In November 1909 the Cowes boatbuilding firm of Messrs S.E.Saunders, & sons announced their intentionof setting up " a department for building flyers".Over the next four years several aircraft were built for various designers.During WW1 the company built sea and landplanes to other companies' designs,including Avro 504s and Short 184s.In addition a large number of major components were produced for other manufacturers.
After the war the company concentrated on seaplane designs,but times were hard and after a series of reorganisations,in 1929 A V Roe took over the company which became known as Saunders-Roe Ltd ,or SARO.
During the 30s a number of flying boat designs were built ,none of them in large numbers.In addition SARO became closely involved with Simmonds Spartan Aircraft from 1931 onwards,and in 1933 the companies were effectively merged.(For details of Spartan Aircraft see the Spartan page)
During WW2 the main activity was the building of Supermarine Walrus and Sea Otter aircraft as well as repair and overhaul activities.
Following WW2 SARO built the Princess flying boats.Unfortunately,the day of the flying boat was just about over and the three Princesses (only one ever flew) became almost the last fixed wing aircraft produced by SARO.
The very last fixed wing aircraft built were the rwo prototype SR.53 Jet and rocket propelled interceptor fighters.The first aircraft,XD145 flew on the 16th May 1957 at Boscombe Down. This aircraft is still in existence today.Unfortunately the RAF and German Air force - the potential customers , lost interest in the projected developement, the SR177 , and the venture was abandoned.
From the 50s onward,SARO became involved in helicopters,producing the Skeeter(a Cierva design),the Scout and the Wasp.After becoming part of Westland Helicopters,all aircraft work moved to Hayes in Middlesex and the Isle of Wight premises turned to Hovercraft production
Type Reg'n/serial, c/n(if known) Ravaud Floatplane built for M.Ravaud 1911 Sopwith Bat Boat 38 Hull built for Sopwith 1912/13Sopwith Bat Boat . Bristol-Burney X3 Hull built by Saunders Coanda GE3 Floatplane built for Henri Coanda 1912 Perry-Beadle Hull built for Perry Beadle Floatplane1913 Wigram Flying Boat for Arthur Wigram,not completed(1914) Bass Paterson Destroyed by fire before first flight(1914) White And Thompson Seaplane No2 Hull produced for White and Thompson.Later with RNAS as 882Wight & Thompson Flying Boat World War 1 Production Avro 504A 7740 (From Avro contract) Avro 504A 2890 to 2939 Avro 504A A412 to A461 Avro 504A A3355 to A 3404 Avro 504A/J A9763 to A9813 BE.2 469 Bognor Bloater 1171 to1182 Fuselages by Saunders. Curtiss H.4 1230to 1232 Hulls by Saunders. Possible but unconfirmed that Saunders also built nos.1228/9/33-35. Felixstowe F2A N4280 to N4309 Felixstowe F2A N4080 to N4099 Felixstowe F2A N4430 to N4479 Felixstowe F2A/F5 N4580 to N4629 NT2B N2500 to N2523 (only 14 built) Short 184 N1600 to N1624 Short 184 N1140 to 1149 Short 184 8001 to 8030 Short 184 N1760 to N1774 Short S184 N1240 to N1259 Saunders T1 X14 Private venture,one only.1917 Vickers Viking Amphibian Unknown quantity of hulls 1919-1921
In addition the company produced 116 flying boat hulls for other manufacturers,and 8 airship gondolas .. Between the Wars Saunders Kittiwake G-EAUD 101 Twin engine Biplane Flying boat,1920 A3 Valkyrie N186 A3/1 1926 A4 Medina G-EBMG A4/1 1926 Also allocated serial N214 A5 Valentia N124 to N126 Vickers-Saunders joint venture 1918-1922 A7 Severn N240 A7/1 Patrol flying Boat 1929 A10 "fighter" L.2 Constructed 1929, later to RAF K1949 A14 Southampton N251 Hull for Supermarine Southampton Mk II. 1930.
