Supermarine Seafire
Supermarine · United Kingdom · first flew 1942 · fighter
The navalised Spitfire built for Fleet Air Arm carriers, identifiable by its folding wings, arrestor hook, and reinforced undercarriage.
Recognition (WEFT)
| W — Wings | Low-mounted, elliptical |
|---|---|
| E — Engines | 1 × piston, nose-mounted |
| F — Fuselage | Arrestor hook fairing extends under the rear fuselage as a short prominent lug or blade |
| T — Tail | Conventional |
WEFT is AircraftIQ's four-point recognition method — how it works.
Spot it by:
- Wings fold upward at mid-span with a visible hinge line — the defining carrier-modification absent from all land Spitfires
- Arrestor hook fairing extends under the rear fuselage as a short prominent lug or blade
- Shorter undercarriage legs with wider track compared with land Spitfire; often visible as a squatter stance on the ground
Against a land Spitfire the folding-wing hinge and arrestor hook are unmistakable at close range. In the air the silhouette is near-identical; look for the abbreviated hinge line breaking the leading edge.
Specifications
- The Supermarine Seafire has a length of 9.21 m (30 ft).
- It has a wingspan of 11.23 m (37 ft).
- Its maximum speed is 578 km/h (359 mph).
- Typical crew: 1.
Figures are for the representative variant described above; marks differ. See how AircraftIQ sources figures.
History
Derived from the Spitfire Vc from 1942, the Seafire served throughout the Pacific and Mediterranean, seeing action from Operation Torch to the final days against Japan. The narrow undercarriage made carrier landings treacherous and deck accident rates were high.
Variants
Mk IB (non-folding, minimal navalization), Mk IIC and III (folding wings), XV and XVII (Griffon engine). The Griffon Seafire 45/46/47 were post-war marks.
Where you'll see it
Very few Seafires survive in airworthy condition; a Seafire XVII is maintained by the Navy Wings at Yeovilton, appearing at UK airshows.
Related aircraft
- Supermarine Spitfire Mk IX
- Supermarine Spitfire Mk VIII
- Supermarine Spitfire Mk XII
- Supermarine Seafire Mk III
- Aichi E16A Zuiun
- Bell P-59 Airacomet
- Bell P-63 Kingcobra
- Bereznyak-Isayev BI-1
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