The Sopwith T.1 Cuckoo was a British biplane torpedo bomber used by the Royal Naval Air Service (RNAS), and its successor organization, the Royal Air Force (RAF). The T.1 was the first landplane specifically designed for carrier operations, but it was completed too late for service in the First World War. After the Armistice, the T.1 was named the Cuckoo.[Davis 1999, p. 123.]
Design and development
In October 1916, Commodore
Murray Sueter, the
Air Department Superintendent of Aircraft Construction, solicited Sopwith for a single-seat aircraft capable of carrying a torpedo and sufficient fuel to provide an endurance of four hours. The resulting aircraft, called T.1 by Sopwith, was a large, three-bay biplane.
[Robertson 1970, p. 125.] Because the T.1 was designed to operate from carrier decks, its wings were hinged to fold backwards. The T.1 could take off from a carrier deck in four seconds but it was not capable of making a carrier landing and no
arresting gear was fitted.
[Davis 1999, p. 122.][Robertson 1970, p. 127.] A split-axle undercarriage allowed the aircraft to carry a 1 Mk. IX torpedo beneath the fuselage.
The prototype T.1 first flew in June 1917, powered by a Hispano-Suiza 8Ba engine.[Thetford 1978, p. 318.] Official trials commenced in July 1917 and the Admiralty issued production orders for 100 aircraft in August.[Robertson 1970, p. 125.] Contractors Fairfield Engineering and Pegler & Company had no experience as aircraft manufacturers resulting in substantial production delays.[Layman 2002, p. 191.] The S.E.5a had priority for the limited supplies of the Hispano-Suiza 8 engine. Redesign of the T.1 airframe to accommodate the heavier Sunbeam Arab incurred further delays.[Layman 2002, p. 191.]
In February 1918, the Admiralty issued a production order to Blackburn Aircraft, an experienced aircraft manufacturer. Blackburn delivered its first T.1 in May 1918.[Thetford 1978, p. 318.] The aircraft immediately experienced undercarriage and tailskid failures, requiring redesign of those components.[Robertson 1970, p. 127.] The T.1 also required an enlarged rudder and offset fin to combat its tendency to swing to the right.[Robertson 1970, p. 127.] Fairfield and Pegler finally began production in August and October, respectively.[Davis 1999, p. 123.]
A total of 300 T.1s were ordered, but only 90 aircraft had been delivered by the Armistice. A total of 232 aircraft had been completed by the time production ended in 1919. Blackburn Aircraft produced 162 aircraft, while Fairfield Engineering completed 50 and Pegler & Company completed another 20.[Thetford 1978, p. 318.] After the Armistice, many T.1s were delivered directly to storage depots at Renfrew and Newcastle.[Davis 1999, p. 123.]
Operational history
After undergoing service trials at RAF East Fortune, the T.1 was recommended for squadron service. Deliveries to the Torpedo Aeroplane School at East Fortune commenced in early August 1918. Training took place in the Firth of Forth, where Cuckoos launched practice torpedoes at targets towed by destroyers. Cuckoos of 185 Squadron embarked on in November 1918 but hostilities ended before the aircraft could conduct any combat operations.
[Davis 1999, p. 123.]
In service, the aircraft was generally popular with pilots because the airframe was strong and water landings were safe. The T.1 was easy to control and was fully aerobatic without a torpedo.[Robertson 1970, p. 127.] The Arab engine proved unsatisfactory and approximately 20 T.1s were converted to use Wolseley Viper engines.[Thetford 1978, p. 318.] These aircraft, later called Cuckoo Mk. IIs, could be distinguished by the Viper's lower thrust line. The Arab-engined variant was named Cuckoo Mk. I.[Davis 1999, p. 123.] The Cuckoo's operational career ended when the last unit to use the type, 210 Squadron, disbanded at Gosport on 1 April 1923.[Thetford 1978, p. 318.] The Cuckoo was replaced in service by the Blackburn Dart.
Planned use
In 1917, Commodore Sueter proposed plans for an
aerial torpedo attack on the German High Seas Fleet at its base in Germany.
[Layman 2002, p. 191.] The carriers
Argus, , and and the converted cruisers and , were to have launched 100 Cuckoos from the North Sea.
[Layman 2002, p. 191.] In September 1917, Admiral Sir David Beatty, commander of the
Grand Fleet, proposed a similar plan involving 120 Cuckoos launched from eight converted merchant vessels.
[Layman 2002, p. 192.]
Survivors
Today, no complete Cuckoo airframe survives, but a set of Cuckoo Mk. I wings are preserved at the National Museum of Flight in Scotland.
Variants
- Cuckoo Mk. I
- Main production variant. Powered by a Sunbeam Arab engine.
- Cuckoo Mk. II
- Mk. I converted to use a Wolseley Viper engine.
- Cuckoo Mk. III
- Prototype powered by a Rolls-Royce Falcon III engine.
- Sopwith B.1
- Single-seat bomber powered by a Hispano-Suiza 8 engine. Two prototypes built.
Operators
-
Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service - Operated six Cuckoo Mk. II aircraft.
-
Royal Naval Air Service
-
Royal Air Force
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No. 185 Squadron RAF - Used Cuckoo from October 1918 but was disbanded the following year.
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No. 186 Squadron RAF - Used Cuckoo from late 1918. Was renamed No. 210 Squadron in 1920.
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No. 210 Squadron RAF - Formed in 1920 from No. 186 Squadron, and continued to use the Cuckoo until 1 April 1923 when the unit disbanded.
Specifications (Mk. I)
See also
Notes
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Bruce, J. M. Sopwith B.1 & T.1 Cuckoo: Windsock Datafile 90. Berkhamsted, Hertfordshire, UK: Albatros Publications, 2001. .
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Davis, Mick. Sopwith Aircraft. Ramsbury, Marlborough, Wiltshire: Crowood Press, 1999. .
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Layman, R. D. Naval Aviation In The First World War: Its Impact And Influence. London: Caxton, 2002. .
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Robertson, Bruce. Sopwith – The Man and His Aircraft. London: Harleyford, 1970. .
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Thetford, Owen. British Naval Aircraft Since 1912. London: Putnam, 1994. .
