Seafire

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880 Squadron Seafires prepare to take off

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

Seafire F 47 PS947 HMS Illustrious 1947

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

Seafire III of No 807 Squadron HMS Hunter

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

Supermarine Seafire Mk XV SR537 HMS Implacable

Crashed Seafire Mk XV SR537 aboard HMS Implacable February 1946

Crashed Spitfire Vb BL818 HMS Ravager

Crashed Spitfire Vb BL818 HMS Ravager

Supermarine Seafire 5S-H

Damaged Seafire III 5S-H

Supermarine Seafire Mk III Prototype

Forward view of a Seafire Mk III Prototype

Seafire landing on aircraft carrier

Prototype of Seafire landing on British aircraft carrier

Prototype Seafire F.45 TM379

Prototype Seafire F.45 TM379

Supermarine Seafire Mk IB BL676

Prototype Seafire Mk IB BL676, April 1942

Supermarine Seafire Mk III MA970

Prototype Seafire Mk III MA970

Supermarine Seafire XV NS493

Prototype Seafire Mk XV NS493

Seafire XV PK245

Prototype Seafire XV PK245

Supermarine Seafire

Royal Navy ground personnel prepare to start a Supermarine Seafire

Seafire 17 G flipping over after landing

Seafire 17 G flipping over after landing

Supermarine Seafire 8A-M in flight

Seafire 8A-M in flight

Seafire Cockpit 1944

Seafire Cockpit 1944

Seafire crash

Seafire crash

Seafire F Mk XV Farnborough June 1946

Seafire F Mk XV Farnborough June 1946

Supermarine Seafire F.46 in flight

Seafire F.46 in flight

Seafire F47 PS946

Seafire F.47 PS946 in flight

Seafire F47 taking off from HMS Illustrious

Seafire F47 PS948 taking off from HMS Illustrious 1947

Supermarine Seafire FR XVII SX283

Seafire FR XVII SX283

Seafire Ib NX942 1942

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

Supermarine Seafire II of No. 801 Squadron

Seafire II of No. 801 Squadron aboard HMS Furious

Seafire II on aircraft carrier

Seafire II on aircraft carrier

Supermarine Seafire II HMS Furious

Seafire II taking off from HMS Furious

Seafire IIc MB307 RATOG 1944

Seafire IIc MB307 RATOG 1944

Seafire IIC MB312 of No 808 Squadron

Seafire IIC MB312 of No 808 Squadron Fleet Air Arm 1944

Seafire III 123 of No. 801 Squadron

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

Seafire III 6S-D of No, 807 Sqn

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

Seafire landing on HMS Furious 1944

Seafire L.IIc landing on HMS Furious 1944

Seafire LIIc MA970

Seafire LIIc MA970

Seafire LIIc MB307 with RATOG

Seafire LIIc MB307 with RATOG 1944

Supermarine Seafire LIIc MB307 with rockets 1944

Seafire LIIc MB307 with rockets 1944

Supermarine Seafire Mk 17

Seafire Mk 17

Seafire MK 17 SX283 of No. 778 Squadron 1946

Seafire MK 17 SX283 of No. 778 Squadron 1946

Seafire 46 LA541

Seafire Mk 46 LA541

Supermarine Seafire Mk Ib 736 NAS

Seafire Mk Ib 736 Sqn NAS in fight September 1943, ex-AD582

Supermarine Seafire Mk Ib NX957

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

Supermarine Seafire Ib PA103 of No. 736 Sqn. FAA

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

Seafire Mk Ib onboard HMS Tracker

Seafire Mk Ib HMS Tracker November 1943

Seafire Mk Ib NX953 1943

Seafire Mk Ib NX953 1943

Supermarine Seafire Mk IB trials 1942

Seafire Mk IB trials 1942

Seafires IIc of No. 807 Sqn FAA at Lee-on-Solent

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

Supermarine Seafire IIc 7-B MB240

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

Supermarine Seafire Mk III

Seafire Mk III

Supermarine Seafire Mk III

Seafire Mk III

Supermarine Seafire III 1945

Seafire Mk III

Supermarine Seafire Mk III at Boscombe Down

Seafire Mk III at Boscombe Down, May 1943

Supermarine Seafire Mk XV 806 Naval Air Squadron

Seafire Mk XV 5H of 806 Naval Air Squadron

Seafire Mk XV NS490 2nd Prototype

Seafire Mk XV NS490 2nd Prototype

Supermarine Seafire F.XV PR470 of Royal Canadian Navy 1946

Seafire Mk XV PR470 of Royal Canadian Navy 1946

Canadian Seafire Mk XV PR498

Seafire Mk XV PR498 Canadian Navy

Supermarine Seafire Mk XV NS493 1947

Seafire Mk XVII NS493 1947

Seafire on aircraft carrier elevator

Seafire on aircraft carrier elevator 1944

Seafire Mk XV

Seafire Prototype NS493

Seafire with folded wings

Seafire with folded wings

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

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

Supermarine Seafire Mk XV

Seafire XV NS490 in flight

Seafire XVII with RATOG

Seafire XVII Rocket Assisted Take-Off 1947

Supermarine Seafire IIc

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

Supermarine Seafire

Seafires III of the 801 Squadron, British Pacific Fleet 1945

Seafire 46 LA561 LA559 1832 NAS

Seafires Mk 46 LA561 LA559 1832 Sqn NAS

Supermarine Seafires Mk Ib HMS Formidable 1943

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

Seafire Mk III HMS Khedive Malta

Seafires Mk III aboard HMS Khedive at Malta

Seafires over HMS Indomitable

Seafires over HMS Indomitable

Supermarine Seafire XVII

Seafires XVII SX122 SX159 SX125 831 Sqn 1947

Spitfire Mk Vb BL676

Spitfire Mk Vb BL676 Seafire prototype "Bondowoso" on the flight deck of the HMS Illustrious

Spitfire Mk Vb BL676 Seafire prototype

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

Seafire IB on the ground

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

Seafire HMS Indomitable

Supermarine Seafire landing on aircraft carrier HMS Indomitable

Seafires of No. 736 Naval Air Squadron

Three Seafire IBs of No. 736 Naval Air Squadron

Wren cheking equipment on Seafire

Wren and rocket propulsion equipment (RATO) on Seafire

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.