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Subject: Blohm & Voss BV 222 Flying Boat
Date: 5 Sep 2016 21:08:55 -0700
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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blohm_%26_Voss_BV_222
The Blohm & Voss BV 222 Wiking (German: "Viking") was a large, six-engined
German flying boat of World War II. Originally designed as a commercial
transport, and produced in only limited quantities, it was both the largest
flying boat and largest sea-based German aircraft to achieve operational status
during the war.
Prior to World War II, the German airline Luft Hansa had carried out many
transatlantic mail flights. However, their main interest was passenger
transport, and they initiated a program in 1936 that culminated in an order for
three BV 222 flying boats designed by Dr. Richard Vogt.
Construction of the first prototype, V1, began in January 1938, with
construction of the V2 and V3 following within weeks. V1 made its test flight on
7 September 1940, carrying the civil registration D-ANTE. During trials it
demonstrated that it could carry up to 92 passengers, or 72 patients on
stretchers over short distances at a maximum speed of 239 mph (385 km/h). The
flight characteristics were found to be satisfactory, but with some improvements
required. Further trials lasted until December 1940, when the V1 passed into
Luftwaffe service, receiving a military paint scheme and the Stammkennzeichen
registration code of CC+EQ, later changed to the Geschwaderkennung designation
of X4+AH, when in service with Lufttransportgruppe (See) 222.
The type was noted for a long flat floor inside the cabin and a large square
cargo door aft of the wing on the starboard side, with such a flat floor for the
hull interior being a welcome novelty for that era. The usual balance floats for
a flying boat design were ingeniously designed as a matching pair of retracting
float units per side, which extended from beneath the wing's outer panels in
"clamshell" fashion when fully extended, and fit fully flush with the wing
panels' undersides when retracted. Only 13 aircraft are thought to have been
completed.
Role
Flying boat
Manufacturer
Blohm & Voss
First flight
7 September 1940
Primary user
Luftwaffe
Number built
13
V1 made seven flights between Hamburg and Kirkenes up to 19 August 1941,
transporting a total of 65,000 kg (143,000 lb) of supplies and 221 wounded men,
covering a distance of 30,000 km (19,000 mi) in total. After being overhauled at
Hamburg, V1 was sent to Athens, from where it carried supplies for the Afrika
Korps, making 17 flights between 16 October and 6 November 1941. The V1 was at
this time unarmed, and was given an escort of two Messerschmitt Bf 110 heavy
fighters.
Following these flights, the V1 returned to Hamburg to have defensive armament
fitted, comprising a 7.92 mm (.312 in) MG 81 machine gun in the hull, two
turret-mounted 13 mm (.51 in) MG 131 machine guns, and four 7.92 mm (.312 in) MG
81s in waist mounts. The registration was changed to X4+AH at the same time and
the V1 formed the basis for the new air transport squadron Lufttransportstaffel
222 (LTS 222). Between 1942 and 1943, the aircraft flew in the Mediterranean
theatre, until in mid-February 1943 it sank following a collision with a
submerged wreck while landing at Piraeus harbour.
Three BV 222s were captured and subsequently operated by Allied forces: C-011,
V2, was flown by Captain Eric "Winkle" Brown from Norway to the RAF station at
Calshot in 1946, with RAF serial number "VP501". After testing at Marine
Aircraft Experimental Establishment at Felixstowe it was assigned to No. 201
Squadron RAF, who operated it up to 1947, when it was scrapped.
The V2 aircraft briefly wore US markings in 1946. Strangely the V2 aircraft had
identification markings given to her from the original V5 aircraft for Operation
spare parts from the base at Ilsvika to weigh her down. V2 was towed to a
position between Fagervika and Monk's island where it is thought she now rests
perfectly preserved on the seabed, owing to low oxygen levels in the water.
There are plans to raise and restore this aircraft.
Specifications (BV 222C-09)
General characteristics
Crew: 11-14
Capacity: 92 troops[16] or 72 wounded on stretchers
Length: 37 m (121 ft 5 in)
Wingspan: 46 m (150 ft 11 in)
Height: 10.9 m (35 ft 9 in)
Wing area: 255 m2 (2,740 sq ft)
Empty weight: 30,650 kg (67,572 lb)
Gross weight: 45,990 kg (101,391 lb)
Max takeoff weight: 49,000 kg (108,027 lb)
diesel engines, 745 kW (999 hp) each for take-off
Propellers: 3-bladed variable pitch tractor propellers
Performance
Maximum speed: 330 km/h (205 mph; 178 kn) (at 46,000 kg (101,413 lb)) at sea
level
390 km/h (242 mph) at 5,000 m (16,404 ft)Cruising speed: 300 km/h (186 mph; 162
kn) (continuous economical) at sea level
344 km/h (214 mph) at 5,550 m (18,209 ft)Ferry range: 6,100 km (3,790 mi; 3,294
nmi)
Endurance: 28 hours at 245 km/h (152 mph) at sea level
Service ceiling: 7,300 m (23,950 ft)
Rate of climb: 2.4 m/s (470 ft/min)
Time to altitude: 6,000 m (19,685 ft) in 52 minutes
Armament
Guns:
*
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