Supermarine Sea Lion I
Supermarine · United Kingdom · first flew 1919 · light aircraft
The Supermarine Sea Lion I was a British racing flying boat designed and built by Supermarine for the Schneider Trophy contest at Bournemouth in September 1919. It was based on a version of the Supermarine Baby.
Recognition (WEFT)
| W — Wings | Mid-mounted, straight |
|---|---|
| E — Engines | 1 × piston, fuselage-mounted |
| F — Fuselage | 8.03 m fuselage |
| T — Tail | Conventional |
WEFT is AircraftIQ's four-point recognition method — how it works.
Spot it by:
- Single-seat biplane flying boat
- Single Napier Lion engine in a pusher arrangement
- Rear hull cross-section pointing upwards
A single-seat biplane flying boat powered by a Napier Lion engine, with unequal upper and lower wings.
Specifications
- The Supermarine Sea Lion I has a length of 8.03 m (26 ft).
- It has a wingspan of 10.67 m (35 ft).
- Its maximum speed is 237 km/h (147 mph).
- Typical crew: 1.
Figures are for the representative variant described above; marks differ. See how AircraftIQ sources figures.
History
The Baby was the first single-seat flying boat fighter designed and built in the United Kingdom. The Sea Lion was developed from it as the British entry in the 1919 Royal Aero Club contest.
Variants
Only one Sea Lion I was built, registered G-EALP, so there were no variants.
Where you'll see it
On race day, 10 September 1919, thick fog caused the pilot Basil Hobbs to land on the water unscheduled, and the hull was ripped on take-off. The aircraft later inverted and sank, the results were annulled and it was scrapped.
Related aircraft
- Supermarine Baby
- Supermarine Seagull (1921)
- Supermarine Seal II
- Supermarine Sea Lion II
- Aero Ae 01
- Aeromarine 40
- Aircraft Engineering Corp Ace K-1
- Alliance P.2 Seabird
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