Supermarine Stranraer
Template:Short description Template:Good article Template:Use dmy dates Template:Use British English Template:Infobox aircraft The Supermarine Stranraer is a flying boat designed and built by the British Supermarine Aviation Works company at Woolston, Southampton. It was developed during the 1930s on behalf of its principal operator, the Royal Air Force (RAF). It was the RAF's last and fastest biplane flying boat. Derived from the Supermarine Scapa, the aircraft's design was heavily shaped by Specification R.24/31, issued in 1931. After an initial rejection by the Air Ministry, Supermarine persisted with development as a private venture under the designation Southampton V. During 1933, a contract was placed for a single prototype; it was around this time that the type was named after Stranraer. First flown on 24 July 1934, the Stranraer entered frontline service with the RAF during 1937; most examples of the type were in service by the outbreak of World War II. The Stranraers typically undertook anti-submarine and convoy escort patrols during the early years of the conflict. During March 1941, the model was withdrawn from frontline service, but continued to be operated in a training capacity until October 1942. In addition to the British-built aeroplanes, the Canadian Vickers company in Montreal, Quebec, also manufactured 40 Stranraers under licence for the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF). These Canadian Stranraers served in anti-submarine and coastal defence capacities on both Canada's Atlantic and Pacific coasts, and were in regular service until 1946. Following their withdrawal from military service, many ex-RCAF Stranraers were sold off to fledgling regional airlines, with whom they served in various commercial passenger and freighter operations into the 1950s.
Design and development
Background
The Supermarine Stranraer, which was directly derived from the Supermarine Scapa, was the final aircraft in a series of flying boats designed by R. J. MitchellTemplate:Sfn for the Royal Air Force (RAF).Template:Sfn The Stranraer was produced by Supermarine at its works in Woolston, Southampton, with deliveries taking place between 1937 and 1939.Template:Sfn Development of the series began during the early 1930s, with Supermarine's design team headed by Mitchell.Template:Sfn The project was pursued as a response to the Air Ministry's issuing of Specification R.24/31 in 1931,Template:Sfn which called for a general purpose coastal reconnaissance flying boat for the RAF.Template:Sfn This specification demanded a payload Template:Convert greater than that of the Scapa and the ability to maintain level flight on only a single engine, which the Scapa could not do. Supermarine's initial response to the specification was a larger model of the Scapa; the company competed against a bid from Saunders-Roe.Template:Sfn The Air Ministry favoured Saunders-Roe's proposal and rejected Supermarine's design.Template:Sfn Despite this, Supermarine chose to continue development work on the design as a private venture, which was first known as the Supermarine Southampton V.Template:Sfn
Prototypes and production
In 1933Template:Sfn a contract was placed for a single prototype powered by two Template:Convert Bristol Pegasus IIIM engines, and the type was named the Stranraer. On 24 July 1934, the first prototype, K3973, made its maiden flight, piloted by Joseph Summers.Template:Sfn Over the following months, a relatively intense initial flight test programme was conducted. On 24 October 1934 it was delivered to the Marine Aircraft Experimental Establishment (MAEE) at RAF Felixstowe for official trials.Template:Sfn On 29 August 1935, soon after the completion of proving flights, an initial order for 17 aircraft (serial numbers K7287 to K7303) was placed by the Air Ministry to fulfil Specification 17/35;Template:Sfn six more aircraft (K9676 to K9681) were ordered in May 1936, but this order was subsequently cancelled.Template:Sfn The first production standard aircraft made its first flight in December 1936, and entered service operation with the RAF on 16 April 1937.Template:Sfn The final Stranraer was delivered on 3 April 1939. In addition, a total of 40 Stranraers were manufactured under licence in Canada by Canadian Vickers Limited, as both Supermarine and Canadian Vickers were subsidiaries of Vickers-Armstrongs.
