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*Wellington IA Serial Number N2980 is on display at the Brooklands Museum of Motor Sport and Aviation at [[Brooklands]], Surrey - recovered from the bottom of [[Loch Ness]], Scotland in September 1985.<ref>{{cite web |url = http://www.ww2inthehighlands.co.uk/folders/crashes/lochness.htm |title =
*Wellington IA Serial Number N2980 is on display at the Brooklands Museum of Motor Sport and Aviation at [[Brooklands]], Surrey - recovered from the bottom of [[Loch Ness]], Scotland in September 1985.<ref>{{cite web |url = http://www.ww2inthehighlands.co.uk/folders/crashes/lochness.htm |title =
Environmental Impact - Crashed Planes |publisher = World War Two in the Highlands |accessdaymonth = 14 January |accessyear = 2008 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url = http://www.lochnessproject.org/explore_loch_ness/groundtruth/loch_ness_wellington_bomber.htm |title = The Wellington Bomber |publisher = Loch Ness & Morar Project |accessdaymonth = 14 January |accessyear = 2008 }}</ref>
Environmental Impact - Crashed Planes |publisher = World War Two in the Highlands |accessdaymonth = 14 January |accessyear = 2008 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url = http://www.lochnessproject.org/explore_loch_ness/groundtruth/loch_ness_wellington_bomber.htm |title = The Wellington Bomber |publisher = Loch Ness & Morar Project |accessdaymonth = 14 January |accessyear = 2008 }}</ref>
*Wellington T Mk X Serial Number MF628 is on display at the [[Royal Air Force Museum]],<ref name = "VW survivor"/> [[London]]. It was deliverd to RAF No.18 MU (Maintenance Unit) at RAF Tinwald Downs, Dumfries, as a Wellington Mk X, on 11 May 1944.<ref name = "WV MF628 history"/> In March 1948 the front gun turret was removed in its conversion to a T Mk X for its role as a trainer aircraft; however, the museum has refitted the front gun turret in keeping with its original build as a Mk X.<ref name = "WV MF628 history"/><ref name = "VW survivor">{{cite web |url = http://www.rafmuseum.org/rafmdevelopment/london/collections/aircraft/vickers-wellington-x.cfm
*Wellington T Mk X Serial Number MF628 is on display at the [[Royal Air Force Museum]],<ref name = "VW survivor"/> [[London]]. It was delivered to RAF No.18 MU (Maintenance Unit) at RAF Tinwald Downs, Dumfries, as a Wellington Mk X, on 11 May 1944.<ref name = "WV MF628 history"/> In March 1948 the front gun turret was removed in its conversion to a T Mk X for its role as a trainer aircraft; however, the museum has refitted the front gun turret in keeping with its original build as a Mk X.<ref name = "WV MF628 history"/><ref name = "VW survivor">{{cite web |url = http://www.rafmuseum.org/rafmdevelopment/london/collections/aircraft/vickers-wellington-x.cfm
|title = Vickers Wellington X |publisher = Royal Air Force Museum |accessdaymonth = 13 January |accessyear = 2008 }}</ref>
|title = Vickers Wellington X |publisher = Royal Air Force Museum |accessdaymonth = 13 January |accessyear = 2008 }}</ref>


Revision as of 18:32, 2 February 2008

Template:Infobox Aircraft

The Vickers Wellington was a British twin-engine, medium bomber designed in the mid-1930s at Brooklands in Weybridge, Surrey, by Vickers-Armstrongs' Chief Designer, R.K. Pierson. It was widely used in the first two years of World War II, before being replaced as a bomber by much larger four-engine designs like the Avro Lancaster. The Wellington was popularly known as 'the Wimpy' by service personnel, after J. Wellington Wimpy from the Popeye cartoons.

Design and development

The Wellington used a geodesic construction method, which had been devised by Barnes Wallis for use in airships, and had previously been used to build the single-engined Vickers Wellesley bomber. The fuselage was built up from a number of aluminium alloy (duralumin) channel-beams that were formed into a large framework. Wooden battens were screwed onto the aluminium, and these were covered with Irish linen, which, once treated with many layers of dope, formed the outer skin of the aircraft. The metal lattice gave the structure tremendous strength because any one of the stringers could support some of the weight from even the opposite side of the aircraft. Blowing out one side's beams would still leave the aircraft as a whole intact. Wellingtons with huge areas of framework missing continued to return home when other types would not have survived; the dramatic effect enhanced by the doped fabric skin burning off, leaving the naked frames exposed.

