Seal file photo [27379]

Seal

CountryUnited Kingdom
ManufacturerFairey Aviation
Primary RoleOther

Contributor:

ww2dbaseThe Seal carrier-borne aircraft were developed from the venerable III design by the same designer/manufacturer, Fairey Aviation; in fact the prototype Seal aircraft was a converted IIIF Mk. IIIB. The first Seal aircraft took flight in 1930, and they entered service with the British Fleet Air Arm in 1933. A total of 91 aircraft were built during the design's production life, most of which remained in Britain, but a few were sold to forces abroad. The FAA Seal aircraft began to be replaced by the Swordfish biplane in 1936, and by 1938 they were removed from all FAA front line units. When the United Kingdom entered WW2 in 1939, 4 Seal aircraft remained in active service with the FAA, serving in reconnaissance roles. The British Royal Air Force also operated them; 12 Seal aircraft served as target tugs in Britain and 4 served as coastal patrol aircraft in Ceylon until May 1942. Officially, all Seal aircraft were retired from RAF service in May 1942 and FAA service in 1943.

ww2dbaseLatvia ordered four Seal aircraft in 1934. These examples were captured by the Soviets in 1940, but they were not pressed into Soviet service. They were all destroyed on Kisezers lake during a German attack.

ww2dbaseSource: Wikipedia

Last Major Revision: Feb 2018

Seal Timeline

22 Jun 1936 Three Latvian Seal aircraft under the command of Colonel Janis Indans took off from Liepaja, Latvia for Britain.
5 Jul 1936 Three Latvian Seal aircraft under the command of Colonel Janis Indans returned to Latvia, completing a 6,000-kilometer round trip journey between Latvia and Britain.

SPECIFICATIONS

Seal
MachineryOne Armstrong Siddley Panther IIA radial piston engine rated at 525hp
Armament1x7.7mm forward Vickers machine gun, 1x7.7mm rear Lewis Gun, 230kg of bombs
Crew3
Span13.95 m
Length10.26 m
Height3.89 m
Wing Area41.20 m²
Weight, Maximum2,727 kg
Speed, Maximum222 km/h
Service Ceiling5,180 m

Photographs

Seal aircraft, 1933Seal aircraft of No. 821 Squadron FAA from HMS Courageous in flight, date unknownArgentinian Seal aircraft, 1936Fairey Seal aircraft flying past HMS Glorious, 1936
See all 6 photographs of Seal



Did you enjoy this article or find this article helpful? If so, please consider supporting us on Patreon. Even $1 per month will go a long way! Thank you.

Share this article with your friends:

 Facebook
 Reddit
 Twitter

Stay updated with WW2DB:

 RSS Feeds




Posting Your Comments on this Topic

Your Name
Your Email
 Your email will not be published
Comment Type
Your Comments
 

Notes:

1. We hope that visitor conversations at WW2DB will be constructive and thought-provoking. Please refrain from using strong language. HTML tags are not allowed. Your IP address will be tracked even if you remain anonymous. WW2DB site administrators reserve the right to moderate, censor, and/or remove any comment. All comment submissions will become the property of WW2DB.

2. For inquiries about military records for members of the World War II armed forces, please see our FAQ.

Search WW2DB


Famous WW2 Quote
"We no longer demand anything, we want war."

Joachim von Ribbentrop, German Foreign Minister, Aug 1939


Support Us

Please consider supporting us on Patreon. Even $1 a month will go a long way. Thank you!

Or, please support us by purchasing some WW2DB merchandise at TeeSpring, Thank you!