Problems with Early Seafires.

Seafire on H.M.S. Unicorn

 I mentioned in my blog of 12.8.17 (Spitfires to Malta) the improvisation necessary to get the required half flap setting for taking off from HMS Eagle.

This reminded me of another improvisation mentioned in my recent book in response to deck landings with the early Seafires. Capt. George C. Baldwin, who flew Seafires throughout the war, gave the following perspective on problems associated with aircraft-carrier landings with the early conversions: “‘pecking’ was a phenomenon caused by the tail being thrown up as the aircraft caught the arrester-wire and the propeller touching the flight deck and, if it was a wooden propeller, pieces flew off in every direction. Believe it or not, that was cured by just taking a sharp knife and cutting three inches off the end of each blade with no noticeable loss of performance whatever.” [There were also problems with pintles in the undercarriage being easily damaged and with hard contacts of the tail with the flight deck causing the fuselage to bend just in front to the empennage.]

A more chilling scenario may not be noticed in my Appendix One, where FAA pilot Henry Adlam describes a detail of the Salerno operation (September, 1943) with the early Seafire types:

For the Seafire to land on the small deck of an Escort Carrier, even under ideal conditions, calls for considerable skill and experience on the part of the pilot. But at Salerno, the wind conditions were no better than a zephyr breeze and almost a dead calm, conditions entirely to have been expected at that time of the year. Thus the Seafires had to operate with a total wind speed over the deck of only sixteen knots, being the maximum speed of the Escort Carriers, whereas they needed a total wind speed over the deck of at least twenty-eight knots. These were desperately difficult landing conditions for the Seafire pilots; conditions which surely should have been anticipated at the outset when the whole Salerno operation was being planned by Rear Admiral Vian who, despite never having flown an aircraft or having served in an Aircraft Carrier, had been put in charge of this, the first multi Carrier Fleet* of the Royal Navy… After two days the four Escort Carriers had virtually run out of Seafires, no less than forty-eight [my italics] of which had been written off as the pilots attempted to land in windless conditions.

* The fleet in question was composed of the four escort carriers and a support/depot ship, H.M.S. Unicorn, also configured as an aircraft carrier – see illustration below.

[Notwithstanding Adlam’s views, the enigmatic Vian, conclued his 40 year service with promotion to Admiral of the Fleet.

By 1944, the problems with the Seafire had been resolved: Adlam again, with reference to the Seafire XV: ‘An absolute thoroughbred of an aircraft requiring only the most delicate pressures on the controls for it to respond immediately and perfectly… On a runway with plenty of space, the simplest of aircraft to land’.]

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For reference sources, see my Blogpost: “Source Material and References" – an extended bibliography is included in my R.J.Mitchell at Supermarine; Schneider Trophy to Spitfire which also provides material for wider reading, grouped according to specific areas of interest. 

R.J. Mitchell: Steam Revisited

Locomotive No.6 at Calshot, 1921 -1945

In my recent book I wrote that Mitchell’s Type 224 design was powered by a Rolls-Royce Goshawk evaporatively cooled engine – using  a new system, whereby the water in the engine was kept under pressure by pumps, allowing it to heat to 150 Celsius and then the superheated water was released to turn to steam in a suitable container, with sides exposed to the airflow – where it would condense, to be returned to the engine. Type 224 first flew in 1934 but it was found that the returning coolant water would often turn into steam again, the pump would cease to operate, and plumes of steam would be seen escaping from wing tip vents.

      This no doubt produced unwelcome memories in Mitchell of his apprenticeship at the locomotive works of  Kerr, Stuart and Co. but at least he must have had other, earlier memories (though possibly not nostalgic ones– see my Chapter One) of his time at the Fenton works during his frequent visits to the naval flying boat base at Calshot:  there, a narrow gauge loco ran between the base and the Eaglehurst camp, built to accommodate the ground staff and aircraft crews who worked at RNAS Calshot. (See photo above). It was not one of at least fifty Wren class engines built at Fenton whilst he was an apprentice there:

Wren class locomotive - Kerr,Stuart and Co.

but was built by Andrew Barclay & Co. Ltd., Kilmarnock to a very similar pattern. The photo below, courtesy of Talyllyn Railway Archives, gives a more close-up view of the Calshot locomotive in its earlier days.

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For reference sources, see my Blogpost: “Source Material and References" – an extended bibliography is included in my R.J.Mitchell at Supermarine; Schneider Trophy to Spitfire which also provides material for wider reading, grouped according to specific areas of interest.

Spitfires for Malta

HMS Eagle

 
In my recent book I wrote that the reputation of Mitchell’s fighter was further enhanced by the eventual lifting of the siege of Malta. In early 1941, the Luftwaffe had had to take over the action from the Italians and so reinforcements of Spitfires had to be flown in from H.M.S. Eagle (they did not have the range to go directly from Gibraltar). Eventually, sufficient numbers of Spitfires, better organized ground support and the deployment of many experienced pilots, led by the October of 1942 to the lifting of the siege and even to a developing offensive strategy from the island. The Spitfire was once again seen as the significant factor in another British ‘backs-to-the-wall’ campaign.

 Since completing this book, I have come across the following anecdote which gives an insight into the sort of desperate measures that wartime emergencies often required and which lay behind the successful lifting of the seige of Malta:

 “Ronnie [Fl Lt Ronnie West DFC & bar] had arrived on Malta after flying off with the first batch of Spitfires, from the carrier HMS Eagle, joining 249 Squadron. He told us that as the Spitfires only had flaps which were either fully up or fully down – no half or partial flaps as with bombers – they had to overcome the problem of really needing partial flap when taking off from a carrier. They achieved this by selecting flaps ‘down’ prior to take-off, then inserting bits of wood which were held in position whilst flaps were selected ‘up’. Thus partial flap was achieved. Once height was made, flaps were selected ‘down’, which released the bits of wood, then ‘up’ again before flying on to Malta.” (From Spitfire Offensive by Wing Commander R.W.F. Sampson, OBE, DFC & bar and N.Franks).

[On 11 Aug, 1942, Eagle was hit by four torpedoes from U-73 while escorting a convoy to Malta; 169 crew were lost; 927 were rescued]   

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For reference sources, see my Blogpost: “Source Material and References" – an extended bibliography is included in my R.J.Mitchell at Supermarine; Schneider Trophy to Spitfire which also provides material for wider reading, grouped according to specific areas of interest.