However, the construction system also had some distinct disadvantages, in that it took considerably longer to complete a Wellington than for other designs using monocoque construction techniques. Also, it was difficult to cut holes into the fuselage to provide additional access or equipment fixtures. The Leigh light, for instance, was deployed through the mounting for the absent FN9 ventral turret. Nevertheless, in the late 1930s Vickers succeeded in building Wellingtons at a rate of one per day at Weybridge and 50 per month at Chester. Peak wartime production in 1942 saw monthly rates of 70 achieved at Weybridge, 130 at Chester and 102 at Blackpool.

Wellingtons of the RNZAF - anticipating war, the New Zealand government loaned these aircraft and their aircrews to the RAF in August 1939

The Wellington went through a total of 16 variants during its production life plus a further two training conversions after the war. The prototype serial K4049 designed to satisfy Ministry specification B.9/32, first flew as a Type 271 (and initially named Crecy) from Brooklands on 15 June 1936 with J. Summers as pilot. After many changes to the design, it was accepted on 15 August 1936 for production with the name Wellington. The first model was the Wellington Mk I, powered by a pair of 1,050 hp (783 kW) Bristol Pegasus engines, of which 180 were built, 150 for the Royal Air Force and 30 for the Royal New Zealand Air Force. The Mk I first entered service with No. 9 Squadron RAF in October 1938. Improvements to the turrets resulted in 183 Mk IA Wellingtons and this complement of aircraft equipped the RAF Bomber Command heavy bomber squadrons at the outbreak of war. The Wellington was out-numbered by its twin-engined contemporaries, the Handley Page Hampden and the Armstrong Whitworth Whitley, but would ultimately outlast them in productive service.

The number of Wellingtons built totalled 11,461 of all versions, the last of which rolled out on 13 October 1945.

Operational history

The first RAF bombing attack of the war was made by Wellingtons of No. 9 and No. 149 Squadrons, along with Bristol Blenheims, on German shipping at Brunsbüttel on 4 September, 1939. During this raid, the two Wellingtons became the first aircraft shot down on the Western Front. Numbers 9, 37 and 149 Squadrons saw action on 18 December 1939 on a mission against the Schillig Roads and Wilhelmshaven. Luftwaffe fighters destroyed 10 of the bombers and badly damaged three others; thus highlighting the aircraft's vulnerability to attacking fighters, having neither self-sealing fuel tanks nor sufficient defensive armament. As a consequence, Wellingtons were switched to night operations and participated in the first night raid on Berlin on 25 August 1940. In the first 1000-aircraft raid on Cologne, on 30 May, 1942, 599 out of 1046 aircraft were Wellingtons (101 of them were flown by Polish aircrew).

With Bomber Command, Wellingtons flew 47,409 operations, dropped 41,823 tons of bombs and lost 1,332 aircraft in action.

Coastal Command Wellingtons carried out anti-submarine duties and sank their first enemy vessel on 6 July 1942; and versions fitted with a 48 ft (14.63 m) diameter metal hoop were used for exploding enemy mines by generating a powerful magnetic field as it passed over them. In 1944, Wellingtons of Coastal Command were deployed to Greece, and performed various support duties during the RAF involvement in the Greek Civil War. A few Wellingtons were operated by the Hellenic Air Force.

While the Wellington was superseded in the European Theatre, it remained in operational service for much of the war in the Middle East, and in 1942, Wellingtons based in India became the RAF's first long-range bomber operating in the Far East. It was particularly effective with the South African Air Force in North Africa.

