The Saunders Roe A.27 London was a British military

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 ...

flying boat built by the Saunders Roe company. Only 31 were built, entering service with the

Royal Air Force The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's air and space force. It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by regrouping the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) an ...

(RAF) in 1936. Although due for replacement by the outbreak of

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

, they saw some active service pending the introduction of the ultimately unsuccessful Lerwick.

Development

The A.27 London was designed in response to the

Air Ministry The Air Ministry was a department of the Government of the United Kingdom with the responsibility of managing the affairs of the Royal Air Force, that existed from 1918 to 1964. It was under the political authority of the Secretary of State ...

Specification R.24/31March 1998, p. 191.Mondey 2002, p. 180. issued for a "General Purpose Open Sea Patrol Flying Boat" and was based on the Saro A.7 Severn. The London and its contemporary, the Supermarine Stranraer, were the last multi-engine, biplane flying-boats to see service with the RAF. The design utilized an all-metal corrugated hull and fabric-covered wing and tail surfaces, with two Bristol Pegasus II

radial engine The radial engine is a reciprocating type internal combustion engine configuration in which the cylinders "radiate" outward from a central crankcase like the spokes of a wheel. It resembles a stylized star when viewed from the front, and is ...

s, mounted on the upper wing to keep them clear of spray while taking off and landing. The first prototype first flew in March 1934 and then went on to serve until 1936 with the 209 and the

210 Year 210 ( CCX) was a common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Faustinus and Rufinus (or, less frequently, year 963 ''Ab urbe condita ...

Squadrons of the RAF at

RAF Felixstowe Royal Air Force Felixstowe, or more simply RAF Felixstowe, is a former Royal Air Force station located northeast of Harwich, Essex, England and southeast of Ipswich, Suffolk. History Felixstowe was commissioned 5 August 1913 under the comm ...

and Gibraltar respectively. The first deliveries of production aircraft began in March 1936 with Pegasus III engines, and from the eleventh aircraft onwards the Pegasus X engine was fitted instead and the aircraft's designation changed to London Mk.II. Earlier Londons were retrofitted with the Pegasus X and were also given the "Mk.II" designation.

Operational history

Aircraft of the Royal Air Force 1939-1945- Saro A

The London Mk.II model equipped 201 Squadron RAF at

RAF Calshot Royal Air Force Calshot or more simply RAF Calshot was initially a seaplane and flying boat station, and latterly a Royal Air Force marine craft maintenance and training unit. It was located at the end of Calshot Spit in Southampton Water, Ha ...

beginning in 1936, replacing Supermarine Southamptons. Others later were delivered in October 1936 to 204 Squadron RAF at RAF Mount Batten,

Plymouth Plymouth () is a port city and unitary authority in South West England. It is located on the south coast of Devon, approximately south-west of Exeter and south-west of London. It is bordered by Cornwall to the west and south-west. Plymout ...

, also replacing Southamptons. More were delivered to the same squadron in 1937 to replace Blackburn Perths, and to 202 Squadron RAF at Kalafrana,

Malta Malta ( , , ), officially the Republic of Malta ( mt, Repubblika ta' Malta ), is an island country in the Mediterranean Sea. It consists of an archipelago, between Italy and Libya, and is often considered a part of Southern Europe. It lies ...

, replacing Supermarine Scapas, and 228 Squadron RAF at

Pembroke Dock Pembroke Dock ( cy, Doc Penfro) is a town and a community in Pembrokeshire, South West Wales, northwest of Pembroke on the banks of the River Cleddau. Originally Paterchurch, a small fishing village, Pembroke Dock town expanded rapidly follow ...

. In 1937–1938 204 Squadron RAF used five Londons equipped with auxiliary external fuel tanks for a long-distance training flight to Australia to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the founding of the Colony at Sydney, New South Wales. In this configuration, they had a range of 2,600 miles (4,180 km). At the outbreak of

in September 1939, Londons equipped 201 Squadron RAF, which was by now stationed at Sullom Voe in

Shetland Shetland, also called the Shetland Islands and formerly Zetland, is a subarctic archipelago in Scotland lying between Orkney, the Faroe Islands and Norway. It is the northernmost region of the United Kingdom. The islands lie about to the ...

, and 202 Squadron RAF at Gibraltar, as well as 240 Squadron RAF at Invergordon, which had re-equipped with Londons in July 1939. These aircraft carried out active patrols over the

North Sea The North Sea lies between Great Britain, Norway, Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands and Belgium. An epeiric sea on the European continental shelf, it connects to the Atlantic Ocean through the English Channel in the south and the Norwegian S ...

and the

Mediterranean The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean Basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Western and Southern Europe and Anatolia, on the south by North Africa, and on th ...

