1920s British racing flying boat
The
Supermarine Sea Lion III
was a British
racing
flying boat
built by the
Supermarine Aviation Works
. Designed by
Reginald Mitchell
, it was a modification of Supermarine's
Supermarine Sea Lion II
. It was powered by a 550 hp (410 kW)
Napier Lion
engine.
Sea Lion III was entered for the 1923
Schneider Trophy
contest at
Cowes
. Supermarine's test pilot
Henry Biard
flew the aircraft and managed third place, reaching a speed of 151.16 mph (243.27 km/h). The performance of the Sea Lion III led to Supermarine designing
seaplanes
instead of flying boats as racers.
Development
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The British aircraft company
Supermarine Aviation Works
competed in the 1922
Schneider Trophy
race for
seaplanes
and
flying boats
with a self-funded entry, in contrast to the Italian and French entries, which were sponsored by their respective governments.
[1]
The entry was a modification of their
Sea King II
fighter
,
a single-seat
biplane
amphibian powered by a 300 hp (220 kW)
Hispano Suiza
engine in
pusher configuration
that had first flown in 1921.
The aircraft was designed at the company's works at
Woolston, Southampton
by Supermarine's chief designer and chief engineer,
Reginald Mitchell
,
who incorporated a 450 hp (340 kW)
Napier Lion
engine loaned by
Napier
.
[4]
1923 Schneider Trophy race
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The course of the 1923 Schneider Trophy race
The Sea Lion II was flown by
Henry Biard
, who won the race at an average speed of 145.7 mph (234.5 km/h),
The victory was the first post-World War I success by a British aircraft in an international competition
For the 1923 Schneider Race, which was held at
Cowes
on the
Isle of Wight
, the Sea Lion II was re-engined with a 550 hp (410 kW) Napier Lion and renamed as the Sea Lion III.
Mitchell modified the hull so as to reduce
drag
forces,
and he gave the aircraft two bay wings and a larger rudder area.
He expected the Sea Lion III to attain speeds in excess of 160 miles per hour (260 km/h);
the aircraft managed third place behind the
American
Curtiss CR-3
seaplanes, reaching a speed of 151.16 mph (243.27 km/h).
Supermarine's managing director
Hubert Scott-Paine
said after the trophy was won by the Americans:
Our drawing office people got all the speed they possibly could out of the machine. We did the best we could and have no regrets. Sea Lion III was 11 mph faster than Sea Lion II, and the credit for this fine performance was due to several people, one of whom is Mr. R.J. Mitchell, who designed both machines.
The British defeat caused Supermarine to abandon using outclassed flying boats as racers, in favour of seaplanes.
The Sea Lion III was transferred to the
Royal Air Force
in 1923.
Operators
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United Kingdom
Specifications (Sea Lion II)
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Data from
Supermarine Aircraft since 1914
[8]
General characteristics
- Crew:
1
- Length:
24 ft 9 in (7.54 m)
- Wingspan:
32 ft 0 in (9.75 m)
- Wing area:
384 sq ft (35.7 m
2
)
- Empty weight:
2,115 lb (959 kg)
- Gross weight:
2,850 lb (1,293 kg)
- Powerplant:
1 ×
Napier Lion II
W-12 water-cooled piston engine, 450 hp (340 kW)
- Propellers:
4-bladed fixed-pitch wooden pusher propeller
Performance
- Maximum speed:
160 mph (260 km/h, 140 kn)
- Endurance:
3 hours
See also
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Related lists
References
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Sources
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