FlightGlobal.com
Home
Premium
Archive
Video
Images
Forum
Atlas
Blogs
Jobs
Shop
RSS
Email Newsletters
You are in:
Home
Aviation History
1957
1957 - 1757.PDF
29 November 1957 847 It therefore seems probable that the Baby, as a type, last served in Norway, for all Sopwith and Blackburn-built Babies in British service were withdrawn and scrapped soon after the Armistice. They had been preceded by the Hamble Baby Converts, which had been declared obsolete on August 2, 1918. The Hamble Baby seaplanes were not declared obsolete until August 7, 1919, but it is highly doubtful whether many were still active at that date. The final word is (as usual) best left to one of the pilots who knew and flew the little Sopwith seaplanes. The following passage* relates to the situation in the spring of 1918, and it is interesting to note that the officer concerned uses only the name Schneider, although it is obvious that the aircraft to which he refers were much more probably Babies. His remarks are best quoted in full, for they describe authentically the multifarious duties of the Sopwiths, their qualities and capabilities. Of the Schneider Flight of the R.N.A.S. station, Great Yarmouth, he said that it consisted of ". . . two or three old Schneiders, patched and warped and bone-rattling, which were used for any job going. . . . The machine was naturally a little difficult (sensitive and light) to take off and land, especi-ally on the troubled seas which were commonly encountered at Yarmouth. There was the danger of smashed airscrews before getting up speed; thedanger of turning turtle on gaining speed and alighting. One was always drenched with spray. They were good machines in the air, but withbombs and other gear it was unwise to load them too much. They had no sights for bombing, but a Lewis machine-gun firing through theairscrew, and one also on the top plane. A earner pigeon, fresh water, and sea anchor were carried as well. "The duties of the Schneider flight were extraordinary in their variety. Types of Patrols"1. Hostile aircraft patrol. Yarmouth War Channel to Orfordness, to try to catch hostile torpedo-carrying seaplanes. 2. Hostile submarineand aircraft patrol to Smith's Knoll light vessel and War Channel area. 3. Hostile submarine and aircraft patrol to Haisborough light vessel viaother light vessels—Newarp, for example. 4. Hostile submarine and aircraft patrol to Cross Sands area. 5. Hostile aircraft patrol to Shipwasharea with two Camels. 6. Hostile aircraft patrol with two Camels and Short seaplane to Smith's Knoll. 7. Hostile aircraft patrol to Smith'sKnoll and Shipwash with one flying-boat. 8. 'Decoy' patrol to Smith's Knoll—Camels. (Three Schneiders left before the Camels and circledround the Knoll till the Camels came; after a while returned. The decoy did not work.) Special Patrols"1. Escorting the mine-layer (H.M.S. Princess Margaret). 2. To North Hinder light vessel with flying-boat and Camels. 3. German fleet'scare' patrols. 4. Patrols to various points at which submarines and mines were reported. 5. Special emergency patrols, e.g., for missing machines.6. Anti-Zeppelin patrols, one of which consisted of two flying-boats, three D.H.4s, three Camels, one Short, and two Schneiders. "It was the machine for the lover of solitude and independence anda wandering kind of life. The Schneider was a sort of detective, exposing all mysteries, such as whales mistaken for submarines, streaks of oil,and rescuing colleagues in difficulties. Any wild rumour—out went the Schneider to investigate. They were the Police Force of the YarmouthPatrol. "The question is often asked—how would a Schneider, in the handsof a seasoned Schneider pilot, have fared in a scrap with a German * From The Story of a North Sea Air Station, pages 369-370. seaplane? The Schneider had no sensational accomplishments to itsname at Yarmouth, probably because of the amazing way in which it escaped actual contact with the enemy. Perhaps the lonely forager wasoften seen—unknown to himself—but left alone because of sympathy or fear! Schneider patrols usually lasted from one and a half to two hours.The height at which the patrols were made was comparatively low, for experience went to show that small objects, such as periscopes, could notbe detected from an enclosed machine like the Schneider from greater altitudes, and detection from above of a low-flying