Supermarine Seafire | World War Photos

Seafire

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: Seafires XVII SX122 SX159 SX125 831 Sqn 1947

: Seafire Mk Ib HMS Tracker November 1943

: Seafire Mk XVII NS493 1947

: Prototype Seafire Mk XV NS493

: Seafire XV NS490 in flight

: Seafire XVII Rocket Assisted Take-Off 1947

: Seafire Prototype NS493

: Seafire Mk XV PR498 Canadian Navy

: Seafires Mk III aboard HMS Khedive at Malta

: Seafires Mk Ib MB345 and IIc MB182 on deck HMS Formidable 1943

: Prototype Seafire Mk III MA970

: Seafire Mk XV NS490 2nd Prototype

: Seafire Mk Ib 736 Sqn NAS in fight September 1943

: Seafire Mk Ib NX953 1943

: Forward view of a Seafire Mk III Prototype

: Seafire Mk III

: Seafire FR XVII SX283

: Seafire Ib NX942 of No. 736 Squadron, at RNAS Yeovilton 1942

: Seafire II on aircraft carrier

: Seafire II taking off from HMS Furious

: Seafire Mk III

: Seafires Mk 46 LA561 LA559 1832 Sqn NAS

: Seafire on aircraft carrier elevator 1944

: Seafire Cockpit 1944

: Seafire crash

: Seafire F.47 PS946 in flight

: Three Seafire IBs of No. 736 Naval Air Squadron

: Seafires over HMS Indomitable

: Wren and rocket propulsion equipment (RATO) on Seafire

: Seafire LIIc MA970

: Seafire LIIc MB307 with RATOG 1944

: Prototype Seafire Mk IB BL676, April 1942

: Seafire Mk XV 5H of 806 Naval Air Squadron

: Seafire XV 5H-O of No. 806 Naval Air Squadron

: Prototype Seafire XV PK245

: Crashed Seafire Mk XV SR537 aboard HMS Implacable February 1946

: Seafire IIc MB307 RATOG 1944

: Seafire LIIc MB307 with rockets 1944

: Seafire III 6S-D of No, 807 Sqn, 3rd Naval Fighter Wing

: Seafire Mk III at Boscombe Down, May 1943

: Seafire F47 PS948 taking off from HMS Illustrious 1947

: Seafire L.IIc landing on HMS Furious 1944

: Seafire Mk XV PR470 of Royal Canadian Navy 1946

: Seafire Mk IB trials 1942

: Seafire Mk 46 LA541

: Seafire III 123 of No. 801 Squadron British Pacific Fleet 1945

: Seafire II of No. 801 Squadron aboard HMS Furious

: Seafires III of the 801 Squadron, British Pacific Fleet 1945

: Crashed Spitfire Vb BL818 HMS Ravager

: An early production Mk 47 PS947 of No. 778 Squadron snags the wire as it touches down on a HMS Illustrious.

: Seafire F Mk XV Farnborough June 1946

: Damaged Seafire III 5S-H

: Seafire 8A-M in flight

: Seafire Mk 17

: Seafire 17 G flipping over after landing

: Seafire MK 17 SX283 of No. 778 Squadron 1946

: Seafire with folded wings

: Crashed Seafire Mk III 5X-D PP979 of No 807 Squadron Fleet Air Arm aboard HMS Hunter, June 1945

: Prototype Seafire F.45 TM379

: Seafire IIC MB312 of No 808 Squadron Fleet Air Arm 1944

: Seafire F.46 in flight

: Seafire Mk III

: Prototype of Seafire landing on British aircraft carrier

: Seafire Mk IIc “A” serial MA971 of No. 807 Squadron FAA at Lee-on-Solent 1942 2

: Spitfire Mk Vb BL676, Seafire prototype named Bondowoso in flight 1942

: Supermarine Seafire landing on aircraft carrier HMS Indomitable

: Seafire Mk Ib coded AC-B, serial PA103 of No. 736 Squadron Fleet Air Arm at St Merryn

: Spitfire Mk Vb BL676 Seafire prototype “Bondowoso” on the flight deck of the HMS Illustrious

: Royal Navy ground personnel prepare to start a Supermarine Seafire

: Seafire Mk Ib code G1-A, serial NX957 of No. 761 Squadron FAA in flight

: Seafire Mk IIc serial MB240, coded 7-B of No. 880 Squadron FAA, 1943

: Spitfire Vb BL687, later Seafire IB MB329 on the ground at Eastleigh.

: Seafires IIc of No. 807 Squadron FAA at Lee-on-Solent 1942. MA975 in the background

: 880 Sqn Seafires prepare to take off on carrier HMS Indomitable 1943

Seafire was a naval variant of the Supermarine Spitfire adapted for operation from British aircraft carriers.
The first Seafire was a Spitfire with arrestor hook, which was not a good solution. Initial training on Spitfires with hooks was not easy. Landing approaches were heavy, visibility was poor, arrestor hooks tended to bounce off the aircraft carrier’s surface, damaging the aircraft. But the worst part was that the main landing gear did not withstand the hard surface of the aircraft carriers and just crashed.