Seafire
Seafire XV in Royal Canadian Navy service.
Type	Naval fighter
Manufacturer	Supermarine
Primary user	Fleet Air Arm
Number built	2,334

Seafire F XVII SX336 (Kennet Aviation)

The Seafire was a naval version of the Supermarine Spitfire, specially adapted for operation from aircraft carriers. The name Seafire was arrived at by collapsing the longer name Sea Spitfire. Image File history File links Seafire_1. ... The Royal Canadian Navy (RCN) was the navy of Canada from 1911 until 1968 when the three branches of the Canadian military were merged into the Canadian Armed Forces. ... Naval aviation is the application of manned military air power by the navies of the world such as those operated by the United States Navy. ... An aerospace manufacturer is a company or individual involved in the various aspects of designing, building, testing, selling, and maintaining aircraft, aircraft parts, missiles, rockets, and/or spacecraft. ... Supermarine was a British aircraft manufacturer that become famous for producing a range of sea planes and the legendary Supermarine Spitfire fighter. ... The Fleet Air Arm is the operational group of the Royal Navy responsible for the operation of the aircraft on board their ships. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (1280x853, 406 KB) File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): Supermarine Seafire Metadata This file contains additional information, probably added from the digital camera or scanner used to... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (1280x853, 406 KB) File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): Supermarine Seafire Metadata This file contains additional information, probably added from the digital camera or scanner used to... The Supermarine Spitfire was an iconic British single-seat fighter used by the RAF and many Allied countries in the Second World War. ... Four aircraft carriers, Principe-de-Asturias, USS Wasp, USS Forrestal and HMS Invincible (front-to-back), showing the difference in size between a supercarrier, light V/STOL carriers, and an amphibious carrier. ...

Development

The first Seafire to reach the Royal Navy was the 'Seafire II, a basic adaptation of the Spitfire without folding wings. Additions to the basic Spitfire design included an arrester hook, folding wings, beginning with Mk. III, and other specialized equipment. However, like the Spitfire, the Seafire had a narrow undercarriage track, which meant that it was not well suited to deck operations. Due to the addition of heavy carrier equipment, it suffered from an aft centre-of-gravity position that made low-speed control difficult, and its gradual stall characteristics meant that it was difficult to land accurately on the carrier. These characteristics resulted in a very high accident rate for the Seafire. The Royal Navy of the United Kingdom is the oldest of the British armed services (and is therefore the Senior Service). ...

Seafire F Mk. III was the first true carrier adaptation of the Spitfire design. It was developed from the Seafire II, but incorporated folding wings for improved fit in carrier hangars.^[1] Most Mk. IIIs were produced as the LF variant, designed for low-altitude operations and using the Merlin 55M engine.

Service

Compared with other naval fighters, the Seafire II was able to outperform the A6M5 (Zero) at low altitudes when the two types were tested against each other in World War II. Contemporary western carrier aircraft like the F6F Hellcat and the F4U Corsair, however, were considerably more robust and powerful. Late-war Seafire marks equipped with the Griffon engines enjoyed a considerable increase of performance compared to their Merlin-engined predecessors. Mitsubishi A6M5 Zero Model 52 The Mitsubishi A6M was a light-weight carrier-based fighter aircraft employed by the Imperial Japanese Navy from 1940 to 1945. ... Combatants Major Allied powers: United Kingdom Soviet Union United States Republic of China and others Major Axis powers: Nazi Germany Italy Japan and others Commanders Winston Churchill Joseph Stalin Franklin Roosevelt Harry Truman Chiang Kai-Shek Adolf Hitler Benito Mussolini Hideki Tojo Casualties Military dead: 17,000,000 Civilian dead... Grumman F6F-3 Hellcat in tri-color camouflage The Grumman F6F Hellcat started development as an improved F4F Wildcat, but turned into a completely new design sharing a family resemblance to the Wildcat but with no shared parts. ... The Chance Vought F4U Corsair was an American fighter aircraft that saw service in World War II and the Korean War. ...

After initial placement on Russian convoy routes, Seafires saw most service in the Far East Pacific campaigns, serving with No. 887 and 894 Squadrons aboard HMS Indefatigable and joining the British Pacific Fleet late in 1944. Due to their good high altitude performance and lack of ordnance-carrying capabilities (compared to the Hellcats and Corsairs of the Fleet) the Seafires were allocated the vital defensive duties of Combat Air Patrol over the fleet. Seafires were thus heavily involved in countering the Kamikaze attacks during the Iwo Jima landings and beyond. The Seafires' best day was the 15th of August 1945, shooting down 8 attacking aircraft for a single loss. During the campaign 887 FAA claimed 12 kills, and 894 FAA claimed 10 kills (with 2 more claims earlier in 1944 over Norway) HMS Indefatigable (R10) was an Implacable-class aircraft carrier of the British Royal Navy. ... The British Pacific Fleet (BPF) was a multinational Allied naval force which saw action against Japan during World War II. The fleet was comprised mainly of British Commonwealth naval vessels. ... Combat air patrol (CAP) is a type of defensive mission for fighter aircraft, in which they guard a designated site, either a fixed site on land, ships at sea, or less commonly support aircraft such as aerial tankers. ... It has been suggested that Personnel involved in the development of World War II suicide attacks be merged into this article or section. ... Landsat photo of Iwo Jima, circa 2006 Iwo Jima   (Japanese 硫黄島 Iōtō, or Iōjima, meaning sulfur island) is a volcanic island in Japan, part of the Volcano Islands (the southern part of the Ogasawara Islands), approximately 650 nautical miles (1200 km) south of Tokyo (24°472N, 141...

