Supermarine Walrus
The Supermarine Walrus (originally known as the "Supermarine Seagull V") was a British single-engine amphibious biplane reconnaissance aircraft designed by R. J. Mitchell and manufactured by the British aircraft company Supermarine.

The Walrus made its maiden flight in 1933, the design effort having commenced as a private venture four years earlier. It shared its general configuration with that of the earlier Supermarine Seagull, and although having been designed to serve as a fleet spotter for catapult launching from cruisers or battleships, the aircraft was largely employed in other roles, notably as a maritime patrol aircraft and as a rescue aircraft for ditched aircrew. The Walrus featured numerous innovations for the period, being the first British squadron-service aircraft to incorporate in one airframe a fully retractable main undercarriage, completely enclosed crew accommodation and an all-metal fuselage. Early-build aircraft featured the original metal hull design for its greater longevity in tropical conditions, while later-build examples instead used a wooden counterpart to conserve the use of light metal alloys.

The first examples of the Seagull entered service with the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) in 1935. The type was subsequently adopted in quantity by the Fleet Air Arm (FAA), Royal Air Force (RAF), Royal New Zealand Navy (RNZN) and Royal New Zealand Air Force (RNZAF). Hundreds of Walruses were in operational service throughout the Second World War, where it was prolifically operated against Axis submarines. It was also adopted by the RAF Search and Rescue Force for recovering downed personnel. An intended replacement, the Supermarine Sea Otter, which possessed considerably more power, was introduced during the conflict but never fully displaced the Walrus. The Walrus continued to serve in a limited capacity with several militaries around the world during the postwar era, while some aircraft were also operated in a civil capacity in regions such as Australia and the Antarctic. It was largely succeeded by the first generation of rescue helicopters.
Q474709
amphibious
Concept
Q223818
biplane
Concept
Q186025
R. J. Mitchell
PER
Q2061821
Supermarine
ORG
Q1362364
maiden flight
Concept
Q3912798
Supermarine Seagull
MISC
Q1031873
catapult
Concept
Q104843
cruisers
Concept
Q182531
battleships
Concept
Q37756
alloy
Concept
Q823635
Royal Australian Air Force
ORG
Q1427735
Fleet Air Arm
MISC
Q165862
Royal Air Force
Concept
Q575932
Royal New Zealand Navy
ORG
Q542164
Royal New Zealand Air Force
ORG
Q362
Second World War
EVE
Q43056
Axis
Concept
Q7275556
RAF Search and Rescue Force
ORG
Q1808891
Supermarine Sea Otter
MISC
Q1201472
postwar
Concept
Q408
Australia
LOC
Q1555938
Antarctic
LOC
Q34486
helicopter
Concept
Q771726
Supermarine Walrus
MISC
1933-01-01T00:00:00Z^^http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#dateTime
1933
DATE
1935-01-01T00:00:00Z^^http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#dateTime
1935
DATE
designed by
manufacturer
service entry
item operated
participant