H.Taylor Fairey Aircraft since 1915 (Putnam)

Campania

   The first exclusively Fairey type to be built in reasonable quantities was a two-seat patrol seaplane of historical importance because it was designed to meet an Admiralty specification for operations from carrier vessels - and from one in particular. This was HM Seaplane Carrier Campania, a converted passenger liner, and the seaplane was to become known by this name.
   In fact, the use of floatplanes for open-sea operations from carriers was, until adequate take-off platforms came into use, a fairly short and not too successful experiment. As C. F. Snowden Gamble wrote in The Story of a North Sea Air Station: ‘It was found ... that seaplanes were not well adapted for use with the fleet. The carriers had to reduce speed and stop when the machines had to be hoisted in and out - frequently a dangerous manoeuvre on account of the presence of enemy submarines - and, as a result of this, many combined fleet and aircraft operations were a dismal failure in 1916. In consequence of these failures the practice of flying single-seater and two-seater aeroplanes from the decks and turrets of battleships, cruisers and aircraft carriers was instituted.’
   Nevertheless, the earlier use of seaplane carriers, and the fitting of decks for take-off, led directly to the aircraft carrier as it was later developed. In the first month of the 1914-18 war only HMS Hermes was in commission as a carrier; another conversion, to be named HMS Ark Royal, was under construction and three cross-Channel steamers were being converted. A large carrier was needed urgently - preferably one with a speed which would permit station-keeping with the Grand Fleet. The answer was to buy and convert a large passenger liner and one of the few available and suitable ships was the old Cunard liner Campania, which had been built in 1893 for the North Atlantic service and had a top speed of 22 knots. She was bought by the Admiralty in October 1914.
   After reconstruction by Cammel Laird for the accommodation of ten seaplanes and the fitting of a 120-ft flying deck forward, she was commissioned in April 1915. Initially, because the aircraft-deck was short and no means had yet been devised for its use for take-offs by floatplanes, the aircraft were hoisted out for normal sea-borne take-offs and hoisted back again - at considerable cost in time, danger and loss of aircraft. Later the idea of a temporary wheeled undercarriage was tried. The first such trolley take-off, made with a Sopwith Schneider seaplane in August 1915, was marginal enough to show that no larger or heavier aircraft could be flown successfully from Campania's platform.
   During the winter of 1915-16 the carrier was modified to provide a 200-ft flying-off deck before rejoining the Grand Fleet in April 1916. The first take-off by a two-seat seaplane (probably a Short Type 184) was made on 3 June, 1916, and further successful take-offs followed, using a four-wheel single-axle trolley. Initially this was allowed to fall into the sea, but means were later found of stopping it at the end of the deck and retrieving it. This success led to the order, placed by the Admiralty later in 1916, for the seaplane which was to be named the Campania. By the time the first of these were ready to join the carrier in the autumn of 1917 the trolley take-off system had become almost routine.
   The Campania was an unequal-span two-bay biplane of conventional wood construction with fabric covering. For shipboard stowage the wings were designed to fold from a narrow centre-section. Ailerons were on the upper wings only. It had two pontoon-type main floats attached to the undercarriage cross-bars by four elastic-cord (bungee) shock-absorbers; wingtip floats, attached directly to the underside of the wings, as in the prototype, or on short struts; and a large tail-float with a water rudder. Serial numbers for 200 Campanias were allotted, 100 were ordered and 62 were actually built. A total of 42 was recorded as being still on charge with the RAF at the end of October 1918.
   There were two main variants - usually referred to by their serials or constructor’s numbers among the first batch of ten Campanias to be built, N1000-1009 (F. 16-25). These were N1001 (F.17) and N1006 (F.22), and the principal difference between them related to the type of engines fitted. There were, however, considerable differences between the prototype, N1000 (F.16), and the second aircraft which became the definitive Campania. The prototype, powered by a 250 hp Rolls-Royce Mk.IV (later named the Eagle IV) twelve-cylinder vee liquid-cooled engine, had slab radiators on each side of the nose and raked exhaust stacks passing through the centre-section ahead of the main spar. This aircraft made its first flight from Hamble, piloted by Sydney Pickles, on 16 February, 1917, and was tested officially at the Marine Experimental Aircraft Depot, at Port Victoria on the Isle of Grain, near Sheerness in Kent, in July.
   The second aircraft, virtually a second prototype, N1001 (F.17), was fitted with a 275 hp Eagle V, which was mounted further forward, with the exhaust stacks ahead of the wing, and probably had a nose radiator like later aircraft in the first batch of which photographs are available. Changes in the wings of these later aircraft, and probably, therefore, of N1001, included a reduced centre-section chord to simplify wing-folding and to improve the pilot’s view upwards; the fitting of slinging gear; the use of rectangular instead of triangular kingposts for bracing the wing extensions; slightly increased dihedral; and, possibly, increased wing incidence to improve the take-off. A description in an aviation journal during 1919 said that the first prototype, N1000, was designed with ‘a fairly high-lift wing section’, that the performance was consequently disappointing and that N1001 was therefore designed with a normal high-speed section. However, the journal also referred to the fitting of camber-changing gear - which was not used on the Campania - so the wing-section explanation may also be suspect. The tail surfaces were modified with a longer fin and the wingtip floats were mounted on short struts. N1001 was flown for the first time from Hamble, again by Sydney Pickles, on 3 June, 1917.
