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The 'Supermarine Walrus' was an amphibious reconnaissance aircraft designed by R. J. Mitchell and operated by the Fleet Air Arm. It also served with the Royal Air Force, RAAF, RNZN, RCAF, and RNZAF.

Contents

Development

Operational history

Variants

Operators

Military operators

Civilian operators

Specifications (Supermarine Walrus)

References

External links

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Development

The Walrus was initially developed for service from cruisers at the request of Australia, and was called the 'Seagull Mk V' - although there was little resemblance to the earlier Supermarine Seagull III. 24 were ordered directly off the drawing boards for use by the Royal Australian Air Force , under the 'A2' designation. It was then ordered for the Royal Air Force, it was also hoped to capitalise on that amphibian's successful exports to Japan, Spain, etc. It was delivered for service from cruisers from 1935.
It was designed to be launched from ship-borne catapults, and was the first amphibious aircraft in the world to be launched by catapult with a full military load. The wings could be folded on ship, giving a storage width of 17 ft 11 in (5.5 m). 740 Walrus were built in three major variants, the metal-hulled 'Seagull V', 'Walrus Mark I' and the wooden-hulled 'Walrus Mark II'.
As the Walrus was stressed to a level suitable for catapult-launching, rather surprisingly for such an ungainly-looking machine, it could be looped and bunted, whereupon any water in the bilges would make its presence felt. This usually discouraged the pilot from any future aerobatics on this type.
One of its more unusual characteristics was that the control column was not a fixed fitting in the usual way, but could be unplugged from a socket at floor level, there being two sockets. It became a habit for only one column to be in use and when control was passed from the pilot to co-pilot or vice-versa for the control column to be unplugged and handed over.

Operational history

The first Seagull V, A2-1, was handed over to the Royal Australian Air Force in 1935, with the last, A2-24 delivered in 1937 and served aboard the HMA Ships ''Australia'' (MTO), ''Canberra'' (MTO/SWPA, lost at Guadalcanal in 1942), ''Sydney'' (MTO, SWPA, lost off the coast of Western Australia 1942}, Perth and Hobart.
The first Production Walrus, K5772, had its first flight on 16 March, 1936 and deliveries started in 1936. The first Walrus to be deployed was with the New Zealand division of the Royal Navy, on HMS ''Achilles'' (later a victor of the Battle of the River Plate). By the start of the war the Walrus was in widespread use, and they saw service in home waters, the Mediterranean and the Far East. Walrus are credited with sinking or damaging at least 5 enemy submarines. One Walrus, HD874, (Restored and exhibited at the RAAF Museum, Point Cook, Victoria) was still in service in 1947 with Australian Antarctic Expedition and was destroyed there.
The Walrus was affectionately known as the 'Shagbat' or sometimes 'Steam-pigeon', the latter name coming from the steam produced by water falling on the hot Pegasus engine.
RAF use in home waters was mainly in the air-sea rescue role.
The Irish Air Corps used the Walrus as a maritime patrol aircraft during World War II (see: The Emergency). One of the Walrus aircraft formerly flown by the Air Corps is preserved, albeit in Royal Navy colours. The aircraft was bought back by the Fleet Air Arm after the war as a training aircraft, and now resides in the RNAS museum in Yeovilton.

Variants

;Seagull V
:Original Metal-hull version.
;Walrus I
:Metal-hull version.
;Walrus II
:Wooden-hull version.

Operators

Military operators

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★ : French Navy

★ or (Eire)

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★ : Royal Navy, Fleet Air Arm, Royal Air Force

Civilian operators

★ : Amphibious Airways

★ : two planes were embarked on board of whaling ship ''Willem Barendsz''

★ : Vestlandske Luftfartsskelskap

★ : United Whalers

Specifications (Supermarine Walrus)

References

★ Andrews, C.F. and Morgan, E.B. ''Supermarine Aircraft Since 1914''. London: Putnam Books Ltd.,2nd revised edition 2003. ISBN 0-851-77800-3.

★ Kightly, James and Wallsgrove, Roger. ''Supermarine Walrus & Stranraer''. Sandomierz, Poland/Redbourn, UK: Mushroom Model Publications, 2004. ISBN 83-917178-9-5.

External links

★ Fleet Air Arm Archive

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