Difference between revisions of "Supermarine"

Latest revision as of 15:11, 27 August 2007

This article deals with the company Supermarine as it relates to NationStates, and mostly only mentiones differences to RL. For RL related information and an overview over the corporation in those parts that do not differ from RL, see wikipedia:Supermarine.

Supermarine was a British aircraft manufacturer that become famous for producing a range of sea planes and the legendary Spitfire fighter.

History

Noel Pemberton-Billing set up a company, Pemberton-Billing, Ltd, in 1913 to produce sea-going aircraft. It also produced a couple of prototypes using quadruplane designs to shoot down zeppelins; the Supermarine P.B.29 and the Nighthawk. The aircraft were fitted with the recoilless Davis gun and the Nighthawk had a separate powerplant to power a searchlight. Upon election as an MP in 1916 Pemberton-Billing sold the company to his factory manager and long time associate Hubert Scott Paine who renamed the company Supermarine Aviation Works, Ltd. The company became famous for its successes in the Schneider Trophy for seaplanes, especially the three wins in a row of 1927, 1929 and 1931.

In 1928 Vickers-Armstrongs took over Supermarine as Supermarine Aviation Works (Vickers), Ltd and in 1938 all Vickers-Armstrongs aviation interests were reorganised to become Vickers-Armstrongs (Aircraft) Ltd, although Supermarine continued to design, build and trade under its own name.

The first Supermarine landplane design to go into production was the famous and successful Spitfire. The earlier Hawker Hurricane and the Spitfire were the mainstay of RAF Fighter Command fighter aircraft which fought off the Luftwaffe bombing raids with fighter escorts during the Battle of Britain in the summer of 1940. While the Hurricane was available in larger numbers and consequently played a larger role, the new Spitfire caught the popular imagination and became the aircraft associated with the battle.

Other well-known planes from World War II were the Seafire (a naval version of the Spitfire). Supermarine also developed the Spiteful and Seafang, the successors of the Spitfire and Seafire, resp., and the Walrus flying boat.

The Supermarine main works was in Woolston, Southampton which led to the city being heavily bombed in 1940.

After the british government was forced into exile, it resided in Hong Kong, where it got under Japanese influence when the Japanese finished their conquest of China in the 50's. Supermarine was merged with Mitsubishi Heavy Industries in the late 1940's to form the Mitsubishi-Supermarine Conglomerate. Supermarine today is most known for buildin Zero fighter planes under contract from Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, of which it is a subsidiary. It's largest current project is the construction of what is to become the first - and propably only - A6M120 Akuma-class space frigate ever to be exported - the Termagant for Zion.

OOC: Still have to work on this one, because I have to intermix alternate history from Engima: Rising Tide, The Man in The High Castle and Crimson Skies, which is quite a bit of work, believe me... but it pays off by having a good and deep background story. Or so I think. If you think that way too (and also if you don't and think it's a pile of rubbish I'm making up here and want to give me constructive criticism), please let me know and TG to any of my nations: Aurono or META Syndicate.