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Sunderland Manufacturer : Short Number Built : 749 Production Began : 1938 Retired : 1959 Type : The Short Sunderland, Patrol and Reconnaissance Flying Boat. normal crew level 10. maximum speed of 210mph for Mark I, 205mph Mark II and Mark III, and 213mph Mark V. ceiling 17,900 feet and range of 2110 miles (mk I) 2880 miles for Mark V. endurance in the air 13.5 hours. The Sunderland carries 1 .303 machine gun in the nose, (mark I) and four .303 browning machine guns in the Tail Turret. Also in the Mark II four Vickers .303 inch machine guns were used in the body positions. and four browning machineguns in the nose flanks in the Mark III. Maximum bomb load of 4960 lbs. Based on the design of the Civil Empire class flying boat. The Short Sunderland entered service with the Royal Air Force in June 1938 with 230 squadron. and by the end of the war, 20 squadrons of the Royal Air Force, Royal Canadian Air Force and Royal Australian Air Force were equipped with Sunderland's. By the end of the production in 1946 a total of 749 were built, The roles the Short Sunderland played, mainly were in Maritime and anti Submarine duties, especially in the battle of the Atlantic, The Sunderland accounted for 58 U-Boats sunk or badly damaged. The Sunderland was also used in other theatres of the war and in the Mediterranean helped in the evacuation of troops from Crete and Greece, as well as helping in the evacuation of troops in Burma. The Short Sunderland remained in service with the Royal Air Force until 1959. used during the Korean War, The Berlin Air Lift, and during Operation Firedog, , The Malayan Emergency.

Sunderland

Latest Sunderland Artwork Releases !
Touchdown by Ivan Berryman. (PC)	Fat Alberts Day Off by Ivan Berryman. (PC)	North Atlantic Companions by Ivan Berryman. (PC)	Short Sunderland Mk.5 ML778 NS-Z by G Henderson.

Sunderland Artwork Collection

Tribute to the Crews of Coastal Command - the Sinking of U-426 by Jason Askew. (P)

Clipped Signature - John Bishop.

Clipped Signature - Vic Hodgkinson.

Clipped Signature - Alan Nicoll.

Clipped Signature - Gerald Moreby.

Clipped Signature - Geoffrey Tyson.

Sunderland Over the Gareloch by Geoff Lea.

Fat Alberts Day Off by Ivan Berryman.

First Sighting by Robert Taylor.

Atlantic Patrol by Keith Woodcock.

Caught on the Surface by Robert Taylor

Tireless Vigilance by Stephen Brown.

Touchdown by Ivan Berryman.

Atlantic Convoy by Gerald Coulson. (GS)

Guardian of the Skies by John Young.

Guardian of the Convoy by Nicolas Trudgian.

North Atlantic Companions by Ivan Berryman.

Tropical Duties by Richard Taylor.

Short Sunderland Mk.5 ML778 NS-Z by G Henderson.

U-107 by Ivan Berryman.

The Last Patrol by Gerald Coulson.

Signing Off by Keith Hill.

Constant Endeavour by Michael Rondot.

The Last Sunderland by Michael Rondot.

Sunderlands 1944 by Barry Price.

Short Sunderland - The Legendary Flying Boat.

War in the Atlantic by Stan Stokes.

Yangtse Incident by Timothy OBrien.

Sunderland Poster by P Oliver.

Short Sunderland Mk.V RN273 of 201 Sqn RAF by Keith Woodcock.

