Sopwith Dolphin

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Sopwith Dolphin
Sopwith F.1 Camel
Sopwith 5F.1 "Dolphin"
Type: Fighter plane
Design country:

United KingdomUnited Kingdom United Kingdom

Manufacturer:

Sopwith Aviation Company

First flight:

May 23, 1917

Commissioning:

February 1918

Number of pieces:

2072

The Sopwith Dolphin 5F.1 was a single-seat biplane - fighter aircraft of the British manufacturer Sopwith in the First World War .

development

In early 1917, Herbert Smith, chief engineer at Sopwith Aviation Co., began developing a single-seat combat biplane with the 200 hp Hispano-Suiza 8 B. under the designation 5F.1 . Since the upper wing was designed in two parts, and the two parts were suspended from a steel strut, the pilot had an excellent view upwards. In order to balance the center of gravity, the wings were staggered backwards. The pipes to the engine cooler ran past the side of the pilot and thus heated the cockpit.

The prototype received a 150 hp Hispano-Suiza 8V engine with reduction gear and an automobile-like radiator. It made its maiden flight on May 23, 1917. In early June the aircraft was transferred to Martlesham Heath for official testing and flew from there to St. Omer on June 13th. No. 60 Squadron flew the prototype and gave it a good testimonial. The War Department then ordered 500 aircraft from Sopwith and another 200 from Darracq Motor Engineering Co.

In the second prototype, a wing cooler was attached and the lower wing was given long cutouts to improve the pilot's view downwards. These modifications were omitted again in the later production aircraft.

For this, numerous minor changes were made to the next two prototypes; they concerned the radiator, the fuselage cover, the stabilization of the wings and the rudder. The fourth prototype became the model for series production that began in October 1917. At the end of the year, 121 Dolphins had already been delivered.

Problems were caused by the unreliable Hispano-Suiza 8B motors with reduction gears supplied by the French company Brasier. In addition, delivery bottlenecks delayed the completion of the Dolphins, which only improved in early 1918 when the French supplier Émile Mayen was brought in.

Sopwith, Darracq and Hooper & Co delivered 2,072 Dolphin Mk I, 1,500 cells were scrapped after the armistice.

variants

The French company SACA ( Société Anonyme des Constructions Aéronautiques ) began license production of the Dolphin Mk II with a 300 hp (224 kW) Hispano-Suiza 8F engine in 1918, but only a few units were delivered before the end of the war.

The prototype of the Dolphin Mk III with 200 PS (149 kW) Hispano-Suiza 8B without a gearbox first flew in October 1918 and went into production shortly before the end of the war.

commitment

The first Dolphins were sent to No. 19 and No. 79 Squadrons of the Royal Air Force were delivered, followed in March by No. 87 and No. 23. Due to its unusual appearance, the aircraft often attracted its own defensive fire and was even mistakenly attacked by British and Belgian fighter pilots several times.

The aircraft was unsuitable for beginners: it was difficult to control the aircraft, as the aircraft's nose could not be seen from the cockpit. Some pilots did not trust the attachment of the wings and saw the risk of serious head injuries in crash landings. Some of the first machines were given makeshift roll bars over the cockpit, but these were soon eliminated after the concerns had subsided and the machine became increasingly popular with pilots: It was fast, agile, easy to fly and remained large Height maneuverable, so that it could also take on the excellent German high-altitude reconnaissance aircraft Rumpler C.VII . The pilots of Squadron 87 experimented with the use of oxygen masks, but soon gave up the attempt, as they threatened to explode if hit. They also built in additional Lewis machine guns that shot up over the propeller. However, their handling was problematic and reloading was impossible, so that this armament did not prevail.

In addition to Squadrons 19, 23, 56, 79, 85, 87, 90, 91 and 141 of the Royal Air Force and No. 1 (Fighter) Squadron of the Canadian Air Force also flew the 19th Eskadra Myśliwska of the Polish Air Force, the 1st Zaporoska Eskadra Ukraińska of the Ukrainian Army and the US Army Air Service Sopwith Dolphins. He bought five Dolphin Mk I in October 1918 and shipped them to the USA for testing.

Performance comparison

Performance comparison of single-seaters in the front line at the end of the First World War :

