British Forces

Sea Hurricanes

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A squadron of Hawker Sea Hurricane Mk IB aircraft in flight' The Sea Hurricane Mk IB was the first high performance aircraft to enter Fleet Air Arm service in significant numbers. The Sea Hurricane did have one big flaw as a carrier aircraft - it didn't have folding wings, and so on smaller carriers had to be stored on deck. This reduced the number of aircraft that could be carried, and also shortened the operational life of each aircraft as exposure to sea water damaged the air frame. Despite these flaws the Sea Hurricane Mk IB was used in large numbers, equipping 32 Fleet Air Arm squadrons. These early Sea Hurricanes were outfitted with "catapult spools" used for catapult-launching the aircraft from ships that did not have deck facilities built into their design (unlike an aircraft carrier). As such, Sea Hurricanes could be launched from these ships but not recovered in turn, leaving airmen to manage their fuel stores wisely and find an Allied base in which to land on or simply bail out of their aircraft in the hopes that they would be picked up by passing Allied vessels and not the enemy.