Squadrons for : Sunderland
A list of all squadrons from known to have used this aircraft. A profile page is available by clicking the squadron name.
Squadron	Info
No.201 Sqn RAF Country : UK Founded : 1st April 1918 Hic et ubique - Here and everywhere Click the name above to see prints featuring aircraft of No.201 Sqn RAF	No.201 Sqn RAF Full profile not yet available.
No.202 Sqn RAF Country : UK Founded : 1st April 1918 Semper vigilate - Be always vigilant Click the name above to see prints featuring aircraft of No.202 Sqn RAF	No.202 Sqn RAF Full profile not yet available.
No.204 Sqn RAF Country : UK Founded : 1st April 1918 Fate : Disbanded 28th April 1972 Praedam man quaero - I seek my prey in the sea Click the name above to see prints featuring aircraft of No.204 Sqn RAF	No.204 Sqn RAF Full profile not yet available.
No.209 Sqn RAF Country : UK Founded : 1st April 1918 Fate : Disbanded 31st December 1968 City of Hong Kong Might and main Click the name above to see prints featuring aircraft of No.209 Sqn RAF	No.209 Sqn RAF Full profile not yet available.
No.210 Sqn RAF Country : UK Founded : 1st April 1918 Fate : Disbanded 15th November 1971 Yn y nwyfre yn hedfan - Hovering in the heavens Click the name above to see prints featuring aircraft of No.210 Sqn RAF	No.210 Sqn RAF Full profile not yet available.
No.228 Sqn RAF Country : UK Founded : 20th August 1918 Fate : Disbanded 1st September 1964 Auxilium a caelo - Help from the sky Click the name above to see prints featuring aircraft of No.228 Sqn RAF	No.228 Sqn RAF Full profile not yet available.
No.230 Sqn RAF Country : UK Founded : 20th August 1918 Kita chari juah - We seek far Click the name above to see prints featuring aircraft of No.230 Sqn RAF	No.230 Sqn RAF Full profile not yet available.
No.330 Sqn RAF Country : UK Founded : 25th April 1941 Fate : Disbanded 21st November 1945 Norwegian Trygg havet - Guarding the seas Click the name above to see prints featuring aircraft of No.330 Sqn RAF	No.330 Sqn RAF Full profile not yet available.
No.422 Sqn RCAF Country : Canada Founded : 2nd April 1942 Fate : Disbanded 3rd September 1945 This arm shall do it Click the name above to see prints featuring aircraft of No.422 Sqn RCAF	No.422 Sqn RCAF This squadron and No.423 Sqn were the only Canadian squadrons to fly the Sunderland.
No.423 Sqn RCAF Country : Canada Founded : 18th May 1942 Fate : Disbanded 3rd September 1945 Quaerimus et petimus - We search and strike Click the name above to see prints featuring aircraft of No.423 Sqn RCAF	No.423 Sqn RCAF Formed at Oban on 18th May 1942 flying Sunderlands, the squadron moved to Lough Erne on 3rd November 1942. Later they re-equipped with Liberators at Bassingbourn and were part of Transport Command. This squadron and No.422 Sqn were the only Canadian squadrons to fly the Sunderland.
No.461 Sqn RAAF Country : Australia Founded : 25th April 1942 Fate : Disbanded 20th June 1945 They shall not pass unseen Click the name above to see prints featuring aircraft of No.461 Sqn RAAF	No.461 Sqn RAAF Full profile not yet available.
No.88 Sqn RAF Country : UK Founded : 24th July 1917 Fate : Disbanded 17th December 1962 Hong Kong En garde - Be on your guard Click the name above to see prints featuring aircraft of No.88 Sqn RAF	No.88 Sqn RAF Full profile not yet available.
No.95 Sqn RAF Country : UK Founded : 8th October 1917 Fate : Disbanded 30th June 1945 Trans mare exivi - I went out over the sea Click the name above to see prints featuring aircraft of No.95 Sqn RAF	No.95 Sqn RAF Full profile not yet available.

