The Canadian Vickers Vancouver was a Canadian transport/patrol

flying boat A flying boat is a type of seaplane with a hull, allowing it to land on water. It differs from a floatplane in having a fuselage that is purpose-designed for flotation, while floatplanes rely on fuselage-mounted floats for buoyancy. Though ...

of the 1930s built by

Canadian Vickers Canadian Vickers Limited was an aircraft and shipbuilding company that operated in Canada from 1911 until 1944. A subsidiary of Vickers Limited, it built its own aircraft designs as well as others under licence. Canadair absorbed the Canadian Vi ...

. It was a twin-engine, equal-span

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 ...

. The hull was of metal and the rest of the structure of fabric-covered wood.

Development

The Vancouver was developed as a replacement for the

Varuna Varuna (; , ) is a Hindu god. He is one of the earliest deities in pantheon, whose role underwent a significant transformation from the Vedic to the Puranic periods. In the early Vedic era, Varuna is seen as the god-sovereign, ruling the sky ...

in response to a

Royal Canadian Air Force The Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF; ) is the air and space force of Canada. Its role is to "provide the Canadian Forces with relevant, responsive and effective airpower". The RCAF is one of three environmental commands within the unified Can ...

requirement for a flying boat to transport men and equipment to forest fires. The main difference from the Varuna was a duralumin hull and more powerful engines. The two flight crew were located in two tandem open cockpits, forward of the wing. The main cabin could accommodate a firefighting team of six men and all the required equipment. Five aircraft were delivered to the Royal Canadian Air Force, one was later converted into a coastal patrol aircraft.

Operational history

In the mid-1930s, the Vancouvers were modified as coastal patrol aircraft by the installation of machine guns and bombs. After the outbreak of the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, Vancouvers served with 4 Squadron, RCAF at Jericho Beach Air Station until withdrawn from service in 1940. After a brief period of service in training duties, they were finally withdrawn and struck off in 1940. None of the aircraft saw service after 1940, one private offer to acquire was denied.

Variants

''Data from:''Canadian Aircraft since 1909 * Vancouver I – prototype with

Armstrong Siddeley Lynx IV The Armstrong Siddeley Lynx is a British seven-cylinder aero engine developed by Armstrong Siddeley. It was developed as a single row version of the two-row Armstrong Siddeley Jaguar. Testing began in 1920 and 6,000 had been produced by 1939. ...

engines, one built. * Vancouver IA – designation of prototype after installation of Armstrong Siddeley Lynx IVC engines. * Vancouver II – production transport version with Armstrong Siddeley Lynx IVC (three aircraft) or Wright J-6 Whirlwind (two aircraft) engines, five built. * Vancouver IIS/S – conversion of three Lynx-powered Vancouver IIs to "service standard" with three Lewis gun cockpits for coastal patrol, powered by Armstrong Siddeley Serval IV engines. * Vancouver IIS/W – "service standard" conversion of two Wright J-6 Whirlwind powered Vancouver IIs.

Operator

** No. 4 Squadron RCAF 1939-1940

Specifications (Vancouver IIS/W)

References

{{Aircraft manufactured in Canada 1920s Canadian patrol aircraft

Vancouver Vancouver is a major city in Western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the cit ...