Supermarine Sea Eagle

Supermarine Aviation Works
Industry	Aerospace
Headquarters	United Kingdom
Products	Aircraft, including the Supermarine Sea Eagle

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The Supermarine Sea Eagle was a British amphibious flying boat intended for passenger transport. It was developed and manufactured by Supermarine Aviation Works specifically for its subsidiary, the British Marine Air Navigation Co Ltd, to operate on routes across the English Channel connecting Southampton, the Channel Islands, and France.

Service

A total of three civilian Sea Eagles were produced, bearing registrations G-EBFK, G-EBGR, and G-EBGS. Scheduled flights between Southampton and Guernsey commenced on 25 September 1923; however, the initially planned extension to France never materialised. This operation marked the first instance in Britain of a scheduled passenger service using flying boats. The aircraft G-EBFK was involved in a crash on 21 May 1924, while G-EBGS was lost in January 1927 after a collision with a vessel in the harbour at St Peter Port, Guernsey. The remaining Sea Eagle continued servicing the route until its replacement in 1928 by a Short S.8 Calcutta.

The wooden hull of the last surviving Sea Eagle, G-EBGR, remained in possession of Vickers until 1949, when it was handed over to the British Overseas Airways Corporation. Due to storage constraints, BOAC ultimately destroyed the hull by burning it in 1954.

Variants

The Supermarine Sheldrake was developed using the Sea Eagle’s hull combined with Seagull wings and featured a tractor engine configuration. Only one unit of this model was built.

The Supermarine Scarab served as a military flying boat derived from both the Sea Eagle and Sheldrake designs but incorporated a pusher engine layout. Designed specifically for the Spanish Navy, twelve units were constructed and supplied to the Spanish Naval Air Service for bomber and reconnaissance duties during the Rif War. Armament included a .303 in (7.7 mm) Lewis gun and a bomb capacity of up to 1,000 lb (454 kg).

Operators

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Spanish Navy
- Spanish seaplane carrier Dédalo

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Specifications

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References

Bibliography

Andrews C.F. and Morgan, E.B. Supermarine Aircraft since 1914. London:Putnam, 1987. ISBN 0-85177-800-3.
Jackson, A.J. British Civil Aircraft 1919–1972:Volume III. London:Putnam, 1988. ISBN 0-85177-818-6.
London, Peter. British Flying Boats. Sutton Publishers Ltd. 2003. ISBN 0-7509-2695-3
"The Supermarine 'Sea Eagle'", Flight, vol. XV, issue 26, pp. 351–352, 28 June 1923.

External links

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