Supermarine Seafire
Seafire | |
---|---|
A Seafire XV in Royal Canadian Navy service | |
Role | Carrier-based fighter
|
National origin | United Kingdom |
Manufacturer | Supermarine |
First flight | 7 January 1942 |
Status | Retired |
Primary users | Royal Navy French Navy Irish Air Corps Royal Canadian Navy |
Number built | 2,646[1] |
Developed from | Supermarine Spitfire |
The Supermarine Seafire is a naval version of the Supermarine Spitfire adapted for operation from aircraft carriers. It was analogous in concept to the Hawker Sea Hurricane, a navalised version of the Spitfire's stablemate, the Hawker Hurricane. The name Seafire was derived from the abbreviation of the longer name Sea Spitfire.[2]
The idea of adopting a navalised carrier-capable version of the
From 1942 onwards, further Seafire models were quickly ordered, including the first operationally-viable Seafire F Mk III variant. This led to the type rapidly spreading throughout the FAA. In November 1942, the first combat use of the Seafire occurred during Operation Torch, the Allied landings in North Africa. In July 1943, the Seafire was used to provide air cover for the Allied invasion of Sicily; and reprised this role in September 1943 during the subsequent Allied invasion of Italy. During 1944, the type was again used in quantity to provide aerial support to Allied ground forces during the Normandy landings and Operation Dragoon in Southern France. During the latter half of 1944, the Seafire became a part of the aerial component of the British Pacific Fleet, where it quickly proved to be a capable interceptor against the feared kamikaze attacks by Japanese pilots which had become increasingly common during the final years of the Pacific War.
The Seafire continued to be used for some time after the end of the war. The FAA opted to promptly withdraw all of its Merlin-powered Seafires and replace them with Griffon-powered counterparts. The type saw further active combat use during the Korean War, in which FAA Seafires performed hundreds of missions in the ground attack and combat air patrol roles against North Korean forces during 1950. The Seafire was withdrawn from service during the 1950s. In FAA service, the type had been replaced by the newer Hawker Sea Fury, the last piston engine fighter to be used by the service, along with the first generation of jet-propelled naval fighters, such as the de Havilland Vampire, Supermarine Attacker, and Hawker Sea Hawk.
Development
Origins
The
The matter of a seaborne Spitfire was raised again in November 1939 when the Air Ministry allowed a
At a time of considerable demand for land-based Spitfires, due to the
During late 1941 and early 1942, the Admiralty again assessed the Spitfire for possible conversion. In late 1941, a total of 48
A further 118 Seafire Mk Ibs incorporating the fuselage reinforcements were modified from Spitfire Vbs by Cunliffe-Owen at Eastleigh and Air Training Service. These aircraft were equipped with Naval HF radio equipment and IFF equipment as well as a Type 72 homing beacon. In these and all subsequent Seafires the instruments were re-calibrated to read kn and nmi rather than mph and mi. The fixed armament was the same as that of the Spitfire Vb; two 20 mm (.79 in) Hispano Mk II cannon with 60 rpg fed from a "drum" magazine and four .303 in (7.7 mm) Browning machine guns with 350 rpg. Provision was also made to carry a 30 gal (136 L) "slipper" fuel tank under the fuselage.[12] In June 1942, the first deliveries of the Seafire took place to 807 Squadron. Another front line unit, 801 Squadron operated this version on board HMS Furious from October 1942 through to September 1944.[13]
Further development
The second semi-naval variant of the Seafire and the first to be built as such, was the Seafire F Mk IIc which was based on the
The IIc model was the first of the Seafires to be deployed operationally in large numbers, Supermarine constructed 262 of this model and a further 110 being built by Westland,[nb 1] who also built 30 Seafire Mk III (Hybrid) (Mk IIIs without folding wings).[nb 2][16] Although developed for aircraft carrier use, this version still lacked the folding wings needed to allow them to be used on board some Royal Navy carriers, some of which had small aircraft elevators unable to accommodate the full wingspan of the Seafires.[17][1]
