Canadian Warplanes 3: Short Sunderland

Short Sunderland

(DND Photo)

Short Sunderland, coded Z, 15 Apr 1943.

The Short S.25 Sunderland was an RAF long-range patrol and reconnaissance flying boat.  The aircraft took its service name from the town  of Sunderland in North East England.  It had an advanced aerodynamic hull and was outfitted with various offensive and defensive armaments, including machine gun turrets, bombs, aerial mines and depth charges.

The Sunderland was powered by four Bristol Pegasus XVIII radial engines and was outfitted with various detection equipment to aid in combat operations, including the Leigh searchlight, the ASV Mk. II and ASV Mk. III radar units and an astrodome.

The Sunderland served as one of the most powerful and widely used flying boats throughout the Second World War.  In addition to the RAF, the type was operated by RCAF and many other allied nations.  During the war, the Sunderland was heavily involved in Allied efforts to counter the threat posed by German U-boats in the Battle of the Atlantic.  The RAF continued to use the Sunderland in a military capacity up to 1959.  One is preserved in the RAF Museum. (Wikipedia)

Canadian Aircraft Losses (45). Detailed records of all known RCAF and Canadian casualties in the RAF during the Second World War may be viewed on line in the Canadian Aircraft Serials Personnel Information Resource (CASPIR). The CASPIR website is researched, coded, maintained entirely by Canadian Warplane Heritage Museum (CWHM) volunteers with only one staff assisting periodically. This work has taken several years and is unlikely to be finished as continuing research leads to “new finds” and rediscovered Canadian aviation heritage and history.  The CWHM volunteer team looks forward to continuing to update and correct the record as additional information and photos are received. Check here.

(DND Archives Photo, PL-61430)

Coastal Command's first U-boat kill of 1944. The Sunderland's gunners put a final burst of fire across the U-boat' six and a half minutes after the first sighting; a few seconds later the U-boat disappeared beneath the surface. Survivors can be seen in the water at the bottom right of the photo.

F/L F.G. Fellows and crew in a Short Sunderland (Serial No. DD862), coded G, No. 423 Squadron, RCA, attacked U-672 in the North Atlantic, severely damaging the U-Boat and forcing it to return to base.

(YAW Museum Photo)

Short Sunderland (Serial No. DD862), coded 3-H.

(IWM Photo, HU 91909)

Short Sunderland Mk. III (Serial No. DD867), coded 2-G, No. 423 Squadron, RCAF based at Castle Archdale, County Fermanagh, England.

(RCAF Photo)

Short Sunderland Mk. III (Serial No. DD867), coded 2-G, No. 423 Squadron, RCAF based at Castle Archdale, County Fermanagh, England.  The Squadron flew the Short Sunderland Flying Boat, first out of Oban, then from Castle Archdale, Northern Ireland for most of the War.

(Library and Archives Canada Photo, PL-43751, MIKAN No. 5081614)

RCAF Short Sunderland aircrew, L to R: F/O Frederick Field, P/O N.C. Rowley, WO1 T.E. Campbell, F/O W.J. Bice and WO1 J.O. Fink, Coastal Command, after their machine-gun attack on a German U-boat which had been attempting to harass Allied shipping.

(IWM Photo,  CH832)

Short Sunderland Mk. I flying boat, coded DA-G, of No. 210 Squadron RAF based at Oban in Scotland, patrols over a Canadian troop convoy on its way to Greenock, 31 July 1940.

(IWM Photo, CH12236)

Short S.25 Sunderland Mk. III Short Sunderland, coded 2-E, No. 422 Squadron ,RCAF based at RAF Castle Archdale, Northern Ireland.

(RAF Photo)

Short S.25 Sunderland Mk. III (Serial No. EK591), coded 2-U of No. 422 Squadron, RCAF based at RAF Castle Archdale, Northern Ireland in 1944, sank German U-boat U-625 on 10 March 1944.  Warrant Officer 2nd Class W. F. Morton was on his first operational sortie as captain when he and his crew attacked and sank U-625 west of Ireland at position 52º53’N 20º19’W . The Type VIIC was skippered by Oberleutnant zur See Siegried Straub.  The entire crew of 53 hands were on their 11th day of patrolling when they perished in the attack, but not before they struck back with fierce flak that damaged the port front hull of the Sunderland.

(RAF Photo)

Short Sunderland, coded NS-D, flown by RCAF aircrew during the Second World War.

(IWM Photo)

U-629 sinking.

(IWM Photo, CH 854)

Short Sunderland, Frazer-Nash FN13 rear turret, August 1940.  The Sunderland was the first RAF flying boat to be fitted with power-operated gun turrets.

(RAF Photo)

Short Sunderland Mk. V, coded C-T, flown by RCAF aircrew during the Second World War.  One is preserved in the RAF Museum, Hendon, UK.  RCAF No. 422 Squadron and No. 423 Squadron flew the Sunderland during the war.

(Chad Kainz Photo)

Short Sunderland, RAF (Serial No. ML796), nose gun turret, IWM Duxford.