Description
The Stranraer was a twin-engined biplane flying boat accommodating a crew of 6–7.Template:Sfn<ref name="Fli">Template:Cite magazine</ref> Its empty weight was Template:Convert, with a maximum take-off weight of Template:Convert.Template:Sfn As the design of the Stranraer progressed, it was changed from that of the Scapa, having a two-bay structure.Template:Sfn The Stranraer's weight, and the surface area and span of its wings, were 12 per cent greater; the elevator was also 7 per cent larger, while the rudders featured trim tabs capable of holding the aircraft straight under single-engine flight. The moderately supercharged Bristol Pegasus IIIM radial engine was selected.Template:Sfn Much of the airframe was alclad, while detailed fittings were made of stainless steel; metal components were anodised as an anti-corrosion measure.Template:Sfn For additional strength, a second pair of interplane struts were added.Template:Sfn The hull was considerably larger, its cross-section being increased by 18 per cent, yet it had identical hydrodynamic performance. The forward gun was redesigned to be retractable, the middle gunner's position was lowered, and a tail gunner position was added just aft of the control surfaces, completed with a hooded windshield.Template:Sfn In general, the equipment of which the aircraft was to be fitted with were the result of lessons learnt from operations of the earlier Southamptons.Template:Sfn The production model of the Stranraer differed in a few ways from the first prototype, chiefly of which was the use of the more powerful Template:Convert Pegasus X engine.Template:Sfn The engines were placed in nacelles under the upper wing, so that the propellers were well clear of any sea spray. Two petrol tanks, each of Template:Convert capacity, were placed in the centre section of the upper wing; petrol was fed by gravity, but fuel pumps were also incorporated.<ref name="Fli" /> The two-bladed wooden propellers of the prototype were replaced by three-bladed metal Fairey-Reed propellers when the aircraft went into production.Template:Sfn The wing structure was redesigned to have two bays.Template:SfnTemplate:Sfn The Stranraer was armed with three Template:Convert Lewis guns, positioned in the nose, dorsal and tail.Template:Sfn The aircraft could carry up to Template:Convert of bombs.Template:Sfn
Operational history
Military use prior to September 1939
The Stranraer and its contemporary, the Saro London, were the last multi-engine, biplane flying-boats to see service with the RAF.Template:Sfn The RAF operated 17 Stranraers from 1937, although they were already considered obsolete when they entered service.Template:SfnTemplate:Refn Before the war, the type served primarily with No. 228 Squadron, No. 209 Squadron and No. 240 Squadron.Template:Sfn Generally, the aircraft was not well-received, with numerous pilots considering its performance being typically marginal.Template:Sfn Others noted that it had superior seaworthiness to several aircraft in common use, such as the Consolidated PBY Catalina.Template:Sfn As early as 1938, some Stranraer squadrons had begun to re-equip themselves with other aircraft, such as the Short Sunderland and Short Singapore flying boats.Template:Sfn Early on in its career, Stranraers made several challenging long-distance flights; one such flight, covering Template:Convert, was performed during a single exercise during September 1938.Template:Sfn
| Serial | Delivered | Fate | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| K3973 | October 1934 | SOC (30 October 1938) | Prototype, became obsolete |
| K7288 | September 1937 | Hit the sea on night exercise, caught fire and sank (28 March 1938) | 6 killed |
| K7297 | September 1938 | Lost over the North Sea (19 August 1939) | 6 killed |
Action during the Second World War
No Stranraers saw action away from UK territorial waters during World War II.Template:Sfn Immediately following the outbreak of the war in September 1939, Stranraers patrolled the North Sea, intercepting enemy shipping between Scotland and Norway. Aircraft assigned to such duties were typically armed with bombs underneath one wing and a single overload fuel tank underneath the other one. Use of the Stranraer for such patrols came to an end on 17 March 1941.Template:Sfn Stranraers saw service with No. 240 Squadron, and limited numbers were deployed at the No. 4 (Coastal) Operational Training Unit.Template:Sfn The final Stranraer flight in RAF service was conducted by K7303 at Felixstowe on 30 October 1942.Template:Sfn
Having acquired a less than favourable reception by flight and ground crews alike, the Stranraer gained a large number of derisive nicknames during its service life. It was sometimes referred to as a "whistling shithouse" because the toilet opened out directly to the air and when the seat was lifted, the airflow caused the toilet to make a whistling sound.Template:Sfn The Stranraer also acquired "Flying Meccano Set", "The Marpole Bridge", "Seymour Seine Net", "Strainer", "Flying Centre Section of the Lion's Gate Bridge", as well as a more genteel variant of its usual nickname, "Whistling Birdcage".Template:Sfn The Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) Stranraers were exact equivalents of their RAF counterparts. In Canadian service, they were usually employed in coastal patrol against submarine threats in a similar role to the British Stranraers. Aviation author Dirk Septer stated that no enemy action was ever recorded by the RCAF's Stranraers.Template:Sfn However, the crew of a 5 Squadron Stranraer, flown by Flight Lieutenant Leonard Birchall, were responsible for the capture of an Italian merchant ship, the Capo Nola, in the Gulf of Saint Lawrence, hours after Canada issued its declaration of war on Italy on 10 June 1940.Template:SfnTemplate:Refn The Canadian Vickers-built Stranraers served with the RCAF throughout the war, the last example being withdrawn on 20 January 1946.Template:Sfn