The Seafire F Mk III was the first true carrier adaptation of the Spitfire design. It was developed from the Seafire Mk IIc, but incorporated manually folding wings allowing more of these aircraft to be spotted on deck or in the hangars below.[1] Supermarine devised a system of two straight chordwise folds; a break was introduced immediately outboard of the wheel-wells from which the wing hinged upwards and slightly angled towards the fuselage. A second hinge at each wingtip join allowed the tips to fold down (when the wings were folded the wingtips were folded outwards). This version used the more powerful Merlin 55 (F Mk III and FR Mk III) or Merlin 55M (L Mk III), driving the same four-bladed propeller unit used by the IIc series; the Merlin 55M was another version of the Merlin for maximum performance at low altitude.[17] Other modifications that were made on the Spitfire made their way to the Seafire as well including a slim Aero-Vee air filter and six-stack ejector type exhausts. The shorter barrelled, lightweight Hispano Mk V cannon were introduced during production as were overload fuel tank fittings in the wings[18][19] This Mark was built in larger numbers than any other Seafire variant; of the 1,220 manufactured Westland built 870 and Cunliffe Owen 350. In 1947 12 Mk IIIs were stripped of their naval equipment by Supermarine and delivered to the Irish Air Corps.[20][21]
After the Mk III series, the next Seafire variant to appear was the Seafire F Mk XV, which was powered by a
One problem which immediately surfaced was the poor deck behaviour of this mark, especially on take-off. At full power the slipstream of the propeller, which swung to the left (as opposed to the Merlin, which swung to the right), often forced the Seafire to swing to starboard, even with the rudder hard over on opposite lock. This sometimes led to a collision with the carrier's island. The undercarriage oleo legs were still the same of those of the much lighter Merlin engined Spitfires, meaning that the swing was often accompanied by a series of hops. As an interim measure it was recommended that pilots avoid using full power on take-off (+10 lb "boost" maximum was recommended). There were also problems involved with this swing being strongly accentuated in the event of an asymmetric firing of the RATOG equipment. In the event, none of the "first generation" Griffon-engine Seafires were to use RATOG at sea unless they were ranged forward of the first crash barrier on deck.[23]
The Seafire F Mk XVII was a modified Mk XV; the most important change was the reinforced main undercarriage which used longer oleos and a lower rebound ratio. This went some way towards taming the deck behaviour of the Mk XV, reduced the propensity of the propeller tips "pecking" the deck during an arrested landing and the softer oleos stopped the aircraft from occasionally bouncing over the arrestor wires and into the crash barrier. Most production XVIIs had the cut down rear fuselage and teardrop canopy (the windscreen was modified to a rounded section, with narrow quarter windows, rather than the flat windscreen used on Spitfires) and an extra 33 gallon fuel tank fitted in the rear fuselage. The wings were reinforced, with a stronger mainspar necessitated by the new undercarriage, and they were able to carry heavier underwing loads than previous Seafire variants.[24] 232 of this variant were built by Westland (212) and Cunliffe-Owen(20).[25][1]
The Seafire F Mk 45 and FR Mk 45 was the next version of the Seafire to be built and the first to use a Griffon 60 series engine with a two-stage, two speed supercharger. The prototype TM379 had been modified from a
The Seafire F Mk 46 and FR Mk 46 was a Spitfire F Mk 22 modified to naval standard and featured the cut down rear fuselage and "teardrop" canopy. Again the wing had not been modified to fold. The electrical equipment was changed from a 12 volt system to 24 volts. The fuel system was modified over that of the Seafire 45 to incorporate an extra 32 gal (145 L) fuel tank in the rear fuselage, while the wings were plumbed to allow for a 22.5 gal (102 L) combat tank to be carried underneath each wing. In addition a 50 gal (227 L) drop tank could be carried under the fuselage.
