Britain's Short Sunderland Flying Boat^1,2,3,4,5; "The Flying Porcupine"^1,2,3,5

Short Sunderland flying boat:	Short Sunderland flying boat:	Short Sunderland flying boat:	Short Sunderland flying boat:
Short Sunderland flying boat, providing assistance in the rescue of the crew of the SS Kensington Court:	Short Sunderland flying boat attacking U-71:	Short Sunderland flying boat, with WAAFS loading gear:	Short Sunderland Mk I flying boat:
Short Sunderland Mk II flying boat:	Short Sunderland Mk III flying boat:
Short Sunderland flying boat:	Short Sunderland flying boat:	Short Sunderland flying boat during the Berlin Airlift:

Design

The Sunderland was developed before World War II.¹ On November 23, 1933 the Air Ministry issued a specification, R.2/33, calling for a four engined monoplane flying boat to replace the biplane flying boats that were then in service.⁴ Saunders Roe also submitted a prototype but it crashed leaving Short the winner.⁴

To work on the Sunderland it had to be placed on a trolley to be moved to land.¹

The Sunderland could fly 20 hour patrols.¹

Turrets

The Sunderland was the first flying boat to have powered gun turrets.^1,5

The nose turret was a powered Frazer-Nash that could be retracted into the nose.¹

Fuselage

The hull was made from anodized light allow.⁴ To reduce drag the rivets on the external surface were countersunk.⁴

The forward section had double decks that had the ward room and an entrance door below the flight deck.⁴ The mooring compartment had the anchor and a J-Type dinghy.⁴

The most forward area was a bomb-aimer's window that was hinged outward.⁴

The rear section of the fuselage contained crew quarters, galley, and bomb stowage.¹ The galley had a Clyde Cooker and there was 25 gallons of water available.⁴ There was also a sink.⁴

The crews quarters had 4 bunks for the crew to rest during long patrols.⁴ There was a flushing toilet that had an 11 gallon tank.⁴

The upper fuselage had the ASV Mk II surface radar aerials mounted.¹

Tail

The tail was a metal frame with a fabric cover on the control surfaces.¹

Bombs

The bombs were stored internally in the fuselage and were then cranked out under the wings for dropping.^1,5

Wings

The wings were an all metal cantilever construction that went around a main spar.⁴ The wings had three fuel tanks each.⁴

Prototype

On October 16, 1937^3,4,5, the Short Sunderland made its first flight from the River Medway.^1,2 The Sunderland Mk I first flew on April 21, 1938.⁴ The Sunderland Mk II first flew in June 1942.⁵ The Sunderland Mk V first flew in August 1943⁵ / March 1944.^3,5

An initial order for 10 / 21⁵ was placed in March 1936 as the S.25 prototype started trials due to the Air Ministry wanting to get the Sunderland into service as quickly as possible.^4,5

Mk I Service Trials

Service trials for the Sunderland Mk I started on April 24, 1938 at the Marine Aircraft Experimental Establishment (MAEE) at Felixstowe.⁴ The next one (L2159) arrived on May 9, 1938.⁴

Production

Sunderland Mk I: 90³
Sunderland Mk II: 43³
Sunderland Mk III: 462³
Sunderland Mk IV: 8³
Sunderland Mk V: 154³
Total: 721³, 741⁵, 749³
- Manufacturer: Blackburn³, Short Brothers Ltd.^1,2,3,5
- Production: 1937 - 1945⁵, 37 until October 1945 / 1946³

Variants

S.25: Prototype.^3,5 Powered by Bristol Pegasus engines (950 HP⁴).^3,4
Sunderland Mk I: Had a forward step in the bottom of the fuselage.² Had four Bristol Pegasus XVIII radial engines (1,065 HP).² Entered service in June 1938.^3,5
Sunderland Mk II: Had two gun dorsal turret installed.^2,3 Flew for first time in 1941.² Had four Bristol Pegasus XVIII radial engines (1,065 HP).² Entered service in May 1941.^3,5
Sunderland Mk III: There was a shallower step.^2,3 Had four Bristol Pegasus XVIII radial engines (1,065 HP).^2,5 Entered service in December 1941 / 1942².³ Had additional fuel.³ ASV (air surface radar) installed.³
Sunderland Mk IV: Known as Seaford.^2,3 Didn't see service in World War II.²
Sunderland Mk V: Had Pratt & Whitney Twin Wasp engines.^2,5 Introduced in 1943.²

Usage

The countries that used the Sunderland were Australia, Britain, Canada, and New Zealand.³

17 / 28³ Royal Air Force squadrons were equipped with the Sunderland.^1,2

On one occasion a singe Sunderland fought off eight Ju 88s and shot down two of them.¹

First Deployment

The No 210 and 230 Squadrons were first to receive the Sunderland in the summer of 1938.²

The No 210 Squadron received its first two (L2159 and L2160 Selangor) in Singapore on June 22 and July 4, 1938.⁴

No 230 Squadron received its first three (L2161 Selangor, L2164 Pehang, and L2166 Perak).⁴

World War II

At the start of World War II there were three squadrons in the Coastal Command that had Sunderlands.⁵

