History: Although procurement of a navalized Spitfire had been proposed before the war, no action was immediately taken, and the Fleet Air Arm had to enter the conflict equipped with obsolete types; it would not be until early 1942 that the first "hooked Spitfires" went to sea. The Spitfire airframe was not ideally suited for carrier use; tailhooks caused fuselage damage on landing, landing gear often collapsed, and pilot visibility on carrier approaches was marginal. These shortcomings notwithstanding, the Seafire gave the FAA a much needed high performance fighter type that could meet Axis aircraft on an equal footing. However, the Seafire would have some serious drawbacks - the narrow track undercarriage and lightweight airframe were not really suited for the rigors of landing on pitching and rolling decks, and the type's short range meant that the type was only suitable for for operations in the vicinity of the fleet.
Variants: Seafire IIC: First flown in May 1943, the Seafire IIC mark was a conversion of unfinished Spitfire VC airframes. The IIC had the naval features of the IB, with the addtion of catapult spools.
Seafire XV: First of the Griffon-powered Seafires, the XV had the Seafire MkIII's wings, and the Spitfire Mk VB's fuselage, with the tail and rudder from the Spitfire VIII. The Mk XV was just too late for participation in the Pacific War, and problems with the Griffon's supercharger meant that the type was relegated to land-based use for a time.
Seafire XVI: Bubble canopy and cut down aft fuselage, underwing hardpoints.
Seafire Mk.45: Navalized version of the Spitfire Mk 21, with the two-stage supercharged Merlin 61. 50 production aircraft; not used operationally at sea.
Seafire Mk.46: Penultimate Seafire, with a contra-rotating propeller and Spiteful-type tail to counteract the torque of the Griffon, as well as a teardrop canopy. Only 24 were built, with non-folding wings, and these were not used operationally from carriers.
Seafire Mk.47: The last Seafire, and the final iteration of the design line started by the Spitfire prototype a decade earlier, the Mk.47 had folding wings, the Griffon 88 engine with the air intake moved forward on the nose, and enlarged tailplanes.
