| Sopwith Pup | |
|---|---|
.jpg) | |
| General information | |
| Type | Biplanefighter |
| Manufacturer | Sopwith Aviation Company |
| Designer | |
| Status | retired |
| Primary users | Royal Flying Corps |
| Number built | 1,796 |
| History | |
| Manufactured | 1916–1918 |
| Introduction date | October 1916 |
| First flight | 9 February 1916 |
| Variant | Beardmore W.B.III |
TheSopwith Pup is a British single-seaterbiplanefighter aircraft built by theSopwith Aviation Company. It entered service with theRoyal Naval Air Service and theRoyal Flying Corps in the autumn of 1916. With pleasant flying characteristics and good manoeuvrability, the aircraft proved very successful. Newer German fighters eventually outclassed the Pup, though it remained on the Western Front until late 1917. The remaining Pups were relegated to Home Defence and training units. The Pup's docile flying characteristics also made it ideal for use inaircraft carrier deck landing and takeoff experiments and training.
In 1915, Sopwith produced a small aircraft, known as "Hawker's Runabout" (or the SL.T.B.P), for the company's test pilotHarry Hawker. It was a single-seat,tractor biplane powered by a seven-cylinder 50 hp (37 kW)Gnomerotary engine. Another four similar aircraft have been tentatively identified asSopwith Sparrows. Sopwith next developed a more powerful aircraft as a fighter that was heavily influenced by this design, although controlled laterally withailerons rather than bywing warping.[1]
The resulting aircraft was a single-bay, single-seat biplane with a fabric-covered wooden framework and staggered equal-span wings. The cross-axle type main landing gear was supported by V-struts attached to the lower fuselagelongerons. The prototype and most production Pups were powered by the 80 hp (60 kW)Le Rhône 9C rotary engine. The armament was a single 0.303 in (7.7 mm)Vickers machine gunsynchronized with theSopwith-Kauper synchronizer.
A prototype was completed in February 1916 and sent toUpavon for testing in late March. TheRoyal Naval Air Service (RNAS) quickly ordered two more prototypes, then placed a production order. Sopwith was heavily engaged in the production of theSopwith 1½ Strutter, and produced only a small number of Pups for the RNAS. Deliveries commenced in August 1916.
TheRoyal Flying Corps (RFC) also placed large orders for Pups. The RFC orders were undertaken by sub-contractorsStandard Motor Co. and Whitehead Aircraft. Deliveries did not commence until the beginning of 1917. 1,796 Pups were built, including 96 by Sopwith, 850 byStandard Motor Co., 820 by Whitehead Aircraft, and 30 byWilliam Beardmore & Co.
In May 1916, the RNAS received its first Pups for operational trials with "A" Naval Squadron. The first Pups reached theWestern Front in October 1916 withNo. 8 Squadron RNAS, and proved successful, with the squadron's Pups claiming 20 enemy machines destroyed in operations over theSomme battlefield by the end of the year.[2] The first RFC Squadron to re-equip with the Pup was No.54 Squadron, which arrived in France in December. The Pup quickly proved its superiority over the earlyFokker,Halberstadt andAlbatros biplanes. After encountering the Pup in combat,Manfred von Richthofen said, "We saw at once that the enemy aeroplane was superior to ours."[citation needed]
The Pup's light weight and generous wing area gave it a good rate of climb. Agility was enhanced by having ailerons on both wings. The Pup had half the horsepower and armament of theGermanAlbatros D.III, but was much more manoeuvrable, especially over 15,000 ft (4,600 m) due to its lowwing loading. AceJames McCudden stated that "When it came to manoeuvring, the Sopwith [Pup] would turn twice to an Albatros' once ... it was a remarkably fine machine for general all-round flying. It was so extremely light and well surfaced that after a little practice one could almost land it on a tennis court."[citation needed] However, the Pup was also longitudinally unstable.
At the peak of its operational deployment, the Pup equipped only four RNAS squadrons (Nos. 3, 4, 8 and 9), and three RFC squadrons (Nos. 54, 46 and 66). By the spring of 1917, the Pup had been outclassed by the newest German fighters. The RNAS replaced their Pups, first withSopwith Triplanes, and then withSopwith Camels. The RFC soldiered on with Pups, despite increasing casualties, until it was possible to replace them with Camels in December 1917.
The raids on London byGotha bombers in mid-1917 caused far more damage and casualties than the earlier airship raids. The ineffective response by British interceptor units had serious political repercussions. In response,No. 66 Squadron was withdrawn to Calais for a short period, andNo. 46 was transferred for several weeks toSutton's Farm airfield near London. Two new Pup squadrons were formed specifically for Home Defence duties,No. 112 in July, andNo. 61 in August.
The first Pups delivered to Home Defence units utilised the 80 hp (60 kW) Le Rhône, but subsequent Home Defence Pups standardised on the more powerful 100 hp (75 kW)Gnome Monosoupape, which provided an improved rate of climb. These aircraft were distinguishable by the addition of vents in the cowling face.[3] In 1917, the Admiralty acquired the Sopwith Pup.[4]
Sopwith Pups were also used in many pioneering carrier experiments. On 2 August 1917, a Pup flown by Sqn CdrEdwin Harris Dunning became the first aircraft to land aboard a moving ship,HMS Furious. Dunning was killed on his third landing when the Pup fell over the side of the ship.[5] The Pup began operations on the carriers in early 1917; the first aircraft were fitted with skid undercarriages in place of the standard landing gear. Landings utilised a system of deck wires to "trap" the aircraft. Later versions reverted to the normal undercarriage. Pups were used as ship-based fighters on three carriers:HMS Campania,Furious andManxman. Some other Pups were deployed to cruisers and battleships where they were launched from platforms attached to gun turrets. A Pup flown from a platform on the cruiserHMS Yarmouth shot down the GermanZeppelinL 23 off theDanish coast on 21 August 1917.[3]
The U.S. Navy also employed the Sopwith Pup with Australian pilotEdgar Percival testing the use of carrier-borne fighters. In 1926, Percival flew a Pup from a platform on turret "B" on the battleshipUSS Idaho atGuantánamo Bay, Cuba prior to the ship undergoing a major refit that added catapults on the stern.
The Pup saw extensive use as a trainer. Student pilots completing basic flight training in theAvro 504k often graduated to the Pup as advanced trainers. The Pup was also used in Fighting School units for instruction in combat techniques. Many training Pups were reserved by senior officers and instructors as their runabouts while a few survived in France as personal or squadron 'hacks' long after the type had been withdrawn from combat.
The Pup was officially named theSopwithScout. The "Pup" nickname arose because pilots considered it to be the "pup" of the larger two-seatSopwith 1½ Strutter. The name never had official status as it was felt to be "undignified,"[6] but a precedent was set, and all later Sopwith types apart from the Triplane acquired animal names (Camel,Dolphin,Snipe etc.), which ended up with the Sopwith firm being said to have createda "flying zoo" during the First World War.
Data fromBritish Naval Aircraft since 1912.[15]
General characteristics
Performance
Armament
Related development
Aircraft of comparable role, configuration, and era
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