Saro Shrimp

The Shrimp was designed by H Knowler in 1939 as a half-size research aircraft as part of a development programme for the Saunders-Roe S.38 a four-engined patrol flying-boat to Specification R.5/39 – a replacement for the Short Sunderland.^[1] The R.5/39 project was cancelled but the Shrimp was completed as a private venture. Registered as G-AFZS, it was first flown at Cowes in October 1939. It was based at Beaumaris, Anglesey where a slipway was built for it. The Ministry of Aircraft Production acquired it in 1944 with the serial TK580 for tests to help the design of the Short Shetland a successor to the R.5/39 project being developed jointly by Saro and Short Brothers. For this its twin rudder tail was swapped for a single fin and the hull was modified to represent that of the Shetland.^[2]

The Shrimp was scrapped at Felixstowe in 1949.

 United Kingdom

• Air Ministry
• Saunders Roe

Data from Warplanes of the Second World War, Volume 5: Flying Boats^[3]

General characteristics

• Crew: 2
• Length: 43 ft 3+1⁄4 in (13.189 m)
• Wingspan: 50 ft 0 in (15.24 m)
• Height: 12 ft 8+3⁄4 in (3.880 m)
• Wing area: 340 sq ft (32 m²)
• Empty weight: 4,362 lb (1,979 kg)
• Gross weight: 5,700 lb (2,585 kg)
• Max takeoff weight: 6,200 lb (2,812 kg)
• Powerplant: 4 × Pobjoy Niagara III 7-cylinder air-cooled geared radial piston engines, 95 hp (71 kW) each
• Propellers: 2-bladed fixed-pitch propellers

Performance

• Maximum speed: 130 mph (210 km/h, 110 kn)
• Endurance: 3 hours
• Rate of climb: 635 ft/min (3.23 m/s)
• Wing loading: 16.8 lb/sq ft (82 kg/m²)

Related lists

• List of flying boats and floatplanes