Supermarine Sea Urchin

[Baco]

Somebody can recognize this particular seaplane? It seems to be a Savoia plane or project probably for Scheider Trophy.

 

[Arjen]

@Baco Supermarine Sea Urchin. Unbuilt project June 1924, as shown in the excellent Schneider Trophy seaplanes and flying boats by Ralph Pegram (@Schneiderman ), Fonthill 2012 - 3-view p.131, description p.134-136.
700 hp Rolls-Royce Condor VII - length 30 ft - span 32 ft (upper wing), 24 ft (lower wing)

 

[Arjen]

The image provided by @Baco is from Supermarine Aircraft since 1914 by CF Andrews and EB Morgan, Putnam 1987.

 

[Baco]

Thanks @Arjen!

 

[riggerrob]

The drive train reminds us of the American Spencer-Larsen Amphibian of the 1930s. The Spencer-Larsen was stymied by drive-train vibrations, but Percival Spencer later designed the successful Republic RC-3 Seabee of which 800 were built during the late 1940s.

 

[Schneiderman]

This is how the drive train was to be built

 

[Schneiderman]

.....and this is how the Sea Urchin would have looked had it been completed. The layout in #1, taken from the Putnam book, is the initial concept from late 1923.

 

[southwestforests]

I'm waiting to see the book quote which says, "The Sea Urchin's drive train presented designers with some thorny problems"

 

[Schneiderman]

.........."In parallel with this work Rolls-Royce were experiencing difficulties with the design of the two right-angle gearboxes and development was delayed."

 

[Arjen]

the excellent Schneider Trophy seaplanes and flying boats

@southwestforests Told you it's excellent