Supermarine Walrus

The Supermarine Walrus is a British single-engine amphibious biplane designed by Supermarine's R. J. Mitchell. Primarily used as a maritime patrol aircraft, it was the first British squadron-service aircraft to incorporate an undercarriage that was fully retractable, crew accommodation that was enclosed, and a fuselage completely made of metal.

Supermarine originally named the type the Supermarine Seagull V, before changing it to the Walrus. The type first flew in 1933, its design process had begun four years earlier as a private venture. It shared its general arrangement with that of the earlier Supermarine Seagull. Having been designed to serve as a fleet spotter launched by catapult from cruisers or battleships, the aircraft was employed as a maritime patrol aircraft. Early aircraft had a metal hull for greater longevity in tropical conditions, while the later variant, the Supermarine Walrus II, had a wooden hull to conserve the use of light alloys.

The Supermarine Seagull V entered service with the Royal Australian Air Force in 1935. The type was subsequently adopted by the Fleet Air Arm, the Royal Air Force (RAF), the Royal New Zealand Navy, and the Royal New Zealand Air Force. Walruses operated against submarines throughout the Second World War, and were also used by the RAF Search and Rescue Force to recover personnel from the sea. It was intended to replace the Walrus with the more powerful Supermarine Sea Otter, but this did not happen.

Stothert & Pitt of Bath manufactured the ship mounted cranes used for hoisting the seaplanes from the water

After the end of the war the Walrus continued in service, and some aircraft operated in a civil capacity in regions such as Australia and the Antarctic. The Walrus was succeeded in its air-sea rescue role by the first generation of helicopters.

Development

The Supermarine Walrus, originally called the Supermarine Seagull V, was initially developed by Supermarine as a private venture in response to a Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) requirement for an observation seaplane to be catapult-launched from cruisers. Designed by a team led by Supermarine's chief designer, R.J. Mitchell, it resembled Mitchell's earlier Supermarine Seagull III in general layout.

Supermarine began construction of a prototype during 1930, but due to other, more pressing, commitments did not complete it until 1933. The prototype of the Seagull V, known as the Type 228, following modifications to the design, was first flown by "Mutt" Summers on 21 June 1933. Five days later, the aeroplane (now marked N-1) made an appearance at the SBAC show at Hendon, where Summers made an unscheduled loop during the display, startling the spectators (Mitchell included).

The strength of the aircraft was demonstrated in October 1935, when a Seagull V carrying the Commander-in-Chief of the Home Fleet, Roger Backhouse, landed in the water in Portland Harbour with its wheels unretracted. The aircraft's hull flooded following the impact of the landing, which caused it to flip over, but Backhouse and the crew managed to escape with minor injuries. An automatic horn and indicator lights were subsequently fitted to ensure the pilot checked the wheels before landing.

Design

Airframe

The Type 236 Supermarine Walrus is a single-engine amphibious biplane, principally designed to conduct maritime observation missions. The all-metal hull, an innovation for its day, was constructed from an anodised alloy, with stainless steel forgings for the catapult spools and mountings. Metal construction was used because experience had shown that wooden structures deteriorated rapidly under tropical conditions.

The Seagull's pusher configuration has the advantages of keeping the engine and propeller out of the way of spray when operating on water and of reducing the noise level inside the aircraft; also the propeller was safely away from a crew member standing on the front deck when hooking on a hoisting cable. with fuselages built by Elliotts of Newbury. This variant had a wooden hull, which was heavier but economised on the use of light alloys. Saunders-Roe license-built 270 metal Mark Is and 191 wooden-hulled Mark IIs. The Walrus was called the "Shagbat", the "Steam Pigeon", and other names by its crews. The Royal Navy s carried two Walruses during the Second World War, and Walruses also equipped the and County-class heavy cruisers. Some battleships, such as the Queen Elizabeth-class battleship and the Nelson-class battleship carried Walruses, as did the seaplane tender .

By the start of the war, the Walrus was already in widespread use. Although its principal intended use was gunnery spotting in naval actions, this only occurred twice: Walruses from the battlecruiser (the lead ship of her class) and the Town-class cruiser were launched in the Battle of Cape Spartivento,

By 1943, catapult-launched aircraft on cruisers and battleships were being replaced by radar, which occupied far less space on a warship. Walruses continued to fly from Royal Navy carriers for air-sea rescue and general communications. The low landing speed of the Walrus meant they could make a carrier landing despite having no flaps or tailhook.

