujo;UK
* Imperial Airways

pecifications (Southampton II)

aircraft specifications
plane or copter?=plane
jet or prop?=prop
ref=Supermarine Aircraft since 1914Andrews and Morgan 1987, p.112.]

crew= Five (2 pilots and 3 gunners) [ [http://www.britishaircraft.co.uk/aircraftpage.php?ID=191 Southampton ] ]
capacity=
length main= 49 ft 8½ in
length alt= 15.15 m
span main= 75 ft
span alt= 22.86 m
height main= 20 ft 5 in
height alt= 6.2 m
area main= 1,448 ft²
area alt= 134.5 m²
airfoil=
empty weight main= 9,697 lb
empty weight alt= 4,398 kg
loaded weight main= 15,200 lb
loaded weight alt= 6,895 kg
useful load main=
useful load alt=
max takeoff weight main=
max takeoff weight alt=
more general=
engine (prop)= Napier Lion VA
type of prop=inline W-block
number of props=2
power main= 500 hp
power alt= 373 kW
power original=
max speed main= 83 knots
max speed alt= 95 mph, 153 km/h
max speed more= at sea level
cruise speed main=
cruise speed alt=
never exceed speed main=
never exceed speed alt=
stall speed main=
stall speed alt=
range main= 473 nm
range alt= 544 mi, 876 km
range more=at 86 mph (139 km/h) and 2,000 ft (610 m)
ceiling main= 5,950 ft
ceiling alt= 1,814 m
climb rate main= 368 ft/min
climb rate alt= 1.87 m/s
loading main= 10.50 lb/ft²
loading alt= 51.26 kg/m²
thrust/weight=
power/mass main= 0.066 hp/lb
power/mass alt= 0.11 kW/kg
more performance=* Climb to 6,000 ft (1,829 m) 29 minutes 42 seconds

* Endurance 6.3 hours
guns=Three Lewis guns, one in bows and two amidships.
bombs=1,100 lb of bombs under the wings.

ee also

Aircontent
related =
* Supermarine Scapa
* Supermarine Stranraer
similar aircraft =
lists =
* RAF aircraft
* List of seaplanes and flying boats
see also =

References

Notes

Bibliography

*
*

External links

* [http://www.britishaircraft.co.uk/aircraftpage.php?ID=191 British Aircraft Directory]