Country of origin:

United Kingdom

Description:

Long-range commercial flying-boat

Power Plant:

(Solent 4)

Four 1,388 kw (1,860 hp) Bristol Hercules 733 fourteen-cylinder air-cooled radial engines

Specifications:

History:

In 1945 Short Bros flew a variant of the Sunderland flying-boat known as the Seaford I. Larger and longer than the Sunderland, a small production batch of the new aircraft was built for the RAF.  One was loaned to British Overseas Airways Corp (BOAC) for evaluation and, shortly thereafter, an order was placed for 12 examples powered by Bristol Hercules 637 engines of 1,261 kw (1,690 hp).  Designated Solent 2, the first aircraft was launched on 11 November 1946.  Providing accommodation for a crew of seven and up to 30 passengers on two decks, the design featured a full promenade, cocktail bar, and dining facilities. These 12 aircraft then entered service with BOAC.

The aircraft was of all-metal structure, the wing consisting of a box-spar formed by four extruded T-section members braced by tubular struts and built up members.  The fuel tanks were inserted into the spars, and there were separate leading and trailing-edge sections. The two-step hull was of near rectangular section and divided into water-tight compartments by bulkheads and doors. Early Solents were powered by 1,261 kw (1,690 hp) Bristol Hercules 637s driving four-blade de Havilland constant-speed fully-feathering propellers. Normal fuel capacity was 6,364 litres (1,400 Imp gals) but the aircraft used on the Tasman services had a capacity of 11,547 litres (2,540 Imp gals), giving a range of 4,828 km (3,000 miles) as compared to 3,202 km (1,990 miles).  The Solent 2 had seating for 34 passengers, the Solent 3 for 39, and the Solent 4s, which were operated with TEAL, had 44 seats. Seating was in three cabins on the lower deck and an upper deck lounge.  However, the seating varied with the operator.

In 1948 BOAC requested that the six Seaford Is then under construction be completed as Solents. These were designated Solent 3, and could accommodate 39 passengers.  Externally they were the same as the Solent 2, except for two extra rectangular windows in the rear upper hull. The prototype Solent 2 (G-AHIL) [there was no Solent I] was first flown on 1 December 1946.  All production took place at the Seaplane Works at Rochester in Kent.

Two Solent 2s and two Solent 3s were brought to Australia for Trans Oceanic Airways (TOA) to be operated on the Sydney – Hobart, and Sydney – Port Moresby, NG routes.  The first Solent 2 (c/n S-1303) was first registered G-AHIO Somerset with BOAC.  After being purchased by Trans Oceanic Airways Pty Ltd it arrived at Rose Bay, NSW on 4 October 1951 and became VH-TOD.  Named Star of Samoa it remained with TOA until obtained by South Pacific Airlines in April 1953. It was later sold in the United States in 1956 and became N9945F.  It was scrapped at Richmond, San Francisco, in the 1960s.

The second Solent 2 (c/n S-1308) was G-AHIV Salcombe with BOAC.  With Trans Oceanic Airways it became VH-TOC and was named Star of Papua. It arrived at Rose Bay on 15 July 1951, but on 28 October that year it struck a moored dredge on take-off on the Brisbane River. The starboard wing was torn off just outboard of the outer engine. The aircraft was written off and was returned to Rose Bay and stripped for spares.

A Solent 3 (c/n S-1294), formerly G-AKNO City of London with BOAC, was to become VH-TOA with Trans Oceanic Airways in January 1951. However, on the aircraft’s delivery flight on 28 January 1951 it struck the water heavily during an attempted take-off from Valetta Harbour in Malta, was badly damaged, and sank.  The second Solent 3 (c/n S-1295) was G-AKNP City of Cardiff with BOAC and, after arriving at Rose Bay on 4 April 1951, became VH-TOB. It was also named Star of Papua with Trans Oceanic Airways.  Ownership was transferred to South Pacific Airlines in April 1953.  The aircraft was struck off the Australian register on 12 February 1954 and sold in the USA where it became N9946F.  After its ferry flight across the Pacific to San Francisco it was re-named Isle of Tahiti.  It has been restored in California carrying the marking NJ203.  It survives and work progressed for a time on its restoration to airworthiness but this has not been completed.  At one stage in recent years it was offered to an Australian museum [HARS] at Albion Park, NSW but the difficulty in getting it to Australia has been a stumbling block.

Four Solent 4s and one Solent 3 have been registered in New Zealand and operated by Tasman Empire Airways Ltd (TEAL).  ZK-AML (c/n SH-1556) was built for TEAL to carry 44 passengers, as were the other Solent 4s.  Named Aotearoa II it was launched by Princess Elizabeth at Belfast, Northern Island on 26 May 1949.  It was eventually sold on 2 May 1955 in the United Kingdom as G-AOBL to Aquila Airways Ltd.  In 1958 it was sold to Portugal and was scrapped in August 1971.

ZK-AMM (c/n SH-1557 – Araarangi) was withdrawn from service and broken up in 1954 after being partly destroyed by fire.  ZK-AMN (c/n SH-1558) was named Awateri and was sold in the United Kingdom as G-ANYI on 16 January 1955 to Aquila Airways Ltd.  It too was sold to Portugal in October 1958 and scrapped in August 1971.  ZK-AMQ (c/n S-1296 – ex G-AKNR) was a Solent 3 and was formerly G-AKNR with BOAC and named City of Belfast. It became Aparimu with TEAL in 1951 and operated for some years until scrapped at Auckland in 1957.
ZK-AMO (c/n SH-1559 – Aranui) was withdrawn from service in September 1960.  It completed the last flying-boat service between Fiji and Tahiti on 14 September 1960 and operated on the Coral Route from 1954 to 1960. It flew 14,500 hours in total. After some years of storage at Hobsonville in 1966 it was presented to the Museum of Transport & Technology [MOTAT] in Auckland where it was placed on display.  In recent years it has been restorated for display.

The Solent was operated by TEAL on its Coral Route between Fiji and Tahiti, and was also flown on the Sydney to Auckland route.  The first service operated was Auckland to Sydney on 6 June 1950, the first Wellington – Sydney service being on 15 December 1950.  On 27 December 1951 the monthly Coral Route service was inaugurated from Auckland to Suva, Aitutaki in the Cook Islands, and Papeete in Tahiti.  It was later increased to fortnightly services with a stop at Apia in Samoa, and later again services were extended to Tonga and Fiji.  The type was eventually replaced by the Douglas DC-6B.  The Solent 4, a longer-range variant of the series, was fitted with four 1,388 kw (1,860 hp) Bristol Hercules 733 engines in lieu of the Hercules 637 engines in the Solent 2 and 3.  The Solent 3 had a max take-off weight of 35,653 kg (78,600 lb) whereas the weight of the Solent 4 was 36,742 kg (81,000 lb).