From Blackburn Shark specification to sea trials

The Blackburn B-6 Shark began as a private-venture biplane with folding fabric-covered wings, a three-person crew, and a prone bombing position beneath the pilot. After its first flight in 1933, the prototype completed deck-landing trials aboard HMS Courageous and later received twin floats for sea-performance testing at Felixstowe. In the torpedo role it reached 150 miles per hour at sea level, with a 16,400-foot ceiling and a 625-mile range at an all-up weight of 8,050 pounds. The lighter reconnaissance configuration reached 157 miles per hour, climbed faster, and extended the ceiling to 20,400 feet and range to 792 miles. The production Shark I used a 700-horsepower Armstrong Siddeley Tiger IV engine, a forward-firing .303 Vickers gun, and an aft-mounted Vickers K gun with 600 rounds. It could carry a 1,500-pound torpedo or an equivalent bomb load, giving one carrier aircraft both strike and reconnaissance roles.