   Both these aircraft went later to the RNAS station at Scapa Flow. The prototype Campania, presumably N1000, is recorded as having flown nonstop from the Isle of Grain to Scapa Flow - a considerable achievement for the period. The pilot was Lt M. E. A. Wright - later, as Sqn Ldr Maurice Wright, AFC, to be a director of the Fairey company.
   The other principal variant, the effective prototype for which was N1006 (F.22), was generally similar to N1001, but was fitted with a 260 hp Sunbeam Maori II twelve-cylinder vee liquid-cooled engine in place of the Eagle. Because of the heavy demand on Eagle production for other aircraft, this Campania and N1005 (F.21) were redesigned as necessary to take the Maori. Both had frontal radiators and a single central exhaust manifold with funnel-like stack forward. Later Maori-powered Campanias were - at the Admiralty’s request in case of possible tropical operations - fitted with larger-area frontal radiators, with adjustable shutters for the section below the propeller-shaft. N1006 had a smaller upper fuel tank, reducing the total capacity to 88 gallons and this reduced tankage was standardized on later aircraft, though units were permitted to hold the bigger tank for fitting if needed for extended range.
   Maori engines were fitted to twenty-five Campanias, N2375-2399 (F.195-219), among those built later by Fairey. All others were powered by various marks of Eagle - mostly (after the first production batch with mixed Eagle IVs, Vs and VIIs) with 345 hp Eagle VIIIs, or, in a few cases, with the 325 hp Eagle VII. Armament for all variants consisted of a Scarff-ring-mounted Lewis gun for the rear cockpit; bombs (normal or anti-submarine) were carried in racks below the fuselage.
   Of the 62 Campanias built, fifty, N1000-1009 (F.16-25) and N2360-2399 (F.180-219), came from the parent company’s Hayes factory, with re-assembly and test-flying at Hamble. The other twelve, N1840-1851, were built by Barclay, Curie and Co of Clydeside, the remainder of whose order for fifty (to N1889) was cancelled. Constructor’s numbers (F.16-26) for eleven Campanias in the first Fairey batch were reserved, but one, presumably F.26, was not completed.
   By the nature of its primary duties, the war service of the Campania was arduous rather than heroic. In addition to operating with HMS Campania, the type served with the two light aircraft carriers Nairana (one-time Australian mail steamer of the same name) and Pegasus (previously the steamer Stockholm), both of which were commissioned fairly late in the war. It was with HMS Nairana, operating with five Campanias and two Sopwith Camels with the British North Russian Expeditionary Force in 1919, that the type was last used in hot blood. The Maori-powered Campanias were normally used from shore stations. These included Calshot (No.240 Sqn and No.210 Training Depot Station), Bembridge and Portland (No.241 Sqn). When not at sea with carriers, Campanias also operated from other shore stations, such as Dundee, Rosyth and Scapa Flow.
   The figures which follow are based on those of test reports quoted by J. M. Bruce in his British Aeroplanes 1914-1918 and elsewhere. They are typical only and relate to the loads and endurances specified.
   N1000 (F.16), 250 hp Rolls-Royce Mk.IV (Eagle IV) Span 61 ft 7 in (18-77 m); length 43 ft 4 in (13-21 m); height 15 ft 1 in (4-59 m); total wing area 686-6 sq ft (63-78 sq m). Empty weight 3,725 lb (1,690 kg); military load 165 lb (75 kg); crew 360 lb (163 kg); fuel and oil 1,002 lb (455 kg); loaded weight 5,252 lb (2,382 kg). Maximum speed at 2,000 ft (610 m) 80 mph (129 km/h); at 6,500 ft (1,981 m) 75-5 mph (121 km/h). Climb to 2,000 ft (610 m) 5 min 20 sec; to 6,500 ft (1,981 m) 27 min 5 sec; service ceiling 7,300 ft (2,225 m). Endurance 6 hr 30 min.
   N1001 (F.17), 275 hp Rolls-Royce Mk.I (Eagle V) Span 61 ft 7 in (18-77 m); length 43 ft 1 in (13-11 m); height 15 ft 1 in (4-59 m); total wing area 674-6 sq ft (62-68 sqm). Empty weight 3,713 lb (1,684 kg); military load 650 lb (295 kg); crew 360 lb (163 kg); fuel and oil 807 lb (366 kg); loaded weight 5,530 lb (2,508 kg). Maximum speed at sea level 89 mph (143 km/h); at 6,500 ft (1,981 m) 78 mph (126 km/h). Climb to 2,000 ft (610 m) 5 min 35 sec; to 6,500 ft (1,981 m) 34 min 15 sec; service ceiling 6,000 ft (1,829 m). Endurance 5 hr.
   N1006 (F.22), 260 hp Sunbeam Maori II Dimensions as for N1001. Empty weight 3,672 lb (1,666 kg); military load 666 lb (302 kg); crew 360 lb (163 kg); fuel and oil 631 lb (286 kg); loaded weight 5,329 (2,417 kg). Maximum speed at sea level 85 mph (137 km/h); at 6,500 ft (1,981 m) 78 mph (126 km/h). Climb to 2,000 ft (610 m) 7 min; to 6,000 ft (1,981 m) 38 min; service ceiling 6,000 ft (1,829 m). Endurance 4 hr 30 min.
   Later version, 345 hp Rolls-Royce Eagle VIII Dimensions as for N1001. Empty weight 3,874 lb (1,757 kg); military load 641 lb (291 kg); crew 360 lb (163 kg); fuel and oil 782 lb (355 kg); loaded weight 5,657 lb (2,566 kg). Maximum speed at 2,000 ft (610 m) 80-5 mph (129 km/h); at 6,500 ft (1,981 m) 64 mph (103 km/h). Climb to 2,000 ft (610 m) 6 min 5 sec; to 6,500 ft (1,981 m) 41 min 30 sec; service ceiling 5,500 ft (1,676 m). Endurance 3 hr.

