Short Sunderland

Short Brothers · United Kingdom · first flew 1937 · transport aircraft

The Short Sunderland is Britain's iconic four-engined maritime patrol flying boat, a heavily armed 'Flying Porcupine' that anchored RAF Coastal Command for over two decades.

Recognition (WEFT)

W — Wings	High-mounted, straight
E — Engines	4 × piston, wing-mounted
F — Fuselage	26.01 m fuselage
T — Tail	Conventional

WEFT is AircraftIQ's four-point recognition method — how it works.

Spot it by:

Very deep, slab-sided two-step boat hull
Four radials spread along a high straight wing
Prominent nose and tail gun turrets, ship-like profile

Identify it by the massive two-step hull, four engines on a high unbroken wing, and the nose and tail gun turrets. Its sheer size and deep, ship-like belly distinguish it instantly from twin-engined boats like the Catalina.

Specifications

The Short Sunderland has a length of 26.01 m (85 ft).
It has a wingspan of 34.38 m (113 ft).
Its maximum speed is 340 km/h (211 mph).
Typical crew: 9-11.

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

History

Derived from the Empire civil flying boats, the Sunderland first flew in 1937, and 749 were built. It became a mainstay of Coastal Command, flying anti-submarine and convoy patrols, and its heavy defensive armament earned it the Luftwaffe nickname 'Fliegendes Stachelschwein', the Flying Porcupine.

Variants

The Marks I and II used Bristol Pegasus radials; the Mk III was the definitive wartime variant with a revised planing bottom, and the Mk V switched to American Pratt & Whitney Twin Wasp engines for better performance.

Where you'll see it

A core RAF aircraft in service from 1938 to 1959, the Sunderland also flew in the Berlin Airlift and the Korean War. Two airframes survive in British museums: Mk V ML824 at the RAF Museum and Mk III ML796 at IWM Duxford.

Related aircraft

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