The Grain Griffin was a British carrier-based reconnaissance aircraft developed and built by the RNAS Marine Experimental Depot, Port Victoria, during the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

. A development of the unsuccessful Sopwith B.1 bomber, the Grain Griffin was a two-seat single-engined biplane that was built in small numbers for Britain's

Royal Naval Air Service The Royal Naval Air Service (RNAS) was the air arm of the Royal Navy, under the direction of the Admiralty's Air Department, and existed formally from 1 July 1914 to 1 April 1918, when it was merged with the British Army's Royal Flying Corps t ...

, being used operationally during the British intervention in the Russian Civil War.

Development and design

In late 1916, Sopwith designed and built a prototype of a single-engined single-seat bomber, the Sopwith B.1. It had demonstrated good performance, and had been briefly evaluated by the RNAS in the bomber role over the Western Front in May–June 1917, but was rejected, with larger twin-engined bombers being preferred. After its return from France, the prototype B.1 (serial no. ''N.50''), was sent to the RNAS Marine Experimental Depot at Port Victoria on the

Isle of Grain Isle of Grain (Old English ''Greon'', meaning gravel) is a village and the easternmost point of the Hoo Peninsula within the district of Medway in Kent, south-east England. No longer an island and now forming part of the peninsula, the area is ...

for conversion to a two-seat reconnaissance aircraft, to be fitted with folding wings for operation from the

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against F ...

's aircraft carriers. A cockpit for the observer replaced the bomb-bay of the B.1 behind the pilot's cockpit, while the wings were shortened to allow them to fold. A hydroplane was fitted ahead of the undercarriage and floatation gear added to allow safe ditching at sea. It retained the

Hispano-Suiza 8 The Hispano-Suiza 8 was a water-cooled V8 SOHC aero engine introduced by Hispano-Suiza in 1914, and was the most commonly used liquid-cooled engine in the aircraft of the Entente Powers during the First World War. The original Hispano-Suiza ...

engine used by the bomber.Bruce 1957, p. 342. When the modified aircraft was tested in November 1917, it was found that the changes had greatly reduced the aircraft's performance, while handling was also poor, with little aileron control.Collyer 1991, p. 54. The design office at Port Victoria had realised prior to the first flight that the proposed changes would not be beneficial to performance, and had commenced design of a modified design, based on the B.1, to solve these problems. These changes included new, longer-span, two-bay wings and a wider fuselage to give room to carry a radio for the observer. The new aircraft was given the name Grain Griffin. ''N.50'' was modified with the new wings and modified controls which greatly improved performance and handling. The first of the true Griffins, serial number N.100, powered by a 200 hp (149 kW)

Sunbeam Arab The Sunbeam Arab was a British First World War era aero engine. Design and development By 1916 the demand for aero-engines was placing huge demands on manufacturing. To help ease the pressure the War Office standardised on engines of about ; ...

engine, started testing in June 1918. A further six Griffins followed, with one powered by the unreliable Arab and the remaining five powered by the 230 hp

Bentley BR2 The Bentley B.R.2 was a nine-cylinder British rotary aircraft engine developed during the First World War by the motor car engine designer W. O. Bentley from his earlier Bentley BR.1. Coming as it did near the end of the war, the BR.2 was built ...

rotary engine The rotary engine is an early type of internal combustion engine, usually designed with an odd number of cylinders per row in a radial configuration. The engine's crankshaft remained stationary in operation, while the entire crankcase and i ...

.Collyer 1991, p. 55.

Operational history

The Griffins did not see service during the First World War. however, in July 1919, at least three Griffins were deployed on board the aircraft carrier when it sailed to the

Baltic Sea The Baltic Sea is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean that is enclosed by Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Russia, Sweden and the North and Central European Plain. The sea stretches from 53°N to 66°N latitude and from ...

in support of the British intervention in the Baltic as part of the

Russian Civil War , date = October Revolution, 7 November 1917 – Yakut revolt, 16 June 1923{{Efn, The main phase ended on 25 October 1922. Revolt against the Bolsheviks continued Basmachi movement, in Central Asia and Tungus Republic, the Far East th ...

. The Griffin was replaced in service by the

Parnall Panther The Parnall Panther was a British carrier based spotter and reconnaissance aircraft designed and developed by Parnall and Sons in the latter years of World War I, continuing in service until 1926. A total of 150 Panthers were built by Bristol ...

, which was chosen to equip the

Royal Air Force The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's air and space force. It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by regrouping the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) and ...

's Fleet Spotter squadrons.

Operators

; *

Specifications (Griffin (BR.2 engine))

References

*Bruce, J. M. ''British Aeroplanes 1914-18''. London:Putnam, 1957. *Bruce, J. M. ''Sopwith B.1 & T.1 Cuckoo: Windsock Datafile 90''. Berkhamsted, Hertfordshire, UK: Albatros Publications, 2001. . *Collyer, David. "Babies Kittens and Griffons". ''

Air Enthusiast ''Air Enthusiast'' was a British, bi-monthly, aviation magazine, published by the Key Publishing group. Initially begun in 1974 as ''Air Enthusiast Quarterly'', the magazine was conceived as a historical adjunct to '' Air International'' maga ...

'', Number 43, 1991. Stamford, UK:Key Publishing. . pp. 50–55. {{Port Victoria Aircraft 1910s British military reconnaissance aircraft

Grain Griffin The Grain Griffin was a British carrier-based reconnaissance aircraft developed and built by the RNAS Marine Experimental Depot, Port Victoria, during the First World War. A development of the unsuccessful Sopwith B.1 bomber, the Grain Griffi ...

Single-engined tractor aircraft Biplanes Carrier-based aircraft Rotary-engined aircraft Aircraft first flown in 1918

Development and design

Operational history

Operators

Specifications (Griffin (BR.2 engine))

See also

References