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Saro Lerwick

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The Saunders-Roe A.36 Lerwick was a British flying boat built by the Saunders Roe Limited (Saro). It was intended to serve alongside the Short Sunderland in the Royal Air Force's Coastal Command, but it was a flawed design and only a small number were built; they had a poor service record and a high accident rate.

Design and development

Air Ministry Specification R.1/36 was issued in March 1936 to several companies that had experience in building flying boats. The specification was for a flying boat to replace the Royal Air Force's Saro London, Supermarine Stranraer and Short Singapore biplane flying boats, in the anti-submarine, convoy escort and reconnaissance roles.

An order was placed for a prototype of Blackburn's radical response to the specification - the Blackburn B-20 - but this would only be delivered in 1940. Meanwhile, a contract was issued in June 1937 to buy 21 of Saunders-Roe's proposed aircraft - the S.36 Lerwick - even though this only existed on paper. The Lerwick was a compact twin-engined, high-winged monoplane of all-metal construction. It had a conventional flying boat hull with a planing bottom and two stabilising floats carried under the wings on long struts. It was powered by two Bristol Hercules engines and initially had twin vertical stabilisers and rudders. For defense, the Lerwick was equipped with three powered Gun turrets. The nose turret had a single Vickers K gun; the other two had Browning machine guns - two guns in the FN.8 turret in the dorsal position and four in the Nash & Thomson FN4.A turret at the tail[1]. The offensive weapons - 2000lb (900 kg) of bombs or depth charges - were carried in two streamlined nacelles behind the engines[2].

The first three aircraft were used as prototypes, with the first being launched on 31 October 1938 after numerous delays during design and construction. The Lerwick was immediately found to be unstable, both aerodynamically and on the water, and not suited to "hands off" flying, a major problem in an aircraft designed for long-range patrols. Numerous adjustments, including the addition of a greatly enlarged single vertical tail unit and increasing the wing incidence, failed to remedy its undesirable characteristics, which included a vicious stall and unsatisfactory rates of roll and yaw[3]. In service, several aircraft would be lost because of wing floats breaking off, suggesting this was a structural weakness. Persistent problems with the aircraft's hydraulics would see the bomb doors sometimes dropping open during flight[4]

On one engine, the Lerwick could not maintain height, nor could it maintain a constant heading as the controls couldn't counter the torque of a single engine on maximum power[5]. Thus, an engine failure would inevitably see the aircraft flying in slowly descending circles. On one occasion, the loss of an engine forced a Lerwick to make an emergency landing in the Caledonian Canal. The aircraft was then towed to Oban at the end of a string of coal barges.[6]

Service

In the summer of 1939, four Lerwicks were allocated to 240 Squadron. But by October, the squadron had stopped flying them and reverted to its older and slower Saro London flying boats. The Lerwick programme was cancelled on the 24 October, but restarted on 1 November. In December 1939, Air Vice-Marshal Sholto Douglas recommended the Lerwicks be scrapped and Saunders-Roe put to building Short Sunderlands, but the production changeover would have taken months and, with the start of World War II, aircraft were urgently required.[7]

Production continued and the type entered service with 209 Squadron based at Oban in 1940, replacing Short Singapores. The squadron soon began losing aircraft to accidents. During the service with 209 Squadron, all the Lerwicks were grounded twice for urgent safety modifications[8]; on only two occasions was a U-boat ever attacked by a Lerwick, neither submarine was damaged[8].

In April 1941, 209 Squadron began receiving PBY Catalinas. The last of a total of 21 Lerwicks was delivered in May, but the type was withdrawn from front-line service in the same month[8]. Most of the remaining Lerwicks were transferred to Number 4 (Coastal) Operational Training Unit at Invergordon; three were sent to 240 Squadron for service trials at the highly-secret Marine Aircraft Experimental Establishment at Helensburgh.

In the Summer of 1942, the Lerwicks were briefly returned to service for the purpose of operational training with 422 Squadron and 423 Squadron, Royal Canadian Air Force[9], based at Loch Erne. By the end of 1942 the type had been declared obsolete; by early 1943, the survivors had been scrapped.

Operators

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Operational Losses

  • 1 September 1939, L7249 operating with the Marine Aircraft Experimental Establishment at Felixstowe; sank after launching as a camera hatch was left open. Written off.[10].
  • 20 February 1940, L7253 (WQ-G) had a wing float break-off as it touched down, the aircraft rolled upside down and four crew died[4].
  • 29 June 1940, L7261 lost a wing float while taxing after landing, rolled over and sank in Ardentrive Bay, Kerrera; no casualties[11].
  • 21 November 1940, L7251 sank at its moorings in Loch Ryan[12].
  • 6 December 1940,L7255 (WQ-A) sank, when it lost a float in a gale while moored on Loch Ryan[13].
  • 7 January 1941, L7262 sank after an accident during take-off; two crew died.[14]
  • 22 February 1941, L7263 (WQ-L) went missing while on patrol in fine weather with a crew of 14.[8]
  • 24 March 1941, L7252, damaged after bouncing during landing, sank[15].
  • 14 Oct 1941, L7268, with No. 4 (C)OTU, crashed into the sea, killing nine[16].
  • 16 Oct 1941, L7254 sank after striking a rock during taxing[17].
  • 21 Oct 1941, L7248, the first Lerwick built, crashed on the 21 October, killing six RAF personnel and a civilian technician. The aircraft was flying on a calibration flight from the MAEE when it developed an engine fault and crashed into a hillside above Faslane[18].
  • 11 November 1941, L7257 (WQ-F), sank at its moorings during a gale.
  • 21 December 1941, L7265 (WQ-Q) flying with No. 4 (C)OTU, it was written off after crashing during landing[19].
  • 6 September, 1942, L7267 was lost during an aborted landing - the pilot increased power to Go-around but one engine failed to respond. A wingtip struck the water and the aircraft was spun around, tearing a gash in its hull. The crew climbed out through the astrodome and began swimming to shore as the aircraft sank, but were picked up by a boat.[20]

