Naval Historywith Dr. Alex

Q&A · 3:51-4:57

Which aircraft operated from HMS Vindictive?

A viewer question prompts a compact inventory of the aircraft associated with HMS Vindictive, including shipboard fighters, reconnaissance types, and floatplanes.

Aircraft CarriersHMS VindictiveNaval AviationRoyal NavyShort Type 184Sopwith CamelSopwith Pup
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Question

What aircraft flew from HMS Vindictive?

Short answer

She initially carried Sopwith Pups and later operated shipboard Sopwith Camels, Sopwith 1½ Strutters, and Short Type 184s for the Baltic role.

Notes

Vindictive's early Sopwith Pup fit differed from the mix associated with her Baltic service. The later list includes shipboard Sopwith 2F.1 Camels, Sopwith 1½ Strutters, and Short Type 184 floatplanes. This combination of fighters, reconnaissance aircraft, and floatplanes was unlike a later standardized carrier air group. The use of land-derived aircraft and the demands of landing at sea made early naval aviation an adaptation problem as much as an inventory question.