The final version of the Seafire was the Seafire F Mk 47 and FR Mk 47. There was no true prototype, instead the first production aircraft PS944 and PS945 served as trials aircraft. As the "definitive" carrier based Seafire, the Mk 47 incorporated several refinements over earlier variants.[1] After the first four aircraft, with manually folded wings, the Mk 47 incorporated hydraulically powered wing folding, the outer wings folding upwards in one piece, without the folding wingtips of earlier marks. All Mk 47s adopted the Rotol contra-rotating propellers. The Mk 47 also featured a long supercharger air-duct, the intake of which started just behind the spinner and a modified curved windscreen, similar to that used on the Mk XVII. Other features unique to the Mk 47s were spring-loaded elevator tabs, a large inertia weight in the elevator control system and beading on the trailing edges of the elevators. These changes improved longitudinal stability, especially when the aircraft was fully loaded. The modified windscreen proved to be unpopular with pilots because of continual problems with misting and the thicker, repositioned frames obstructed visibility during deck landings. In spite of recommendations to change the windscreen back to a standard Spitfire 24 unit, this was never done. Performance tests showed that the Mk 47 was slightly slower than the Mk 46 in maximum and climbing speeds, mainly due to the long supercharger air intake, which was less efficient than the shorter type fitted to earlier Seafires. The first fourteen aircraft were powered by the Griffon 87, but the rest of the 89 production aircraft (built by Supermarine at South Marston) were powered by the Griffon 88, which used a Rolls-Royce fuel-injection system instead of the carburettor used on earlier Spitfires and Seafires. [30] The Seafire 47 saw action with 800 Squadron on board HMS Triumph during the Malayan Emergency of 1949 and during the Korean War in 1950. However, in 1951 all Seafires were withdrawn from front-line service.[31] In all 90 F Mk 47s and FR Mk 47s were built, all by Supermarine. VR971, the last of the 22,000 aircraft built under the Spitfire/Seafire program, left the production line at Supermarine on 28 January 1949. The maximum level speed for this mark was: 451mph at 20,000ft or 433mph at 24,000ft, ceiling: 43,100ft, range: 405 miles plus 15 minutes combat. [32]
Assessment
The Spitfire's original role, in which it proved formidable, was that of short-range land-based interceptor. As a carrier based fighter, the design was a compromise and suffered many losses through structural damage that was inflicted by heavy landings on carrier decks: a problem that continued even with the strengthening introduced by the Mk II. The Seafire had a narrow undercarriage track, which meant that it was not well suited to deck operations.[1] The many modifications had shifted the centre-of-gravity aft, making low-speed control difficult and the aircraft's gradual stall characteristics meant that it was difficult to land accurately on the carrier, resulting in many accidents. Other problems included the basic Spitfire's short range and endurance (fine for an interceptor fighter but not for carrier operation), limited weapons load and that it was dangerous in ditching.[nb 3] The first Seafire variant to overcome many of these problems was the Mk XVII with its new undercarriage design, reinforced structure and extra fuel tanks, although there were still some compromises and it entered service well after the war was over.
The low point of Seafire operations came during Operation Avalanche the invasion of Salerno in September 1943.[33] Of the 106 Seafires available to the British escort carriers on 9 September only 39 were serviceable by the dawn of D-Day plus Two (11 September). Part of this was attributed to the flat, calm conditions present, which meant that there had not been enough headwind in order to adequately slow down the Seafires on landing. Many aircraft missed picking up the arrestor wires and flew into the crash barriers while others had their arrestor hooks pulled off the fuselage because they caught the wires at too high a speed.[34] In spite of these problems, the Seafires (especially the L Mk IIs and L Mk IIIs, with their low altitude rated Merlin engines) were used to patrol the vicinity of the carrier fleet as protection against low altitude attackers, while the longer ranging fighters, such as the Grumman F6F Hellcat, took on a similar role further out and at higher altitudes.
