H.King Armament of British Aircraft (Putnam)
Port Victoria
P.V.9. Intended for the escort of flying-boats, this advanced single-seat seaplane of 1917 had a synchronised Vickers gun on top of the fuselage and a Lewis gun over the top centre-section, firing upwards and forwards over the airscrew.
P.Lewis The British Fighter since 1912 (Putnam)
Last of the Port Victoria series of original fighter designs was the P.V.9, a single-seat 150 h.p. Bentley B.R.I-powered sesquiplane seaplane which was completed in the last month of 1917. Two machine-guns were carried, a fuselage-mounted Vickers and a Lewis on the upper centre-section. The sole prototype, N55, proved to possess fine all-round qualities and was considered to out-perform any previous design in the same category. Despite these attributes, an ultimate lack of demand resulted in the abandonment of the P.V.9.
F.Mason The British Fighter since 1912 (Putnam)
Port Victoria P.V.9
At about the time that the Port Victoria Kittens were nearing completion in 1917, the Experimental Construction Depot at Port Victoria received instructions to design a single-seat scout seaplane, retaining the best features of the P.V.2, but with improved performance, as a possible replacement for the Sopwith Baby.
Given a free hand, there is little doubt but that Cdr Seddon’s design staff could have come up with an outstanding design. Unfortunately, instead of being permitted to use a high-lift wing section, the Admiralty insisted on the RAF 15 aerofoil, with the result that climb performance and ceiling were to suffer.
The P.V.9 was an attractive aeroplane although, on account of the unsuitable wings, it was bigger than originally intended. It was, like the P.V.2, a sesquiplane and retained the earlier seaplane’s ‘W’ arrangement of interplane and float struts. The fuselage was again located within the gap, and very close to upper and lower wings, thereby providing the pilot with an excellent field of view. An innovative feature was the location of the fuel tanks within the sides of the fuselage forward of the cockpit, but outside the fuselage primary structure so that the cockpit could occupy the unrestricted width of the primary box girder. A single synchronized Vickers gun was mounted on the nose decking, and a free-firing Lewis gun was provided on top of the upper wing centresection forward of a generous cutout in the upper wing trailing edge. The undercarriage consisted of twin pontoon-type main floats and a streamlined, circular-section tail float.
The P.V.9 was originally intended to be powered by a 110hp Clerget, but instead was fitted with a 150hp Bentley B.R.1 rotary. The single prototype, N55, first flew in December 1917 but, owing to recurring trouble with this engine, was not officially tested until May. Unfortunately the aircraft underwent its trials with an unsuitable propeller, with the result that the performance returned did not accurately reflect the P.V.9’s real potential. That, however, was immaterial - as were the complimentary remarks about the aircraft in general - as the proposed role of the aircraft had long since been rendered superfluous by the capabilities of the Sopwith Pup and Camel; therefore there was no further need for the P.V.9’s development.
Type: Single-engine, single-seat, twin-float, single-bay sesquiplane scout.
Manufacturer: RNAS Experimental Construction Depot, Port Victoria, Isle of Grain.
Powerplant: One 150hp Bentley B.R.1 rotary engine driving two-blade propeller. Dimensions: Span, 30ft 11in; length, 25ft 2in; height, 9ft 0in; wing area, 227 sq ft.
Weights: Tare, 1,404lb; all-up, 1,965lb.
Performance: Max speed, 110.5 mph at 2,000ft; climb to 10,000ft, 27 min 20 sec; service ceiling, 11,500ft.
Armament: One synchronized 0.303in Vickers machine gun on fuselage forward of the cockpit, and one Lewis gun on upper wing centre section.
Prototype: One, N55 (first flown in December 1917). No production.
W.Green, G.Swanborough The Complete Book of Fighters
PORT VICTORIA P.V.9 UK
Owing much to the P.V.2, the P.V.9 single-seat fighter seaplane, first flown in December 1917, was a sesquiplane braced entirely by faired steel tubes. With a fuselage mounted between the wings, an armament of one synchronised 0.303-in (7,7-mm) machine gun and a similar-calibre weapon mounted on top of the fuselage, the P.V.9 had single-step pontoon-type floats and a 150 hp Bentley B.R.I rotary engine. Protracted engine problems delayed the initiation of full-scale trials until May 1918, at which time it was alleged to be the best float-equipped single-seat fighter extant. However, lack of a suitable propeller prevented full exploitation of its performance potential and, no longer fulfilling a service requirement, its development was discontinued.
Max speed, 110 mph(177 km/h) at 2,000 ft (610 m).
Time to 6,500 ft (1980 m), 13.33 min.
Endurance. 2.5 hrs.