Signatures for : Sunderland
A list of all signatures from our database who are associated with this aircraft. A profile page is available by clicking their name.
Name	Info
Flt. Lt. John Bishop Click the name above to see prints signed by Flt. Lt. John Bishop	Flt. Lt. John Bishop Joined the RAF in April 1943 from Edinburgh University Air Squadron and trained as a pilot in Rhodesia. In August 1944 he was posted to Diego Suarez to fly Catalina flying boats on anti-submarine patrols. He converted to Sunderlands at Mombassa on 209 Sqdn. and 57 MU also on Sunderlands until 1953. This included the Berlin airlift in 1948, flying from the river in Hamburg to Havel Lake, and flew in an anti-shipping role in Burma. At the end o fthe war in the Far East he flew form Hong Kong and Singapore until returning to the UK in Spetember 1946. He continued on 201 Sqd. Flying Boats until 1953. Thereafter he was mainly employed on V.I.P. duties flying from Malta, Northolt, Fontainebleau, Bovingdon and White Waltham. He flew 173 ops and 1800 hours on Sunderlands and 1800 hours on Devons out of a total of 6250 flying hours. The last fiver years of his service was as an Air Traffic Controller at R.A.F. Benson and RAF Abingdon.
Flight Lieutenant George Britton Click the name above to see prints signed by Flight Lieutenant George Britton	Flight Lieutenant George Britton Joining the RAF in 1941, George trained on Wellington and Stirlings as a Wireless Operator and Air Gunner. Converting to Lancasters he was posted to 90 Squadron for his first operational tour, and then to 186 Squadron, still on Lancasters. George then found himself designated to be an Intelligence Officer at Lossiemouth, interrogating Italian POWs Finally, before leaving the service in 1946, he served in Sunderland flying boats, flying to West Africa, Europe and Scandinavia.
Group Captain Dudley Burnside DSO OBE DFC* Click the name above to see prints signed by Group Captain Dudley Burnside DSO OBE DFC* Died : 20 / 9 / 2005	Group Captain Dudley Burnside DSO OBE DFC* Dudley joined the RAF in 1935 and in 1937 went to India flying on the North West Frontier, and Iraq. At the outbreak of war he went to Burma and in 1942 was fortunate to escape when his airfield was overrun by the Japanese. Escaping back to England he took command of 195 Squadron RCAF flying Wellingtons. In 1943 he became CO of 427 Squadron on Halifaxs, later converting to Lancasters. In the Korean War he commanded a Flying Boat Wing operating Sunderlands. He retired from the RAF in 1962. He died 20th September 2005.
Flt Lt Leonard Davies Click the name or photo above to see prints signed by Flt Lt Leonard Davies	Flt Lt Leonard Davies Joined 151 Squadron in July 1940 and was wounded in combat over the Thames estuary on August 18th of that year. He later flew Sunderlands in the Middle East.
Squadron Leader Dick Dulieu DFC Click the name above to see prints signed by Squadron Leader Dick Dulieu DFC	Squadron Leader Dick Dulieu DFC HMS Amethyst was trapped on the Yangste river by the Commusnist forces. The third Sunderland to drop supplies and crew to the Amethyst was ML772. Also the following day piloted by Dick Dulieu flying out of Shanghai made a reconnaissance flight over the Yangtse, only again to be fired on by the Communist forces, which holed the Sunderland in the port main fuel tank and it had to return to Kai Tak on the 24th. Flying Officer Dick Dulieu flew a second Sunderland NJ176 to Shanghai.
Squadron Leader Don Gray DFC Click the name above to see prints signed by Squadron Leader Don Gray DFC	Squadron Leader Don Gray DFC No.88 Sqn, Sunderlands. Involved in the Yagtse incident.
Flt Lt Ian de Hamel Click the name above to see prints signed by Flt Lt Ian de Hamel Died : 2003	Flt Lt Ian de Hamel Flt Lt Ian de Hamel flew Sunderlands with Coastal Command, 1944-1945. His introduction to flying was with the University Air Squadron whilst at Oxford, and he volunteered as a pilot in the RAF in 1942. His request to be allowed to serve on flying boats was granted due to his experience and skill in sailing, and he trained with the US Navy at Pensacola. However, due to the RAFs insistence that all flying boat pilots must also be fully trained navigators, he flew on Oxfords for a while before starting operations on Sunderlands with 228 Sqn at Pembroke Dock. These consisted of long and exhausting patrols hunting U-Boats in the Bay of Biscay and the North Atlantic before his transfer, as Captain, to 201 Sqn, also at Pembroke Dock. His flying career ended with this unit at Calshot in 1945 when he left the RAF. He died in 2003.
