Note: This is a sub-section of Sopwith Aircraft.
Considered by many to be the best Allied fighter in service at the end of World War I, the Sopwith 7F.1 Snipe was designed by Herbert Smith to replace the aging Sopwith Camel.
The Sopwith 7F.1 Snipe was a single-seat biplane fighter of the Royal Air Force (RAF), designed and built by the Sopwith Aviation Company during the First World War and was arguably the definitive fighter of the Allied side by the end of the First World War.
The Snipe was designed in 1917 by Herbert Smith, the chief designer of the Sopwith Company. It was intended to be the replacement for Sopwith's most famous aeroplane, the highly successful Sopwith Camel. The Snipe began production in 1918, with more than 4,500 being ordered.
Custom built around the powerful 230 hp Bentley BR2 engine, the Snipe wasn't much faster than the Camel but it was easier to fly, offered better visibility from the cockpit and had an improved rate of climb.
Prototype Snipes had a number of minor technical problems. In particular, maximum speed was initially well below expectations, in fact the Snipe was never a fast aeroplane, even for its day.
In March 1918, an example was successfully evaluated by No.1 Aeroplane Supply Depot (No.1 ASD). Lieutenant L N Hollinghurst (later to become an Ace on Sopwith Dolphins and then an Air Chief Marshal) flew to 24,000 ft in 45 minutes.
The new fighter went to France with No. 43 Squadron RAF in September 1918. The Snipe also saw service with No. 4 Squadron Australian Flying Corps (AFC) from October 1918 and No. 208 Squadron RAF converted from Camels in November, too late for the Snipes to see action. The Canadian Air Force (CAF) operated the Snipe after the war, but it was phased out in 1923, a year before the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) was formed.
The Snipe's structure was rather heavier, but much stronger, than earlier Sopwith fighters. Although not a fast aircraft for 1918, it was very maneuverable, and much easier to handle than the Camel, with a superior view from the cockpit - especially forwards and upwards. The Snipe also had a superior rate of climb, and much better high-altitude performance compared to its predecessor, allowing it to fight Germany's newer fighters on more equal terms.
On 27 October 1918, Canadian ace William Barker made the Sopwith Snipe famous in a single-handed battle with more than 60 enemy aircraft that earned him the Victoria Cross.
With 7 confirmed victories, Australian Elwyn King scored more victories with the Snipe than any other ace.
Further modifications were made to the Snipe during the war and post-war. The Snipe was built around the Bentley BR2 engine - the last rotary to be used by the RAF. It had a maximum speed of 121 mph at 10,000ft compared with the Camel's 115 mph at the same altitude and an endurance of three hours. Its fixed armament consisted of two forward 0.303 in (7.7 mm) Vickers machine guns, and it was also able to carry up to four 25 lb (11 kg) bombs for ground attack work, identical to the Camel's armament. The design allowed for a single Lewis gun to be mounted on the centre section in a similar manner to those carried by the Dolphin - in the event this gun was not fitted to production aircraft.
There was only one variant, the Snipe I, but production was by several companies including Sopwith, Boulton Paul Aircraft, Coventry Ordnance Works, Napier, Nieuport and Ruston, Proctor and Co.
The Snipe gained a significant number of combat victories in its short operational history during the war. In 1919, the Snipe also took part in the Allied intervention on the side of the White Russians during the Russian Civil War against the Bolsheviks. A small number of RAF Snipes were actually captured by the Bolsheviks and pressed into service. The production of the Snipe ended in 1919, with just under 500 being built, the rest were cancelled due to the wide-ranging postwar cuts imposed on the British armed forces.
Selected as the standard postwar single-seat fighter of the RAF, the last Snipes were retired by that service in 1926.
General characteristics
- Crew: 1
- Length: 19 ft 2 in (5.84 m)
- Wingspan: 31 ft 1 in (9.47 m)
- Height: 9 ft 6 in (2.90 m)
- Wing area: 274 ft² (25.46 m²)
- Empty weight: 1,305 lb (590 kg)
- Loaded weight: 2,105 lb (955 kg)
- Power-plant: 1× Bentley BR2 rotary engine, (172 kW)
Performance
- Maximum speed: 121 mph (195 km/h) at 10,000 ft (3,050 m)
- Service ceiling 20,000 ft (6,100 m)
- Rate of climb: 970 ft/min (296 m/min)
- Endurance: 3 hours
- Time to altitude: 9 min 25 sec to 10,000 ft (3,050 m)
Armaments
- Two 0.303 in (7.7 mm) Vickers machine guns
- Four 25 lb (11 kg) bombs
See Also
Sources of Information
- [1] Wikipedia
- [2] The Aerodrome - Aces and Aircraft of WWI