First U-Boat

On January 30, 1940, a Sunderland destroyed its first U-Boat.⁵

Crete Evacuation

During the evacuation from Crete Sunderlands carried 82 soldiers along with its crew of 10.¹

Berlin Air Lift

Sunderlands were used in the Berlin Air Lift and delivered 4,800 tons / 4,877 tonnes.^1,5

France

France was the last military to used the Sunderland, retiring them in the 1960s.¹

	Short Sunderland Mk I^3,5	Short Sunderland Mk II³	Short Sunderland Mk III^1,3	Short Sunderland Mk V^2,3
Type	Maritime patrol³, Anti submarine³, Reconnaissance⁵	Maritime patrol³, Anti submarine³	Flying boat¹, Long range reconnaissance¹, Maritime patrol³, Anti submarine¹	Reconnaissance flying boat², Maritime patrol³, Anti submarine³
Crew	10 - 13³, 13⁵	10 - 13³	10¹, 10 - 13³	10 - 13³, 13²
Engine (Type)	4: Bristol Pegasus XXII^3,4,5	4: Bristol Pegasus XVIII³	4: Bristol Pegasus XVIII piston^1,2,3	4: Pratt & Whitney Twin Wasp R-1830 piston² 4: Pratt & Whitney Twin Wasp R-1830-90³
Cylinders	Radial 9^3,5		Radial² 9¹	Radial², Radial 14³
Cooling	Air⁵
HP	1,010 each^3,4,5	1,065 each³	1,064 each¹, 1,065 each^2,3	1,200 each^2,3
Propeller blades	3 each^3,5	3 each³	3 each^1,3	3 each³
Dimensions
Span	112' 8"^4,5, 112' 9.5"³ 34.38 m³	112' 9.5"³ 34.38 m³	112' 9.5"³, 113'¹ 34.38 m^1,3	112' 9.5"^2,3 34.36 m², 34.38 m³
Length	85' 4"³, 85' 8"^4,5 26.01 m³	85' 4"³ 26.01 m³	85'¹, 85' 4"³ 26.01 m^1,3	85' 4"^2,3 26.01 m^2,3
Height	32' 10"⁵, 32' 10.5"³ 10.02 m³	32' 10.5"³ 10.02 m³	32'¹, 32' 10.5"³ 9.79 m¹, 10.02 m³	32' 10.5"^2,3 10.01 m², 10.02 m³
Wing area			1,486 ft² ¹ 138.14 m² ¹	1,487 ft² ² 138.14 m² ²
Weight
Empty	30,600 lb³ 13,880 kg³		34,459 lb¹ 15,663 kg¹	36,900 lb³, 37,000 lb² 13,880 kg³, 16,783 kg²
Loaded	44,600 lb⁴, 45,210 lb³ 20,507 kg³		57,878 lb¹ 26,308 kg¹
Maximum load				60,000 lb³, 65,000 lb² 27,216 kg³, 29,482 kg²
Performance
Speed			211 mph¹ 341 kph¹
Speed @ 5,000' / 1,525 m				213 mph² 343 kph²
Speed @ 6,500' / 1,980 m	210 mph^4,5		210 mph³ 338 kph³	213 mph³ 342 kph³
Cruising speed	178 mph⁴		178 mph³ 286 kph³	133 mph³ 214 kph³
Cruising speed @ 5,750'	180 mph⁵
Climb			720'/minute³ 219 m/minute³	814'/minute³, 840'/minute² 248 m/minute³, 256 m/minute²
Service ceiling	17,900'⁵		16,000'³, 17,930'¹ 4,877 m³, 5,300 m¹	17,900'^2,3 5,455 m², 5,456 m³
Range	2,980 miles⁵		1,780 - 2,900 miles³, 2,993 miles¹ 2,865 - 4,667 km³, 4,828 km¹	2,690 miles³, 2,980 miles² 4,329 km³, 4,795 km²
Armament	7: MG⁵ 8: 0.303" MG³
Nose turret	1: MG⁵		2: 7.7 mm Browning MG¹	4: 7.7 mm MG²
Dorsal turret	2: MG⁵		2: 7.7 mm Browning MG¹
Tail turret	4: MG⁵		4: 7.7 mm Browning MG¹	4: 7.7 mm MG²
Waist (optional)			4: 7.7 mm Browning MG¹ 2: 12.7 mm Browning MG¹	2: 12.7 mm²
Bow turret				2: 7.7 mm MG²
Under wings (bombs, depth charges mines, pyrotechnics)	2,000 lb^3,5 907 kg³		4,950 lb¹ 2,250 kg¹	2,000 lb² 907 kg²

Sources:

Aircraft of WWII, General Editor: Jim Winchester, 2004
Fighting Aircraft of World War II, Editor: Karen Leverington, 1995
Aircraft of WWII, Stewart Wilson, 1998
Sunderland Squadrons of World War 2, Jon Lake, 2000
World War II Airplanes Volume 1, Enzo Angelucci, Paolo Matricardi, 1976

Britain's Short Sunderland Flying Boat1,2,3,4,5; "The Flying Porcupine"1,2,3,5