F.Manson British Bomber Since 1914 (Putnam)

Fairey F.16-F.22 Campania

   Formed in 1915 by Charles Richard Fairey (formerly chief engineer with Short Bros Ltd, Rochester, and later Sir Richard, Kt, MBE), Fairey Aviation Co Ltd was set on its path of aircraft manufacture by a production order for a dozen Short Type 827 seaplanes, aircraft whose configuration appears to have set a pattern for the majority of the company's own designs for several years to come. After an initial design, the F.2 - somewhat unrealistically termed a 'fighter', it being a large, gangling twin-engine aeroplane - Fairey turned his attention to producing a single-engine floatplane, drawing on his previous experience with Shorts, although the head of the design staff was F Duncanson. And in building this aeroplane, the Fairey F.16, the company embarked on a family of aircraft whose lineage could be traced through progressive derivatives to the famous Fairey IIIF of 1926 (after which Duncanson left to join the Gloster Aircraft Company).
   In the early days of floatplane operation from ships at sea the normal procedure was to hoist the seaplanes outboard from their 'carrier' prior to take-off from the water, a time-consuming and dangerous process in enemy waters as the parent vessel was obliged to heave-to. There were, moreover, frequent accidents when pilots attempted take-off from choppy seas. In an effort to circumvent this procedure, the Admiralty had purchased the ex-Cunard liner Campania, 20,000 tons, converted her to carry seaplanes and provided a 120-foot flight deck over the fo'c'sle, it being intended to fly the seaplanes off the deck, using a trolley chassis which separated from the floats as the aircraft left the deck. The first successful trolley launch was carried out by a Sopwith Schneider flown by Flt-Lt William Lawrie Welsh RN (later Air Marshal Sir William, KCB, DSC, AFC, RAF) on 6 August 1915.
   It was immediately obvious that a much longer deck would be required if larger floatplanes were to be operated in this manner, and the Campania was extensively modified to have a 200-foot flight deck. The Fairey F.16 was therefore designed specifically to examine the possibility of operating from this ship, with dimensions tailored to match the size of her hatches, and the name Campania was bestowed on the aircraft and its direct developments.
   Powered by a 250hp Rolls-Royce IV engine (later to become the 284hp Eagle IV), the F.16 was a well-proportioned two-bay, two-seat patrol aircraft. The folding wings, of unequal span, featured triangular kingpost structures to brace the outer sections of the upper wing, to which ailerons were fitted; small floats were located flush up to the undersurface of the bottom wing tips. The engine installation included radiator blocks attached to the sides of the nose, and the twin exhaust manifolds extended upwards through the upper wing.
   The prototype F.16, N1000, was the first in an order for ten aircraft (N1000-N1009) placed with Fairey, and was flown by Sydney Pickles at Hamble on 16 February 1917; soon afterwards it underwent official trials at the Marine Aircraft Experimental Depot, Isle of Grain.
   The following aircraft, N1001, termed the N.17, embodied numerous alterations, including the installation of a 275hp Rolls-Royce Mk V on longer engine bearers which enabled the twin exhaust stacks to incline upwards ahead of the wing; the cumbersome side radiators were discarded in favour of a more efficient frontal radiator. The chord of the ailerons was increased so that they now extended beyond the line of the wing trailing edge, and the kingposts were altered to rectangular structures, bestowing improved torsional rigidity on the outer wing sections. The wing floats were lowered by attaching them by short struts to provide better stability on the water, and the fin was enlarged by extending it forward some two feet. This version of the Campania returned a maximum sea level speed o f 90 mph, an increase of 5 mph over that of the F.16, and was first flown on 3 June, again by Pickles.
   The F.16 was probably not fitted with bomb racks, although the RNAS trials reports issued in July 1917 quote performance figures with military loads of up to 699 lb, a likely ballast weight to make allowance for the rear Lewis gun and ammunition, as well as two 230 lb bombs. For the purposes of maximum patrol endurance, however, the F.17 was capable of carrying over 1,000 lb of fuel, and the normal bomb load would usually comprise four 100 lb anti-submarine bombs mounted on a long beam suspended beneath the fuselage.
   The finite Campania was designated the F.22 and was characterised by installation of the 260hp Sunbeam Maori II vee twelve-cylinder water-cooled engine, also with frontal radiator but with a large single exhaust stack well forward above the engine. This was a generally tidier installation than those of the Rolls-Royces although, in response to an Admiral's request, late production F.22s were fitted with larger radiators with adjustable shutters to cater for possible service in tropical climates. Resort to the Maori engine was made when it seemed likely that demands for the Rolls-Royce Eagle would exceed supply, and the Sunbeam was fitted in twenty-five F.22s (N2375-N2399), all produced by the parent company.
   Thus, of the total of 62 Campanias completed, a total of 36 were F.17s and, of these, twelve were built by Barclay, Curie & Co Ltd of Whiteinch, Glasgow. According to availability, the F. 17s were powered by several versions of the Eagle, including Marks IV, V and VII, and the 345hp Mark VIII; in the latter configuration the maximum all-up weight was increased to 5,986 lb.
   In service, Campanias joined HMS Campania in 1917, and in the following year were also embarked in two light carriers, HMS Nairana and Pegasus. In 1919 five F.17s (with two Sopwith Camel fighters) accompanied HMS Nairana with the British North Russian Expeditionary Force to Archangel.
   The Maori-powered F.22s were confined mainly to operations from RNAS shore stations, including Bembridge, Calshot, Dundee, Portland, Rosyth and Scapa Flow, often serving alongside Short 184s. The Campania gained an excellent reputation in the RNAS and RAF, from various accounts being considered a pleasant aeroplane to fly on long patrol sorties, the Rolls-Royce engines being regarded as utterly reliable.
   The last Campanias were declared obsolete and withdrawn from service with the RAF when the last squadrons were disbanded in 1919.