Variants

Bomber variants

Type 271
The first Wellington bomber prototype.
Type 285 Wellington Mk I
Pre-production prototype. Powered by two Bristol Pegasus X radial piston engines.
Type 290 Wellington Mk I
The first production version. Powered by two 746 kW (1,000 hp) Bristol Pegasus XVIII radial piston engines. Fitted with Vickers gun turrets.
Type 408 Wellington Mk IA
Production version. Powered by two 746 kW (1,000 hp) Bristol Pegasus XVIII radial piston engines. Fitted with Nash & Thomson gun turrets.
Type 416 Wellington Mk IC
The first main production variant was the Mk IC which added waist guns to the Mk IA and a total of 2,685 were produced. The Mk IC had a crew of six; a pilot, radio operator, navigator/bomb aimer, observer/nose gunner, tail gunner and waist gunner.
Type 406 Wellington Mk II
The B Mk II was identical with the exception of the powerplant; utilising the 1,145 hp (855 kW) Rolls-Royce Merlin X engine instead—400 were produced at Weybridge.
Type 417 Wellington B.Mk III
The next significant variant was the B Mk III which featured the 1,375 hp (1,205 kW) Bristol Hercules III or XI engine and a four-gun tail turret, instead of two-gun. A total of 1,519 Mk IIIs were built and became mainstays of Bomber Command through 1941.
Type 424 Wellington B.Mk IV
The 220 B Mk IV Wellingtons used the 1,200 hp (895 kW) Pratt & Whitney Twin Wasp engine and were flown by two Polish squadrons.
Type 442 Wellington B Mk VI
Pressurised with a long wingspan and 1,600 hp (1,190 kW) Merlin R6SM engines, 63 were produced and were operated by 109 Squadron and as Gee radio navigation trainers.
Type 440 Wellington B Mk X
The most widely produced variant of which 3,804 were built. It was similar to the Mk III except for the 1,675 hp (1,250 kW) Hercules VI or XVI powerplant and a fuselage structure of light alloy, instead of steel. The Mk X was the basis for a number of Coastal Command versions.

Coastal Command variants

Type 429 Wellington GR Mk VIII
Mk IC conversion for Coastal Command service. Roles included reconnaissance, anti-submarine and anti-shipping attack. A Coastal Command Wimpy was the first aircraft to be fitted with the anti-submarine Leigh light.
Wellington GR Mk XI
Maritime version of B Mk X with an ordinary nose turret and mast radar ASV Mk II instead of chin radome, no waist guns.
Wellington GR Mk XII
Maritime version of B Mk X armed with torpedoes and with a chin radome housing the ASV Mk III radar, single nose machine gun.
Wellington GR Mk XIII
Maritime version of B Mk X with an ordinary nose turret and mast radar ASV Mk II instead of chin radome, no waist guns.
Wellington GR Mk XIV
Maritime version of B Mk X with a chin radome housing the ASV Mk III radar and added RP-3 explosive rocket rails to the wings.

Transport variants

Wellington C Mk XV
Service conversions of the Wellington Mk IA into unarmed transport aircraft. Able to carry up to 18 troops.
Wellington C Mk XVI
Service conversions of the Wellington Mk IC into unarmed transport aircraft. Able to carry up to 18 troops.

Trainer variants

Type 487 Wellington T Mk XVII
Service conversions of the Wellington bomber into training aircraft. Powered by two Bristol Hercules XVII radial piston engines.
Type 490 Wellington T Mk XVIII
Production version. Powered by two Bristol Hercules XVI radial piston engines. 80 built, plus some conversions.
Wellington T Mk XIX
Service conversions of the Wellington Mk X used for navigation training. Remained in use as a trainer until 1953.
Type 619 Wellington T Mk X
Postwar conversions of the Wellington Bomber into training aircraft by Boulton Paul in Wolverhampton.[1] For navigation training the front turret was removed and replaced by a fairing and the interior re-equipped.[1] Some were sold to France and Greece.

Experimental and conversion variants

Type 298 Wellington Mk II
One prototype only. Powered by two 854 kW (1,145-hp) Rolls-Royce Merlin piston engines.
Type 299 Wellington Mk III
Two prototypes only.
Type 410 Wellington Mk IV
One prototype only. Powered by two Pratt & Whitney Twin Wasp radial piston engines.
Type 418 Wellington DWI Mk.I
Conversion of 4 Wellington Mk.IA to minesweeping aircraft. Fitted with Ford V-8 petrol engine and Maudsley electrical generator to induce magnetic field in a 48 ft (14.63 m) diameter loop mounted under fuselage. They had a solid nose with a bracket supporting the loop, which was also supported under the rear fuselage and the wings, outboard of the engines. DWI stood for Directional Wireless Installation – a cover story for the true purpose of the loop.
Type 418 Wellington DWI Mk.II
DWI Mk.I aircraft upgraded by installation of De Havilland Gipsy engine for increased generation power. At least 11 further aircraft converted to this standard.[2]
Type 407 and Type 421 Wellington Mk V
Three were built, designed for pressurised, high-altitude operations using turbocharged Hercules VIII engines.
Type 432 Wellington Mk VI
One high-altitude prototype only.
Type 449 Wellington Mk VIG
Two production aircraft only.
Wellington Mk VII
Single aircraft, built as a test-bed for the 40 mm Vickers S machine gun turret.
Type 437 Wellington Mk IX
One Mk IC conversion for troop transport.
Type 454 and Type 459 Wellington Mk IX
Prototypes with ASV.Mk II, ASV.Mk III radars, and powered by two Bristol Hercules VI and XVI radial piston engines.

