Pretty sure from the absence of RN markings that these are RAF Spitfires being flown off to Malta during 1942 - the design of the island suggests an Illustrious class carrier.
I am wanting to make one of the Seafire LR IIc photo-recce versions. I have been unable to find any photos or profile drawings of that variant. Spitfire The History has very little info on that variant and no drawings or photos. I can make a Seafire FR IIIc no problem, and even have aftermarket d...
www.britmodeller.com
I've been back into the vaults and had a look at the Seafire related books I have.
David Brown's "The Seafire - The Spitfire that went to sea" notes that a number of LIIc airframes were taken in hand late in 1943 for "modification" to LRIIc standard along the lines of the Spitfire PR XIII so far as the camera installation was concerned, except that the aft vertical camera was deleted due to the location of the arrester hook. So that would leave 1 vertical and 1 oblique camera mount. Further "No records remain of the number of conversions, but it was probably in the region of 30 aircraft;.....". As no LRIII were produced until late 1944, these aircraft lingered on with 807, 809 and 879 until early 1945 when they left for the Far East. Each squadron had 2 to 5 of these aircraft from a complement of around 24.
Crowood's Supermarine Seafire notes that all these conversions were carried out by Heston Aircraft Ltd and the first airframe was MB194 completed in July 1943. According to Sturtivant's Fleet Air Arm Aircraft 1939 to 1945, this airframe had actually been built in Oct 1942 and had seen service before undergoing this conversion. It was reported with 879 in May 1944 before another accident on 1 August 1944. Ater repairs it went to 728 at Ta Kali, Malta between 4/45 & 9/45.
Other airframes noted as LRIIc in Sturtivant include
MB193 crashed 7/43 but with 807 3/44-4/44 then crashed again and with 879 in 3/45
MB237
MB246
MB304 crashed 6/43 but with 809 by 1/45 and then 879 in 3/45
But no photos I'm afraid.
Interestingly, Morgan's Spitfire notes that the first Spitfire PRXIII conversion was completed in Dec 1942 by Heston Aircraft Ltd (along with the other 24 conversions from existing airframes I assume) and the type entered operational service in April 1943 i.e. similar timeframe to LRIIc conversions.
So it is probably a fair bet that the LRIIc and PRXIII instalations were identical except as noted above for one less camera.
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