Specifications (Saro Lerwick)

General characteristics

  • Crew: 6
  • Length: 63 ft 7 in (19.4 m)
  • Wingspan: 80 ft 10 in (24.7 m)
  • Height: 20 ft 0 in (6.1 m)
  • Wing area: 845 ft² (78.5 m²)
  • Loaded weight: 28,400 lb (12,880 kg)
  • Max takeoff weight: 33,200 lb (15,060 kg)
  • Powerplant: 2× Bristol Hercules II radial engine, 1,375 hp (1,030 kW) each

Performance

Armament


See also

Comparable aircraft

Related lists

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Lists relating to aviation
GeneralTimeline of aviation · Aircraft · Aircraft manufacturers · Aircraft engines · Aircraft engine manufacturers · Airports · Airlines
MilitaryAir forces · Aircraft weapons · Missiles · Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) · Experimental aircraft
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and accidents		Military aviation · Airliners · General aviation · Famous aviation-related deaths
RecordsFlight airspeed record · Flight distance record · Flight altitude record · Flight endurance record · Most produced aircraft

References

Notes

  1. ↑ London 2003, p. 172.
  2. ↑ London 2003, p. 173.
  3. ↑ Bowyer 1991, p. 149.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 London 2003, p. 185.
  5. ↑ London 2003, p.183.
  6. ↑ Life and Times of 422 Squadron RCAF. Retrieved on 2009-02-20.
  7. ↑ London 2003, p. 174.
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 8.3 London 2003, p. 186.
  9. ↑ RCAF.com. Retrieved on 2009-09-09.
  10. ↑ Aviation Safety Network. Retrieved on 2009-09-11.
  11. ↑ Aviation Safety Network. Retrieved on 2009-09-11.
  12. ↑ Aviation Safety Network. Retrieved on 2009-09-11.
  13. ↑ Aviation Safety Network. Retrieved on 2009-09-11.
  14. ↑ Aviation Safety Network. Retrieved on 2009-09-11.
  15. ↑ Aviation Safety Network. Retrieved on 2009-09-11.
  16. ↑ London 2003, p. 186.
  17. ↑ Aviation Safety Network. Retrieved on 2009-09-11.
  18. ↑ Air Crash Sites Scotland. Retrieved on 2009-09-09.
  19. ↑ Aviation Safety Network. Retrieved on 2009-09-11.
  20. ↑ Life and Times of 422 Squadron RCAF. Retrieved on 2009-02-20.

Bibliography

  • Bowyer, Chaz. Coastal Command at War. Sheperton, Surrey, UK: Ian Allan Ltd., 1979. ISBN 0-7110-0980-5. (p. 30.)
  • Bowyer, Michael J.F. Aircraft for the Few: The RAF's Fighters and Bombers in 1940. Sparkford, near Yeovil, Somerset, UK: Patrick Stephens Ltd., 1991. ISBN 1-85260-040-3. (pp. 148-151.)
  • Green, William. War Planes of the Second World War, Volume Five: Flying Boats. London: Macdonald & Co. (Publishers) Ltd., 1962 (Fifth impression 1972). ISBN 0-356-01449-5. (pp. 84-87.)
  • London, Peter. British Flying Boats. Sutton Publishers Ltd. 2003. ISBN 0-7509-2695-3
  • London, Peter. Saunders and Saro Aircraft Since 1917. London: Putnam (Conway Maritime Press), London, 1988. ISBN 0-85177-814-3.
  • March, Daniel J. British Warplanes of World War II: Combat Aircraft of the RAf and Fleet AIr Arm, 1939-1945. Hoo, nr Rochester, Kent, UK: Aerospace Publishing Ltd., 1998. ISBN 1-84013-391-0. (p. 191.)
  • Mondey, David. The Hamlyn Concise Guide to British Aircraft of World War II. Hamlyn (publishers),1982 (republished 1994 by Chancellor Press, reprinted 2002). ISBN 1-85152-668-4. (p. 181.)

External links

Template:Saro aircraft

v • d • e
Lists relating to aviation
GeneralTimeline of aviation · Aircraft · Aircraft manufacturers · Aircraft engines · Aircraft engine manufacturers · Airports · Airlines
MilitaryAir forces · Aircraft weapons · Missiles · Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) · Experimental aircraft
Notable incidents
and accidents		Military aviation · Airliners · General aviation · Famous aviation-related deaths
RecordsFlight airspeed record · Flight distance record · Flight altitude record · Flight endurance record · Most produced aircraft

cs:Saro Lerwick de:Saunders-Roe Lerwick ja:サンダース・ロー ラーウィック pl:Saro Lerwick

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