Seabird Sunday !
✈ 30/08/2026
Vickers Wellington in the Coastal Command (1940-45)
Before the Vickers Warwick developed for the Coastal Command, here is the story of the RAF Bomber Wellington Mark IC, VIII, and tailored Gr.Mk. XI, XIII and XIV. The Wellington is a famous 2-engine bomber of the early years of the Bomber command in WW2, as the only significant contribution to aviation in this war by Vickers, and for its ruggedness thanks to a unique geodesic structure. However by the standards of 1942, it was already obsolescent and the model transitioned to Coastal Command Service, becoming its early and most trusted instrument. Equipped with a radar and leigh light, the white seabirds became the bane of U-Boats until 1945. But they also attacked shipping with torpedoes and did magnetic minesweeping. However conversely, the Wellington suffered also the highest operational loss rate of any Coastal Command aircraft type… First article on RAF coastal command’s assets in WW2.