Vickers Warwick HG136

The Cheviot, Northumberland

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PAGE 2 (Aircraft Accident Details)

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Acknowledgment

Photos of the crash site of this aircraft were kindly provided by Gary Nelson. Gary's photos can be seen both on this page and in the Photo Gallery.

Many thanks also to Ken Marston for providing extended aircraft accident details courtesy of Peter Clark's book, Where the Hills Meet the Sky.

Thank are due also to Dr Ian Frayling for kindly indentifying the fuel tank in the photos below.

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All photos and other media remain the property of the original authors, and may not be reproduced elsewhere without the respective author's prior written permission

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BELOW: A Vickers Warwick Air/Sea Search and Rescue (ASR) aircraft with a lifeboat slung beneath the fuselage.

A Vickers Warwick Air-Sea Rescue aircraft with rubber lifeboat slung below fuselage

Photo: Original source unknown.

Aircraft Type and Background

RAF Vickers Warwick VI ASR.I / HG136

Intended for use with RAF Bomber Command, the Vickers Warwick was designed as a twin-engine bomber. In certain respects it resembled the Vickers Wellington bomber. However, although the Warwick had a slimmer fuselage, it was slightly longer and had a greater wingspan than the Wellington. The Warwick therefore was the larger of the two aircraft.

Both types used geodetic (i.e., diamond lattice) framework for the construction of the fuselage and wings. This design helped considerable to strengthen the airframe and to permit badly—although not critically—damaged aircraft to continue flying, sometimes until they had returned to base.

Originally, the Warwick was designed to carry a crew of six, and was equipped with eight 0.303 Browning machine guns. The aircraft had gun turrets in the nose and tail (and, in some variants, an additional dorsal turret). However, this arrangement was modified when the aircraft entered service in an ASR role.

Almost from the outset, the Warwick was plagued with technical problems. After overcoming instability of the airframe by the fitting of a dorsal fin, no satisfactory engines could be found in the UK to power this large aircraft, although several types were tried. Eventually, in order to complete the project, early production Warwicks were equipped with Pratt and Whitney R-2800 Double Wasp radial engines sent by ship from the USA. However, these shipments proved sporadic. In 1943, a suitable UK type—the Bristol Centaurus—became available, and this engine was fitted to subsequent Warwick aircraft.

(It is believed that the Warwick featured here was an ASR.I variant, as this was the type operated by 280 Squadron at RAF Thornaby. The ASR.I was equipped with Bristol Centaurus engines.)

Before the Warwick entered RAF service, however, the Air Ministry and RAF Bomber Command considered the Warwick unsuitable for their needs. Furthermore, they had begun to favour four-engine bombers rather than two-engine types like the Armstrong Whitworth Whitley and Vickers Warwick. Therefore, instead of being assigned to Bomber Command as originally intended, many of these Warwicks were used by the RAF as Air/Sea Search and Rescue (ASR) aircraft. For this purpose, an Uffa Fox-designed lifeboat or Lindholme Gear was slung beneath the aircraft. During a rescue operation, the Lindholme Gear or the lifeboat could be dropped at sea suspended by parachutes.