The Sopwith T.1 Cuckoo was a British

biplane A biplane is a fixed-wing aircraft with two main wings stacked one above the other. The first powered, controlled aeroplane to fly, the Wright Flyer, used a biplane wing arrangement, as did many aircraft in the early years of aviation. While ...

torpedo bomber A torpedo bomber is a military aircraft designed primarily to attack ships with aerial torpedoes. Torpedo bombers came into existence just before the World War I, First World War almost as soon as aircraft were built that were capable of carryin ...

used by the

Royal Naval Air Service The Royal Naval Air Service (RNAS) was the air arm of the Royal Navy, under the direction of the Admiralty (United Kingdom), Admiralty's Air Department, and existed formally from 1 July 1914 to 1 April 1918, when it was merged with the British ...

(RNAS), and its successor organization, the

Royal Air Force The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the Air force, air and space force of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. It was formed towards the end of the World War I, First World War on 1 April 1918, on the merger of t ...

(RAF). The T.1 was the first landplane specifically designed for carrier operations, but it was completed too late for service in the

First World War World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

. After the Armistice, the T.1 was named the Cuckoo.Davis 1999, p. 123.

Design and development

In October 1916, Commodore Murray Sueter, the Air Department's Superintendent of Aircraft Construction, solicited Sopwith for a single-seat aircraft capable of carrying a 1,000 lb torpedo and sufficient fuel to provide an endurance of four hours. The resulting aircraft, designated T.1 by Sopwith,Robertson 1970, p. 125. was a large, three-bay biplane. Because the T.1 was designed to operate from carrier decks, its wings were hinged to fold backwards. The T.1 could take off from a carrier deck in four seconds, but it was not capable of making a carrier landing and no

arresting gear An arresting gear, or arrestor gear, is a mechanical system used to rapidly decelerate an aircraft as it lands. Arresting gear on aircraft carriers is an essential component of naval aviation, and it is most commonly used on CATOBAR and STOBA ...

was fitted.Davis 1999, p. 122.Robertson 1970, p. 127. A split-axle undercarriage allowed the aircraft to carry a 1,000 lb Mk. IX torpedo beneath the fuselage. The prototype T.1 first flew in June

1917 Events Below, the events of World War I have the "WWI" prefix. January * January 9 – WWI – Battle of Rafa: The last substantial Ottoman Army garrison on the Sinai Peninsula is captured by the Egyptian Expeditionary Force's ...

, powered by a 200 hp

Hispano-Suiza 8 The Hispano-Suiza 8 is a Internal combustion engine cooling, water-cooled V8 engine, V8 SOHC aero engine introduced by Hispano-Suiza in 1914 that went on to become the most commonly used liquid-cooled engine in the aircraft of the Entente Powers ...

Ba engine.Thetford 1978, p. 318. Official trials commenced in July 1917 and the Admiralty issued production orders for 100 aircraft in August.Robertson 1970, p. 125. Contractors Fairfield Engineering and Pegler & Company had no experience as aircraft manufacturers, however, resulting in substantial production delays.Layman 2002, p. 191. Moreover, the

S.E.5a The Royal Aircraft Factory S.E.5 is a British biplane fighter aircraft of the First World War. It was developed at the Royal Aircraft Factory by a team consisting of Henry Folland, John Kenworthy and Major Frank Goodden. It was one of the ...

had priority for the limited supplies of the Hispano-Suiza 8. Redesign of the T.1 airframe to accommodate the heavier Sunbeam Arab incurred further delays.Layman 2002, p. 191. In February 1918, the Admiralty issued a production order to

Blackburn Aircraft Blackburn Aircraft Limited was a British aircraft manufacturer from 1914 to 1963 that concentrated mainly on naval and maritime aircraft. History Blackburn Aircraft was founded by Robert Blackburn (aviation pioneer), Robert Blackburn and Jessy ...

, an experienced aircraft manufacturer. Blackburn delivered its first T.1 in May 1918.Thetford 1978, p. 318. The aircraft immediately experienced undercarriage and tailskid failures, requiring redesign of those components.Robertson 1970, p. 127. The T.1 also required an enlarged rudder and offset fin to combat its tendency to swing to the right.Robertson 1970, p. 127. Fairfield and Pegler finally began production in August and October, respectively.Davis 1999, p. 123. A total of 300 T.1s were ordered, but only 90 aircraft had been delivered by the Armistice. A total of 232 aircraft had been completed by the time production ended in 1919. Blackburn Aircraft produced 162 aircraft, while Fairfield Engineering completed 50 and Pegler & Company completed another 20.Thetford 1978, p. 318. After the Armistice, many T.1s were delivered directly to storage depots at Renfrew and Newcastle.Davis 1999, p. 123.

Operational history

After undergoing service trials at RAF East Fortune, the T.1 was recommended for squadron service. Deliveries to the Torpedo Aeroplane School at East Fortune commenced in early August 1918. Training took place in the

Firth of Forth The Firth of Forth () is a firth in Scotland, an inlet of the North Sea that separates Fife to its north and Lothian to its south. Further inland, it becomes the estuary of the River Forth and several other rivers. Name ''Firth'' is a cognate ...