. Some were fitted with a dorsal fuel tank to increase operational radius. Armament in the form of

bombs A bomb is an explosive weapon that uses the exothermic reaction of an explosive material to provide an extremely sudden and violent release of energy. Detonations inflict damage principally through ground- and atmosphere-transmitted mechanic ...

depth charge A depth charge is an anti-submarine warfare (ASW) weapon. It is intended to destroy a submarine by being dropped into the water nearby and detonating, subjecting the target to a powerful and destructive hydraulic shock. Most depth charges use ...

s, and

naval mine A naval mine is a self-contained explosive device placed in water to damage or destroy surface ships or submarines. Unlike depth charges, mines are deposited and left to wait until they are triggered by the approach of, or contact with, any ve ...

s up to a total weight of 2,000 lb (907 kg) could be carried beneath the lower wings. Gradually, the Londons' duties were assumed by newer aircraft such as the

Lockheed Hudson The Lockheed Hudson is a light bomber and coastal reconnaissance aircraft built by the American Lockheed Aircraft Corporation. It was initially put into service by the Royal Air Force shortly before the outbreak of the Second World War and pr ...

, while squadrons flying

Atlantic The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the "Old World" of Africa, Europe an ...

and Mediterranean patrols were re-equipped with Short Sunderlands. All were withdrawn from front-line duties by the middle of 1941.

Variants

; Prototype : One only ; London Mk.I : 10 built with two 820 hp Pegasus III engines and two-bladed

propeller A propeller (colloquially often called a screw if on a ship or an airscrew if on an aircraft) is a device with a rotating hub and radiating blades that are set at a pitch to form a helical spiral which, when rotated, exerts linear thrust upon ...

s. Later converted to Mk II. ; London Mk.II : 20 built with two 915 hp Pegasus X engines and four-bladed propellers.

Operators

; *

Jefford 2001, pp. 70–73, 76, 78 and 175. ** No. 201 Squadron RAF (Apr 1936 – Apr 1940) **

No. 202 Squadron RAF No. 202 Squadron of the Royal Air Force is the maritime and mountains training element of the No.1 Flying Training School, operating the Airbus Helicopters H145 Jupiter. It previously operated the Sea King HAR3 in the search and rescue role ...

(Sep 1937 – Jun 1941) ** No. 204 Squadron RAF (Oct 1936 – Jul 1939) ** No. 209 Squadron RAF (Oct 1934 – Feb 1936) ** No. 210 Squadron RAF (Oct 1935 – Nov 1935) **

No. 228 Squadron RAF No. 228 Squadron RAF was a squadron of the Royal Air Force active at various times between 1918 and 1964. It spent the greatest part of its existence flying over water, doing so in First, and Second World Wars and beyond, performing anti-submarin ...

(Feb 1937 – Sep 1938) ** No. 240 Squadron RAF (Jul 1939 – Jul 1940)

Specifications (London Mk.II)

References

Bibliography

* Burney, Allan. ''Flying Boats of World War 2'' (The Aeroplane; & Flight Magazine Aviation Archive Series). London: Key Publishing Ltd., 2015. * Green, William. ''War Planes of the Second World War, Volume Five: Flying Boats''. London: Macdonald & Co. (Publishers) Ltd., 1962 (Fifth impression 1972). . * Jefford, C.G. ''RAF Squadrons, a Comprehensive record of the Movement and Equipment of all RAF Squadrons and their Antecedents since 1912''. Shrewsbury, Shropshire, UK: Airlife Publishing, 1988 (second edition 2001). . * London, Peter. ''Saunders and Saro Aircraft Since 1917''. London: Putnam (Conway Maritime Press), London, 1988. . * March, Daniel J. ''British Warplanes of World War II: Combat Aircraft of the RAF and Fleet AIr Arm, 1939–1945''. Hoo, near Rochester, Kent, UK: Aerospace Publishing Ltd., 1998. . * Mondey, David. ''The Hamlyn Concise Guide to British Aircraft of World War II''. Hamlyn (publishers),1982 (republished 1994 by Chancellor Press, reprinted 2002). .

External links

Saunders Roe & British Hovercraft Corporation Archive

Saro London
– British Aircraft Directory {{Saro aircraft 1930s British military reconnaissance aircraft Flying boats

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

Biplanes Aircraft first flown in 1934 Twin piston-engined tractor aircraft