The Supermarine Stranraer is a flying boat designed and built by the British Supermarine Aviation Works company at Woolston, Southampton. It was developed during the 1930s on behalf of its principal operator, the Royal Air Force (RAF). It was the RAF's last and fastest biplane flying boat. Derived from the Supermarine Scapa, the aircraft's design was heavily shaped by Specification R.24/31, issued in 1931. After an initial rejection by the Air Ministry, Supermarine persisted with development as a private venture under the designation Southampton V. During 1933, a contract was placed for a single prototype; it was around this time that the type was named after Stranraer. First flown on 24 July 1934, the Stranraer entered frontline service with the RAF during 1937; most examples of the type were in service by the outbreak of World War II. The Stranraers typically undertook anti-submarine and convoy escort patrols during the early years of the conflict. During March 1941, the model was withdrawn from frontline service, but continued to be operated in a training capacity until October 1942. In addition to the British-built aeroplanes, the Canadian Vickers company in Montreal, Quebec, also manufactured 40 Stranraers under licence for the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF). These Canadian Stranraers served in anti-submarine and coastal defence capacities on both Canada's Atlantic and Pacific coasts, and were in regular service until 1946. Following their withdrawal from military service, many ex-RCAF Stranraers were sold off to fledgling regional airlines, with whom they served in various commercial passenger and freighter operations into the 1950s.
Design and development
Background
The Supermarine Stranraer, which was directly derived from the Supermarine Scapa, was the final aircraft in a series of flying boats designed by R. J. Mitchell for the Royal Air Force (RAF).The Stranraer was produced by Supermarine at its works in Woolston, Southampton, with deliveries taking place between 1937 and 1939. Development of the series began during the early 1930s, with Supermarine's design team headed by Mitchell.The project was pursued as a response to the Air Ministry's issuing of Specification R.24/31 in 1931, which called for a general purpose coastal reconnaissance flying boat for the RAF.This specification demanded a payload 1,000 pounds (450 kg) greater than that of the Scapa and the ability to maintain level flight on only a single engine, which the Scapa could not do. Supermarine's initial response to the specification was a larger model of the Scapa; the company competed against a bid from Saunders-Roe. The Air Ministry favoured Saunders-Roe's proposal and rejected Supermarine's design. Despite this, Supermarine chose to continue development work on the design as a private venture, which was first known as the Supermarine Southampton V.
Prototypes and production
In 1933 a contract was placed for a single prototype powered by two 820 horsepower (610 kW) Bristol Pegasus IIIM engines, and the type was named the Stranraer. On 24 July 1934, the first prototype, K3973, made its maiden flight, piloted by Joseph Summers.


Over the following months, a relatively intense initial flight test programme was conducted. On 24 October 1934 it was delivered to the Marine Aircraft Experimental Establishment (MAEE) at RAF Felixstowe for official trials.On 29 August 1935, soon after the completion of proving flights, an initial order for 17 aircraft (serial numbers K7287 to K7303) was placed by the Air Ministry to fulfil Specification 17/35;six more aircraft (K9676 to K9681) were ordered in May 1936, but this order was subsequently cancelled. The first production standard aircraft made its first flight in December 1936, and entered service operation with the RAF on 16 April 1937. The final Stranraer was delivered on 3 April 1939. In addition, a total of 40 Stranraers were manufactured under licence in Canada by Canadian Vickers Limited, as both Supermarine and Canadian Vickers were subsidiaries of Vickers-Armstrongs.
Description
The Stranraer was a twin-engined biplane flying boat accommodating a crew of 6–7. Its empty weight was 11,250 pounds (5,100 kg), with a maximum take-off weight of 19,000 pounds (8,600 kg). As the design of the Stranraer progressed, it was changed from that of the Scapa, having a two-bay structure.The Stranraer's weight, and the surface area and span of its wings, were 12 per cent greater; the elevator was also 7 per cent larger, while the rudders featured trim tabs capable of holding the aircraft straight under single-engine flight. The moderately supercharged Bristol Pegasus IIIM radial engine was selected. Much of the airframe was alclad, while detailed fittings were made of stainless steel; metal components were anodised as an anti-corrosion measure. For additional strength, a second pair of interplane struts were added.The hull was considerably larger, its cross-section being increased by 18 per cent, yet it had identical hydrodynamic performance. The forward gun was redesigned to be retractable, the middle gunner's position was lowered, and a tail gunner position was added just aft of the control surfaces, completed with a hooded windshield.In general, the equipment of which the aircraft was to be fitted with were the result of lessons learnt from operations of the earlier Southamptons. The production model of the Stranraer differed in a few ways from the first prototype, chiefly of which was the use of the more powerful 920 horsepower (690 kW) Pegasus X engine.The engines were placed in nacelles under the upper wing, so that the propellers were well clear of any sea spray. Two petrol tanks, each of 250 imp gal (1,100 L) capacity, were placed in the centre section of the upper wing; petrol was fed by gravity, but fuel pumps were also incorporated. The two-bladed wooden propellers of the prototype were replaced by three-bladed metal Fairey-Reed propellers when the aircraft went into production. The wing structure was redesigned to have two bays. The Stranraer was armed with three 0.303-inch (7.7 mm) Lewis guns, positioned in the nose, dorsal and tail.The aircraft could carry up to 1,000 pounds (450 kg) of bombs.
Operational history
The Stranraer and its contemporary, the Saro London, were the last multi-engine, biplane flying-boats to see service with the RAF. The RAF operated 17 Stranraers from 1937, although they were already considered obsolete when they entered service. Before the war, the type served primarily with No. 228 Squadron, No. 209 Squadron and No. 240 Squadron.Generally, the aircraft was not well-received, with numerous pilots considering its performance being typically marginal. Others noted that it had superior seaworthiness to several aircraft in common use, such as the Consolidated PBY Catalina. As early as 1938, some Stranraer squadrons had begun to re-equip themselves with other aircraft, such as the Short Sunderland and Short Singapore flying boats. Early on in its career, Stranraers made several challenging long-distance flights; one such flight, covering 4,000 miles (6,400 km), was performed during a single exercise during September 1938.