Surname Country First flight Commissioning Engine power Max. speed Takeoff mass Armament ( MG ) Summit height number of pieces
Albatros D.III German EmpireThe German Imperium German Empire 1916-08-01 1917-01-15 170 hp 165 km / h 886 kg 2 5,500 m 1352
SE5a United Kingdom 1801United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland United Kingdom 1916-11-22 1917-03-15 200 hp 222 km / h 880 kg 2 5,185 m 5205
Sopwith Camel United Kingdom 1801United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland United Kingdom 1916-12-31 1917-06-15 130 hp 185 km / h 659 kg 2 5,791 m 5490
Sopwith Dolphin United Kingdom 1801United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland United Kingdom 1917-03-23 1918-02-15 200 hp 211 km / h 890 kg 2 6,100 m 2072
Albatros D.Va German EmpireThe German Imperium German Empire 1917-04-15 1917-07-15 185 hp 187 km / h 937 kg 2 6,250 m 2562
Palatinate D.IIIa German EmpireThe German Imperium German Empire 1917-04-15 1917-08-15 180 hp 181 km / h 834 kg 2 6,000 m 750
SPAD S.XIII Third French RepublicThird French Republic France 1917-04-30 1917-05-31 220 hp 222 km / h 820 kg 2 6,650 m 8472
Nieuport 28 Third French RepublicThird French Republic France 1917-06-14 1918-03-15 160 hp 195 km / h 740 kg 2 5,200 m 300
Fokker Dr.I German EmpireThe German Imperium German Empire 1917-07-05 1917-09-01 130 hp 160 km / h 585 kg 2 6,500 m 420
Sopwith Snipe United Kingdom 1801United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland United Kingdom 1917-10-31 1918-08-30 230 hp 195 km / h 955 kg 2 6,100 m 497
LFG Roland D.VIa German EmpireThe German Imperium German Empire 1917-11-30 1918-05-15 160 hp 190 km / h 820 kg 2 5,500 m 353
Siemens-Schuckert D.IV German EmpireThe German Imperium German Empire 1917-12-31 1918-08-15 160 hp 190 km / h 735 kg 2 8,000 m 123
Fokker D.VII German EmpireThe German Imperium German Empire 1918-01-24 1918-04-15 180 hp 189 km / h 910 kg 2 6,000 m 800
Fokker D.VIIF German EmpireThe German Imperium German Empire 1918-01-24 1918-04-15 226 hp 205 km / h 910 kg 2 7,000 m 200
Palatinate D.VIII German EmpireThe German Imperium German Empire 1918-01-24 1918-09-15 160 hp 190 km / h 740 kg 2 7,500 m 120
Palatinate D.XII German EmpireThe German Imperium German Empire 1918-03-31 1918-07-15 160 hp 180 km / h 902 kg 2 5,640 m 750
Fokker D.VIII German EmpireThe German Imperium German Empire 1918-05-31 1918-07-31 110 hp 204 km / h 605 kg 2 6,300 m 289

Post-war deployment

After the armistice, the Dolphins were quickly retired. The Canadian 1st (Fighter) Squadron flew Dolphins together with SE5as , Sopwith Snipes and captured Fokker D.VIIs until 1920. Some Dolphins were still transported to Canada .

Only one Dolphin (D5369) was converted for civilian use after Handley Page acquired it in 1920 and under the registration number G-EATC. until they were sold in 1923 for sightseeing flights.

10 Dolphins were used by the Polish Air Force in the Polish-Russian War. Among other things, they flew deep attacks at the Battle of Warsaw in August 1920, but soon had to be shut down due to a lack of spare parts. Two of these aircraft were loaned to the 1st Zaporoska Eskadra Ukraińska of the Ukrainian Army from October 1920 to February 1921 .

photos

  • Third prototype

  • Third prototype, Brooklands Airfield

  • cockpit

  • Dolphin with two Lewis machine guns firing upwards and a Norman rifle scope

  • Dolphins of the Canadian No. 1 (Fighter) Squadron in Upper Heyford, December 1918

Technical specifications

Parameter Data
length 6.78 m
span 9.91 m
height 2.59 m
Wing area 24.4 m²
Empty weight 641 kg
Takeoff weight 890 kg
engine Hispano-Suiza 8B V8 engine
power 200 hp (149 kW)
Top speed 211 km / h in NN
Climb performance 12 minutes 5 seconds at an altitude of 3,048 m
Service ceiling 6,100 m
Range 315 km
Wing load 36.5 kg / m²
Power / mass 0.232 kW / kg
Armament 2 Vickers machine guns cal. 7.7 mm,
firing forward, synchronized; 1-2 × 0.303 in (7.7 mm) Lewis MGs, 4 12 kg bombs.