   Type: Single-engine, two-seat, two-bay biplane shipborne patrol bomber seaplane.
   Manufacturers: The Fairey Aviation Co Ltd, Hayes, Middlesex; Barclay, Curle & Co Ltd, Whiteinch, Glasgow.
   Powerplant: F.16. One 250hp Rolls-Royce Mk IV twelve-cylinder water-cooled in-line engine driving four-blade propeller. F.17. One 275hp Rolls-Royce Eagle V or 340hp Rolls-Royce Eagle VIII; F.22. 250hp Sunbeam Maori II driving two-blade propeller.
   Structure: All-wood construction with fabric covering.
   Dimensions: Span, 61ft 7 1/2in; length, 43ft 3 5/8in (F.16), 43ft 0 5/8in (F.17 and F.22); height, 15ft 1in; wing area, 639.8 sq ft (F.16), 627.8 sq ft (F.17 and F.22).
   Weights. F.16. Tare, 3,725 lb; all-up (max load). 5,786 lb. F.22 (Eagle VIII). Tare. 3,874 lb; all-up, 5,986 lb.
   Performance: F.22 (Maori). Max speed, 85 mph at 2,000ft; climb to 5,000ft, 18 min; service ceiling, 6,000ft; endurance, 4 1/2 hr.
   Armament: Bomb load of up to six 112 lb bombs carried externally under wings and fuselage. Single 0.303in Lewis machine gun with Scarff ring on rear cockpit.
   Prototype: One, N1000 (F.16), first flown by Sydney Pickles at Hamble on 16 February 1917.
   Production: Total of 61 built, excluding prototype. Fairey, 49 (N1001-N1009 and N2360-N2399); Barclay, Curle. 12 (NI840-N1X51) 138 cancelled: Barclay. Curle. 38 (N1852-N1899); Frederick Sage/Sunbeam, 100 (N1890-N1959 and N2200-N2229).
   Summary of Service: Campanias served aboard HMS Campania, Pegasus and Nairana (in the latter with the British North Russian Expeditionary Force during 1919), and with No 240 Squadron, RAF, at Calshot, and No 241 Squadron. RAF, at Portland, and at Bembridge, Dundee, Rosyth and Scapa Flow.

