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Supermarine Sea Lion II

From Alfawiki
Supermarine Aviation Works
IndustryAircraft manufacturing
Headquarters
Southampton
,
United Kingdom
Key people
Reginald Mitchell (chief designer), Hubert Scott-Paine (managing director)
ProductsAircraft, including Supermarine Sea Lion II


For the 1919 Schneider Trophy competitor, see Supermarine Sea Lion I.
For the 1923 Schneider Trophy competitor, see Supermarine Sea Lion III.

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The Supermarine Sea Lion II was a British racing flying boat constructed by Supermarine Aviation Works. Conceived by Reginald Mitchell, this model represented a modified version of Supermarine's earlier Sea King II. It was equipped with a 450 hp (340 kW) Napier Lion engine.

Entered into the 1922 Schneider Trophy held in Naples, the Sea Lion II was designed with an expected top speed of 160 miles per hour (260 km/h). Competing against two Italian entries, the aircraft was piloted by Supermarine’s test pilot Henry Biard, who secured victory with an average speed of 145.7 mph (234.5 km/h)—marking the first international competition win for a British aircraft after World War I.

For the 1923 competition, the aircraft was renamed Sea Lion III following design alterations and an engine upgrade by Mitchell.

Development

The Schneider Trophy race for seaplanes and flying boats had been dominated by Italy, with victories in 1920 by the Savoia S.19 flying boat—uncontested as it was the sole competitor—and again in 1921 by the Macchi M.7 in another uncontested event. A third successive win would grant Italy permanent possession of the trophy. In 1922, British manufacturer Supermarine Aviation Works entered a privately funded aircraft, unlike the Italian and French teams, which were backed by their governments.[1] The British entry’s financial support came from Supermarine’s managing director, Hubert Scott-Paine, with contributions from Napier supplying the engine, Shell providing fuel at no cost, and the Castrol donating necessary lubricants.[2]

File:Sea Lion II hull and Napier Lion engine on display.jpg
Hull and Napier Lion engine of the Sea Lion II during assembly

Supermarine adapted their racing flying boat from the existing Sea King II fighter,[3] a single-seat biplane amphibian powered by a 300 hp (220 kW) Hispano Suiza engine arranged in pusher configuration, which had its maiden flight in 1921.[3] This design shared similarities with the earlier Supermarine Sea Lion I, which had competed in the 1919 Schneider Trophy; that model itself was derived from the First World War-era flying boat fighter, the Supermarine Baby.[4] Compared to its predecessor, the new aircraft featured a more streamlined hull form, redesigned tail assembly, and a four-bladed propeller replacing the earlier two-blade version.[5]

At Supermarine’s Woolston facility in Southampton, chief designer and engineer Reginald Mitchell carried out modifications to incorporate a 450 hp (340 kW) Napier Lion engine provided on loan by D. Napier & Son.[3][6] This upgrade increased power output by approximately 50 percent;[7] Mitchell anticipated achieving speeds up to 160 miles per hour (260 km/h), potentially making it Britain’s fastest aircraft at that time.[8] Adjustments to the rudder and fin necessitated reinforcing the hull structure by applying an additional layer of varnished fabric over it.[7] The Sea Lion II was officially registered under G-EBAH.[3]

1922 Schneider Trophy competition

The Sea Lion II was entered in the 1922 Schneider Trophy event, held in Naples on 12 August 1922, following the Italians’ decision to advance the original race date by two weeks.[9][8] Due to strong winds, the available period for flight testing the aircraft in England was limited.[8] Prior to shipment, the plane was disassembled, crated, and transported at no cost aboard the SS Philomel to Naples.[7][8] The Sea Lion II competed against two Italian entries: a Macchi S.7 and a Savoia S.19, while two French teams did not start the race.[10][11] The race course comprised 13 laps of approximately 17.7 miles (28.5 km) each;[9] during practice sessions, none of the competitors revealed their full potential.[5] Conducted on an unusually warm day, the race itself passed without incident.[12][7] Piloted by Henry Biard, the Sea Lion II secured victory with an average speed of 145.7 mph (234.5 km/h),[3] completing the course over ninety seconds faster than runner-up Alessandro Passaleva’s aircraft.[11] This achievement marked the first British aircraft triumph in an international competition following World War I, enhancing Supermarine’s reputation and showcasing Mitchell’s skillful modifications that significantly improved performance despite the design’s origins from an earlier model.[7][13]

For the subsequent 1923 Schneider Trophy held at Cowes on the Isle of Wight, the Sea Lion II underwent redesign and was equipped with a more powerful 550 hp (410 kW) Napier Lion engine, leading to its rebranding as the Supermarine Sea Lion III.[3][14]

Operators

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Specifications

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See also

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References

  1. ↑ Andrews & Morgan 1987, pp. 5, 60.
  2. ↑ James 1981, p. 11.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 Jackson 1988, p. 314.
  4. ↑ Andrews & Morgan 1987, pp. 52, 57–59.
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 James 1981, p. 12.
  6. ↑ Andrews & Morgan 1987, p. 60.
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 7.4 Pegram 2016, p. 36.
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 8.3 Mitchell 2006, p. 45.
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 Baker 1994, p. 144.
  10. ↑ Lewis 1970, p. 125.
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 Flight 17 August 1922, p. 465.
  12. ↑ James 1981, p. 13.
  13. ↑ James 1981, p. 14.
  14. ↑ Mitchell 2006, p. 51.

Sources

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Further reading

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