The Supermarine Walrus (originally designated the Supermarine Seagull V) was a British singleengine amphibious biplane reconnaissance aircraft designed by R. J. Mitchell and manufactured by Supermarine at Woolston, Southampton. The Walrus first flew in 1933, the design effort having commenced as a private venture four years earlier. It shared its general configuration with that of the earlier Supermarine Seagull. Having been designed to serve as a fleet spotter for catapult launching from cruisers or battleships, the aircraft was largely employed in other roles, notably as a maritime patrol aircraft and as a rescue aircraft for ditched aircrew. The Walrus featured numerous innovations for the period, being the first British squadronservice aircraft to incorporate in one airframe a fully retractable main undercarriage, completely enclosed crew accommodation and an allmetal fuselage. Earlybuild aircraft featured the original metal hull design for its greater longevity in tropical conditions, while laterbuild examples instead used a wooden counterpart to conserve the use of light metal alloys.

Supermarine Walrus Aircraft Documentary