In article ,
Edward Senft wrote:
I'm pretty sure that Sunderland was the last name of
one of the designers of the sunderland flying boat. I
can't find any source other than a Wikipedia article
concerning the origin of the name.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sunderland), This article indicates that
that the craft was named after the city of Sunderland. I believe this
is incorrect, however. (I remember my grandfather telling me stories
about
meeting Sunderland and talking about the flying boat he designed.)
Could someone verify the origin of the name for the Sunderland. Thank
you for your time!

RAF naming practice of the time was that the first iniial of the
manufacturer's name and the first initial of the type name should
be the same - eg:

Bristol Bulldog, Blenheim, Beaufort, Beaufighter, Brigand..
Supermarine Stranraer, Seagull, Spitfire
Short Sunderland, Stirling, Seafort, Shetland

Vickers seem to have been allowed "W" as well as "V", and Hawker
played old harry with the whole system.

Over and above that, Coastal Command aircraft were named either
after coastal towns (Stranraer, Southampton..) or navy-related
names (Anson).

The Short Sunderland was therefore mainstream coastal command
naming for the time.

Sunderland wasn't a city until 2000.

--
Andy Breen ~ Interplanetary Scintillation Research Group
http://users.aber.ac.uk/azb/
"Time has stopped, says the Black Lion clock
and eternity has begun" (Dylan Thomas)