A17 Cutty Sark G-AAIP A17/1 first flight 4-07-29
A17B Cutty Sark L-1 A17/2 to VH-UNV(April 1930)
A17 Cutty Sark L-3 A17/3 RNZAF
A17 Cutty Sark G-AAVX A17/4 to VR-SAA 1930
A17 Cutty Sark G-ABBC A17/5
A17 Cutty Sark S1575 A17/6 RAF
A17 Cutty Sark VR-HAY A17/7
A17 Cutty Sark L.5 A17/8 Kwangsi Air Force. ntu, Returned to UK as
G-AETI
A17 Cutty Sark G-ABVF A17/9 to Japan
A17 Cutty Sark G-ACDP A17/10 Air Service Training Ltd
A17 Cutty Sark G-ACDR A17/11 Air Service Training Ltd
A17 Cutty Sark G-ADAF A17/12
A19 Cloud L.4 A19/1 Reregistered G-ABCJ, then to CF-ARB A19 Cloud G-ABHG A19/2 A19 Cloud K2681 A19/3 A19 Cloud G-ABXW A19/4 A19 Cloud G-ACGO A19/5 To OK-BAK Bata A21 Windhover G-ABJP A21/2 A21 Windhover ZK-ABW A21/1 To VH-UBP
A22 Segrave Meteor 1 G-AAXP 1 First Flight 28-05-30
A24 Spartan G-ABLI A24/1 Mailplane For full details of this and other Spartans see
the Simmonds page.
A29 Cloud K2894 to K2898,3722 to 2729,4300 to 4302. c/na A29/1-A29/16
A27 London I K3560 Prototype
A27 London I K5257 to 5263 Mk.I
A27 London I and II K5908 to 5913 Mk.II
A27 London II K6927 to 6932 Mk.II
A27 London II K9682 to 9686 Mk.II
SARO A27 London II L7038 to L7043(delivered Jan/April 1938)
A29 Monospar Cloud K2681 fitted with experimental wing
SARO A33 L2147 to L2157.Cancelled
SARO A33 K4773 .prototype to A.M.R2/33
SARO A36 Lerwick L7248 to L7268
A37 Shrimp G-AFZS A37/1 1939 later to RAF TK580
Isacco Helicogyre K1171 one only for Air Ministry to design by Vittorio Isacco 1928
Blackburn Bluebird Mk 4 Licence production of 55 aircraft Produced between early 1930 and May 1931. Wings were produced by Boulton Paul. Total 55 aircraft ......... c/n - - Reg. SB200/G-AAOA SB201/to USA SB202/G-AAJD SB203/G-AAJE r/r G-AAOB SB204/G-AAOC to EC-UUU SB205/G-AAOD SB206/G-AAOE SB207/G-AAJC to VP-YAI SB208/G-AASU SB209/G-AAOF to TF-LOA SB210/G-AATE SB211/G-AASV SB212/VH-UNS SB213/G-AAOG SB214/G-AAOH SB215/G-AATS SB216/VH-UOC SB217/G-AATM SB218/G-AATN to VH-ACR SB219/G-AATO SB220/G-AATP SB221/G-AAOI SB222/G-AAOJ SB223/G-AAUF SB224/G-AAUG SB225/G-AAUT SB226/G-AAUU SB227/G-AAUV SB228/G-AAUW SB229/G-AAUX SB230/G-AAUY SB231/G-AAVF SB232/G-AAVG to VH-UQZ SB233/G-AAVH SB234/G-AAVI to VT-ADI SB235/G-AAVJ to Japan SB236/G-AAVK to Japan SB237/G-ABOT SB238/G-ABPN SB239/VT-ADK SB240/G-ABVZ SB241/G-ABZX SB242 SB243 SB244 SB245/G-ABDS..image below circa 1932
SB246/G-ABEU to CH345, reregd HB-ULU SB247/VT-ACP SB248/CF-AUP SB249/G-ABJA to EI-AAO SB250/VT-ADD SB251/CF-ALN SB252/G-ABGF SB253/G-ABPV SB254/G-ABMI
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World War 2 Production
Walrus 1 R6582 to R6591
Walrus 1 W2670 to W2689
Walrus 1 W2700 to W2729
Walrus 1 W2731 to WW2760
Walrus 1 W2766 to W2798
Walrus 1 W3005 to W3051 3010/3047/3051 completed as MkII.
