Supermarine Spitfire ASR.Mk.14

[Knightflyer]

Supermarine Spitfire ASR.Mk.14  TB872 / ME-K 'Kimmy' Red Flight No.280 Squadron RAF Boulmer 1947

Among the many report papers produced at the end of the Second World War that reported back on the performance of individual sections of His Majesty's Armed Forces; there was one minor relatively low key one regarding the contribution made by the Spitfire Mk.V's attached to the Air Sea Rescue (ASR) squadrons.

One of the conclusions of the report was that there was a place for a updated continuation of the ASR Spitfire's role. Whilst it was recognised that the number of airman requiring rescue was greatly reduced as there were no longer bomber and fighter aircraft crossing the North Sea and Channel back and forth to Europe, there were still a small but significant number of personnel (both military and civil) for whom the 'rapid intervention' (key phrase highlighted within the report) of an ASR Spitfire waith a speed much faster than the Walruses, Sea Otters, Sunderlands and surface rescue vessels, and carrying suitable life preserving equipment could make the all important difference between life and death.



The acknowledgement of the soundness of the report led to the creation of the Spitfire ASR.Mk.14. With a multitude of spare airframes about to be scrapped in the immediate post-war period it was decided that the Mk.14 would provide a suitable candidate to replace the tired Mk.V aircraft.
The low-back, bubble canopy versions were chosen as provided the best all round view for the pilot. All the armament was removed from the wings which provided for extra fuel as in the Mk.19 wing and ASR Spitfires also invariably flew with the external belly slipper tank, allowing them to either fly safely further out from the coast, or to loiter over rescued personnel until an actual physical arrival of a surface vessel or of a slower aircraft capable of alighting on the surface.
The oblique fuselage camera was retained, as it felt a secondary reconnaissance role could be both complimentary and useful, for example where a larger ship was foundering, photographs rushed back by the Spitfires could allow for an assessment of the situation. The two lower camera ports were converted for the dropping of flares and floats.
The final addition to the ASR Spitfires equipment was the ability to carry a podded life rafts under each wing. These podded life rafts (always referred to as 'life pods' made a significant difference, with the crew of several sinking vessels being able to step from their sinking vessels into the inflatable rafts without entering the sea.

Four Air Sea Rescue squadrons had Spitfire ASR.14s allocated to them and these were then further subdivided into three flights of four aircraft each, two aircraft on active standby, one aircraft usually acting as an immediate spare and the fourth held in reserve. These flights were then placed at various RAF and FAA stations either on or near the coast to provide as good a coverage of the seas surrounding the United Kingdom.



The squadrons operated under the auspices of Coastal Command and were expected to operate in typical Costal Command camouflage and markings, which was something of a departure for the Spitfires. However one command missive allowed for experimentation in markings, in order that the aircraft might 'be more readily visible' One ASR Spitfire actually appeared in a bright yellow overall scheme, anticipating the bright yellow helicopters that would supersede them in their role.

The subject of our model 'Kimmy' (named from the squadron and individual aircraft code) at first appears to be clothed in a fairly restrained Coastal Command scheme, with only the propeller spinner in its bright red flight colour catching the eye. It is the view of the aircraft from below (the 'business end' if you are in the water!) that the extent of its high visibility markings can be seen, with a variation of target-tug diagonal stripes marked out in black and white reminiscent of 1944 invasion stripes.



ASR Spitfires served briefly as the capabilities of helicopters developed to provide both a speedy response and the prospect of immediately being pulled from the waters. However, it shows something of the success of the type that The Netherlands, Denmark and Norway also purchased a small but significant number of Spitfire ASR.14s

[McColm]

Great work and backstory 

[Steel Penguin]

nice back story,  and a very eye catching model    the contrast from top / side to bottom realy makes it stand out

[Wardukw]

Oh a clipped winged 5 bladed Spitty ..yummy 
Gets me thinking of a clipped winged MK 24 for land bases ops .

[PR19_Kit]

I like that very much, the model, the backstory and the whole idea. 

[Rheged]

A believable backstory and a first rate model.

[comrade harps]

Looks good and l like the backstory, too.

It gets me wondering about an ASR fighter to support my 1946 invasion of Japan. Maybe something USAAF like a P-47, P-51 or a P-38; an F6F or F4U from the USN would also make sense.

They could operate in cooperation with my RN FAA ASR Helldiver:

https://www.whatifmodellers.com/index.php?topic=40841.0

[Dizzyfugu]

That's colorful - very nice! 

I did an ASR Buffalo (based at Malta) some time ago, but it was less garish. 

[zenrat]

Good paint scheme.   

[Captain Canada]

Very nice ! Great idea as well. Cheers !

[NARSES2]

I like that very much, the model, the backstory and the whole idea. 

As do I

[royabulgaf]

This intrigued me.  I tried to find any RNLI or HM Coast Guard fixed wing ASR aircraft of the 40s-60s, but no luck.

[Robomog]

Stunning paint job and believable back story,

Love it ! 

Mog
>^-.-^<

[Knightflyer]

This intrigued me.  I tried to find any RNLI or HM Coast Guard fixed wing ASR aircraft of the 40s-60s, but no luck.

I presume any fixed wing aircraft involvement was all handled by Coastal Command? 

[PR19_Kit]

I presume any fixed wing aircraft involvement was all handled by Coastal Command?

Certainly in the 50s. I lived at RAF Topcliffe in Yorkshire then and there were two Coastal squadrons co-located there with 24 and 47 Sqdns. from Transport Command. Both the Coastal Sdns. flew Lancaster MR3s and ASR3s and always had one aircraft on an effective QRA to help out the RNLI etc.

We kids weren't allowed anywhere NEAR their QRA pad, just in case we got in the way if they had a shout, but could and did wander everywhere else.