The top scoring Seafire pilot of the war was Sub.Lt. R.H. Reynolds DSC of 894, who claimed 4.5 air victories in 1944-5.

Operators

• United Kingdom
  • Royal Navy, Fleet Air Arm
• Canada
  • Royal Canadian Navy
• France
  • Aeronavale

The Royal Navy of the United Kingdom is the oldest of the British armed services (and is therefore the Senior Service). ... The Fleet Air Arm is the operational group of the Royal Navy responsible for the operation of the aircraft on board their ships. ... The Royal Canadian Navy (RCN) was the navy of Canada from 1911 until 1968 when the three branches of the Canadian military were merged into the Canadian Armed Forces. ... The Aviation Navale (Naval Air Force) of the French Navy includes 162 airplanes (138 of them combat-capable) and 6 800 men, both civilians and military personel. ...

Specifications (LF Mk III)

Data from British Aircraft of World War II^[2] and The Virtual Aviation Museum^[3]

General characteristics

• Crew: one
• Length: 30 ft 2½ in (9.21 m)
• Wingspan: 36 ft 10 in (11.23 m)
• Height: ft in (m)
• Wing area: 241.97 ft² (22.48 m²)
• Empty weight: 6,204 lb (2,814 kg)
• Max takeoff weight: 7,640 lb (3,565 kg)
• Powerplant: 1× Rolls-Royce Merlin 55M liquid-cooled V-12, 1,585 hp (1,182 kW)

Performance

• Maximum speed: 348 mph (560 km/h) at 6,000 ft (1,830 m)
• Cruise speed: 218 mph (350 km/h)
• Range: 513 mi (825 km) with drop tanks
• Service ceiling: 24,000 ft (7,315 m)
• Rate of climb: 1.9 min to 5,000 ft (1,525 m)
• Wing loading: lb/ft² (kg/m²)
• Power/mass: hp/lb (kW/kg)

Armament

• 2× 20mm cannon
• 4× .303 cal machine guns
• 1× 500 lb (227 kg) bomb

The distance AB is the wing span of this Aer Lingus Airbus A320. ... In aviation, the Maximum Take-Off Weight (or MTOW) is the maximum weight with which an aircraft is allowed to try to achieve flight. ... The Merlin was a 12 cylinder, 60° V, 27 litre, liquid cooled piston aircraft engine built during World War II by Rolls-Royce and under licence in the United States by Packard. ... VNO of an aircraft is the V speed which refers to the velocity of normal operation. ... Airspeed Indicator in a light aircraft The VC of an aircraft is the V speed which refers to the velocity of cruising. ... The maximal total range is the distance an aircraft can fly between takeoff and landing as limited by its fuel capacity. ... In aeronautics, the service ceiling is the maximum density altitude where the best rate of climb airspeed will produce a 100 feet per minute climb(twin engine) and 50 feet(single engine) at maximum weight while in a clean configuration with maximum continuous power. ... This page is a candidate to be moved to Wiktionary. ... In aerodynamics, wing loading is the loaded weight of the aircraft divided by the area of the wing. ... Power-to-weight ratio is a measure commonly used when comparing various vehicles (or engines), including automobiles, motorcycles and aircraft. ...

References

1. ^ Stone, Phil (2006-03-01). The Seafire. The Supermarine Spitfire. Retrieved on 2006-04-08.
2. ^ Teeuwen, Jaap. Supermarine Seafire (Merlin, fighter). British Aircraft of World War II. Retrieved on 2006-04-08.
3. ^ Supermarine Seafire Mk III. The Virtual Aviation Museum. Retrieved on 2006-04-08.

2006 (MMVI) is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... March 1 is the 60th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (61st in leap years). ... 2006 (MMVI) is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... April 8 is the 98th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (99th in leap years). ... 2006 (MMVI) is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... April 8 is the 98th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (99th in leap years). ... 2006 (MMVI) is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... April 8 is the 98th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (99th in leap years). ...

Related content

Related development

• Supermarine Spitfire
• Supermarine Seafang

Comparable aircraft

• Hawker Hurricane
• Messerschmitt Bf 109
• Focke Wulf Fw-190
• P-51 Mustang
• Yak-9

  The Supermarine Spitfire was an iconic British single-seat fighter used by the RAF and many Allied countries in the Second World War. ... The Supermarine Seafang was a British Rolls-Royce Griffon-engined fighter aircraft designed by Supermarine to Air Ministry specification N.5/45. ... The Hawker Hurricane is a fighter design from the 1930s which was used extensively by the Royal Air Force during the Battle of Britain. ... The Messerschmitt Bf 109 was a World War II fighter aircraft designed by Willy Messerschmitt in the early 1930s. ... Focke-Wulf Fw 190A in flight. ... The North American P-51 Mustang was an American long-range single-seat fighter aircraft that entered service with Allied air forces in the middle years of World War II and became one of the conflicts most successful and recognizable aircraft. ... Related content Related development: Yak-1 - Yak-3 - Yak-7 - Yak-11 Comparable aircraft: Designation sequence: Yak-6 - Yak-7 - Yak-8 - Yak-9 - Yak-10 - Yak-11 - Yak-12 Categories: Aircraft stubs | Soviet fighter aircraft 1940-1949 ...

Related lists

• Supermarine Spitfire variants

See also

• British military history of World War II
• Rolls-Royce Merlin and Griffon
• Supermarine