BLACKBURN SHARK

BLACKBURN B-6 SHARK - The Blackburn Shark was designed and built, ini-tially as a private venture, to Specification S.I5/33 for a torpedo-spotter-reconnais-sance aircraft to be operated by the Fleet Air Arm. It had a crew of three, with observer/wireless operator and gunner shar-ing the second cockpit (open on Mks I and II, enclosed on Mk III). Armament comprised one fixed forward-firing 0.303-in (7.7-mm) Vickers gun plus a ring-mounted Vickers K in the rear cockpit, plus provision for a 1,500-lb torpedo or equivalent bomb-load externally. Prototype with 700 hp Tiger IV flown at Brough on August 24, 1933. Production for Fleet Air Arm totalled 16 Mk I (Tiger IV), 126 Mk II (760 hp Tiger VI) and 95 Mk III (760 hp Tiger VI); at least 22 Mk Us and Ills (all brought up to Mk III standard) were converted 1937/38 as target tugs and operated in this role and for training and communications until 1942. Blackburn Sharks based in Seletar as target tugs oper-ated against Japanese invaders over Malaya in January 1942.

Canadian Sharks: The RCAF pur-chased seven Blackburn Shark II (760 hp Tiger VI) in 1936 for service with No 6 (TB) Squadron, later operating as No 6 (BR) Sqn on ship-ping patrols off the Canadian west coast. Two Blackburn Shark Ills (800 hp Pegasus III) were supplied to RCAF by Blackburn in 1939 as forerunners of 17 similar aircraft built by Boeing Aircraft of Canada at Vancouver, with 840 hp Pegasus IX and used by Nos 6 and 4 (BR) Squadrons. RCAF Blackburn Sharks, some of which operated as floatplanes, were with-drawn from service in August 1944 and five were then transferred to the RN Air Observers' School in Trinidad.

Data for Blackburn Shark III (Tiger VI): Max speed, 162 mph (261 km/h) at 5,500ft (1,676 m). Initial rate of climb, 1,350 ft/min (6. 86 m/sec). Service ceiling, 20,400 ft (6,218 m). Range 680 mis (1,094 km). Empty weight, 4,153 Ib (1,885 kg). Gross weight, 7,323 Ib (3,325 kg). Span, 46 ft 0 in (14.02 m). Length, 35ft 3 in (10. 74 m). Wing area, 489 sq ft (45.43m2).