P.Lewis British Bomber since 1914 (Putnam)

The Fairey Aviation Company was destined to have long and close associations with the Royal Navy in the supply of its aircraft, the foundations of which were laid early in the 1914-18 War. Following production of a batch of Short Admiralty Type 827 seaplanes under sub-contract, the firm turned to designing its own aeroplanes. The F.2 long-range fighter was its first attempt at the art, and this was succeeded by a two-seat patrol seaplane designed in 1916. Of special importance was that the machine should be stowed aboard the seaplane carrier Campania, from which the seaplane was to take its name.
   Allotted Fairey airframe number F.16, the first prototype N1000 was fitted with the 250 h.p. Rolls-Royce Mk. IV engine. In overall appearance the Campania - and succeeding Fairey seaplane designs - were far neater and less cluttered than their counterparts of the period from Short Brothers. The Fairey designs did not indulge in the frustrating habit of mounting the radiator block in front of the pilot to the great detriment of his view forwards. Side-mounted radiators cooled the Campania’s engine, and the twin exhausts were taken up through the centre-section. Flush-fitting wingtip floats were used, accompanied by pontoon-style main and rear floats. Folding wings were mandatory, and those on the Campania utilized two-bay bracing with kingposts and wire support for the upper wings’ overhang.
   Second thoughts were evident in the second Campania F.17 N1001, resulting in various alterations. Increased power appeared in the form of the 275 h.p. Rolls-Royce Mk. I incorporating a frontal radiator. The wings embodied an improved aerofoil section, and a cut-out in the upper centre-section aided the pilot’s field of view. Revision of the tail surfaces had taken place, and the tip floats were suspended on short struts. Under-fuselage racks carried the Campania’s bomb load, and the observer’s Lewis gun was installed on a Scarff ring.
   In its F.17 form the Campania passed into production during 1917. From F.22 N1006, the 250 h.p. Sunbeam Maori II engine was also used, owing to a shortage of the Rolls-Royce units brought about by the demand for such an excellent engine. Later on, the Campania was equipped with the 345 h.p. Rolls-Royce Eagle VIII, as yet another alternative, and served well in both F.17 and F.22 versions.

J.Bruce British Aeroplanes 1914-1918 (Putnam)

Fairey Campania

  THE second aircraft designed and built by the Fairey Aviation Co. was a two-seat patrol seaplane which was designed specifically for use from a carrier vessel. It was designed in 1916 with special regard to the hatchway dimensions and stowage capacity of H.M. Seaplane Carrier Campania.
  The Campania herself was an ex-Cunard passenger liner of 20,000 tons which had been built in 1893 and had a speed of about 22 knots. She was purchased by the Admiralty in October, 1914, at the suggestion of Captain Murray Sueter, for she was one of the few available ships with the speed and space required for a seaplane carrier. She was reconstructed by Cammell, Laird to accommodate ten seaplanes, and was fitted with a 120-foot flying deck above the forecastle. Campania was commissioned on April 17th, 1915, under Captain O. Swann.
  The deck was used for flying-off only, not for landing-on. For take-off, the seaplanes were placed on a form of trolley, the wheels being discarded as soon as the aircraft became airborne. At first these wheels were allowed to fall into the sea, but experiments produced a trolley which could be stopped at the end of the flight deck and retrieved for further use. The trolley was not at first used on Campania, but unsuccessful attempts to fly seaplanes off the sea after being hoisted out cost so much in broken floats and sunken aircraft that the use of the device became essential.
  The first take-off from Campania's deck, using the trolley, was made on August 6th, 1915, by Flight-Lieutenant W. L. Welsh, flying a Sopwith Schneider. The take-off run was 113 feet, and the attempt was made with Campania steaming at 17 knots against the wind. It was obvious that the deck was too short to enable any aeroplane larger than a Schneider to be flown off, so Campania returned to Cammell, Laird’s Liverpool yard to have her flying deck lengthened. Another modification was made to enable an inflated kite-balloon to be carried aft, and the Campania rejoined the Grand Fleet at Scapa Flow on April 12th, 1916, with her flying deck extended to some 200 feet.
  The Fairey seaplane was named Campania after its intended mother-ship. The first machine had the Fairey works number F.16, and was powered by the 250 h.p. Rolls-Royce Mk. IV (later named Eagle IV) engine. The exhaust manifolds terminated in upright stacks which were raked slightly backwards and passed through the centre-section just in front of the main spar. The radiator was disposed in two elements mounted externally, one on either side of the engine. The rather slender fuselage was of conventional construction; and the undercarriage consisted of two pontoon-type floats and a substantial tail-float, to which was attached a water-rudder. The main floats were attached to the undercarriage struts by elastic shock absorbers with limited range of movement. Small wing-tip floats were attached directly to the underside of the lower wings.
  The wings had two-bay bracing and there were extensions on the upper wings. The king-post structures from which the extensions were braced were of triangular form on the first Campania. Ailerons were fitted to the upper wings only. Since the Campania was intended for operation from carrier vessels the wings could be folded.
  The first Campania made a flight from the Isle of Grain to Scapa Flow: this was a considerable achievement at that time, and spoke well for the machine’s capabilities as a patrol seaplane. The pilot on this occasion was Squadron Commander Maurice Wright, who later became a director of the Fairey company.
  The second Campania, works number F.17, embodied several modifications. The more powerful 275 h.p. Rolls-Royce Mk. I (Eagle V) engine was installed. In this version the engine was mounted rather farther forward, and the exhaust stacks ran up in front of the centre-section; a frontal radiator was fitted immediately behind the airscrew. The wings retained the configuration of the original design, but a more efficient aerofoil section was employed and the king-post structures above the upper wing were rectangular. The centre-section had a large cut-out in its trailing portion to improve the pilot’s view upwards. The vertical tail surfaces were re-designed: the F.17 had a larger fin than its predecessor, and its rudder was slightly smaller. The main undercarriage remained unchanged, but the wing-tip floats were braced away from the lower wings by short struts.
  This version of the Campania went into production in 1917, but by the time the completed machines were appearing, the demand for Rolls-Royce Eagle engines was beginning to exceed the supply. An alternative power unit was therefore sought, and the 250 h.p. Sunbeam Maori II was selected. The first Campania to have this engine was N.1006, which had the works number F.22. This machine also had reduced tankage for fuel: the upper tank was smaller, and this became standard for later Campanias. Later still, the 345 h.p. Rolls-Royce Eagle VIII was fitted to some Campanias.
  Both the F.17 and F.22 versions were produced in some numbers, and gave good service on patrol duties both from various home stations during the war and from Archangel during the Russian campaign of 1919.