, where Cuckoos launched practice torpedoes at targets towed by destroyers. Cuckoos of No. 185 Squadron embarked on HMS ''Argus'' in November 1918, but hostilities ended before the aircraft could conduct any combat operations.Davis 1999, p. 123. In service, the aircraft was generally popular with pilots because the airframe was strong and water landings were safe. The T.1 was easy to control and was fully aerobatic without a torpedo payload.Robertson 1970, p. 127. The Arab engine proved unsatisfactory, however, and approximately 20 T.1s were converted to use Wolseley Viper engines.Thetford 1978, p. 318. These aircraft, later designated Cuckoo Mk. IIs, could be distinguished by the Viper's lower thrust line. The Arab-engined variant was designated Cuckoo Mk. I.Davis 1999, p. 123. The Cuckoo's operational career ended when the last unit to use the type, No. 210 Squadron, disbanded at Gosport on 1 April 1923.Thetford 1978, p. 318. The Cuckoo was replaced in service by the

Blackburn Dart The Blackburn Dart was a carrier-based torpedo bomber biplane aircraft, designed and manufactured by the British aviation company Blackburn Aircraft. It was the standard single-seat torpedo bomber operated by the Fleet Air Arm (FAA) between 192 ...

Planned use

Throughout 1917, Commodore Sueter proposed plans for an

aerial torpedo An aerial torpedo (also known as an airborne torpedo or air-dropped torpedo) is a torpedo launched from a torpedo bomber aircraft into the water, after which the weapon propels itself to the target. First used in World War I, air-dropped torped ...

attack on the German

High Seas Fleet The High Seas Fleet () was the battle fleet of the German Empire, German Imperial German Navy, Imperial Navy and saw action during the First World War. In February 1907, the Home Fleet () was renamed the High Seas Fleet. Admiral Alfred von Tirpi ...

at its base in Germany.Layman 2002, p. 191. The carriers ''Argus'', , and and the converted cruisers and , were to have launched 100 Cuckoos from the North Sea.Layman 2002, p. 191. In September 1917, Admiral Sir David Beatty, commander of the

Grand Fleet The Grand Fleet was the main battlefleet of the Royal Navy during the First World War. It was established in August 1914 and disbanded in April 1919. Its main base was Scapa Flow in the Orkney Islands. History Formed in August 1914 from th ...

, proposed a similar plan involving 120 Cuckoos launched from eight converted merchant vessels.Layman 2002, p. 192.

Survivors

Today, no complete Cuckoo airframe survives, but a set of Cuckoo Mk. I wings are preserved at the National Museum of Flight in Scotland.

Variants

;Cuckoo Mk. I : Main production variant. Powered by a 200 hp (149 kW) Sunbeam Arab engine. ;Cuckoo Mk. II : Mk. I converted to use a 200 hp (149 kW) Wolseley Viper engine. ;Cuckoo Mk. III : Prototype powered by a 275 hp (205 kW)

Rolls-Royce Falcon The Rolls-Royce Falcon is an aircraft engine, aero engine developed in 1915. It was a smaller version of the Rolls-Royce Eagle, a liquid-cooled V-12 of 867 Cubic inch, cu in (14.2 Litre, L) Engine displacement, capacity. Fitted to many British ...

III engine. ;Sopwith B.1 : Single-seat bomber powered by a 200 hp (149 kW) Hispano-Suiza 8 engine. Two prototypes built.

Operators

;: *

Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service The (IJNAS) was the air arm of the Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN). The organization was responsible for the operation of naval aircraft and the conduct of aerial warfare in the Pacific War. The Japanese military acquired its first aircraft in ...

- Operated six Cuckoo Mk. II aircraft. ;: *

** No. 185 Squadron RAF - Used Cuckoo from October 1918 but was disbanded the following year. ** No. 186 Squadron RAF - Used Cuckoo from late 1918. Was renamed No. 210 Squadron in 1920. ** No. 210 Squadron RAF - Formed in 1920 from No. 186 Squadron, and continued to use the Cuckoo until 1 April 1923 when the unit disbanded.

Specifications (Mk. I)

Notes

References

* Bruce, J. M. ''Sopwith B.1 & T.1 Cuckoo: Windsock Datafile 90''. Berkhamsted, Hertfordshire, UK: Albatros Publications, 2001. . * Davis, Mick. ''Sopwith Aircraft''. Ramsbury, Marlborough, Wiltshire: Crowood Press, 1999. . * Layman, R. D. ''Naval Aviation In The First World War: Its Impact And Influence''. London: Caxton, 2002. . * Robertson, Bruce. ''Sopwith – The Man and His Aircraft''. London: Harleyford, 1970. . * Thetford, Owen. ''British Naval Aircraft Since 1912''. London: Putnam, 1994. . {{Authority control 1910s British bomber aircraft

Cuckoo Cuckoos are birds in the Cuculidae ( ) family, the sole taxon in the order Cuculiformes ( ). The cuckoo family includes the common or European cuckoo, roadrunners, koels, malkohas, couas, coucals, and anis. The coucals and anis are somet ...

Carrier-based aircraft Single-engined tractor aircraft Biplanes Aircraft first flown in 1917