Fly Past

30 RAF CENTENARY CELEBRATION PATROLLERS AND AIRLIFTERS

SUNDERLAND

SHORT

1938 TO 1959

1918 2018

Top right

Sunderland Mk.I L2163

of 210 Squadron

escorted troop convoys

to the Middle East in

1941. The following
      year this aircraft was
      damaged beyond
      repair while moored
      at Stranraer, Scotland.
      ANDY HAY/
      WWW.FLYINGART.CO.UK

Right

Sunderland Mk.V SZ567

of 230 Squadron over

Greenland in 1952.

Below

Short Sunderland Mk.I

P9604/RB-J of the

RAAF-equipped 10

Squadron Detachment,

based at Oban, Argyll,

begins its take-off run

in Oban Bay, 1940.

W

hen the Short Sunderland

finally retired it had given

the RAF more than two

decades of sterling service... a then-

record for a frontline type.

The aircraft was to all intents and

purposes a militarised derivative of

the famous Short C Class Empire

flying boats, which plied their trade

across the oceans as long-distance

transports during the inter-war years.

The aircraft was created to meet

the requirements of Air Ministry

Specification R.2/33, which called

for a four-engined monoplane

flying boat to replace the antiquated

biplanes that had formed the basis of

the RAF’s flying boat fleet since the

end of the Great War.

Short proposed the Sunderland,

while Saunders-Roe submitted the

Bristol Perseus-powered Saro R.2/33

(K4773). The latter suffered an

accident during testing, leaving the

door open for the Sunderland to be

awarded the contract.

An order for 21 Sunderlands was

placed in March 1936 – more than

18 months before the prototype

(K4774) made its aerial debut on

October 16, 1937.

FLYING PORCUPINE

When it replaced the Short

Singapore IIIs in service with

230 Squadron in Singapore,

and 21 Squadron at Pembroke

Dock, Wales, in June 1938 the

Sunderland became the only

British flying boat to feature

powered gun turrets. In fact, its

firepower was so strong, it

quickly earned the nickname

‘flying porcupine’.

By the outbreak of war in

September 1939, RAF Coastal

Command was equipped with 27

Sunderlands assigned to three units

(204, 228 and 230 Squadrons).

The aircraft were soon put to task

and on September 18 two machines

from 204 and 228 Squadrons rescued

all 34 seamen from a torpedoed

tramp steamer off the Scillies.

The type achieved its first U-boat

‘kill’ on January 30, 1940, when

Germany’s U-55 was scuttled after

being sighted by the crew of a 228

Squadron aircraft.

The Sunderland’s slow and

ponderous nature was more than

eclipsed by its formidable firepower.

On several occasions, single flying

boats managed to defend themselves

from multiple fighter attacks, with

one (EJ134 of 461 Squadron)

downing three of the

eight Junkers Ju 88s

that pounced on it

over the Bay of Biscay

on June 2, 1943.

MULTI-ROLE

In addition to its

remarkable anti-