SPECIFICATION
  Manufacturers: The Fairey Aviation Co., Ltd., Hayes, Middlesex.
  Other Contractors: Barclay, Curie & Co., Ltd., Whiteinch, Glasgow.
Power: F.16: 250 h.p. Rolls-Royce Mk. IV (284 h.p. Eagle IV). F.17: 275 h.p. Rolls-Royce Mk. I (322 h.p. Eagle V). F.22: 250 h.p. Sunbeam Maori II; some of the late production Campanias had the 345 h.p. Rolls-Royce Eagle VIII.
  Dimensions: Span: upper 61 ft 7 1/2 in. Length: F.16, 43 ft 3 5/8 in.; F.17 and F.22, 43 ft 0 5/8 in. Height: 15 ft 1 in. Chord: 6 ft 4 in. Gap: 6 ft 6 in. Stagger: nil. Span of tail: 13 ft.
  Areas: Wings: F.16, 639-8 sq ft; F. 17 and F.22, 627-8 sq ft. Ailerons: each 23-4 sq ft, total 46-8 sq ft. Tailplane: 47 sq ft. Elevators: 28-1 sq ft. Fin: F.16, 14 sq ft; F.17 and F.22, 16-2 sq ft. Rudder: F.16, 22 sq ft; F.17 and F.22, 19-6 sq ft.
  Tankage: Petrol: 88 gallons.
  Armament: One free Lewis machine-gun on Scarff ring-mounting on rear cockpit. Bombs were carried on racks below the fuselage.
  Service Use: H.M. Seaplane Carriers Campania and Pegasus. R.N.A.S. Stations at Portland (later No. 241 Squadron, R.A.F.), Calshot and Dundee. R.A.F. contingent at Archangel.
  Production and Allocation: At least 100 Fairey Campanias were ordered. On October 31st, 1918, the R.A.F. had forty-two Campanias on charge. Of that total, twenty-four Eagle-powered machines were in use for oversea patrols; and two Eagle-Campanias and sixteen Sunbeam-powered machines were at other coastal stations.
  Serial numbers: N.1000-N.1009: built by Fairey. N.1840-N.1889: ordered from Barclay, Curie & Co. N.2360- N.2399: built by Fairey.
  Notes on individual Machines: N.1000: 250 h.p. Rolls-Royce Mk. IV engine. N.1001: 275 h.p. Rolls-Royce Mk. I engine. N.1006: 260 h.p. Sunbeam Maori II engine; was at R.N.A.S. Calshot, December 3rd, 1917. N.2366: 275 h.p. Rolls-Royce Mk. I engine; was at R.N.A.S. Dundee, January 3rd, 1918. N.2367: marked “PC 4”, flown from H.M.S. Campania.
  Costs:
   Airframe without engine, instruments and guns £3,245 0s.
   Engines:
   Rolls-Royce Eagle IV £1,430 0s.
   Rolls-Royce Eagle V £1,721 10s.
   Rolls-Royce Eagle VIII £1,622 10s.
   Sunbeam Maori £1,391 10s. '

