Seafire OVER STONEHENGE

Air Classics, Nov 2004 by Makanna, Philip

LAST OF THE LINE: WE FLY WITH THE WORLD'S ONLY SEAFIRE FR.47

With the end of the second World War, it was obvious that the jet age would rapidly replace piston-engine combat aircraft. However, this did not mean that production of these aircraft would immediately cease - far from it. In America, production continued with post-war variants of the Vought Corsair, North American F-51H, and NAA F-82 Twin Mustang. In Britain the same was true with Hawker cranking out Sea Furies and Supermarine ending a long line of Spitfire/Seafire variants with the elegant F.47 Seafire.

When the Griffon-powered Supermarine Spitfire Mk. 21 appeared, Britain's Admiralty requested a navalized version to take advantage of the new mark's superior performance. Although Supermarine retained the design authority, the modification work for this new varaint was sub-contracted to the firm of Cunliffe-Owen. The last variant of the Seafire to achieve operational status was the F.XVII and the new F.47 would offer a considerable increase in perfomance. The new aircraft weould feature a bubble canopy of offer superlative visibility while the mighty Rolls-Royce Crffon 87/88 V-12 would feature a contra-rotating propeller to to help transer the increased horsepower while eliminating torque. A folding wing was designed for carrier use while the rear fuselage was strengthened to handle the arrestor cable hook.

The first step leading to the last of the Spitfire/Seafire line was the F.46 which was converted by Cunliffe-Owen from F.45 TM383. This aircraft received a cut-down rear fuselage and 24-volt electrical system hut it. did not get folding wings. The first production F.46 flew during October 1945 from Vickers' South Marston factory where it had been assembled from components supplied by the Castle Bromwich factory. This particular aircraft had a Griffon 86 but the small production run of 24 was fitted with the Griffon 87 except for serial LA545 which had a Griffon 88 installed and flown in March 1946. The Griffon 88 featured the Rolls-Royce combined fuel injection and transfer pump system in place of the BendixStromberg induction-injection carburetor. The F.46 really did not have an operational mission and the few production examples were scattered between Royal Naval Air Stations Anthom and Chithom while a trio went to the Empire Test Pilots' School for in-depth testing.

The Seafire 47 would receive benefits from these earlier aircraft and a wing folding mechanism was carefully designed for the new variant. The hinge was placed outboard of the 20mm cannon bay with the outer wing folding upward while the wingtip remained fixed (earlier Seafires had folding wingtips) but height was kept within 13-ft 10-in. The first aircraft had manually folding wings with struts holding the wings in place once folded. However, this was replaced by a hydraulic power folding system and the strut became unnecessary.

Wanting to give the type extra range, leading edge fuel tanks were installed in the wing and combined with the rear fuselage tanks, combat slipper tanks, and a 90-gal drop tank, the Seafire 47 could lift 287-gal of fuel which gave it a range of around 1000-mi.

Early testing cleared the Seafire 47 at an all-up weight of 11,100-1b but for takeoff it could weigh as much as 12,900-lb. The distance between the aft and forward limits of the center of gravity was only 6-in. This characteristic was achieved after lots of design effort to perfect the longitudinal stability which had been found unable to meet the current requirements.

At the end of 1946, the first Seafire 47, serial PS944, was sent to the AAEE at Boscombe Down for flight testing but it was soon discovered that performance was inferior to the earlier Spitfire 24. This was traced to the position of the air intake at the rear of the cowling and the intake was moved to just behind the spinner and this simple modification upped the type's top speed to a sizzling 452-mph. Since the new jets were rapidly eclipsing the propeller-driven fighters, it was decided to give the Seafire 47 a multi-role tasking and the production line aircraft were modified to FR.47 standard for photographic reconnaissance missions. Two electrically-heated cameras, one vertical and one oblique, were installed in the rear fuselage along with associated cockpit controls. The downward facing camera had a spring-loaded mud flap over the port for protection during takeoff. Once airborne, the flap was released.

Compared to wartime production orders, the contract for the FR.47 was very small and only 90 examples were ordered. During January 1948, No. 804 Squadron at Ford, Sussex, began receiving their new FR.47s. The aircraft replaced Seafire F.XVs but their relationship was to be short as the unit started getting the new Sea Fury during the summer of 1949. The other operational unit that received the FR.47 was No. 800 Squadron who started getting the Seafires (replacing Seafire F.XVIIs) at Donibristle, Scotland, during April 1949.

The squadron deployed aboard HMS Triumph for a Mediterranean cruise and then headed for the Far East. It was at this location that the last of the Seafires saw military action. Malaya was a hot-bed of communist rebel activity and the FR.47s began attacking jungle targets with, bombs, rockets, and their 20mm cannon. By the spring of 1950, the Triump was steaming off the coast of Korea and launching Seafires against the communist forces that were pouring into the south. At the time, a detachment of Seafires was sent to the USS Boxer (do any of you Boxer veterans have photographs of this rather unique event?). The FR.47s were really not well-suited for the ground attack mission and in November they began phasing out while No. 800 transitioned to the new Supermarine Attacker jet. During the Korea War, the Seafire 47s flew 115 sorties against ground targets and completed 245 offensive fighter patrols.