Wight Seaplane

Seaplane
	Wight Type 840 on anti-submarine patrol 1915
Role	Biplane floatplane
National origin	United Kingdom
Manufacturer	J Samuel White & Company Limited (Wight Aircraft)
Designer	Howard T Wight
Introduction	1915
Retired	1917
Primary user	Royal Navy
Number built	52

The Wight Seaplane was a British twin-float seaplane produced by J Samuel White & Company Limited (Wight Aircraft). It was also known as the Admiralty Type 840.

Design and development

Designed by Howard T Wright and built by the aircraft department of the shipbuilding company J Samuel White & Company Limited, the Wight Seaplane was a slightly smaller version (61 ft (18.59 m) span) of the Wight Pusher Seaplane. The aircraft was a conventional two-float seaplane with tandem open cockpits and a nose-mounted 225 hp (168 kW) Sunbeam engine. Fifty-two aircraft were built and delivered, and an extra 20 were produced as spares production being undertaken by Portholme Aviation and William Beardmore & Co., Ltd.[1]

Operational history

The Wight Seaplane served with the RNAS at Dundee Felixstowe, Scapa Flow and Gibraltar, being used for anti-submarine patrols between 1915 and 1917.[2]

Operators

United Kingdom

Royal Navy
- Royal Naval Air Service

Specifications (Seaplane)

Data from The British Bomber since 1914 [1]

General characteristics

Length: 41 ft 0 in (12.50 m)
Wingspan: 61 ft 0 in (18.59 m)
Height: ()
Wing area: 568 ft² (52.8 m²)
Empty weight: 3,408 lb (1,549 kg)
Max. takeoff weight: 4,810 lb (2,186 lb)
Powerplant: 1 × Sunbeam, 225 hp (168 kw)

Performance

Maximum speed: 81 mph (70 knots, 130 km/h)

Armament
One 810 lb (370 kg) 14 inch torpedo or equivalent weight in bombs.

References

Mason, Francis K (1994). The British Bomber since 1914. London: Putnam Aeronautical Books. ISBN 0-85177-861-5.
Thetford, Owen (1982). British Naval Aircraft since 1912. London: Putnam Aeronautical Books. p. 455. ISBN 0-370-30480-2.

Mackay, Chales Edward (2012). Beardmore Aviation: The Story of a Scottish Industrial Giant's Aviation Activities. A Mackay. ISBN 978-0957344303.

*The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Aircraft (Part Work 1982-1985). Orbis Publishing.

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[mason_bomber-1] Mason, Francis K (1994). The British Bomber since 1914. London: Putnam Aeronautical Books. ISBN 0-85177-861-5.

[thetford_naval-2] Thetford, Owen (1982). British Naval Aircraft since 1912. London: Putnam Aeronautical Books. p. 455. ISBN 0-370-30480-2.