| Serial | Delivered | Fate | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| K7287 | April 1937 | SOC (25 June 1941) | |
| K7289 | December 1937 | unknown after June 1941 | |
| K7290 | January 1938 | Sank in gale (21 November 1940) | |
| K7291 | June 1938 | Hit by light boat and sank (10 November 1940) | |
| K7292 | February 1938 | SOC (13 May 1941) | |
| K7293 | March 1938 | Sunk in gale (17 February 1941) | |
| K7294 | May 1938 | Damaged beyond repair after hitting the water (3 November 1939) | |
| K7295 | July 1938 | Damaged beyond repair after hitting the water (4 September 1942) | |
| K7296 | August 1938 | SOC (22 September 1939) | |
| K7298 | September 1938 | Crashed into the sea (12 June 1941) | 9 killed |
| K7299 | October 1938 | SOC (4 April 1941) | |
| K7300 | November 1938 | Sank in gale (20 October 1941) | |
| K7301 | December 1938 | Sank in gale (21 August 1940) | |
| K7302 | January 1939 | Sank in gale (20 October 1941) | |
| K7303 | April 1939 | SOC (31 October 1942) |
Civilian use
From May 1935, the Stranraer was developed for civilian use into the Type 237.Template:Sfn Approximately 20 of the 40 RCAF Stranraers survived the war intact enough for potential reuse. Of these, 13 were sold to civilian operators through Crown Assets after the end of hostilities, with registrations in Canada and the US.Template:Sfn Several were converted to Super Stranraer configuration with Template:Convert Wright GR-1820-G202GA engines replacing the original Pegasus units. After the end of World War II, several examples served with Queen Charlotte Airlines (QCA) in British Columbia, operating until 1958.Template:Sfn Queen Charlotte Airlines became at one point the third-largest airline in Canada; it was popularly known as the Queer Collection of Aircraft. With limited money, it flew a mixture of types that were often the cast-offs of other operators. In QCA use, the Stranraer gained a more suitable reputation and was "well liked" by its crews.Template:Sfn A total of eight surplus Stranraers were also sold to Aero Transport Ltd. of Tampa, Florida.Template:Sfn
Operators
Military
- RCAF – Operational Squadrons of the Home War Establishment (HWE) (Based in Canada)
- Eastern Air Command
- No. 5 Squadron RCAF Used Supermarine Stranraer (Nov 38 – Sep 41)Template:Sfn
- No. 117 Squadron RCAF Used Supermarine Stranraer (Sep 41 – Oct 41)Template:Sfn
- Western Air Command
- No. 4 Squadron RCAF Used Supermarine Stranraer (Jul 39 – Sep 43)Template:Sfn
- No. 6 Squadron RCAF Used Supermarine Stranraer (Nov 41 – May 43)Template:Sfn
- No. 7 Squadron RCAF Used Supermarine Stranraer (Feb 43 – Mar 44)Template:Sfn
- No. 9 Squadron RCAF Used Supermarine Stranraer (Dec 41 – Apr 43)Template:Sfn
- No. 13 (OT) Squadron RCAF Used Supermarine Stranraer (Oct 41 – Nov 42)Template:Sfn
- No. 120 Squadron RCAF Used Supermarine Stranraer (Nov 41 – Oct 43)Template:Sfn
- (OT)-Operational Training;
- Eastern Air Command
Civilian
- Aero Transport Ltd.Template:Sfn
- Pacific Western AirlinesTemplate:Sfn
- Queen Charlotte AirlinesTemplate:Sfn
- Wardair<ref name="Dir" />
Specifications
Surviving aircraft
A single Stranraer, 920/CF-BXO, survives in the collection of the Royal Air Force Museum London.<ref name="RAF">Template:Cite web</ref>Template:Sfn This aircraft was built in 1940, one of 40 produced by Canadian Vickers. In service with the RCAF, it flew with several squadrons, on anti-submarine patrols, as a training aircraft and carrying passengers. In 1944, it was disposed of. It was flown by the civilian airline Canadian Pacific Airlines until 1947, then by Queen Charlotte Airlines, who replaced its original engines with American Wright R-1820 Cyclone engines. Queen Charlotte Airlines flew the aircraft on passenger flights until 1952, flying from Vancouver along the Pacific coast of British Columbia. It flew with several other private owners until it was damaged by a ship in 1966. In 1970, it was bought by the RAF Museum and transported to the UK.<ref name="Dir">Template:Cite web</ref> Parts of a second Stranraer, 915/CF-BYJ, are owned by the Shearwater Aviation Museum, Halifax, Canada. This aircraft also operated with Queen Charlotte Airlines until it crashed on Christmas Eve 1949 at Belize Inlet, British Columbia. Initial parts of the aircraft were recovered in the 1980s, with additional wreckage transported to the museum in November 2008 for eventual restoration, excluding the forward fuselage and cockpit. As of 2025, the parts remain in storage at the museum awaiting restoration.<ref name="Dir" />
See also
Notes
References
Sources
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Further reading
External links
Template:Supermarine aircraft Template:Canadian Vickers aircraft Template:Aircraft manufactured in Canada Template:Authority control