Supermarine Seafire Mk XV

Supermarine · GB · first flew 1944 · fighter

The Mk XV was the first Griffon-powered Seafire, mating the single-stage Griffon VI to the navalised airframe and introducing contra-rotating-prop predecessors in its propeller torque characteristics.

Recognition (WEFT)

W — Wings	Low-mounted, elliptical
E — Engines	1 × piston, nose-mounted
F — Fuselage	Retractable arrester hook under rear fuselage (more neatly faired than Mk III)
T — Tail	Conventional

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Spot it by:

Single-stage Griffon VI engine with five-blade Rotol propeller rotating to port (Spitfire/Seafire Merlin props rotate to starboard)
Retractable arrester hook under rear fuselage (more neatly faired than Mk III)
Broad chin intake under nose for single-stage Griffon — shorter nose than Mk 45/46/47

The five-blade prop and shorter single-stage Griffon nose distinguish the Mk XV from the two-stage Griffon Mk 45/46/47. The prop rotation direction is opposite to Merlin Seafires. Compare nose length: the Mk XV's nose is markedly shorter and more round-cheeked than the Mk 47's long two-stage snout.

Specifications

The Supermarine Seafire Mk XV has a length of 9.65 m (32 ft).
It has a wingspan of 11.23 m (37 ft).
Its maximum speed is 645 km/h (401 mph).
Typical crew: 1.

Figures are for the representative variant described above; marks differ. See how AircraftIQ sources figures.

History

Some 390 built, entering service in late 1944. Too late for major wartime carrier operations, it served extensively post-war with the Fleet Air Arm and was exported to Canada and France.

Variants

Standard Mk XV and a small number of hybrid airframes. The French Aéronavale flew them into the early 1950s.

Where you'll see it

Fleet Air Arm from 1945; Royal Canadian Navy; French Aéronavale. A handful survive in collections; France's Musée de l'Air has one.

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