No Stranraers saw action away from UK territorial waters during World War II. Immediately following the outbreak of the war in September 1939, Stranraers patrolled the North Sea, intercepting enemy shipping between Scotland and Norway. Aircraft assigned to such duties were typically armed with bombs underneath one wing and a single overload fuel tank underneath the other one. Use of the Stranraer for such patrols came to an end on 17 March 1941.Stranraers saw service with No. 240 Squadron, and limited numbers were deployed at the No. 4 (Coastal) Operational Training Unit.The final Stranraer flight in RAF service was conducted by K7303 at Felixstowe on 30 October 1942.

Having acquired a less than favourable reception by flight and ground crews alike, the Stranraer gained a large number of derisive nicknames during its service life. It was sometimes referred to as a "whistling shithouse" because the toilet opened out directly to the air and when the seat was lifted, the airflow caused the toilet to make a whistling sound. The Stranraer also acquired "Flying Meccano Set", "The Marpole Bridge", "Seymour Seine Net", "Strainer", "Flying Centre Section of the Lion's Gate Bridge", as well as a more genteel variant of its usual nickname, "Whistling Birdcage". The Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) Stranraers were exact equivalents of their RAF counterparts. In Canadian service, they were usually employed in coastal patrol against submarine threats in a similar role to the British Stranraers. Aviation author Dirk Septer stated that no enemy action was ever recorded by the RCAF's Stranraers. However, the crew of a 5 Squadron Stranraer, flown by Flight Lieutenant Leonard Birchall, were responsible for the capture of an Italian merchant ship, the Capo Nola, in the Gulf of Saint Lawrence, hours after Canada issued its declaration of war on Italy on 10 June 1940. The Canadian Vickers-built Stranraers served with the RCAF throughout the war, the last example being withdrawn on 20 January 1946.
Civilian use
From May 1935, the Stranraer was developed for civilian use into the Type 237. Approximately 20 of the 40 RCAF Stranraers survived the war intact enough for potential reuse. Of these, 13 were sold to civilian operators through Crown Assets after the end of hostilities, with registrations in Canada and the US. Several were converted to Super Stranraer configuration with 1,200 horsepower (890 kW) Wright GR-1820-G202GA engines replacing the original Pegasus units. After the end of World War II, several examples served with Queen Charlotte Airlines (QCA) in British Columbia, operating until 1958. Queen Charlotte Airlines became at one point the third-largest airline in Canada; it was popularly known as the Queer Collection of Aircraft. With limited money, it flew a mixture of types that were often the cast-offs of other operators. In QCA use, the Stranraer gained a more suitable reputation and was "well liked" by its crews. A total of eight surplus Stranraers were also sold to Aero Transport Ltd. of Tampa, Florida.
Below RAF





Below RCAF









Below Civilian


General characteristics
Crew: 6–7
Length: 54 ft 9 in (16.69 m)
Wingspan: 85 ft 0 in (25.91 m)
Height: 21 ft 9 in (6.63 m)
Wing area: 1,457 sq ft (135.4 m2)
Empty weight: 11,250 lb (5,103 kg)
Gross weight: 19,000 lb (8,618 kg)
Powerplant: 2 × Bristol Pegasus X nine-cylinder air-cooled radial piston engines, 920 hp (690 kW) each
Propellers: 3-bladed variable-pitch metal propellers
Performance
Maximum speed: 165 mph (266 km/h, 143 kn) at 6,000 ft (1,800 m)
Alighting speed: 58.5 mph (50.8 kn; 94.1 km/h)
Cruise speed: 105 mph (169 km/h, 91 kn)
Range: 1,000 mi (1,600 km, 870 nmi) at 105 mph (91 kn; 169 km/h) and 5,000 ft (1,500 m)
Service ceiling: 18,500 ft (5,600 m)
Rate of climb: 1,350 ft/min (6.9 m/s)
Time to altitude: 10,000 ft (3,000 m) in 10 minutes
Wing loading: 13 lb/sq ft (63 kg/m2)
Power/mass: 0.097 hp/lb (0.159 kW/kg)
Armament
Guns: Three × 0.303 in (7.70 mm) Lewis guns
Bombs: 1,000 lb (454 kg) of bombs or depth charges on external racks under the mainplanes

Eight × 20 lb (9 kg) bombs housed in internal bays in the lower mainplanes
Text from Wikki.