Survivors

Wellington IA Serial Number N2980 on display at Brooklands

There are two surviving complete Vickers Wellingtons; both are on display in the United Kingdom.[1] Some other substantial parts also survive.[1]

  • Wellington IA Serial Number N2980 is on display at the Brooklands Museum of Motor Sport and Aviation at Brooklands, Surrey - recovered from the bottom of Loch Ness, Scotland in September 1985.[3][4]
  • Wellington T Mk X Serial Number MF628 is on display at the Royal Air Force Museum,[5] London. It was delivered to RAF No.18 MU (Maintenance Unit) at RAF Tinwald Downs, Dumfries, as a Wellington Mk X, on 11 May 1944.[1] In March 1948 the front gun turret was removed in its conversion to a T Mk X for its role as a trainer aircraft; however, the museum has refitted the front gun turret in keeping with its original build as a Mk X.[1][5]

Operators

 Australia
 Canada
 Czechoslovakia
France Free France
 Germany
 Greece
 New Zealand
 Poland
 South Africa
 United Kingdom

Specifications (Wellington Mk IC)

General characteristics

  • Crew: six

Performance Armament

  • 8x .303 Browning machine guns:
    • 2 in nose turret
    • 4 in tail turret
    • 2 in waist positions
  • 4,500 lb (2,041 kg) bombs

References

Notes

  1. ^ a b c d e f Simpson, Andrew. "Vickers Wellington X MF628/9210M: Museum Accession Number 69/A/17". Royal Air Force Museum. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |accessdaymonth= ignored (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
  2. ^ "Pewter Aircraft Wellington DWI page". Pewter Aircraft. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |accessdaymonth= ignored (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
  3. ^ "Environmental Impact - Crashed Planes". World War Two in the Highlands. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |accessdaymonth= ignored (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
  4. ^ "The Wellington Bomber". Loch Ness & Morar Project. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |accessdaymonth= ignored (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
  5. ^ a b "Vickers Wellington X". Royal Air Force Museum. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |accessdaymonth= ignored (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)

Bibliography

  • Andrews, C.F. The Vickers Wellington I & II. Leatherhead, Surrey: Profile publications Ltd, 1967. No ISBN.
  • Bowman, Martin. Wellington, The Geodetic Giant. Shrewsbury, UK: Airlife Publishing Ltd., 1989. ISBN 1-85310-076-5.
  • Bowyer, Chaz. Wellington at War. Shepperton, Surrey: Ian Allan Ltd., 1982. ISBN 0-7110-1220-2.
  • Cooksley, Peter G. Wellington, Mainstay of Bomber Command.Wellingborough, Northhamptonshire: Patrick Stephens Ltd., 1987. ISBN 0-85059-851-6.
  • Crosby, Francis. The World Encyclopedia of Bombers. London: Anness Publishing Ltd., 2007. ISBN 1-84477-511-9.
  • Flintham, V. Air Wars and Aircraft: A Detailed Record of Air Combat, 1945 to the Present. Facts on File. (1990) ISBN 0-81602-356-5.
  • Hall, Alan W. Vickers Wellington, Warpaint Series No. 10. Husborne Crawley, Berfordshire: Hall Park Books Ltd., 1997. No ISBN.
  • Lumsden, Alec. Wellington Special. Shepperton, Surrey: Ian Allan Ltd., 1974. ISBN 0-7110-0527-3.
  • Mackay, Ron. Wellington in Action, Aircraft Number 76. Carrollton, TX: Squadron/Signal Publications, Inc., 1986. ISBN 0-89747-183-0.
  • Ovčáčík, Michal and Susa, Karel. Vickers-Armstrongs Wellington Medium Bomber variants. Prague, Czech Republic: 4+ Publications, 2003. ISBN 80-902559-7-3.

External links

See also

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Category:Vickers Wellington.

Related development

Aircraft of comparable role, configuration, and era

Related lists

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