Fly Past

SUPERMARINE SOUTHAMPTON 100 YEARS OF THE ROYAL AIR FORCE

PATROLLERS AND AIRLIFTERS RAF CENTENARY CELEBRATION 11

which were divided into watertight
compartments. On the metal-hulled
Mk II this system was replaced by
a simple single skin, which both
reduced weight and increased
internal space. Improved engines
and the lighter design increased the
range of the Mk II to more than 500
miles (805km).
Three crew positions were placed
ahead of the wings with a bow
mooring position (complete with a
single Lewis gun) in the nose. Two
more crew stations were placed

below the wing centre-section and

two offset Lewis gun positions were

placed behind the wing.

INITIAL BATCH

The RAF initially ordered a batch

of six Southamptons, the first of

which (N9896) performed its

maiden flight on March 10, 1925.

A further 18 Mk Is were ordered

before production switched to the

metal-hulled Mk II, of which 41

were ordered. From 1927 the outer

panels of the wings were also swept

“The early Mk I examples had wooden

hulls, which were divided into watertight

compartments.”

Left

Supermarine

Southampton I S

of 480 (Coastal

Reconnaissance)

Flight at RAF Calshot

in 1926. ANDY HAY/WWW.

FLYINGART.CO.UK

Above left

The fi rst production

Southampton I

seen before it was

launched at Hythe,

Hampshire in 1925.

Above

The sole-surviving

Southampton (albeit

just the fuselage)

is exhibited at the

RAF Museum at

Hendon, London. It

was painstakingly

restored over more

than a decade

before being

placed on display

at the museum in

1995. The aircraft
      joined 480 (Coastal
      Reconnaissance) in
      July 1925 and was
      operated until 1928,
      when it was damaged
      after breaking its
      moorings in a storm.
      It was later sold
      and turned into a
      houseboat. STEVE
      BRIDGEWATER

Left

Metal-winged

Southampton III N

taking off at Calshot

back slightly and from 1929 all

surviving wooden-hulled examples

were retrofitted with metal hulls.

The Southampton entered RAF

service in August 1925 when

examples joined 480 (Coastal

Reconnaissance) Squadron at

Calshot. Within months the aircraft

had captured the attention of the

world by completing a 10,000-

mile (16,096km) cruise around the

British Isles.

This was to be the first of many

important long-distance flights,

mainly conducted for flag waving

reasons. The most famous of these

lasted for over a year and saw four

aircraft from the Far East Flight

travel 27,000 miles (43,451km)

between October 1927 and

December 1928. The aircraft

circumnavigated Australia as well

as visiting Hong Kong, Indo-China

and Burma before ending the

journey at their new base

in Singapore.

Later development led to a

small number of metal-winged

Southampton Mk III and the

advanced Mk IV (which became

the Supermarine Scapa) and Mk

V (which formed the basis of the

Supermarine Stranraer).

The last Southamptons to leave

RAF service were those of 201

Squadron at Calshot, which served

until December 1936 when the type

was finally replaced by the Saunders

Roe London.