Wight Seaplane
| Seaplane | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Wight Type 840 on anti-submarine patrol 1915 | |
| Role | Biplane floatplane |
| Manufacturer | J Samuel White & Company Limited (Wight Aircraft) |
| Designer | Howard T Wright |
| Introduction | 1915 |
| Retired | 1917 |
| Primary user | Royal Naval Air Service |
| Number built | 52 |
|
| |
The Wight Seaplane was a British twin-float seaplane produced by J Samuel White & Company Limited (Wight Aircraft). It was also known as the Admiralty Type 840.
Design and development
Designed by Howard T Wright and built by the aircraft department of the shipbuilding company J Samuel White & Company Limited, the Wight Seaplane was a slightly smaller version (61 ft (18.59m) span) of the Wight Pusher Seaplane. The aircraft was a conventional two-float seaplane with tandem open cockpits and a nose mounted 225 hp (168 kW) Sunbeam engine. Fifty two aircraft were built and delivered and an extra 20 were produced as spares production being undertaken by Portholme Aviation and William Beardmore & Co., Ltd.[1]
Service History
The Wight Seaplane served with the R.N.A.S. at Dundee Felixstowe, Scapa Flow and Gibraltar, being used for anti-submarine patrols between 1915 and 1917.[2]
Operators
Specifications (Seaplane)
Data from The British Bomber since 1914 [1]
General characteristics
- Length: 41 ft 0 in (12.50 m)
- Wingspan: 61 ft 0 in (18.59 m)
- Height: ()
- Wing area: 568 ft² (52.8 m²)
- Empty weight: 3,408 lb (1,549 kg)
- Max. takeoff weight: 4,810 lb (2,186 lb)
- Powerplant: 1 × Sunbeam, 225 hp (168 kw)
Performance
- Maximum speed: 81 mph (70 knots, 130 km/h)
Armament
One 810 lb (370 kg) 14 inch torpedo or equivalent weight in bombs.
References
- Mackay, Chales Edward (2012). Beardmore Aviation: The Story of a Scottish Industrial Giant's Aviation Activities. A Mackay. ISBN 978-0957344303.
*The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Aircraft (Part Work 1982-1985). Orbis Publishing.