The Seafire II outperformed the
Operational history
Wartime service
During 1942 and into 1943, FAA squadrons progressively converted to the Seafire, eventually replacing the Sea Hurricane in front-line service. In the Fleet Air Arm, Spitfires and Seafires were used by a number of squadrons, the Spitfires used by training and land based squadrons. Twelve 800 series squadrons used Spitfires and Seafires (Numbers
In November 1942, the first combat use of the Seafire occurred during Operation Torch, the Allied landings in North Africa, from the decks of several escort and fleet carriers; unusually, Seafires flew with American star markings during the operation, these were removed following their withdrawal from the theatre.[36] In July 1943, the Seafire was used to provide air cover for the Allied invasion of Sicily; and reprised this role in September 1943 during the subsequent Allied invasion of Italy, being used to maintain continuous air cover of the beachheads, the type being almost entirely responsible for this task.[37] During the latter operation, around half of the taskforce's Seafires were inoperable within four days, primarily due to landing accidents.[38]
During 1944, Seafires were used for air cover in support of several aerial bombing missions against the German battleship Tirpitz.[39] In June 1944, multiple Seafire squadrons were used during the Normandy landings for the purpose of locating in-land targets for naval gunnery batteries to attack; during this operation, these aircraft had been placed under RAF control and were operated from shore bases, these were returned to FAA control in July 1944.[40] In August 1944, Seafires were used to support Allied ground forces during Operation Dragoon in Southern France.[40]
During the latter half of the war, the Seafire saw increasing service as part of Britain's contribution to the
The Seafires' best day was 15 August 1945, shooting down eight attacking aircraft for one loss. During the campaign 887 NAS claimed 12 kills and 894 NAS claimed 10 kills (with two more claims earlier in 1944 over Norway). The top scoring Seafire pilot of the war was Sub-Lieutenant R.H. Reynolds DSC of 894, who claimed 4.5 air victories in 1944–5.[citation needed]
Post war service
During the immediate post-war service, the Fleet Air Arm quickly replaced its Merlin-powered Seafires with Griffon-powered counterparts. Accordingly, the service initially adopted the Seafire Mk XV and Mk 17; from 1948, the FAA began accepting the definitive model of the Seafire, the Mk 47.[42]
In 1950, HMS Triumph started a tour of the Far East, embarking 800 Naval Air Squadron with Seafire 47s along with 827 Naval Air Squadron equipped with the Fairey Firefly following the outbreak of the Korean War, HMS Triumph was diverted to operations to try to stem the North Korean offensive, Seafires were engaged in performing ground attack and combat air patrols from July until September 1950, when HMS Triumph was replaced by HMS Theseus, equipped with the newer Hawker Sea Furys. During operations off Korea, Seafires flew 360 operational sorties, losing one aircraft shot down by friendly fire from a Boeing B-29 Superfortress and a second aircraft lost when its arrestor hook failed to extend. The Seafire proved more vulnerable to the stresses of carrier operation with many aircraft suffering wrinkling of the rear fuselage brought about by heavy landings. Following the end of operations, when peacetime airworthiness rules were re-imposed, all but three of 800 Squadron's Seafires were declared unserviciable owing to wrinkling.[43]
The
The Irish Air Corps operated Seafires for a time after the war, despite having no naval air service nor aircraft carriers. The aircraft were operated from Baldonnel (Casement Aerodrome) with most of their naval equipment removed, but retaining the folding wings. During the 1950s, an unsuccessful attempt to recycle the Merlin engines was made, by replacing the ailing Bedford engine in a Churchill tank with an engine from a scrapped Seafire.[46] On 19 June 1954, the last Spitfire in Irish service was withdrawn.[44]
Operators
- Royal Canadian Navy
- 803 Naval Air Squadron 1946-1948
- 883 Naval Air Squadron 1946-1948
- Aeronavale
- Royal Navy
- Fleet Air Arm
- 706 Naval Air Squadron 1945–1946
- 719 Naval Air Squadron
- 727 Naval Air Squadron 1946–1950
- 728 Naval Air Squadron
- 736 Naval Air Squadron 1943-1952
