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Posted by Tom Kwiatkowski Sr. - 309C
on 11/5/2009, 6:31 pm
74.44.81.74
Short Sunderland
The Sunderland is one of only a handful of military aircraft that were developed from an existing civil type. Based upon Shorts' C-Class "Empire" flying boats operated by Imperial Airways in the 1930s. The Short Sunderland became one of the Royal Air Force's longest-serving operational aircraft over the next two decades. Its service during World War II and, specifically, the Sunderland's decisive role in the defeat of German U-boats in the Battle of the Atlantic, makes it one of aviation history's finest ever flying boats. Although the first flight of the prototype Sunderland took place in October 1937, the Air Ministry were already familiar with the aircraft's successful civilian counterpart and had placed an order in March the preceding year.
During June 1938 No. 230 Squadron, based in Singapore, received the first service delivery of production Sutherland Mk Is. When the Sunderland joined the RAF inventory and replaced the RAF's mixed fleet of biplane flying boats, it represented a huge leap in capability.
By the outbreak of World War II in September 1939 three RAF Coastal Command squadrons had become operational and were ready to seek out and destroy German submarines. The Sunderland also became a very welcome sight to the many seamen from sunken vessels and the airmen who had ditched out over the ocean. This is best illustrated by the tale of the British merchant ship Kensington Court. It had been torpedoed 70 miles off the Isles of Sicily on 18 September 1939, but two patrolling Sunderlands had the entire crew of 34 back on dry land just an hour after the ship sank.
The Sunderland with its crew of ten, heavily armed and bristling with machine-guns, became known to the Luftwaffe as the "Flying Porcupine". Many times during the war a lone Sunderland fought off or defeated a number of attacking aircraft.
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