Supermarine Southampton
The Supermarine Southampton was a 1920s British flying boat, one of the most successful flying boats of the interwar period.
The Southampton was a twin-engine biplane flying boat, with the tractor engines mounted between the wings. The Southampton Mk I had both its hull and its wings manufactured from wood. The Southampton Mk II had a hull with a single thickness of metal (duralumin) (the Mk I had a double wooden bottom). This change gave a weight saving of 900 lb (409 kg) allowing for an increase in range of approximately 200 mi (320 km). In 1929, 24 of the Mk I were converted by having newly built metal hulls replacing the wooden ones. Some of the later aircraft were built with metal wings and were probably designated as Southampton Mk III. There were three positions for machine guns, one in the nose and two staggered in the rear fuselage.
Supermarine Southampton X
The Supermarine Southampton X differed widely from early Southamptons. In reality this was a different type, a three-engine sesquiplane with a stainless-steel fuselage also featuring external stringers. Larger rudders, oversize inboard floats and a tail gun position were noticeable changes. Three 430 hp Jaguar IVs were later replaced by 525 hp Panther IIAs and finally by 570 hp Jupiter XFBMs. Overweight, it failed to produce the specified performance and the Mark X was dropped.
Supermarine Southampton X