- 737 Naval Air Squadron 1944–1945
- 746 Naval Air Squadron
- 761 Naval Air Squadron
- 764 Naval Air Squadron 1945
- 771 Naval Air Squdadron 1946-1950
- 772 Naval Air Squadron
- 777 Naval Air Squadron
- 778 Naval Air Squadron
- 800 Naval Air Squadron 1946–1950
- 802 Naval Air Squadron 1945–1950
- 803 Naval Air Squadron 1945–1946
- 805 Naval Air Squadron1945
- 806 Naval Air Squadron 1945
- 807 Naval Air Squadron 1942-1945
- 808 Naval Air Squadron 1944-1945
- 809 Naval Air Squadron 1942-1945
- 812 Naval Air Squadron 1946-1952
- Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve
- Fleet Air Arm
Surviving aircraft
Australia
- Restoration / Stored (Not on Public Display)
- Seafire F Mk XV SW800 (VH-CIH). In storage, Adelaide area, South Australia. Recovered from Brownhills scrapyard in the UK circa 1991, and shipped to Melbourne, Victoria.[47]
Myanmar (Burma)
- Static Display
- Seafire F Mk XV PR376 / UB409. On external display at the newly opened (2016) Defence Services Museum on the outskirts of Naypyidaw.[48]
United Kingdom
- Airworthy
- Seafire LF IIIc PP972 (G-BUAR). Owned by Air Leasing Ltd. Built in 1944 and delivered to 809 Squadron Fleet Air Arm before joining the Aeronavale (French Navy) as 12F.2 (later 1F.9). It was purchased by a private individual in 1970 and was on static display in 1982 at the Resistance Museum at St Marcel.[49] An airworthy restoration began in 1988 and was registered as G-BUAR. It was later acquired by Air Leasing in 2012 and was completed in 2015.[50]
- Seafire F Mk XVII SX336 (G-KASX). Owned by Tim J. Manna, Cranfield. Built by Westland Aircraft in 1946. Served with various units in the Royal Navy before it was scrapped in 1955. It was recovered in the 70s as a bare fuselage by the well-known Spitfire historian Peter Arnold and after a few owners, went to Tim Manna to finish the restoration. Took to the air for the first time since restoration in 2006.[51]
- Static Display
- Seafire F Mk XVII SX137. On display at the Fleet Air Arm Museum, Yeovilton.[52]
United States
- Airworthy / Stored
- Seafire Mk.XVc PR503 (N503PR). Owned by Wes Strickler and based at Columbia, MO. Restored by Jim Collins.[53][54]
- Seafire FR Mk 47 VP441 (N47SF). Owned by Jim Smith and based at his private collection at Stonehenge Air Museum in Montana. Restored by Ezell Aviation.[55]
Canada
- Seafire F MkXVc PR451. Served with the Royal Canadian Navy. On static display at The Military Museums, in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. (July 2022)[56]
Specifications (F Mk III)
Data from Supermarine aircraft since 1914,[57]
General characteristics
- Crew: 1
- Length: 30 ft 2+1⁄2 in (9.21 m)
- Wingspan: 36 ft 10 in (11.23 m)
- Height: 11 ft 5+1⁄2 in (3.49 m) tail down with propeller blade vertical
- Wing area: 242 sq ft (22.5 m2)
- Airfoil: root: NACA 2213; tip: NACA 2209.4[58]
- Empty weight: 5,317 lb (2,412 kg)
- Gross weight: 7,232 lb (3,280 kg)
- Powerplant: 1 × V-12 engine, 1,585 hp (1,182 kW)
- Propellers: 4-bladed constant-speed propeller
Performance
- Maximum speed: 359 mph (578 km/h, 312 kn) at 36,000 ft (10,973 m)
- Cruise speed: 272 mph (438 km/h, 236 kn)
- Range: 465 mi (748 km, 404 nmi) at cruising speed
- Service ceiling: 36,000 ft (11,000 m)
- Rate of climb: 3,250 ft/min (16.5 m/s)
- Time to altitude: 20,000 ft (6,096 m) in 8.1 minutes
Armament
- Guns:
- two 20 mm (0.787 in) Hispano Mk II cannon
- four 0.303 in (7.7 mm) Browning machine guns in wings
- Bombs: 2 x 250 lb (113 kg) bombs: one under each wing, or 1 x 500 lb (227 kg) bomb under fuselage
See also
- Supermarine Spitfire (early Merlin powered variants)
- Supermarine Spitfire (late Merlin powered variants)
- Military history of the United Kingdom during World War II
Related development
Aircraft of comparable role, configuration, and era
References
Notes
Citations
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j "Vickers Supermarine Seafire." BAE Systems, Retrieved: 23 April 2017.
- ^ Andrews and Morgan 1987, p. 247.
- ^ Morgan and Shacklady 2000, pp. 505–6.
- ^ Note: "observation" referred to locating an enemy fleet and reporting back its position, course, and actions using "Wireless Telegraphy" (W/T), i.e., Morse code. This was in the brief period before the introduction of HF speech radio, "Radio Telephony" (RT). It was for this reason, and also the demanding requirement for navigation in possibly bad weather, that a second crew member was specified.