O.Thetford Aircraft of the Royal Air Force since 1918 (Putnam)

Fairey Campania Seaplane
  
   The Royal Air Force inherited over forty Campania seaplanes from the RNAS in April 1918. These aircraft were operated both from seaplane carriers at sea and from coastal stations. The carrier-borne Campanias were powered by Rolls-Royce Eagle engines, and those at coastal stations by 250hp Sunbeam Maori engines. Squadrons equipped with Campanias were Nos 240 (Calshot), 241 (Portland) and 242 (Newhaven), but the aircraft were withdrawn from service in about mid-1919. Span, 61ft 7in; length, 43ft 4in; loaded weight, 5,530lb; max speed, 85mph at sea level; service ceiling, 6,000ft. Armament comprised a single Lewis gun in the rear cockpit and a light bomb load on external racks.

O.Thetford British Naval Aircraft since 1912 (Putnam)

Fairey Campania

   The Campania is important in the history of British naval aviation as the first aircraft specifically designed for operation from a carrier vessel. It was designed in 1916, when the Fairey Company was only a year old, and was that famous concern's second type of aircraft. It took its name from the fact that the carrier for which it was designed was Campania, a former Cunard passenger liner purchased by the Admiralty in October 1914. Campania was commissioned in April 1915, after being converted to carry 10 seaplanes and fitted with a 120ft flying-off deck above the forecastle. By the time that Fairey Campanias first operated from Campania in 1917, the flying-off deck had been lengthened to 200ft. The Campanias took off with the aid of a wheeled trolley, which was left behind as the aircraft became airborne.
   The prototype Campania (N 1000) had the Fairey works designation F. 16 and mounted a 250 hp Rolls-Royce Mk,lV engine, later named Eagle IV. With the second prototype (N1001) a number of changes were introduced, including an improved wing section, larger fin and rudder and the more powerful 275 hp Rolls-Royce Mk.1 (later Eagle V) engine. This version had the Fairey works number F.17 and was the first to be ordered in quantity. With Campania N1006 a change of power plant was necessitated by the temporary shortage of Eagles, and the Sunbeam Maori II was substituted. The Fairey works number changed to F.22 with this modification, but in later production aircraft the Eagle was re-introduced.
   Production contracts for 100 Campanias included airframes N1000 to 1009 and N2360 to 2399 from the parent company and N2360 to N2399 from sub-contractors, but only 62 were completed. On 31 October 1918 some 42 Campanias were serving at coastal air stations and with seaplane carriers. Campanias continued to serve for a period after the Armistice, and in 1919 five were ahoard the seaplane carrier Nairana (together with two Camels) during operations against the Bolsheviks from Archangel.

UNITS ALLOCATED
   RNAS Stations at Bembridge, Calshot, Cherbourg, Dundee, Newhaven, Portland, Rosyth and Scapa Flow, HM Seaplane Carriers Campania, Nairana and Pegasus, After April 1918, Nos.240, 241 and 253 Squadrons.

TECHNICAL DATA (F22 CAMPANIA)
   Description: Two-seat coastal patrol or carrier-borne reconnaissance seaplane. Wooden structure, fabric covered.
   Manufacturers: Fairey Aviation Co Ltd, Hayes, Middlesex. Sub-contracted by Barclay, Curle & Co Ltd, of Glasgow.
   Power Plant: One 275 hp Sunbeam Maori II or 345 hp Rolls-Royce Eagle VIII.
   Dimensions: Span, 61 ft 7 1/2 in. Length, 43 ft 0 5/8 in. Height, 15 ft 1 in. Wing area, 627 sq ft.
   Weights: Empty, 3,672 lb (Maori) or 3,874lb (Eagle). Loaded, 5,329 lb (Maori) or 5,657 lb (Eagle).
   Performance (Maori II): Maximum speed, 85 mph at sea level. Climb 7 min to 2,000 ft; 38 min to 6,500 ft. Endurance, 4 1/2 hr. Service ceiling, 6,000 ft (Eagle VIII): Maximum speed, 80 mph at 2,000 ft. Climb, 4 1/2 min to 6,500 ft. Endurance, 3 hr. Service ceiling, 5,500 ft.
   Armament: Lewis gun on Scarff ring and bombs on racks below fuselage,

H.King Armament of British Aircraft (Putnam)

Campania. In common with other patrol and bombing floatplanes of its lime (1916/17), the Campania carried its bombs on tubular carriers suspended a considerable distance below the fuselage and had no gun for the pilot, though there was a Lewis gun for the observer, the gun in this instance being on a Scarff ring-mounting. Military load of the developed version was about 650 lb. One identified load was two 100-lb anti-submarine bombs, carried in tandem.

