https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blackburn_Skua
The Blackburn B-24 Skua was a carrier-based low-wing, two-seater, single-radial
engine aircraft operated by the British Fleet Air Arm which combined the
functions of a dive bomber and fighter. It was designed in the mid-1930s and saw
service in the early part of the Second World War. It took its name from the
seabird.
Built to Air Ministry specification O.27/34, it was a low-wing monoplane of
all-metal (duralumin) construction, with a retractable undercarriage and
enclosed cockpit. It was the Fleet Air Arm's first service monoplane and was a
radical departure for a force that was primarily equipped with open-cockpit
biplanes such as the Fairey Swordfish.
Performance for the fighter role was compromised by the aircraft's bulk and lack
of power, resulting in a relatively low speed; the contemporary marks of
Messerschmitt Bf 109 reached 290 mph (467 km/h) at sea level over the Skua's 225
mph (362 km/h). However, the aircraft's armament of four fixed, forward-firing
0.303 in (7.7 mm) Browning machine guns in the wings and a single flexible,
rearward-firing .303 in (7.7 mm) Vickers K machine gun was effective for the
time. For the dive-bombing role, a 250 lb (110 kg) or 500 lb (230 kg) bomb was
carried on a special swinging "trapeze" crutch under the fuselage (somewhat like
that of the Junkers Ju 87), which enabled the bomb to clear the propeller arc on
release. Four 40 lb (20 kg) bombs or eight 20 lb (9 kg) Cooper bombs could also
be carried in racks under each wing. It had large Zap-type air brakes/flaps,
which helped in dive bombing and landing on aircraft carriers at sea.
Role
Dive bomber / Fighter
Manufacturer
Blackburn Aircraft
Designer
G.E.Petty
First flight
9 February 1937
Introduction
November 1938
Retired
1941 (withdrawn from front line)
March 1945 (withdrawn from other duties)
Primary user
Fleet Air Arm
Number built
192
Variants
Blackburn Roc
With the start of the Second World War, Skuas were soon in action and on 14
September three were launched from Ark Royal, to go to the aid of the SS Fanad
Head which had been attacked by a U-boat. When they arrived, the Fanad Head was
being shelled by U-30 and all three dived to attack the submarine, which quickly
dived to safety. Two of the Skuas were damaged by the blasts and had to ditch.
U-30 returned to Germany with the crews of the two ditched Skuas, who became the
first naval airmen to be prisoners of war in the conflict.
Skuas were credited with the first confirmed "kill" by British aircraft during
the Second World War: a Dornier Do 18 flying boat was shot down over the North
Sea on 26 September 1939 by three Skuas of 803 Naval Air Squadron, flying from
the aircraft carrier HMS Ark Royal. An earlier victory by a Fairey Battle on 20
September 1939 over Aachen, was later confirmed by French sources. On 10 April
1940, 16 Skuas of 800 and 803 NAS led by Lieutenant Commander William Lucy,
flying from RNAS Hatston in the Orkney Islands, sank the German cruiser
Norway.
Although it fared reasonably well against Axis bombers over Norway and in the
Mediterranean, the Skua suffered heavy losses when confronted with modern
fighters - particularly the Bf 109 - and they were withdrawn from frontline
service in 1941. The aircraft was largely replaced by another two-seater, the
Fairey Fulmar, which doubled the Skua's forward armament and had a speed
advantage of 50 mph (80 km/h). A number of aircraft were converted to target
tugs, following withdrawal from frontline service. Others were completed as
target tugs from the factory and used by the RAF and Fleet Air Arm in this role
("Fleet Requirements"). They were also used as advanced trainers for the Fleet
Air Arm. The last Skua in service was struck off charge in March 1945.
Specifications (Skua Mk. II)
General characteristics
Crew: two
Length: 35 ft 7 in (10.85 m)
Wingspan: 46 ft 2 in (14.08 m)
Height: 12 ft 6 in (3.81 m)
Wing area: 319 sq ft (29.6 m2)
Empty weight: 5,496 lb (2,498 kg)
Loaded weight: 8,228 lb (3,740 kg)
Performance
Maximum speed: 225 mph (196 knots, 362 km/h) at 6,500 ft (1,980 m)
Cruise speed: 187 mph (163 knots, 301 km/h)
Range: 435 mi (378 nmi, 700 km)
Service ceiling: 20,200 ft (6,160 m)
Rate of climb: 1,580 ft/min (8.0 m/s)
Armament
Guns:
cockpit
(14 kg) practice bombs under wings
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