page_title: Supermarine Scimitar
section_title: Operational history
hierarchical_section_title: Supermarine Scimitar / Operational history
caption_attribution_description: U.S. Navy and Royal Navy aircraft during aerial refueling in 1962-1963. The U.S. Navy aircraft are from Carrier Air Group 8 (CVG-8) which was deployed aboard the aircraft carrier USS Forrestal (CVA-59) to the Mediterranean Sea from 3 August 1962 to 2 March 1963 (l-r): A McDonnell F4H-1 Phantom II from Fighter Squadron VF-74 Be-Devilers; a Vought F8U-2 Crusader (BuNo 146909) from VF-103 Sluggers; a F8U-1P (BuNo 146895) from Light Photographic Squadron VFP-62 Det.59 Fighting Photos; a Douglas A4D-2N Skyhawk (BuNo 147801) from Attack Squadron VA-83 Rampagers; and a Douglas A3D-2 Skywarrior (BuNo 142661) from Heavy Attack Squadron VAH-11 Det.59 Checkertails. Two Royal Navy Fleet Air Arm aircraft from HMS Hermes (R12) are lining up for refueling (l-r): a Supermarine Scimitar F.1 (serial XD244) from 803 Naval Air Squadron, and a De Havilland Sea Vixen FAW.1 from 892 NAS.
context_page_description: The Supermarine Scimitar was a British naval strike aircraft operated by the Royal Navy Fleet Air Arm. The prototype for the eventual production version flew in January 1956 and production aircraft were delivered in 1957. It saw service with the Royal Navy from 1958 until 1969, replaced in service by the Blackburn Buccaneer.
context_section_description: At the time of introduction most of the Royal Navy's carriers were quite small and the Scimitar was a comparatively large and powerful aircraft. Landing accidents were common and the introduction of the type was marred by a fatal accident which took the life of Commander John Russell, commanding officer of 803 Naval Air Squadron, the first squadron to operate the Scimitar. After a perfect landing on the newly recommissioned HMS Victorious and in full view of the press, one of the arrestor wires broke, and Russell's Scimitar (serial XD240) fell into the sea. With no means of ejecting through the canopy and despite the best efforts of the crew of the Westland Whirlwind planeguard helicopter to perform a rescue, Russell's Scimitar sank to the bottom and Cdr Russell drowned. The incident was later broadcast by British Pathé News. When the aircraft was recovered it was shown that Russel had managed to open the canopy after the aircraft sank but his escape was prevented by him being tethered by ejector seat leg straps and the dinghy lanyard.
  Overall the Scimitar suffered from a high loss rate; 39 were lost in a number of accidents, amounting to 51% of the Scimitar's production run.
  Although the Scimitar could operate as a fighter, the interceptor role was covered by the De Havilland Sea Venom and then the de Havilland Sea Vixen. The Scimitar itself was replaced by the Blackburn Buccaneer. The Scimitar was kept initially as a tanker to allow the underpowered Buccaneer S.1 to be launched from aircraft carriers with a useful weapons load. To save weight, the Buccaneer would take off with minimum fuel then top up from a Scimitar. Late in the Scimitar's operational career, examples were flown between 1965 and 1970 by the Fleet Requirements Unit (FRU) based at Bournemouth Airport (Hurn). The FRU was managed by Airwork Services and provided realistic flight operations for land and sea-based naval training units.
caption: An 803 NAS Scimitar from HMS Hermes with US Navy aircraft over the Mediterranean Sea
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