Supermarine

Formed in 1912, Supermarine began business by producing sea-going aircraft. The company became famous for its successes in the Schneider Trophy, especially the three wins in a row of 1927, 1929 and 1931.

In 1928 Vickers Aviation took over Supermarine. In 1938 Supermarine and Vickers were taken over by Vickers-Armstrong.

The first Supermarine landplane to go into production was the famous Spitfire, which proved to be a successful design and, along with the Hawker Hurricane, entered into legend after its role in the Battle of Britain.

Other well-known planes from World War II were the Seafire (a naval version of the Spitfire, the Spiteful (successor of the Seafire) and the flying boat Supermarine Walrus.