The Supermarine Seagull III was a British designed and built amphibian bi-plane. The prototype, the Seagull I, was developed in 1921 and this led to improvements for the construction of 25 Seagull II, in 1922, for use by the Royal Navy and Royal Air Force. Further improvements resulted in the Seagull III, fitted with a Napier Lion V engine, becoming available in 1925. The Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) ordered six of these aircraft in 1925 to replace its Fairey IIID seaplanes at a cost of £ 8,000 each. The aircraft were freighted to Australia arriving in mid-1926 with the first test flight conducted in June of that year. A further three aircraft were ordered in 1927. The Seagull was constructed from timber and canvas and the Australian version had a radiator modified for tropical usage. The lower wing was set in the shoulder position and the engine was mounted in a nacelle slung from the upper wing; powering a four-blade propeller in ‘tractor’ configuration. The aircraft carried a crew of three with the pilot being a RAAF officer, the observer (navigator) a naval officer and the telegraphist air gunner a naval rating. The Seagulls were allocated to 101 Flight RAAF and three aircraft took part in the Great Barrier Reef Survey during 1926-27 and were based at Bowen in far north Queensland. Due to their size and the logistics / engineering needs the aircraft were based ashore and carried out regular flights over the reef to conduct photographic surveys in support of survey work being conducted by HMA Ships Geranium and Moresby. The Seagulls were normally located at RAAF Base Point Cook, Victoria but following the commissioning of the sea plane carrier HMAS Albatross, in January 1929, they were embarked regularly for training exercises; where the aircraft proved very useful in spotting, and signalling corrections, for the fall of shot during gunnery practice firings. The Seagulls were also employed on reconnaissance flights where they were also adept in locating other vessels and signalling, via wireless telegraphy, the location of the ships. The range of the wireless telegraphy equipment was however only 30 kilometres in good weather conditions. Number ordered - 9. For further information on the Seagull III, click here.