Wg. Cdr. V. Hodgkinson DFC, MID, MRAeS Click the name above to see prints signed by Wg. Cdr. V. Hodgkinson DFC, MID, MRAeS	Wg. Cdr. V. Hodgkinson DFC, MID, MRAeS Joined the Royal Australian Air Force in 1937 (Service no 463). He was posted to No. 10 Sqdn. RAAF in the UK in January 1940 flying Sunderlands from Pembroke Dock and went on to serve until 1942 flying operations in the Atlantic and Mediterranean from bases in Pembroke Dock, Oban, Plymouth, Gibraltar and Alexandria (Egypt). In 1942 he was posted back to No. 20 Sqdn. in Australia flying Catalinas from Cairns on bombing raids over Japanese bases and anti-shipping patrols throughout the Solomon Islands and north of New Guinea . He went on to complete 44 operations and commanded this squadron until 1943 before becoming Chief Flying Instructor, Catalinas 3 OTU Rathmines. Vic later formed and commanded No. 40 Sqdn. RAAF Sunderlands, Port Moresby, New Guinea until 1945. He retired from the RAAF in 1946 to join BOAC, Hythe, flying their civil Sunderland conversions - Hythes, Sandringhams and Solents. Vic transferred to landplanes in 1950 flying Canadair Argonauts, Bristol Britannias, DH Comet 4s, 707-436s and 336s. Vic retired in 1971 having amassed 19,300 hours, including some 4,300 hours on Flying Boats. In his retirement Vic is currently restoring and maintaining a Sandringham Flying Boat at the Southampton Hall of Aviation.
Wg. Cdr. A.W.L. Paddy Mahon MBE, C. Eng. MRAeS Click the name above to see prints signed by Wg. Cdr. A.W.L. Paddy Mahon MBE, C. Eng. MRAeS	Wg. Cdr. A.W.L. Paddy Mahon MBE, C. Eng. MRAeS Started his 37 year career in the Royal Air Force in 1930 when he enlisted as an Aircraft Apprentice at Halton. he served as Metal Rigger and later as an Aircraft Fitter on Fleet Air stations and ships, for a while on Queen Bee aircraft. In 1937 he finally succeeded in selection as an Airman Pilot. EFTS at Bristol, SFTS at South Cerney, Maritime Recce at Thorney Island, and finally Flying Boat School at Calshot. There he learned his craft as a Boat pilot on ageing Supermarine Scapas formerly used by 202 Squadron, Malta. On completion he was posted to 228 Squadrion at Pembroke Dock which was in process of re-equipping with Stranraers. In December 1938 he was 2nd pilot on the collection from Rochester of the Squadron's first Sunderland. In June 1939 the Squadron moved to Alexandria for Naval Co-operation Exercises. In addition to these the Sunderlands were used for long range V.I.P. flights and for transport around the Med. In course of these, the crew of which Sgt Mahon was a member, visited Malta, Bizerta, Cairo, Cyprus and for the third time Athens, leaving on 2nd September 1939. The Squadron was ordered home to Pembroke Dock on September 9th and immediately started the round of convoy escorting anti-submarine sweeps and general maritime tasks covering from Norway to Malta. On 24th November Sgt Mahon was one of the crew detailed to search for the Deutschland after it had sunk the armed merchant cruiser Jervis Bay. The operation involved the crew in 15 hours of flying in the most severe weather. Detachments to the Shetlands often meant the whole crew living on the aircraft for several days at a time because the weather prevented small craft coming along side but flying by day continued. In June 1940 he was seconded to 10 RAAF Squadron at Mount Batten to increase their roll of qualified first Pilots. One of his first trips was to convey Lord Gort and Mr Duff Cooper to Rabat on an unsuccessful attempt to persuade the Sultan of Morocco to continue the war on its allies' side. That trip earned the Captain a DFC. In the months he spent with 10 Squadron several trips were made to Malta