Other military uses

thumb |alt=photograph of a Walrus landing on a ship |A Walrus lands on a Royal Navy carrier in the Indian Ocean, after rescuing under fire a pilot shot down while attacking Japanese positions on the [[Nicobar Islands]]

The Walrus was used by the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force for air-sea rescue missions. The specialist RAF Air Sea Rescue Service squadrons flew a variety of aircraft, using Spitfires and Boulton Paul Defiants to patrol for downed aircrew, Avro Ansons to drop supplies and dinghies and Walruses to pick them up from the water. RAF air-sea rescue squadrons were deployed to cover the waters around the United Kingdom, the Mediterranean Sea and the Bay of Bengal. Over 1000 aircrew were picked up during these operations, with 277 Squadron responsible for 598 rescues.

In 1939, two Walruses were used at Lee-on-Solent for ASV trials,

After the war, Walruses continued to see limited military use with the RAF and foreign navies. Eight aircraft were operated by Argentina, with two flying from the cruiser until 1958. it was launched from the factory ship Balaena, which was equipped with a surplus naval catapult. The aircraft used were fitted with sockets to power the electrically heated suits worn by the crew under their immersion suits. A Dutch whaling company embarked Walruses, but never flew them.

Four Walruses were bought from the RAAF by Amphibious Airways of Rabaul. Licensed to carry up to ten passengers, they were used for charter and air ambulance work, remaining in service until 1954.

;

Vestlandske Luftfartsselskap

;

Somerton Airways

Seagull V A2-4

thumb|left| alt=photograph of a Walrus in 2017 |A2-4 at the [[Royal Air Force Museum London in 1980]]

One of the original Australian Seagull Vs, A2-4 is on permanent display at the Royal Air Force Museum London. Built at Woolston in 1934, it arrived in Australia in early 1936, where it was initially allocated to No. 101 Flight RAAF (shortly afterwards becoming No. 5 Squadron RAAF). The aircraft had various pre-war duties, including survey work and flying from HMAS Sydney. It served for most of the war with No. 9 Squadron RAAF in Australia.

Walrus HD874

thumb|HD874 at the [[RAAF Museum in 2014]]

HD874 is kept at the Royal Australian Air Force Museum at RAAF Williams Point Cook, Victoria. It was originally flown by the Fleet Air Arm, before being transferred to the Royal Australian Air Force in 1943. During the war, HD874 was flown by the RAAF's No. 9 Squadron and No. 8 Communication Unit.

Walrus L2301

thumb |alt=photograph of a Walrus in 2011 |L2301 at the [[Fleet Air Arm Museum, Somerset, in 2014]]

The Walrus displayed at the Fleet Air Arm Museum at RNAS Yeovilton is a composite aircraft, constructed using the fuselage and engine of Walrus L2301. Built in 1939, L2301 was delivered to the Irish Air Corps, where it carried the Irish designation N.18. During its delivery flight on 3 March 1939, it suffered engine failure and later hull damage from ditching into the sea. It was towed to the old launch strip for the Curtiss H-16s at the former U.S. Naval Air Station Wexford Ireland.

After the war, N.18 was transferred to Aer Lingus and given the Irish civil registration EI-ACC. However, the Irish airline never flew it and instead sold it to Wing Commander Ronald Gustave Kellett in 1946 for £150. by FAA crew from HMS Heron. They presented it to the Fleet Air Arm Museum, who restored it between 1964 and 1966. an aviation museum in Southampton, UK, where work was begun on restoring the aircraft to flying condition.

After being resold, restoration work was restarted in 2011 at Vintage Fabrics, Audley End, Essex. In 2018, after the aircraft was sold again to a private owner, it was moved to the Aircraft Restoration Company at Duxford Aerodrome.

Specifications (Supermarine Walrus I)

right|thumb|alt= Walrus arrangement drawings |Arrangement drawings for the Supermarine Walrus

Notes

References

Sources

External links

Flying the Supermarine Walrus by Flt Lt Nick Berryman (self-published)
A 2013 picture of the privately owned Walrus, G/RNLI.
The Walrus in action – a 1935 news clip from British Movietone
Information about the Supermarine Seagull V from the Royal Australian Navy website
Further information and other images from Naval Encyclopedia