| Seafox |
 |
| Role |
ship-borne reconnaissance seaplane |
| National origin |
United Kingdom |
| Manufacturer |
Fairey Aviation |
| First flight |
27 May 1936 |
| Introduction |
23 April 1937 |
| Primary user |
Royal Navy (Fleet Air Arm) |
| Number built |
66 |
The Fairey Seafox was a 1930s British reconnaissance floatplane designed and built by Fairey for the Fleet Air Arm. It was designed to be catapulted from the deck of a light cruiser and served in the Second World War. Of the 66 built, two were finished as landplanes.
The Fairey Seafox was built to satisfy Air Ministry Specification S.11/32. The first of two prototypes appeared in 1936, first flying on 27 May 1936, and the first of the 64 production aircraft were delivered in 1937. The flights were organised as 700 Naval Air Squadron of the Fleet Air Arm.
The fuselage was of all-metal monocoque construction, the wings being covered with metal on the leading edge, otherwise fabric. It was powered by a 16-cylinder 395Â hp (295Â kW) air-cooled Napier Rapier H engine. It cruised at 106Â mph (171Â km/h), had a range of 440Â mi (710Â km).
Although the Seafox handled well, it was criticized for being underpowered, engine cooling was poor and landing speeds were higher than desired.
In 1939, a Seafox played a part in the Battle of the River Plate against the German pocket battleship Admiral Graf Spee, by spotting for the naval gunners. This ended with Graf Spee's scuttling and destruction.
Seafoxes operated during the early part of the war from the cruisers HMSÂ Emerald, Neptune, Orion, Ajax, Arethusa and Penelope and the armed merchant cruisers HMSÂ Pretoria Castle, Asturias and Alcantara. They remained in service until 1943.