supporting the Hurricane reinforcement by aircraft carriers conveying essential ground personnel and equipment including one load of several tons of Browning gun links, none of which were held on the island. In February 1941 it was back to two layers of wing. He was posted to 202 Squadron at Gibraltar, which was flying Saro Londons but expected to be re-equipped with Sunderlands. He travelled as a passenger on a 10 Squadron aircraft in company with Anthony Eden and Lord Dill. That trip is recorded in several books on the Sunderland as being special. It was Sgt Mahon's last ever time flying in a Sunderland as 202 Squadron were subsequently re-equipped with Catalinas. The transfer meant flying to UK with a London, a memorable trip of over 15 hours. Qualifying courses at Stranraer on the Catalina led to the ferrying flight back to Gibraltar. Unfortunately on Sgt Mahon's ferry trip the elevator controls failed en route and the attempted landing at Gibraltar using only trim tabs resulted in a serious crash ending his flying career. After a long period of hospital and subsequent rehabilitation, he reverted to his ground trade. He was commissioned into the Technical Branch in which he served until 1967 being awarded the MBE in 1963.
Flight Lieutenant Dudley Marrows Click the name above to see prints signed by Flight Lieutenant Dudley Marrows	Flight Lieutenant Dudley Marrows On 30 July 1943, Dudley Marrows captained Sunderland U/461 Sqn., and took part in the Greatest air/U-boat battle of WWII. During the engagement, all three U-boats were sunk, whilst Marrow's Sunderland 'U' of 461 accounted for U/461. On 16 September, 1943, his Sunderland was attacked by six JU88s, after having battled them for more than an hour, shooting one down and loosing three engines in the process, he force landed on the Bay of Biscay in a 15' swell. His Sunderland, riddled with bullet holes subsequently sank with all crew surviving to be rescued by the Royal Navy. Marrows then Captained one of six Sunderlands to Australia for service with 40 Sqn. RAAF.
Sqn. Ldr. Alan Nicoll Click the name above to see prints signed by Sqn. Ldr. Alan Nicoll	Sqn. Ldr. Alan Nicoll Joined the RAF in February 1939 and trained as an Observer (Navigator). His first posting was to 44 Squadron newly equipped with the Hampden bomber at RAF Waddington. When war was declared on 3rd September 1939 he was immediately involved in operations flying that night on the very first sortie of WW2. By the end of 1940 he had completed a full tour of 37 raids before being commissioned and selected for advanced navigation training in Canada. He was subsequently posted to Rhodesia as a navigational instructor and examiner. He completed Pilot training before returning to the UK where he qualified as a Sunderland flying boat Captain serving at Calshot and Pembroke Dock. In 1956 he took the last RAF aircraft to moor up in the Pool of London for Battle of Britain celebrations. A posting to RAF Seletar (Singapore) followed where Sunderlands were finally retired from service in 1959. He then served on Shackletons and in Transport Command before retiring in 1975.
Flight Lieutenant Dennis Woolley DFC DFM Click the name above to see prints signed by Flight Lieutenant Dennis Woolley DFC DFM	Flight Lieutenant Dennis Woolley DFC DFM Flight Lieutenant Dennis William, Woolley. DFC, DFM. 106 (5 Group) and 83 (S-PFF- Group) Squadrons. 1940 - Volunteered for air crew service. 1941 - Trained as an Air Observer in Manitoba. 1942 - Did 1st tour, on Manchesters (6 trips) and on Lancasters (27 trips). Awarded DFM. 1942 - 3 - Instructor at Winthorpe, Notts. 1943 - Engaged in special operations relating to the advancement of the Italian campaign. Based latterly in Sicily. 1944 - Did 2nd tour in Bomber Command in 83 (PFF) Squadron. 25 trips in Lancasters. Awarded DFC and Pathfinder Badge. 1944 - 5 - Joined Transport Command, Transatlantic Ferry Unit based at Darval, Montreal. 1945 - 6 - Seconded to what is now known as British Airways. Based at Poole, navigating Sunderland flying boats to and from Singapore. 1946 - Demobilised.

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