Jane's All The World Aircraft 1919

THE FAIREY CAMPANIA Types F16, F17, & F22.
  
  
   These machines were designed as patrol seaplanes with special reference to the stowage capacity and hatchway dimensions of H.M Seaplane Carrier " Campania,''
   The original P16 was designed for the Rolls-Royce " Eagle " engine.
   F17 was a slightly modified version fitted with a more efficient wing section, and a later version of the Rolls " Eagle " engine.
   The demand for Rolls " Eagles " at the time was considerably greater than the production thereof, and a further Campania type-the F22 was manufactured, fitted with a 260 h.p. Sunbeam engine.
   All these machines were fitted with the Fairey variable camber device.
   The leading particulars of all three types are as follows:
  
  
CAMPANIA F16.
  
Type of machine Seaplane.
Name or type No. of machine F16.
Purpose for which intended Patrol.
Span, upper plane overall 61 ft. 7 1/2 in.
Gap, maximum and minimum 6 ft. 6 in.
Overall length 43 ft. 3 5/8 In.
Maximum height 15 ft. 1 in.
Chord 6 ft. 4 in.
Total surface of Wings 639.8 sq. ft.
Span of tail 13 ft.
Total area of tail 75.1 sq. ft. (Including elevators).
Area of elevators 28.1 sq. ft.
Area of rudder 22 sq. ft.
Area of fin 14 sq. ft.
Area of each aileron and total area 23.4 sq. ft. ; 46.8 sq. ft.
Maximum cross section of body 3 ft 6 In. x 3 ft. 1 in.
Horizontal area of body 90 sq. ft.
Vertical area of body 88 sq. ft.
Engine type and h.p. 250 h.p. Rolls-Royce.
Load per sq. ft. 8.6 lbs.
Weight per h.p. 22.2 lbs.
Tank capacity in gallons 88 gallons.
Performance.
   Speed low down 72 kts.
   Landing speed 42 m.p.h.
   Climb.
   To 5,000 feet in minutes 14 minutes.
Disposable load apart from fuel 1026 lbs.
Total weight of machine loaded 5500 lbs.
  
  
CAMPANIA F17.
  
Type of machine Seaplane.
Name or type No. of machine F17.
Purpose for which intended Patrol.
Span, upper plane overall 61 ft. 7 1/2 In.
Gap, maximum and minimum 6 ft. 6 in.
Overall length 43 ft. 0 5/8 in.
Maximum height 15 ft. 1 in.
Chord 6 ft. 4 in.
Total surface of wings 627.8 sq. ft.
Span of tail 13 ft
Total area of tail 75.1 sq. ft. (including elevators).
Area of elevators 28.1 sq. ft.
Area of rudder 19.6 sq. ft.
Area of fin 16.2 sq.ft.
Area of each aileron and total area 23.4 sq. ft.; 46.8 sq. ft.
Maximum cross section of body 3 ft. 6 in. x 3 ft. 1 In.
Horizontal area of body 90 sq.ft.
Vertical area of body 88 sq. ft.
Engine type and h.p. 275 h.p. Rolls-Royce.
Load per sq. ft. 8.7 lbs.
Weight per h.p. 19.5 lbs.
Tank capacity in gallons 88 gallons.
Performance.
   Speed low down 78 kts.
   Landing speed 43 m.p.h.
   Climb.
   To 5,000 feet in minutes 12.30 minutes
Disposable load apart from fuel 1100 lbs.
Total weight of machine loaded 5560 lbs.
  
  
CAMPANIA F22.
  
Type of machine Seaplane.
Name or type No. of machine F22.
Purpose for which intended Patrol.
Span, Upper plane Overall 61 ft. 7 1/2 in.
Gap, maximum and minimum 6 ft. 6 In.
Overall length 43 ft. 0 5/8 in.
Maximum height 15 ft. 1 in.
Chord 6 ft. 4 In.
Total surface of wings 627.8 sq. ft.
Span of tail 13 ft.
Total area of tail 75.1 sq. ft. (inc. elevators).
Area of elevators 28.1 sq. ft.
Area of rudder 19.6 sq. ft.
Area of fin 16.2sq.ft.
Area of each aileron and total area 23.4 sq. ft.; 46.8 sq. ft.
Maximum cross section of body 3 ft. 6 in. x 3 ft. 1 In.
Horizontal area of body 90 sq. ft.
Vertical area of body 88 sq. ft.
Engine type and h.p. 250 h.p. Sunbeam.
Load per sq. ft. 8.14 lbs.
Weight per h.p. 20.1 lbs.
Tank capacity in gallons 88 gallons.
Performance.
   Speed low down 74 kts.
   Landing speed 40 m.p.h.
   Climb.
   To 5,000 feet in minutes 18 minutes
Disposable load apart from fuel 1026 lbs.
Total weight of machine loaded 5329 lbs.