Design and Development
The Blackburn Shark was designed and built, initially as a private venture, to Air Ministry Specification S.15/33 for a torpedo-spotter-reconnaissance aircraft to be operated by the Fleet Air Arm. It had a crew of three, with observer/wireless operator and gunner sharing the second cockpit (open on Mks I and II, enclosed on Mk III). Armament cosisted of one fixed, forward-firing .303 in (7.7 mm) Vickers machine gun, plus a .303 in (7.7 mm) Vickers K machine gun or Lewis Gun mounted on a Scarff ring in the rear cockpit, with provision for a 1,500 lb (680 kg) torpedo or equivalent bombload carried externally. The Blackburn "B-6" prototype with a 700 hp (520 kW) Armstrong Siddeley Tiger IV was flown at Brough on 24 August 1933. The aircraft subsequently began Naval aviation tests at the Aeroplane and Armament Experimental Establishment (A&AEE), RAF Martlesham Heath on 26 November 1933.
The following year, deck landing trials on the HMS Courageous proved successful with Blackburn winning an order from the Fleet Air Arm in August 1934, to contract No 334315/34 and the new Specification 13/35. I, and further contract No 510994/35 to Specification 19/36 issued in January 1937.
The prototype was subsequently fitted with twin floats and was test flown at Brough in April 1935 with successful sea trials taking place at the Marine Aircraft Experimental Establishment Felixstowe. More contracts followed, and during the three years of production, 238 Sharks were delivered to the Fleet Air Arm, comprising 16 Mk I (Tiger IV), 126 Mk II (760 hp/567 kW Tiger VI) and 95 Mk III (760 hp/570 kW Tiger VI).
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