THE SUPERMARINE SEAFIRE

 

Brainchild of R. J. Mitchell

The Spitfire was designed

As a short-range,

High-performance

Interceptor aircraft

Was the perfect flying machine

With its elliptical wings

And Rolls-Royce Merlin engine

It was fast and maneuverable

Which helped it dominate the skies

During the Battle of Britain

A derivative of which,

The Supermarine Seafire,

Went into service in 1942

With Fleet Air Arm

Seeing its first action

In 1943 during Operation Torch,

The Allied landings in North Africa.

Then Sicily, Italy and Normandy

Also Operation Dragoon

In southern France.

Finally with the British Pacific Fleet,

For the final years of the Pacific War.

It saw action again in 1950

Against North Korean forces

The Seafire was finally withdrawn

From service during the 1950s

THE HAWKER SEA FURY

 

The Hawker Sea Fury was a British

Single-seat fighter-bomber aircraft

Operated by the Fleet Air Arm

It was too late for World War Two

And entered service in 1947

Although it did see action in Korea

THE BLACKBURN FIREBRAND

 

The Blackburn Firebrand was a British

Carrier-borne single-engine naval strike fighter

And was a low-winged, all-metal monoplane

Primarily serving with the Fleet Air Arm

They were not delivered until the end of WW2

And were withdrawn from front-line service in 1953

THE WESTLAND WYVERN

 

The Westland Wyvern was a British

Carrier-based multi-role strike aircraft

Powered by a turboprop engine with

Distinctive contra-rotating propellers

And served during the Suez Crisis in 1956

But was retired two years later in 1958