The Germans responded to Sunderland attacks by fitting some U-boats with one or two 37 mm and twin quad 20 mm flak guns to fire back at their attackers. While Sunderlands could suppress flak to an extent with their nose turret guns, the U-boats guns had superior range, hitting power and accuracy. Attempting to shoot down Allied aircraft did, however, prolong the U-boat's presence on the surface, which made sinking the vessel easier. Nonetheless, fitting of substantial arrays of anti-aircraft guns temporarily decreased U-boat losses while both Allied aircraft and shipping losses rose. As a countermeasure to the increased defensive armament of the U-boats, the Australians fitted their aircraft in the field with an additional four .303s in fixed mounts in the nose, allowing the pilot to add fire while diving on the submarine before bomb release. Most aircraft were similarly modified.  The addition of single .50 inch (12.7 mm) flexibly mounted M2 Browning machine guns in the beam hatches behind and above the wing trailing edge also became common.

(RAF Photo)

Sunderland Mk. V (Serial No. ML824), coded NS-Z, No. 201 Squadron, RAF.  The bulges under the outer wings are the ASV6 radar antennae.

(RuthAS Photo)

Sunderland Mk. V (Serial No. ML824), coded NS-Z, No. 201 Squadron, RAF on display at the RAF Museum at Hendon, London.

(IWM Photo, CH 14837)

Short Sunderland and Catalina flying boats of RAF Coastal Command at Castle Archdale in Northern Ireland, January 1945.  Nearly all the aircraft on strength with three Coastal Command squadrons are visible here, drawn up out of the water at Castle Archdale in Northern Ireland as Logh Erne froze over in January 1945.  More than 30 aircraft can be seen, including Sunderlands of No. 201 Squadron, and No. 423 Squadron, RCAF, and No. 202 Squadron's Catalinas.

(IWM Photo, C 4614)

Short Sunderland (Serial No. EK573), coded P of No. 10 Squadron, RCAF, 'unsticks' after picking up three survivors from a Vickers Wellington shot down in the Bay of Biscay, 27 August 1944.  Despite a heavy swell - and the knowledge that many such landing attempts had ended in disaster - Flight Lieutenant W.B. (Bill) Tilley executed a successful rescue.  The No. 172 Squadron Wellington had crashed after being hit by return fire during an attack on U-534 the previous night.

(Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 4542720)

A parachute flare, used to illuminate a U-boat spotted at night by Sunderland flying boats of Coastal Command, is handed to P/O R.A. Stubbs by F/O D.E. Cameron, 5 February 1944. A parachute flare, used to illuminate a U-boat spotted at night by Sunderland flying boats of Coastal Command, is handed to P/O R.A. Stubbs by F/O D.E. Cameron, 5 February 1944. Both airmen were serving on the same crew with No. 423 (General Reconnaissance) Squadron, RCAF, when the Public Relations photo was taken. The squadron was operating the Short Sunderland Mk. III from Castle Archdale, Fermanagh, Northern Ireland.

Notable Sunderlands with RCAF aircrew

Short Sunderland GR Mk. III (Serial No. DD859), coded 3-G, No. 423 (GP) Squadron, RCAF, RAF Coastal Command, Castle Archdale, Ireland.  Served with No. 423 (GP) Squadron, RCAF, coded "3*G", based at Castle Archdale, Northern Ireland. Picked up from maintenance facility at Wig Bay by squadron crew on 21 June 1943. Scored this units 2nd U-boat kill on 4 August 1943, sinking U-489 in the Western Approaches, at 61-11N 14-38W. DD859 was shot down by return fire, 5 crew were killed, 6 wounded, rescued by destroyer HMS Castleton. This ship also rescued 58 crew from the U-boat.

Short Sunderland GR Mk. III (Serial No. ML825), coded AB-D, No. 423 Squadron, RCAF, RAF Coastal Command, Castle Archdale, Ireland.  On 11 September 1944, Flying Officer J.N. Farren and crew joined HMCS Dunver and HMCS Hespeler in sinking U-484.

Short Sunderland GR Mk. III (Serial No. EK591), coded 2-U, No. 422 Squadron, RCAF, RAF Coastal Command, based at St. Angelo, not far from Castle Archdale, Ireland.  On 10 March 1944, Warrant Officer 2nd Class W.F. Morton and crew, sank U-625, while on W/O Morton’s first operational mission as an aircraft commander.

Short Sunderland GR Mk. III (Serial No. DD863), served with No. 423 (GP) Squadron, RCAF, coded 3-J. Scored this units third U-boat kill, sinking U-610 at 55-45N 24-33W, on 8 October 1943. DD863 was lost after an engine failure while on patrol on 13 November 1943, crashed into sea off Irish coast, near Donegal. All 10 (or 11?) crew died.

(RAAF Photo)

An RAAF Short Sunderland anchored at Rose Bay, Sydney Harbour, Australia, circa 1944.A mooring compartment nestled in the nose of the Sunderland housed essential gear such as anchors, winches, boat-hooks, and ladders. The front turret boasted a unique design that allowed it to slide back, facilitating the crew's task of securing the aircraft to a buoy, as depicted in this image.