See also

Commons : Sopwith Dolphin  - collection of pictures, videos and audio files

literature

  • Enzo Antolucci, Paolo Matricardi: Airplanes from the beginning to the 1st World War. Falken-Verlag, Wiesbaden 1975, ISBN 3-8068-0391-9 .
  • JM Bruce: The Sopwith Dolphin. In: Aircraft in Profile. Volume 8, Doubleday & Company, New York 1970, ISBN 0-85383-016-9 .
  • JM Bruce: The Sopwith 5F.1 Dolphin. In: Air Pictorial. Vol. 23, No. May 5, 1961.
  • JM Bruce: War Planes of the First World War. Volume 3: Fighters. Macdonald, London 1969, ISBN 0-356-01490-8 .
  • John F. Connors: The 11th Hour Sopwiths. In: Wings. Volume 6, No. February 1, 1976.
  • Peter Cooksley: Sopwith Fighters in Action. (= Aircraft. No. 110). Squadron / Signal Publications, Carrollton, Texas 1991, ISBN 0-89747-256-X .
  • Mick Davis: Sopwith Aircraft. Crowood Press, Ramsbury, Marlborough, Wiltshire 1999, ISBN 1-86126-217-5 .
  • Norman Franks: Dolphin and Snipe Aces of World War I. (= Aircraft of the Aces. No. 48). Osprey Publishing, Oxford 2002, ISBN 1-84176-317-9 .
  • William Green, Gordon Swanborough: The Complete Book of Fighters. Salamander Books, London 1994, ISBN 0-8317-3939-8 .
  • Tomasz Jan Kopañski: Samoloty brytyjskie w lotnictwie polskim 1918–1930 (British Aircraft in the Polish Air Force 1918–1930). Bellona, ​​Warsaw 2001, ISBN 83-11-09315-6 . (Polish)
  • WM Lamberton, EF Cheesman: Fighter Aircraft of the 1914-1918 War. Harleyford, Letchworth, UK 1960, ISBN 0-900435-01-1 .
  • Francis K Mason: The British Fighter Since 1912. Naval Institute Press, Annapolis, Maryland 1992, ISBN 1-55750-082-7 .
  • Larry Milberry: Aviation in Canada: The Pioneer Decades. CANAV Books, Toronto 2008, ISBN 978-0-921022-19-0 .
  • Larry Milberry: Sixty Years: The RCAF and Air Command 1924-1984. CANAV Books, Toronto 1984, ISBN 0-9690703-4-9 .
  • Kenneth Munson: Warplanes 1914-1919. Orell Füssli-Verlag, Zurich 1968.
  • Heinz Nowarra: The Development of Airplanes 1914–1918. Munich 1958.
  • Stephen Payne (Ed.): Canadian Wings: A Remarkable Century of Flight. Douglas & McIntyre, Vancouver 2006, ISBN 1-55365-167-7 .
  • Bruce Robertson: Sopwith - The Man and His Aircraft. Harleyford, London 1970, ISBN 0-900435-15-1 .

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ^ A b Francis K Mason: The British Fighter Since 1912. Naval Institute Press, Annapolis, Maryland 1992, p. 105.
  2. ↑ Norman Franks: Dolphin and Snipe Aces of World War I. (= Aircraft of the Aces. No. 48). Osprey Publishing, Oxford 2002, p. 7.
  3. ↑ Norman Franks: Dolphin and Snipe Aces of World War I. (= Aircraft of the Aces. No. 48). Osprey Publishing, Oxford 2002, p. 8.
  4. ↑ Bruce Robertson: Sopwith - The Man and His Aircraft. Harleyford, London 1970, p. 102.
  5. ↑ Mick Davis: Sopwith Aircraft. Crowood Press, Ramsbury, Marlborough, Wiltshire 1999, p. 127.
  6. ↑ Norman Franks: Dolphin and Snipe Aces of World War I. (= Aircraft of the Aces. No. 48). Osprey Publishing, Oxford 2002, p. 8.
  7. ^ A b Mick Davis: Sopwith Aircraft. Crowood Press, Ramsbury, Marlborough, Wiltshire 1999, p. 128.
  8. ^ JM Bruce: The Sopwith 5F.1 Dolphin. In: Air Pictorial. Vol. 23, No. 5, May 1961, p. 134.
  9. ^ JM Bruce: War Planes of the First World War. Volume 3: Fighters. Macdonald, London 1969, p. 15.
  10. ^ Francis K Mason: The British Fighter Since 1912. Naval Institute Press, Annapolis, Maryland 1992, pp. 105, 125, 129.
  11. ^ Francis K Mason: The British Fighter Since 1912. Naval Institute Press, Annapolis, Maryland 1992, p. 106.
  12. ↑ Peter Cooksley: Sopwith Fighters in action. (= Aircraft. No. 110). Squadron / Signal Publications, Carrollton, Texas 1991, p. 34.
  13. ↑ Norman Franks: Dolphin and Snipe Aces of World War I. (= Aircraft of the Aces. No. 48). Osprey Publishing, Oxford 2002, p. 11.
  14. ^ A b Norman Franks: Dolphin and Snipe Aces of World War I. (= Aircraft of the Aces. No. 48). Osprey Publishing, Oxford 2002, p. 21.
  15. ↑ a b J. M. Bruce: The Sopwith 5F.1 Dolphin. In: Air Pictorial. Vol. 23, No. 5, May 1961, p. 150.
  16. ↑ Larry Milberry: Aviation in Canada: The Pioneer Decades. CANAV Books, Toronto 2008, p. 160.
  17. ↑ Stephen Payne (Ed.): Canadian Wings: A Remarkable Century of Flight. Douglas & McIntyre, Vancouver 2006, p. 47.
  18. ^ A b John F Connors: The 11th Hour Sopwiths. In: Wings. Volume 6, No. 1, February 1976, p. 12.
  19. ↑ Mick Davis: Sopwith Aircraft. Crowood Press, Ramsbury, Marlborough, Wiltshire 1999, p. 135.
  20. ↑ Tomasz January Kopański: Samoloty brytyjskie w lotnictwie polskim 1918-1930 (British Aircraft in the Polish Air Force 1918-1930). Bellona, ​​Warsaw 2001, pp. 11-40. (Polish)