Supermarine

Supermarine was founded in 1913 under the name of it's then owner Pemberton-Billing, The name Supermarine coming from the telegraphic address for the company "SUPERMARIN, SOUTHAMPTON"

In 1916 the Company Pemberton-Billing was bought by the Works manager, Hubert Scott-Paine, who renamed the company "Supermarine Aviation Ltd." and in 1919 hired a young designer named R.J. Mitchell who began to design a series of flying boats, including his first challenger for the Schneider Trophy.

In 1928 Scott-Paine sold the company to the large industrial company of Vickers-Armstrongs. Supermarine were again renamed, this time becoming "The Supermarine Aviation Works (Vickers) Ltd.", during the late 1920s and early 1930s Mitchell brought together the team that were to go on to design not only the seaplanes that won the Schneider trophy outright for Great Britain but also designed the Spitfire, as well as the less glamorous Walrus (Seagull V) and in the post WW2 era a series of innovative jet aircraft for the Royal Navy and Royal Air Force.

In 1937, following several years fighting cancer Mitchell died leaving his team, now led by Joe Smith as Chief Designer, to continue his legacy.

In 1938 Supermarine was brought more closely into the Vickers-Armstrongs organisation becoming "Vickers-Armstrongs Aviation Ltd. Supermarine Works. As in 1913 Supermarine were still based in a Works on the banks of the River Itchen in Woolston in Southampton. With the start of the Second World War in 1939 the Works location was inevitably a prime target for attack by the Luftwaffe but remarkably avoided serious attack until September 1940, allowing the Southampton Works to build the vital Spitfire fighters fighting in the skies over southern England in the summer of 1940 in what was called 'The Battle Of Britain'.

On the 24th and 26th September 1940 bombing raids left the Supermarine works in Woolston and nearby Itchen badly damaged and many of the workforce dead, injured or traumatised. Aircraft production was moved to small garages, workshops and other buildings in Southampton that could be requisitioned to allow production to continue, including the Bus Depot and a Laundry. At the same time buildings in Salisbury, Reading, Newbury and Trowbridge were also requisitioned and Spitfire production begun in similar small workshops in each "Dispersal" area. The design and management of production were moved to Hursley Park, a stately home a few miles north of Southampton, where they remained until 1958.

In 1958 Supermarine were effectively brought into the Vickers-Armstrongs (Aviation) division and ceased to operate as an independent design organisation. Aircraft like the Scimitar continued to be built and their last design became the core of the cancelled TSR-2 project, whilst other parts of the Supermarine team design the new Hovercraft like the VA-3

The consolidation of Supermarine into Vickers, the moves to Weybridge and Swindon all contributed to the break up of the design team many of whom left to join aviation companies in Canada, USA and Australia.