Supermarine Narwhal - Long range Anti Submarine patrol aircraft

[Bungle]

For those of you not keeping track of the 1946 Group Build...

Supermarine Narwhal


The Supermarine Narwhal was a British developed long-range maritime patrol aircraft for use by the Royal Air Force. It was developed by Supermarine from the American Boeing B-377 Stratocruiser, itself a development of the B-29 bomber. It was originally to be used primarily in the anti-submarine warfare (ASW) and maritime patrol aircraft (MPA) roles, and was later adapted for airborne early warning (AEW), search and rescue (SAR) and other roles from 1947 until 1960.

When the Narwhal was being designed the "Battle of the Atlantic" was still being fought and all possible submarine targets (German U-boats) were diesel-electric powered types and had very limited underwater endurance, the time underwater being limited by both the air available for the crew to breathe, and the battery power remaining to drive the submarine's underwater electric motors. While submerged it was incapable of travelling any great distance away from where it was detected. Then any aircraft could call up friendly Convoy Escort surface ships who would then deal with a submerged target in the normal way, with depth charges aimed using their own ASDIC sets. Hence for the Narwhal endurance in terms of the length of time it could spend in the air - as opposed to all-out range - was of prime importance. Once a submarine had been detected it might be necessary for the aircraft to remain over the last sighted position of the submarine all day (or night), preventing it from surfacing and making away at its higher surface speed. All the time the submarine was prevented from surfacing the crew's breathable air was being exhausted, and the batteries were consuming power, eventually the submarine would be forced to come up for air. It could then be attacked by the aircraft itself, again, this time using its own air-dropped depth charges or torpedos.

The Supermarine conversion under licence design was ordered to Air Ministry specification R.5/46 as a replacement for the long range Liberator. It narrowly beat the proposed Bristol Beausprit to be put into production.

The first test flight of the prototype Narwhal, was on 9 March 1947, a month before the invasion of Europe by the allied troops postponed from 1945. In the ASW role, the Narwhal carried both types of sonobuoy, Electronic warfare support measures, an Autolycus diesel fume detection system and a magnetic anomaly detector (MAD) system. Weapons were five bombs, or twelve torpedoes and seven barrel depth-charges, The Narwhal was also armed with two 40mm cannon in the front turret and two 20 mm cannon in two dorsal turrets.

During the invasion of France the Narwhal served as a defensive shield to allied shipping patrolling the length of the Channel, keeping the U-boat threat at bay.









Build thread here  http://www.whatifmodelers.com/index.php/topic,31407.0.html

[The Rat]

 

[rickshaw]

Looks the part!  Nasty load of weapons you've got there.  I could see this definitely becoming known as the "scourge of the U-Boats"!   

[reddfoxx]

Great backstory, and very nice build.

[anthonyp]

Word for word what I uttered when I saw the first pic "Holy crap!!!"

Very nice!   

[Arc3371]

Wow....

[Cobra]

Awesome Job i can just picture some U-Boat Captain with an Oh Bleep! look on his face as he sees a Narwhal closing in! Keep up the Great Work :cheers:Dan

[NARSES2]

Absolutely gorgeous 

[tigercat]

Amazing work and such a shame that you will have to break it up

[Rheged]

A remarkably good piece of work, and believable too!

[sideshowbob9]

Incredible!

[kitbasher]

Good work, sir.
You'll laff, but the best bit for me is the chin gun turret - inspired!

[Ed S]

Superb concept.  Nicely finished.  A real winner.

Ed

[tc2324]

Very retro.     Good job.

[johnsjunk]

Outstanding!!!!