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Posted by Tom Kwiatkowski Sr. - 309C
on 11/2/2009, 6:29 pm
74.44.81.74
Short Singapore III
The Short Singapore was the last of a number of biplane flying boats built by the company and the last use of the name that was first applied to the record-breaking Singapore I of 1926. The Singapore III became a vital element of the Royal Air Force's flying boat force in Britain and overseas in the years leading up to World War II.
The four-engined Short S.12 Singapore II of 1930 was a triple-finned development of the Singapore I but its powerplants were arranged in twin tandem configuration. The four engines were arranged in with two pulling and two pushing. Although this version did not enter production, the Air Ministry was interested enough to order four development flying boats based on the Singapore II. These aircraft, trialled in the Marine Aircraft Experimental Establishment, became the pre-production Singapore Mk IIIs
The production aircraft that followed were built to Air ministry specification R.14/34 and the first production example, K3592, first flew on 15 June 1934. Production continued until mid-1937 by which time 37 aircraft had been produced for the Royal Air Force.
The Singapore IIIs, with a crew of six, had all-metal hulls, fabric-covered metal flying surfaces and was powered by four 675 hp. Rolls-Royce Kestrel IX engines mounted between the wings. If required, an auxiliary long-range fuel tank could be carried externally on the dorsal hull.
The first RAF unit to operate the type was No. 210 Squadron at Pembroke Dock while the first overseas deployment came in April 1935 with No. 205 Squadron in Singapore.
By the time this large biplane entered RAF service it was effectively obsolete but it did significantly increase the RAF's flying boat service during the mid-1930s arms race. Despite the age of its basic design, 19 Singapore IIIs were still in RAF service when World War II broke out, based in the UK, Aden and Singapore. It was the latter location that, appropriately, the Singapore III soldiered on until being withdrawn in October 1941. Four of these aircraft were passed to No. 5 Squadron of the Royal New Zealand Air Force for use in Fiji and saw action during which a Japanese submarine was destroyed. The Singapores were finally replaced by Consolidated Catalinas.
Short Singapore III
First flight: 15 June 1934 (production Singapore III)
Power: Four Rolls-Royce 730 hp. Kestrel X radial engines.
Armament: Three 0.303 in. machine-guns in bow, dorsal and tail positions plus up to 2,000 lb. of bombs.
Size: Wingspan - 90 ft.
Length - 64 ft. 2 in.
Height - 23 ft. 7 in.
Wing area - 1,834 sq. ft.
Weights: Empty - 18,420 lb.
Maximum take-off - 31,500 lb.
Performance: Maximum speed - 145 mph.
Ceiling - 15,000 ft.
Range - 1,000 miles
Climb - 700 ft. per minute
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