- ^ Note: "spotting" referred to observing the fall of shot and reporting back corrections to a fleet's guns, again using Morse code.
- ^ Note: the British and French had allocated different areas of responsibility between them pre-war, the British being responsible for the Atlantic, the French the Mediterranean. Hence FAA fighters were only expected to have to operate in the Atlantic, where, in the absence of German aircraft carriers, fighter opposition would be non-existent. Nazi Germany had, in fact, been building an aircraft carrier, the Graf Zeppelin; however, its completion was subsequently cancelled.
- ^ a b Bachelor 1971, p. 229.
- ^ Morgan and Shacklady 2000, p. 506.
- ^ Morgan and Shacklady 2000, pp. 506–7.
- ^ Morgan and Shacklady 2000, p. 507.
- ^ Buttler 2004, p. 175.
- ^ Bachelor 1971, pp. 229–230.
- ^ Bachelor 1971, pp. 232–233.
- ^ a b Bachelor 1971, p. 230.
- ^ Bachelor 1971, pp. 230–231.
- ^ Bachelor 1971, pp. 231–232.
- ^ a b Bachelor 1971, p. 232.
- ^ Morgan and Shacklady 2000, pp. 534–536.
- ^ Stone, Phil. "The Seafire." The Supermarine Spitfire1 March 2006. Retrieved: 5 December 2009.
- ^ Air International, Vol 15 No 4, pp. 177–181.
- ^ Robertson 1973, pp. 194–196.
- ^ Air International, Vol 15 No 4, pp.181–183, 185
- ^ Air International, Vol. 15 No. 4, pp. 182–183.
- ^ Air International, Vol. 15 No. 4, p. 183
- ^ Robertson 1973, p. 198.
- ^ Admiralty 1948, pp. 6–7.
- ^ Robertson 1973, pp. 198–200.
- ^ Admiralty 1948, pp. 8–9.
- ^ Robertson 1973, p. 200.
- ^ Historyofwar.org
- ^ Morgan and Shacklady 2000, pp.576–587.
- ^ Historyofwar.org
- ^ "Armoured Aircraft Carriers".
- ^ Brown 1980, p. 131.
- ^ Bachelor 1971, pp. 250–251.
- ^ Bachelor 1971, p. 233.
- ^ Bachelor 1971, pp. 233–234.
- ^ Bachelor 1971, p. 234.
- ^ Bachelor 1971, pp. 234–235.
- ^ a b c Bachelor 1971, p. 235.
- ^ a b Bachelor 1971, p. 236.
- ^ Price Wings of Fame 1999, pp. 57–59.
- ^ Price Wings of Fame 1999, pp. 60–64.
- ^ a b Bachelor 1971, p. 242.
- ^ a b Price Wings of Fame 1999, p. 85.
- ISBN 0-9543413-0-9.
- ^ "Vickers Supermarine Page" Archived 20 April 2020 at the Wayback Machine "Warbirds Directory website" Retrieved 21 November 2014
- ^ AviationMuseum.eu "Defence Services Museum" AviationMuseum.eu website, Retrieved 19 February 2016.
- ^ Supermaraine Seafite LFIII Archived 26 February 2020 at the Wayback Machine, Retrieved 24 January 2020
- ^ Seafire PP972, Last updated 2016. Retrieved 24 January 2020
- ^ Aerial Visuals, Retrieved 27 January 2020
- ^ Ellis 2008, p. 192.
- ^ "Supermarine Seafire Mk. XV" Aerial Visuals, 2010. Retrieved: 09 December 2013.
- ^ "Supermarine Seafire XVc, PR503 RAF" Salute to Veterans Memorial Day Weekend Corporation, 2010. Retrieved: 09 December 2013.
- ^ "Supermarine Seafire Mk.47, N47SF / NX47SF / VP441 / 0-139, Privately owned." Air-Britain (Historians) Ltd, 2006. Retrieved: 30 August 2009.
- ^ Bampton, PSICORP Web >> Martyn. "The Naval Museum of Alberta | Canadian Naval Aviation". navalmuseumab.ca. Retrieved 18 April 2024.
