Sopwith Snipe

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sopwith_Snipe

The Sopwith 7F.1 Snipe was a British single-seat biplane fighter of the Royal
Air Force (RAF). It was designed and built by the Sopwith Aviation Company
during the First World War, and came into squadron service a few weeks before
the end of the conflict, in late 1918.

The Snipe was not a fast aircraft by the standards of its time, but its
excellent climb and manoeuvrability made it a good match for contemporary German
fighters.

It was selected as the standard postwar single-seat RAF fighter and the last
examples were not retired until 1926.

In April 1917, Herbert Smith, the chief designer of the Sopwith Company, began
to design a fighter intended to be the replacement for Sopwith's most famous
aeroplane, the successful Sopwith Camel. The resultant design, called Snipe by
Sopwith, was in its initial form a single-bay biplane, slightly smaller than the
Camel, and intended to be powered by similar engines. The pilot sat higher than
in the Camel while the centre-section of the upper wing was uncovered, giving a
better view from the cockpit. Armament was to be two Vickers machine guns. In
the absence of an official order, Sopwith began construction of two prototypes
as a private venture in September 1917. This took advantage of a licence that
had been granted to allow construction of four Sopwith Rhino bomber prototypes,
only two of which were built. The first prototype Snipe, powered by a Bentley
AR.1 rotary engine was completed in October 1917. The second prototype was
completed with the new, more powerful Bentley BR.2, engine, which gave 230
horsepower (170 kW) in November 1917. This promised better performance, and
prompted an official contract for six prototypes to be placed, including the two
aircraft built as private ventures.

The Snipe was evaluated against three other fighter prototypes, all powered by
the Bentley BR.2 engine: the Austin Osprey triplane, the Boulton & Paul Bobolink
and the Nieuport B.N.1. While there was little difference in performance between
the aircraft, the Sopwith was selected for production, with orders for 1,700
Snipes placed in March 1918.

The Snipe's structure was heavier but much stronger than earlier Sopwith
fighters. Although not a fast aircraft for 1918, it was very manoeuvrable, and
much easier to handle than the Camel, with a superior view from the cockpit -
especially forwards and upwards. The Snipe also had a superior rate of climb,
and much better high-altitude performance compared with its predecessor,
allowing it to fight Germany's newer fighters on more equal terms. Further
modifications were made to the Snipe during the war and postwar. The Snipe was
built around the Bentley BR2 engine - the last rotary to be used by the RAF. It
had a maximum speed of 121 mph at 10,000 ft compared with the Camel's 115 mph
(185 km/h) at the same altitude and an endurance of three hours. Its fixed
armament consisted of two 0.303 in (7.7 mm) Vickers machine guns on the cowling,
and it was also able to carry up to four 25 lb (11 kg) bombs for ground attack
work, identical to the Camel's armament. The design allowed for a single Lewis
gun to be mounted on the centre section in a similar manner to those carried by
the Dolphin - in the event this was not fitted to production aircraft.

The Snipe began production in 1918, with more than 4,500 being ordered.
Production ended in 1919, with just under 500 being built, the rest being
cancelled due to the end of the war. There was only one variant, the Snipe I,
with production by several companies including Sopwith, Boulton & Paul Ltd,
Coventry Ordnance Works, D. Napier & Son, Nieuport and Ruston, Proctor and
Company.

Two aircraft were re-engined with a 320 hp (239 kW) ABC Dragonfly radial engine
and these entered production as the Sopwith Dragon. An armoured version entered
production as the Sopwith Salamander.


Role
Fighter

Manufacturer
Sopwith Aviation Company

Designer
Herbert Smith

First flight
October 1917

Introduction
1918

Primary users
Royal Air Force
Australian Flying Corps
Canadian Air Force

Number built
497

Variants
Sopwith Salamander
Sopwith Dragon

The first squadron to equip with the new fighter was No. 43 Squadron, based at
Fienvillers in France, which replaced its Camels with 15 Snipes on 30 August
1918. After spending much of September training, it flew its first operational
patrols equipped with the Snipe on 24 September. The Snipe also saw service with
No. 4 Squadron Australian Flying Corps (AFC) from October 1918. While 43
Squadron's Snipes saw relatively little combat, the Australians had more
success, claiming five victories on 26 October and six on 28 October, while on
29 October, 4 Squadron claimed eight Fokker D.VIIs destroyed and two more driven
down out of control for the loss of one of 15 Snipes. No. 208 Squadron RAF
converted from Camels in November, too late for the Snipes to see action.

One of the most famous incidents in which the Snipe was involved occurred on 27
October 1918 when Canadian Major William G. Barker attached to No. 201 Squadron
RAF flew over the Forêt de Mormal in France. Barker's Snipe (No. E8102) had been
brought with him for personal evaluation purposes in connection with his
UK-based training duties and was therefore operationally a "one-off". The
engagement with enemy aircraft occurred at the end of a two-week posting to
renew his combat experience as Barker was returning to the UK. While on his last
operation over the battlefields of France, Major Barker attacked a two-seater
German aircraft and swiftly shot it down. However, Barker was soon attacked by a
formation of at least 15 Fokker D.VIIs, an aircraft widely considered to be the
best operational German fighter of the First World War. The ensuing melee was
observed by many Allied troops. In the engagement, Barker was wounded three
times, twice losing consciousness momentarily, but managing to shoot down at
least three D.VIIs before making a forced landing on the Allied front lines.
Barker was awarded the Victoria Cross for this action. The fuselage of this
Snipe is preserved at the Canadian War Museum, Ottawa, Ontario.

Although the performance demonstrated by the Snipe was unimpressive (tests at
Martlesham Heath in October 1918 had shown that the Snipe was inferior to the
Martinsyde F.3 and Fokker D.VII), it was selected as the standard postwar
single-seat fighter of the RAF almost by default, with the Martinsyde Buzzard
development of the F.3 being 25 percent more expensive than the Snipe and
relying on a French engine that was in short supply (the 300 hp Hispano-Suiza
8), while the range of fighters powered by the ABC Dragonfly radial engine did
not come to fruition owing to failure of that engine. The last Snipes were
retired by that service in 1926.

Specifications (Snipe)

General characteristics
Crew: 1
Length: 19 ft 10 in (6.05 m)
Upper wingspan: 31 ft (9.4 m)
Lower wingspan: 30 ft 0 in (9.14 m)
Height: 9 ft 6 in (2.90 m)
Wing area: 271 sq ft (25.2 m2)
Empty weight: 1,312 lb (595 kg)
Gross weight: 2,020 lb (916 kg)
Fuel capacity: 38.5 imp gal (46.2 US gal; 175 L)
Powerplant: 1 × Bentley BR2 nine-cylinder rotary engine, 230 hp (170 kW)

Performance
Maximum speed: 121 mph (195 km/h, 105 kn) at 10,000 ft (3,000 m)
Endurance: 3 hr
Service ceiling: 19,500 ft (5,900 m)
Time to altitude:
5 min 10 s to 6,500 ft (2,000 m)
18 min 50 s to 15,000 ft (4,600 m)


Armament

Guns: 2× 0.303 in (7.7 mm) Vickers machine guns
Bombs: 4× 25 lb (11 kg) bombs



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