Supermarine Seafire
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The Seafire was a naval version of the Supermarine Spitfire, specially adapted for operation from aircraft carriers. Additions included an arrester hook, folding wings and other specialized equipment. However, like the Spitfire, the Seafire had a narrow undercarriage track, which meant that it was not well suited to deck operations. Due to the addition of heavy carrier equipment, it suffered from an aft centre-of-gravity position that made low-speed control difficult, and its gradual stall characteristics meant that it was difficult to land accurately on the carrier. These characteristics resulted in a very high accident rate for the Seafire.
Compared with other naval fighters, the Seafire II was able to outperform the A6M5 (Zero) at low altitudes when the two types were tested against each other in World War II. Contemporary western carrier aircraft like the F6F Hellcat and the F4U Corsair, however, were considerably more powerful. Late-war Seafire marks equipped with the Griffon engines enjoyed a considerable increase of performance compared to their Merlin-engined predecessors.
The Seafire F Mk III was the first true carrier adaptation of the Spitfire design. It was developed from the Seafire II, but incorporated folding wings for improved fit in carrier hangars.<ref name=seaf>Template:Cite web</ref> Most Mk IIIs were produced as the LF variant, designed for low-altitude operations and using the Merlin 55M engine.
The top scoring Seafire pilot was Lt. R.Reynolds of 894 FAA (on HMS Indefatigable), who claimed 3.5 air victories 1944-5.
The name Seafire was arrived at by collapsing the longer name Sea Spitfire.
Specifications (LF Mk III)
Template:Airtemp</ref> and The Virtual Aviation Museum<ref name=vavm>Template:Cite web</ref> |crew=one |length main=30 ft 2½ in |length alt=9.21 m |span main=36 ft 10 in |span alt=11.23 m |height main= ft in |height alt= m |area main=241.97 ft² |area alt=22.48 m² |airfoil= |empty weight main=6,204 lb |empty weight alt=2,814 kg |loaded weight main= |loaded weight alt= |useful load main= |useful load alt= |max takeoff weight main=7,640 lb |max takeoff weight alt=3,565 kg |more general=
|engine (prop)=Rolls-Royce Merlin 55M |type of prop=liquid-cooled V-12 |number of props=1 |power main=1,585 hp |power alt=1,182 kW
|max speed main=348 mph |max speed alt=560 km/h |max speed more=at 6,000 ft (1,830 m) |cruise speed main=218 mph |cruise speed alt=350 km/h |never exceed speed main= |never exceed speed alt= |stall speed main= |stall speed alt= |range main=513 mi |range alt=825 km |range more=with drop tanks |ceiling main=24,000 ft |ceiling alt=7,315 m |climb rate main=1.9 min to 5,000 ft |climb rate alt=1,525 m |loading main= lb/ft² |loading alt= kg/m² |power/mass main= hp/lb |power/mass alt= kW/kg |more performance=
|armament=
- 2× 20mm cannon
- 4× .303 cal machine guns
- 1× 500 lb (227 kg) bomb
}}
References
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