Sopwith Triplane TT..............                                                                                             ..................Specifications

The Sopwith Triplane (dubbed the "Triplehound" by her pilots) was a three wing design built upon the successes of the Sopwith Pup series. The aircraft strayed from the normal aircraft design techniques of the time, where monoplanes and biplanes were en vogue, and sought to combine elements of other aircraft types into one viable platform. The result was the devastatingly effective triplane design produced by Sopwith.

The Sopwith Triplane, with it's three-wing system, offered up unparalleled maneuverability and an outstanding rate-of-climb. The powerful Clerget rotary piston engine generated 130 horsepower, putting it ahead of the Sopwith Pup design in that respect. By all accounts, the newer Triplane could achieve positional superiority against anything that could be thrown at it.

First prototypes were developed as early as 1916 and rushed immediately to the frontlines of France. Initial results were outstanding enough to warrant full production status for the well-performing aircraft. Armament consisted of a single or dual 7.7mm machine gun setup of the Lewis brand firing through a synchronized two-bladed propeller system. The pilot sat just behind the large three-wing assembly in a box-type fuselage. Visibility, in part due to the wing structure, was not ideal at some angles though the aircraft made up for this deficiency in other more potent ways.

Performance for the three-wing aircraft was exceptional, particularly in achieving altitude in a short amount of time. The design allowed for maximum lift that became highly advantageous in dogfighting and soon earned the Sopwith Triplane a solid reputation on both sides, so much so in fact, that the Germans offered up a reward to any aircraft maker that could equal the design. Anthony Fokker would end up taking the call with the development of the Fokker Dr.I Triplane series (detailed elsewhere on this site).

For a period in 1917 measured in only months, Sopwith Triplanes would rack up over 100 enemy kills. This type of success garnered the Sopwith Triplane legendary status and thus was a highly-feared adversary to German pilots. The Sopwith Triplane, though limited in production to just 140 units, would nevertheless own the skies over France for a good deal of time.

For a variety of reasons, the Triplane's combat career was comparatively brief. In service, the Triplane proved difficult to repair. The fuel and oil tanks were inaccessible without substantial disassembly of the wings and fuselage. Even relatively minor repairs had to be made at rear echelon repair depots. Spare parts became difficult to obtain during the summer of 1917, and No. 1 Naval Squadron's complement was reduced from 18 to 15 aircraft.

The Triplane also gained a reputation for structural weakness. The wings sometimes collapsed in steep dives. This defect was attributed to the use of light gauge bracing wires in the 46 aircraft built by subcontractor Clayton & Shuttleworth. Several pilots of No. 10 Naval Squadron used cables or additional wires to strengthen their Triplanes. In 1918, the RAF issued a technical order for the installation of a spanwise compression strut between the inboard cabane struts of surviving Triplanes. One aircraft, serial N5912, was fitted with additional mid-bay flying wires on the upper wing while used as a trainer.

Another drawback of the Triplane was its light armament. While contemporary Albatros scouts were armed with two guns, most Triplanes were armed with a single synchronized Vickers machine gun. Efforts to fit twin guns to the Triplane met with mixed results. Clayton & Shuttleworth built six experimental Triplanes with twin guns. Some of these aircraft saw combat service with Nos. 1 and 10 Naval Squadrons in July 1917, but performance was reduced and the single gun remained standard. Triplanes built by Oakley would have featured twin guns, but only three were completed.

In June 1917, No. 4 Naval Squadron received the first Sopwith Camels and the advantages of the sturdier, better-armed fighter quickly became evident.