Supermarine
World War One
Military orders The outbreak of war provided an enormous boost to the marine
aviation industry in the South. The government was awarding
contracts for military planes and seaplanes and the Admiralty had
already established an air base at Calshot, Hampshire in 1913 to
support the fleet there. The base tested locally built
seaplanes to check they were ready for service and ran a training
programme for pilots. Attracted by the prospect of military
contracts new companies began to set up in the area, some even
relocating from other parts of Britain. At Supermarine Noel Pemberton-Billing stopped developing
his own plans and concentrated on repairing aircraft that came back
from Le Havre and building land and marine planes to government
specification. Supermarine was effectively taken over by the
government for the duration of the war. The company built three
types of marine aircraft that were designed by the
Admiralty. It was these Admiralty designed (AD) aircraft that
gave the factory the most work. The design of the third
and last aircraft was a prototype called N59 in 1918. A contract to
build didn’t follow but the design provided the basis for the award
winning ‘Sea Lion II’ Schneider Trophy aircraft. Saunders on the Isle of Wight also saw success with the
construction of a two-seater floatplane for the Royal Navy.
It was a combat plane that could carry both bombs and a
torpedo. As well as providing complete aircraft,
Saunders specialised in the waterproofing of flying boat
hulls using a technique they had developed in boat
building. The aircraft department of J. S. White's improved
their Navyplane design and orders were placed for a fair
number. The company also produced the Type 840, a two-seat
torpedo bomber/reconnaissance seaplane that was ordered by the
military. During the final stages of the war White's were only
producing prototypes and in 1919 the aircraft
department closed down. Once the war had ended the
government contracts for aircraft dried up and many companies were
forced to close. Saunders carried on, Vickers had bought an
interest in the company during the war and the company built a
number of hulls for Vickers designed flying boats. Finally, in 1928
A.V Roe bought controlling interest in the firm and it became
Saunders-Roe. At Supermarine Hubert Scott-Paine turned his
eyes towards the civilian market and saw a way to use the AD
aircraft to secure the company’s future.
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