Walrus 1 W3062 to W3101. 3076/3078 completed as MkII
Walrus 1 X1045 & X1046. Rebuilds ,1045 became MkII prototype
Walrus 1 X9460 to X9484
Walrus 1 X9498 to X9532
Walrus 1 X9554 to X9558
Walrus II X9559 to X 9593
X9499,9518,9525,9554,9557,9558 &9560 were
all believed destroyed in bombing raid on Somerton/Cowes May 4/5th 1942
Walrus II HD804 to HD837,HD851 to HD878,HD899 to HD 936
Walrus II Z1755 to Z1784
Walrus II Z1804 to Z1823
Walrus II HD804 to HD837,
Walrus II HD851 to HD878,
Walrus II HD899 to HD 939
Sea Otter ASR.II RD869 to RD922(RD923-935,RD948-994 cancelled)
Sea Otter ABR1 JM738 to JM773.JM796 to JM837.JM861 to JM885
Sea Otter ABR1 JM905 to JM922.JM943 to JM989.JN104 to JN142
Sea Otter ASRII JN179 to JN205.JN242 to JN257
Sea Otter ASR.II VF354 to 374,VF407 to 435 all cancelled.
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Post WW2 Production
SR/A1 TG263 ff as G-12-1
SR/A1 TG267
SR/A1 TG271
Skeeter 6 G-ANMH SR/905 to XJ355
Skeeter 6 G-AMDC SR/907
Skeeter 6 G-ANMI SR/906 to XK964
Skeeter 6 G-ANMG SR/904 to XK773
Skeeter 6 G-AMTZ SR/907 G-AMDC reregistered
Skeeter 8 G-APOI S2/5081
Skeeter 8 G-APOJ S2/5091 N.t.u
Skeeter 8 G-APOK S2/5111 N.t.u
Skeeter AOP.10 XK480 to XK482 S2/3036,3051,3070
Skeeter AOP.12 XL734 -740,XL762 -772,XL806-814
S2/5064,66-69,71-72,74-76,78-80,84-90,93-99
Skeeter AOP.12 XN339 to XN355 S2/7145 to S2/7161
Skeeter AOP.12 XM524 to XM530,XM553 to XM565
S2/5100-5110,5112-5120
Skeeter T.11 XK479 s2/3012
Skeeter 50 G-12-2 S2/5061 to Fed German Army as PC+117
Skeeter 50 PC+118 to PC+122 S2/5062/63/73/77/82 . Fed German Army
Skeeter 51 SC+501 S2/5065
Skeeter 51 SC+502 S2/5070
Skeeter 51 SC+503 S2/5083 W.G.Navy
Skeeter 51 SC+504 S2/5092 W.G.Navy
SARO P531 G-APNU S2/5267 Built at Eastliegh
SARO P531-1 G-APNV S2/5268 Built at Eastliegh
SARO P531 Mk2 G-APVM S2/5312
SARO P531 Mk2 G-APVL S2/5311
SARO P.531-O/N XN333
SARO P.531 O/N XN334
SR45 Princess G-ALUO SR902
SR45 Princess G-ALUN SR901 first flight 22-08-52
SR45 Princess G-ALUP SR903
SRN-1 G-12-4 1959
SRN-2 G-12-5 1961
SR.53 XD145 f/f at Boscombe Down 16/5/57
SR.53 XD151 f/f at Boscombe Down 8/12/57
08/12/57
SR.53 XD153 Cancelled
SR.177 XL905 to XL907 Development of SR53 for RAF/RN- Prototypes - not built.
SR.177 XL920 to XL922 as above - RAF version. Not Built
SR.177 XL923 to XL925 as above- RN version.Not built
Hiller YROE-1 G-46-1 S2/7588 also c/ns S2/7592-6
C/n S2/7592 was registered as
G-APYF and also carried G-12-3
Hiller YROE-1 Bu4020/4024(?) SR4,5,6,8,7
The BuAer numbers are according to the Hiller Museum but seem to be very obviously incorrect-
Contempory allocations would have been in the 150000 range.
According to the Hiller Museum page...the c/ns 7592 to 96 were Civilian model 1033s.
Same source says they carried Class B marks G-46-1/3/2/4/5.
