Supermarine Seagull
(RAAF Photo)
Supermarine Seagull V (Serial No. A2-4), RAAF, Williamtown, Australia, 1946.
(The Land Photo)
Supermarine Seagull Mk. V (Serial No. A2-4), Royal Air Force Museum London, Hendon. Ex Australian operated Supermarine Seagull, Reg. No. VH-ALB.
The Seagull and the Supermarine Walrus I are to all intents and purposes the same aircraft; Walrus being the name given to the aircraft in RAF service. The Walrus II was in fact merely a wooden hull version of the Walrus I to save the use of valuable aluminum alloy.
Australia was a very large user of the Seagull/Walrus operating 24 Seagull V aircraft serials A1-24 and 29 Walrus I with 11 Walrus II (Wooden hulled version) for a total of 54 out of a total production of 740 aircraft. Interestingly, the Walrus/Seagull type owes its existence to the RAAF and was initially developed as a private venture in response to a 1929 Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) requirement for an observation seaplane to be catapult-launched from cruisers. The gestation of the design lasted until the prototype was flown in 1933 by the famous Joseph “Mutt” Summers.
(Oxyman Photo)
(Hugh llewelyn Photos)
(Alan Wilson Photos)
Supermarine Seagull Mk. V (Serial No. A2-4), Royal Air Force Museum London, Hendon. Ex Australian operated Supermarine Seagull, Reg. No. VH-ALB.