Schneider wasextremely difficult." The Yarmouth Schneiders were not, of course, unique, for the Schneiders, Babies and Hamble Babies had no truly sensational accomplishments to their name anywhere. They had had their early failures; they had plodded stolidly on, although several superior types of marine single-seat fighters were designed during the war years and ought to have supplanted them; and they had reached the Armistice still operational. That, perhaps, was their most remarkable achievement: so routine and unspectacular were their duties that it is not always remembered that their basic design was completed in 1913. K • SPECIFICATION AND SUMMARY Powerplants Tabloid.—80 h.p. Gn6me, 100 h.p. Gnome Monosoupape.Schneider.—100 h.p. Gn6me Monosoupape. Baby.—110 h.p. Clerget, 130 h.p. Clerget.Hamble Baby.—110 h.p. Clerget, 130 h.p. Clerget. Manufacturers: Tabloid.—Sopwith Aviation Co., Ltd., CanburyPark Road, Kingston-on-Thames. Baby.—Sopwith Aviation Co., Ltd.; Blackburn Aeroplane and Motor Co., Ltd., Olympia, Leeds. HambleBaby.—Fairey Aviation Co., Ltd., Hayes, Middlesex, and at Hamble Point; Parnall and Sons, Mivart Street, Eastville, Bristol. Production and Allocation: Tabloid.—At least six were built beforethe war, and about 36 were produced between October 1, 1914, and June 30, 1915. Four went to France in 1914, one in 1915; four weresent to training units in 1914 and one in 1915; at least four were allocated to the R.N.A.S. unit commanded by Cdr. Samson; and twowere taken to the Dardanelles aboard H.M.S. Ark Royal. Schneider.—One hundred and thirty-six were built.Baby.—At least 286 were built. By October 31, 1918, only 58 remained on charge with the R.A.F.: of these, 21 were in the Medi-terranean, three were attached to the Grand Fleet, and 34 were at seaplane stations in the United Kingdom. Hamble Baby.—A total of 180 were constructed, 50 by Fairey and130 by Parnall. Seventy-four of the Parnall-built machines were land- plane Converts. Eighteen Hamble Babies were on charge on October 31,1918; nine at home stations and nine in the Mediterranean. Armament: Tabloid.—Various makeshift arrangements of pistols,carbines and (ultimately) a single Lewis machine-gun mounted either above the centre section or on the starboard side of the fuselage firingforward through the armoured propeller. A small load of 20-lb bombs could be carried. Schneider.—One Lewis gun mounted in the centre section to fireforward and upwards at a shallow angle over the propeller, or mounted just in front of the cockpit, firing nearly vertically upwards through theaperture in the centre section; one 65-lb bomb or up to five 20-lb bombs. Baby and Hamble Baby.—The standard weapon was a single Lewisgun, mounted either in the centre section or fixed on top of the fuselage and synchronized to fire through the propeller. Some experimentalVariations are described in the foregoing narrative. A few Babies had twin Lewis guns above the centre-section, and some late Blackburn-built machines had both the fixed Lewis gun on the fuselage and one in the centre section. A number of Blackburn-built Babies were equippedto carry containers of Ranken Darts, and at least one machine was fitted with ten Le Prieur rockets. The standard bomb load consisted of two65-lb bombs. Service Use: Tabloid.—Western Front: R.F.C. Squadrons Nos. 3,4 and 7; R.N.A.S. Eastchurch Sqn., Antwerp; No. 1 Sqn., R.N.A.S., Dunkerque. Dardanelles: H.M.S. Ark Royal; No. 3 Wing, R.N.A.S.,Tenedos. Home Stations: No. 1 Sqn., R.N.A.S., Gosport; R.N.A.S. station, Great Yarmouth. Schneider and Baby.—Seaplane stations at Calshot, Dundee, Dun-kerque, Felixstowe, Fishguard, Great Yarmouth, Killingholme, Scapa Flow, Westgate. Aircraft carriers Ark Royal, Ben-my-Chree, Engadine,Furious, City of Oxford, Peony, Riviera, Campania, Vindex, Anne, Raven II, Empress, Manxman. Light cruisers Arethusa, Doris,Undaunted. Gunboat Halcyon. Paddle steamers Brocklesby and Killing- holme. Steam trawlers Kingfisher, Cantatrice. Experimentally withH.M. Submarine £.22. Mediterranean: Seaplane stations at Otranto and Santa Maria di Leuca. Aegean: R.N.A.S. stations at Thasos, Suda Bayand Syra. Egypt: R.N.A.S. stations at Port Said and Alexandria. Above, Parnafl-Suilt Hamble Baby. Left, Parnall - built Hamble Baby Convert.
Sign up to
Flight Digital Magazine
Flight Print Magazine
Airline Business Magazine
E-newsletters
RSS
Events
