Kangaroo

The Blackburn R.T.1 Kangaroo was a British twin-engine reconnaissance torpedo biplane of the First World War, built by Blackburn Aircraft. World War I In 1916, the Blackburn Aircraft Company designed and built two prototypes of an anti-submarine floatplane designated the Blackburn G.P. or Blackburn General Purpose. It was not ordered but Blackburn developed a landplane version as the Blackburn R.T.1 Kangaroo (Reconnaissance Torpedo Type 1), reflecting the Air Board's growing interest in using landplanes rather than floatplanes for convoy escort and anti-submarine patrol duties, with operations not being limited by poor sea conditions, and giving better performance than seaplanes. The Kangaroo was a twin-engine tractor biplane of wood and fabric construction. It had four-bay wings with a large upper-wing overhang which could fold for ease of storage. The first aircraft was delivered to Martlesham Heath in January 1918. Test results were disappointing, with the rear fuselage being prone to twisting and the aircraft suffering control problems, which led to the order for 50 aircraft being cut to 20, most of which were already partly built. From the sixth aircraft, they were powered by the more powerful Rolls-Royce Falcon III engine replacing the Rolls-Royce Falcon II. The Kangaroo entered service later that year with No. 246 Squadron RAF based at Seaton Carew, County Durham which had six months of wartime operations, in which they sank one U-boat and damaged four others. UC-70, was spotted lying submerged on the sea bottom near Runswick Bay on 28 August 1918, by a Kangaroo flown by Lt E. F. Waring. The U-boat was badly damaged by the near miss of a bomb and finished off by the destroyer .