The Seaford was larger than the Sunderland from which it developed and carried an unusually heavy defensive fit. Six .50-calibre Browning machine guns covered the nose, tail, and beam positions, while a dorsal turret mounted two 20 mm cannon and two .303 Brownings fired forward. It could carry roughly 5,000 pounds of bombs or depth charges. Four Bristol Hercules engines, each rated at 1,720 brake horsepower, gave it a range of about 2,000 nautical miles. Its 11-person crew operated an aircraft that rose from roughly 20.5 tons empty to 34 tons fully loaded, which conveys how much fuel and equipment a long maritime patrol required. Only about ten were built, and most were later leased to the British Overseas Airways Corporation as the RAF reduced its specialised maritime patrol force after the war.
Notable Point · 2:01-5:43
Short Seaford: a heavily armed Sunderland development
A look at the Short Seaford as an enlarged Sunderland development with cannon armament, a substantial bomb load, and long patrol range.