Beardmore W.B.III

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Contents

Type Description

• WB.III
• A development of the Sopwith Pup specially adapted for shipboard use, it featured a redesigned folding wing with no stagger and reduced dihedral angle. The normal centre-section struts were replaced by full-length interplane struts adjacent to the fuselage and the ailerons were operated by control rods, the upper and lower ailerons being rigidly connected by a light strut, though this last feature was abandoned in later production aircraft, which reverted to cable controls. The fuselage, which was adapted to carry emergency flotation gear, was lengthened by about twelve inches aft of the cockpit so as to avoid interference between the tailplane and the outboard interplane struts, and folding skids were introduced under the lower wings. The prototype and first 13 production W.B.IIIs had folding main undercarriage members, and these were known as S.B.3Fs (Sopwith-Beardmore 3 Folding), but subsequent W.B.IIIs had jettisonable undercarriages and flotation equipment. These were known as S.B.3D. A lengthened tailskid was fitted to allow ground clearance with the wings folded. Armament consisted of a .303 in Lewis gun fitted on a special mounting in front of the pilot's cockpit to allow it to fire through an opening in the centre section. One 80 h.p. Le Rhône 9C powerplant.

Production Details

Notes

1. Per Sturtivant and Page [2], the designations S.B.IIIF and S.B.IIID were promulgated in AWO 2499/17, dated 6 July 1917.

Production References

1. Beardmore Aviation 1913-1930, Charles MacKay (A. MacKay, 2012)
2. Royal Navy Aircraft Serials and Units, 1911-1919, Ray Sturtivant and Gordon Page (Air-Britain Publications, 1992)