| T.II | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Role | Torpedo bomber Type of aircraft |
| National origin | Netherlands |
| Manufacturer | Fokker-Flugzeugwerke |
| First flight | 1921 |
| Introduction | 1922 |
| Retired | ca. 1926 |
| Primary user | US Navy |
| Number built | 3 |
TheFokker T.II or T.2 (Not to be confused with theFokker T-2) was a single enginefloatplane designed in theNetherlands in the early 1920s as atorpedo bomber. Three were bought by theUS Navy who tested them against other aircraft from theUS and theUK. The T.IIs did not win further production orders but remained in service for several years.
Fokker's T-designation included bothbombers andtorpedo bombers; the T.II was the first of this series, as the T.I was an unbuilt project. Three were ordered by theUS Navy early in 1921 and completed towards the end of that year. Air power enthusiast GeneralBilly Mitchell visited the Fokker works atVeere in early 1922. GeneralClayton Bissell, traveling with him, was encouraged by Fokker to fly the T.II. He reported it unresponsive to the controls; Fokker responded by having about a meter of the rear fuselage cut out and the structure re-welded, which cured the problem. The three T.IIs were delivered to the US later in 1922, where they were given the designationFT-1 (Fokker torpedo).[1]
The T.II was acantileverlow wing monoplane with straight tapered, square tipped wings.Overhung ailerons were used. Thefuselage was flat topped and sided and deep from tail to nose, where a 400 hp (300 kW)Liberty 12A water-cooledV-12 engine drove a two bladepropeller. The two crew sat intandem, separate, open roundcockpits over the wing. Thetailplane was mounted on top of the fuselage; together, it and theelevators were, like the wings, straight tapered in plan and square tipped. Thefin andrudder were quite short but the latter extended to the deep keel. The T.II's twin float undercarriage was about 70% of the aircraft's length, projecting well forward of the nose. The floats were mounted on the fuselage by N-struts, two pairs, with diagonal transverse bracing between them, on each float. There were no transverse interfloat struts, as required by the torpedo dropping role.[1]
The T.II's defensive armament was a single machine gun in the rear cockpit. Its offensivetorpedo was mounted externally on the fuselage between the floats.[1]
The US Navy conducted comparative tests of several types at theirAnacostia base. The competitors in addition to the Fokker were the USCurtiss CT-1,Douglas DT-1,Stout ST-1 and the UKBlackburn Swift F. The Douglas machine won the production order and the Fokkers went into service at theNaval Air Station,Hampton Roads, remaining there until about 1926.[1]
Data from Wesselink 1982[1]
General characteristics
Performance
Armament
