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Supermarine Walrus flying boat

The all-metal biplane Walrus entered service with Australia in 1935, a year before it began equipping the Royal Navy. By the time war broke out in Europe in 1939, some 170 were in service, with a large number catapult-launched from British cruisers and larger ships. The Walrus was primarily designed as a reconnaissance aircraft but it served effectively in search and rescue operations as well as an anti-submarine platform. Some 740 planes were built by the end of the war.

The Walrus I has a crew of four: pilot, co-pilot, forward gunner and rear gunner. The Walrus uses 25 gallons of aviation gas at routine usage.

Subassemblies: Waterproofed Light Fighter-Bomber chassis +3, Light Fighter-Bomber Wings with Biplane option +3, Large Weapon Engine Pod [Body:T] +2, two sealed Large Weapon pontoons [Wings:U] +2, three retractable landing gear +1.
Powertrain: 559-kW HP aerial gasoline engines with 559-kW prop and 186-gallon standard fuel tanks [Wings]; 2,000-kW batteries
Occupancy: 2 XCS, 2 CS  Cargo: 28 Body

Armor
All: 2/3
Wheels: 3/5

Weaponry
Aircraft LMG/Vickers ‘K’ [Body:F] (480 rounds)
Aircraft LMG/Vickers ‘K’ [Body:B] (480 rounds)

Equipment
Body: Medium range radio transmitter and receiver, navigation instruments, autopilot, inflatable liferaft. Wings: 380-lb hardpoint each.

Statistics

HT: 10
HP: 165 [body], 125 [each wing], 60 [each pontoon], 60 [engine pod], 15 [each wheel]

Stall speed 47.

wSpeed: 29 Floatation Rating 3.6 tons.

Design Notes
The historical wing area of 610 sf has been used. Historical top speed was used instead of the calculated speed (148 mph). Performance numbers do not include loaded hardpoints, which would require reducing fuel to 90 gallons or less to remain below the maximum take-off weight of 3.6 tons, if more than 200 lbs of ordnance are carried. Many of the Walruses that were carried on warships ad catapult-launched had their landing gear removed to save weight.

The weight (and thus cost and HPs) of the pontoons, engine pod and wings were divided by two to reduce weight. Even with this, empty weight had to be reduced 20% to reach the historical number.

The Walrus needs a head wind of at least 2 mph to take off.

Some planes added a second Aircraft LMG to the rear gun position.

Variants
The Seagull (1921) was a very similar plane, but lighter. It carried three men at 85 mph. Weight was 2.85 tons. It was armed with one .303-cal Lewis MG (Aircraftt LMG). 34 were built.