Despite being somewhat overshadowed by its ‘stablemates’ – the Blenheim and the Beaufighter – Bristol’s Beaufort was built in large numbers and served in several different theatres during World War Two. A twin-engined torpedo bomber, its design was influenced by that of the earlier Blenheim. The experience gained from building the latter meant that the development of the Beaufort was less protracted and produced fewer ‘teething’ troubles.
Nearly 2,000 of the distinctive machines were built, including around 700 manufactured in Australia. Beauforts served with Coastal Command and the Royal Navy’s Fleet Air Arm from 1940, and were extensively used in the Mediterranean, flying from Malta and Egypt.
The type also found great favour with the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF), which used them in the Pacific until the end of the war. Although designed as a torpedo bomber, the Beaufort proved to be fairly versatile and was more frequently employed as a conventional light bomber, or mine-layer.
Production
Slightly larger and considerably heavier than the Blenheim, the Bristol Type 152 replaced the former’s Bristol Mercury engines with more powerful, sleeve valve Taurus units, after initial trials with the Perseus powerplant proved unsuccessful. The new aircraft was named after the Duke of Beaufort, whose ancestral home was located not far from Bristol’s headquarters in Gloucestershire.
The design incorporated several refinements over the Blenheim and was easier to build in various sub-assemblies, meaning the work could be contracted out to other manufacturers. The first prototype was rolled out in mid-1938, but engine problems delayed the first flight until October 15 of that year. Further modifications were needed before production began in November 1939, the first Beauforts reaching Coastal Command’s 22 Squadron in January 1940.
Over 1,000 Taurus-powered Mk.Is were built in Britain – and these aircraft were constantly refined throughout their service. The original curved bomb-aimers’ nose panels were quickly replaced by flat, non-distorting panels from the tenth production aircraft, and several different versions of the Taurus engine were utilised.
A total of 165 Mk.IIs were fitted with Pratt & Whitney R-1830 Twin Wasp radials which improved both maximum speed and the service ceiling. The Twin Wasps were not available in large numbers, so most subsequent Beauforts were Taurusequipped. The final British-built version was the Pratt & Whitney-powered T.II, on which the turret was removed and the position faired over. Defensive armament also received major upgrades during the type’s service ‘life’.
Australian-built versions were often known as DAP Beauforts as they were made at the Department of Aircraft Production (DAP) in Melbourne alongside those produced by various sub-contractors. The first DAP machine, A9-1, made its debut flight on May 5, 1941. The Australian aircraft featured a larger tailfin, different armament and a new array of aerials including the distinctive, diamond-shaped DF model which was fitted to the cabin roof.
Machine of war
Beauforts took part in several campaigns. Their first torpedo attack in RAF hands came on September 11, 1940, when aircraft targeted merchant ships off Ostend, Belgium. Torpedo strikes were also carried out on the German warships Gneisenau and Scharnhorst while both were at the port of Brest in France. The final major operation to feature Beauforts before they were moved to other theatres was an attack on the heavy cruiser Prinz Eugen in May 1942.
Units performed with some success in the Mediterranean, targeting and often crippling a variety of enemy vessels. The tanker San Andrea was sunk by two 39 Squadron Beauforts on August 30, 1942. Often operating alongside other types of aircraft, or in conjunction with Royal Navy submarines, Beaufort crews played a significant role in impeding Rommel’s supply lines. The last operational unit was 39 Squadron which exchanged its aircraft for Beaufighters in June 1943.
In RAAF hands, the Beaufort excelled. It equipped a total of 19 units, flying in the maritime patrol role as well as carrying out strike and bombing raids. Describing the machine’s role in defeating Japanese forces in the southwest Pacific, aviation historian William Green wrote that it was “probably of greater importance than any other single aircraft”.
The type was very much a machine of war, and was deemed obsolete in peacetime. None remain airworthy today, though the Beaufort Restoration Group in Caboolture, Queensland is working hard to return Beaufort Mk.VII A9-141 (VH-KTW) to Australian skies.
Bristol Beaufort Mk.I
Construction: A total of 1,180 were built in Britain, and 700 were made in Australia.
First Flight: The prototype first flew on October 15, 1938, with the first Australian aircraft flying on May 5, 1941.
Powerplant: Two Bristol Taurus II, III, VI, XII or XVI 14-cylinder sleeve valve radial engines, typically developing 1,130hp (843kW) each.
Dimension: Span 57ft 10in (17.6m). Length 44ft 2in. Height 14ft 3in. Wing area 503 sq ft (46.7m2).
Weight: Empty 13,107lb (5,945kg). Loaded 21,230lb.
Performance: Max speed 272mph (420km/h) at 6,500ft (1,981m). Service ceiling 16,500ft.
Rate of climb 1,200ft per min. Range 1,600 miles (2,600km).
Armament: Three 0.303in Vickers machine guns (two in turret, one in port wing). Later models had six guns (two in nose, two in turret, one in port wing and one in entry hatch). Bomb load 2,000lb or one 1,605lb 18in torpedo.
Crew: Usually four.
Note: performance and weights varied according to role and configuration.