Cowes East
COWES EAST: Private/company seaplane slipways (Aka COWES)
(Aka MARINE SERVICE STATION)
Operated by: Saunders Roe, British Flying Boats Ltd and, presumably, Spartan Air Lines?
Notes: First picture by the author.
The third picture from a postcard was kindly sent by Mike Charlton who has an amazing collection. See, www.aviationpostcard.co.uk
The Westland SRN2 hovercraft, its 'SRN' (Saunders-Roe Nautical) clearly showing its design heritage, first flew on 1961. I strongly suspect that this picture was taken in or around the period of the early flights, perhaps even taken during its first flight?
Note the helipad clearly marked on the apron which was still visible in my picture. Today (2018) it has disappeared.
Manufacturing: WW1 period: S.E. Saunders Ltd, (Osborne Works), then Saunders-Roe and later Westland
Location: On east bank of the river Medina
Trots: Anywhere in nearby Solent (?), set out by buoys perhaps?
Period of operation: 1912 - 1960s?
A MICHAEL T HOLDER GALLERY
It appears that originally the Samuel White & Co Ltd, started aircraft production in the Gridiron shed in 1912, before moving across the river in probably 1913?
Note: The picture of the Saro A.19 Cloud 'Cloud of Iona', G-ABXW, registered on the 15th July 1932, was published in The Bystander on the 31st May 1933. This was when Saunders Roe started a flying boat service from COWES to the Isle of Man. Perhaps a service also served by Spartan Air Lines, also based on the Isle of Wight, when they acquired and registered G-ABXW on the 14th September 1934? G-ABXW was lost over the sea near Jersey on 31.07.36.
The area view is from my Google Earth © derived database.
NOTES: Base for Schneider Trophy races 1923
In the early 50s the largest UK flying boat, the civilian Saunders Roe SR.42 Princess was built here with only three examples made. The type flew but never entered service. One example, G-ALUN, the only example that was flown, did a fly-past at the Farnborough Air Show in 1953.
Please look at my notes for the Isle of Wight in my article 'The Counties of the United Kingdom' for a reappraisal of the much maligned Princess flying boat project. It must have had the Americans quaking in their boots as the design far exceeded anything they had available as airliners. And, contrary to popular belief today, in those days large flying boats most certainly still had a highly viable future, especially on the old Empire routes. It was the early Proteus engines designed by Bristol that let the project down.
The photo of G-ALUN being launched in December 1951 was published in the Daily Echo that same month. It was not until eight months later, on the 22nd August 1952, that G-ALUN made its first flight.
By then the Americans were heavily promoting their landplanes, the Douglas DC-4 and Lockheed Constellations for long haul, and when the Boeing Stratocruiser entered service with Pan Am in April 1949, the fate of the Princess was pretty much sealed. Both could carry 100 passengers, the Princess offering far more luxury of course and the range to fly from England to New York non-stop. So, without being too cynical (?), as with Concorde initially, I expect that landing permissions, in the centre of New York would have been denied.
Also, have a look at the basic fuselage design of the Princess and the Boeing Stratocruiser. I think they are remarkably similar. And, it appears, towards the end of WW2, British leading civil aircraft designs and development data was being freely offered to the Amercans. So, is the 'double hull' feature just a coincidence?
In the 1960s and 70s, possibly longer (?) hovercraft were built here.
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