Supermarine Sea King

Infobox Aircraft
name = Sea King
type = Flying boat
manufacturer = Supermarine


caption =
designer = R. J. Mitchell
first flight = Early 1920
introduction =
retired =
status =
primary user =
more users =
produced =
number built = 2
unit cost =
variants with their own articles =

The Supermarine Sea King was a British fighter flying boat designed and built by the Supermarine Aviation Works.

Design and development

In 1919, Supermarine commenced design of a single seat flying boat fighter, similar to its Baby of the First World War and the contemporary Sea Lion racing aircraft. The resulting aircraft, known as the Sea King, was a single seater biplane powered by a pusher 160 hp (119 kW) Beardmore engine, first flying in early 1920, and later refitted with a 240 hp (179 kW) Siddeley Puma. Andrews and Morgan 1987, p.52.]

In 1921, Reginald Mitchell, by now chief designer of Supermarine, prodeced a revised design, (possibly to meet the requirements of Specification N6/22 for a fighter capable of operating both from the deck of an aircraft carrier and from water. Mason 1992, p.151.] The resulting Sea King II was a single seat biplane, with a wooden hull, and retractable main landing gear and fixed tail skid. The tail was of monoplane type mounted half way up the single fin with a single rudder. The Sea King II was powered by a single 300 hp (224 kW) Hispano-Suiza 8 engine.

The Sea King II first flew in December 1921, Andrews and Morgan 1987, p.355.] While it demonstrated excellent manouverability, the Sea King was not selected for production, the Fairey Flycatcher and Parnall Plover, both biplanes that could be converted between having converntional tailwheel undercarriage and floats being ordered in small numbers for further evaluation, the Flycatcher finally being successful in equipping the Royal Navy's carriers.

This was not the end for the Sea King, however, as the Sea King II was rebuilt to become the Sea Lion II racer, winner of the 1922 Schneider Trophy.

Variants

;Sea King I:Flying boat fighter. Powered by 160 hp Beardmore or 240 hp Siddeley Puma engine. One built.;Sea King II:Revised Amphibian fighter. Powered by 300 hp Hispano engine.

pecifications (Sea King II)

aircraft specifications
plane or copter?= plane
ref= Supermarine Aircraft since 1914 Andrews and Morgan 1987, p.56.]
jet or prop?= prop
crew= 1 pilot
capacity =
length main= 26 ft 9 in
length alt= 8.15 m
span main= 32 ft 0 in
span alt= 8.75 m
height main= 11 ft 7 in
height alt= 3.53 m
empty weight main= 2,115 lb
empty weight alt=959 kg
loaded weight main= 2,850 lb
loaded weight alt= 1,293 kg
engine (prop)= Hispano-Suiza in pusher configuration
number of props= 1
power main= 300 hp
power alt= 224 kW
max speed main= 125 mph
max speed alt= 201 km/h
range main=
range alt=
more performance= *Climb to 10,000 ft (3,050 m): 12 min
*Endurance: 2 hr
guns= 1 x fixed forward-firing 0.303 in Lewis Gun

ee also

aircontent
see also=
related=*Supermarine Baby
*Supermarine Sea Lion II
similar aircraft=
sequence=
lists=
* List of seaplanes and flying boats

References

* Andrews, C.F and Morgan, E.B. "Supermarine Aircraft since 1914". London:Putnam, 1987. ISBN 0 85177 800 3.
* Mason, Francis K. "The British Fighter since 1912". Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press, 1992. ISBN 1-55750-082-7.

External links

* [http://www.britishaircraft.co.uk/aircraftpage.php?ID=201 British Aircraft Directory]
* [http://www.roytassell.com/drawings-01.html Photo]