Supermarine Walrus

Walrus
A 1943 photograph of a Walrus being launched from HMS Bermuda, a Fiji-class light cruiser
General information
Type	Amphibious maritime patrol aircraft
National origin	United Kingdom
Manufacturer	Supermarine
Designer	R. J. Mitchell
Primary users	Royal Navy Irish Air Corps Royal Air Force Royal Australian Air Force
Number built	740
History
Manufactured	1936–1944
Introduction date	1935
First flight	21 June 1933
Developed from	Supermarine Seagull III

The Supermarine Walrus (or the Supermarine Seagull V, its original name) is a British single-engine amphibious biplane designed by Supermarine's R. J. Mitchell. Primarily used as a maritime patrol aircraft, it was the first British squadron-service aircraft to incorporate an undercarriage that was fully retractable, crew accommodation that was enclosed, and a fuselage completely made of metal.^[1]

The Walrus first flew in 1933, the design process having started as a private venture four years earlier. It shared its general arrangement with that of the earlier Supermarine Seagull. Having been designed to serve as a fleet spotter launched by catapult from cruisers or battleships, the aircraft was employed as a maritime patrol aircraft. Early aircraft had a metal hull for greater longevity in tropical conditions, while the later variant, the Supermarine Walrus II, had a wooden hull to conserve the use of light alloys.

The Supermarine Seagull V entered service with the Royal Australian Air Force in 1935. The type was subsequently adopted by the Fleet Air Arm, the Royal Air Force (RAF), the Royal New Zealand Navy, and the Royal New Zealand Air Force. Walruses operated against submarines throughout the Second World War, and were also used by the RAF Search and Rescue Force to recover personnel from the sea. It was intended to replace the Walrus with the more powerful Supermarine Sea Otter, but this did not happen. After the end of the war the Walrus continued in service, and some aircraft operated in a civil capacity in regions such as Australia and the Antarctic. The Walrus was succeeded in its air-sea rescue role by the first generation of helicopters.