The first of the Sea Hurricanes to see service with the
Fleet Air Arm arrived in February 1941 and were operating with front line unit
880 squadron from 15 March 1941. Overseas deliveries commenced with shipping
in HMS Furious to 807 squadron at Gibraltar 1 July 1941 (eg V7301, V7623).
Many shipped to Simonstown in
SS Lt St Lonbert Brie thence to 800 squadron HMS
Indomitable in July 1942 (eg V7416), some
shipped to South Africa in SS City of Bombay 9
January 1942 (eg Z4056) and others shipped in SS
Belgian Seaman to Takoradi from Liverpool 30
June 1942 (eg BP709). A significant loss
occurred when Sea Hurricanes were sunk with HMS
Eagle which was torpedoed on 11 August 1942 (eg
V6854).
The Sea Hurricane Mk
I were followed by about 300 Mk Is converted to
Sea Hurricane Mk IB configuration, these having
catapult spools plus a V-frame arrester hook: in
addition 25 Mk IIA were modified as Sea
Hurricane IB or Hooked Hurricane II fighters.
Their initial role was a considerable
improvement on CAM-ship deployment, for from
October 1941 they began to go to sea aboard
MAC-ships, these being large Merchant ships
fitted with a small flight deck.
Sea Hurricane Mk IC
fighters, introduced in February 1942 were
conventional Mk I conversions with catapult
spools and arrester hook; they had, however, the
four-cannon wing of the land-based Hurricane Mk
IIC.
Thet were all built
with eight .303 machine guns. The Sea Hurricane
Mk XII - Conversion of Canadian Hurricane XII
for Royal Canadian Navy with full naval
equipment. Packard Merlin 29 with twelve .303
machine guns.
The last of the Sea
Hurricane variants was the Sea Hurricane Mk
XIIA, of which a small number were converted
from Canadian-built Mk XIIs, and these were used
operationally in the North Atlantic. Although
the Sea Hurricane last saw service in 1945, Sea
Hurricane NF670 was still extant on the East
Kirby dump in 1956/57.