- ^ Andrews & Morgan 1987, pp. 252, 262
- ^ Lednicer, David. "The Incomplete Guide to Airfoil Usage". m-selig.ae.illinois.edu. Retrieved 16 April 2019.
Bibliography
- Admiralty. Pilot's Notes for Seafire 45 & 46:Mark 45 – Griffon 61 Engine; Mark 46 – Griffon 87 Engine: A.P 2290 F & G . Minister of Supply, 1948.
- Aloni, Shlomo & Arnold, Peter R. (January–February 1999). "From Israel to Burma: Operation Orez, Supplying and Ferrying Spitfires, Part Two". Air Enthusiast (79): 2–11. ISSN 0143-5450.
- Andrews, C.F. and E.B. Morgan. Supermarine Aircraft since 1914. London: Putnam, 1987. ISBN 0-85177-800-3.
- Arnold, Peter R. (January–February 1999). "Triple Twins: Tracking Down the 'Real' Spitfire UB 425". Air Enthusiast (79): 12–15. ISSN 0143-5450.
- Bachelor, Len. Supermarine Seafires (Merlins). Windsor, Berkshire, UK: Profile Publications Ltd., 1971.
- Brown, David. The Seafire: The Spitfire That Went to Sea. London: Greenhill Books, 1989. ISBN 1-85367-039-1.
- Brown, Eric. "Spitfires with Sea-Legs". Air International, September 1978, Vol 15 No 3. pp. 143–146.
- Brown, Eric. "Spitfires with Sea-Legs: Part Two." Air International, October 1978, Vol 15 No 4. pp. 176–187.
- Brown, Eric. Wings of the Navy. London: Pilot Press Limited, 1980. ISBN 0-7106-0002-X
- Bussy, Geoffrey. Supermarine Seafire, Griffon-engined variants – Mks.F.XV, F.XVII, F.45, F.46 and FR.47 (Warpaint series No.20). Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire, UK: Hall Park Books Ltd., 1999. ISSN 1363-0369.
- Buttler, Tony. British Secret Projects: Fighters and Bombers 1935–1950. Midland Publishing, 2004. ISBN 1-857801-79-2.
- Ellis, Ken (2008). Wrecks and Relics. Manchester: Crecy Publishing. ISBN 978-0-85979-134-2.
- Freeman. Jon. Supermarine Seafire Mk.Ib – Mk.47. Wantage, Oxfordshire, UK: The Aviation Workshop Publications Ltd., 2004. ISBN 1-904643-07-8.
- Morgan, Eric B. and Edward Shacklady. Spitfire: The History. Stamford: Key Books Ltd, 2000. ISBN 0-946219-48-6.
- Price, Alfred. "Supermarine Spitfire (Griffon-engined variants and Seafire)" Wings of Fame, Volume 16, 1999, pp. 30–85. London: Aerospace. ISBN 1-86184-037-3.
- Quill, Jeffrey. "Spitfire: a Test Pilot's Story". 1996, reprinted 1998, 2001, 2005, 2008, pp. 270–281. Crecy Publishing Ltd. ISBN 0-947554-72-6
- Robertson, Bruce. Spitfire: The Story of a Famous Fighter. Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire, UK: Model & Allied Publications Ltd., 1960. Third revised edition 1973. ISBN 0-900435-11-9.
- Sturtivant, Ray and Theo Balance. The Squadrons of the Fleet Air Arm. Tonbridge, Kent, UK: Air-Britain (Historians) Ltd., 2nd revised edition, 1994. ISBN 0-85130-223-8.
- Sturtivant, Ray and Mick Burrow. Fleet Air Arm Aircraft 1939 to 1945. Tonbridge, Kent, UK: Air-Britain (Historians) Ltd., 1995. ISBN 0-85130-232-7.
External links
- Manual: (1948) A.P. 2280F & G – P.N. Pilot's Notes Seafire 45 and 46[permanent dead link]
- Spitfire/Seafire Serial Numbers, production contracts and aircraft histories
- Seafire F.XVII SX336 history
- Kennet Aviation's Seafire Mk.XVII SX336/G-KASX – Renovation/Respray
- Sound of Seafire F.XVII SX336 taking off
- List of 15 survivors at warbirdregistry.org