Supermarine Seafire

Derived from the famous Spitfire, Supermarine Seafires went into mass production in November 1944 and were designed for operation as aircraft carriers, with tailhooks, attachments for catapult use, and later, folding wings for below-deck storage.

A total of 35 Seafires served with the RCN from 14 March 1946 – 29 April 1954. They were flown operationally by the 803 and 883 squadrons from the Warrior and from RCNAS Shearwater, the Naval Air lodger unit at the Air Force station Dartmouth. The Seafire is extremely rare today – of the 2,408 manufactured in total, all but eight were destroyed in combat or scrapped. The plane on display is one of only two surviving Mk XVs.

The Griffon VI engine used in this plane was manufactured by Rolls-Royce; though more famous for their luxury cars, they became a major player in the aeronautics world during the Battle of Britain with the demand for their Merlin engine used in Spitfires and Hawker Hurricanes. The Griffon engine was named after a bird of prey, the griffon vulture.

References:
Bae Systems - Vickers Supermarine Seafire
Youtube - 1962, Sea Fury and Seafire Aircraft at SAIT, Calgary AB