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Blohm & Voss Ha 139

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Ha 139
Ha 139 Nordwind in 1938
General information
Typemail/cargo plane
ManufacturerBlohm & Voss
Primary userDeutsche Luft Hansa
Number built3
History
Manufactured1936–1938
Introduction date1937
First flightOctober 1936
VariantsBlohm & Voss BV 142

The Blohm & Voss Ha 139 was a four-engined all-metal inverted gull wing floatplane designed and built by the German aircraft manufacturer Blohm & Voss. At the time of the first aircraft's completion, it was one of the largest float-equipped seaplanes to have been built.

The inboard engines were mounted at the joint between the inboard anhedral and outboard dihedral wing sections, above the pylon-mounted floats. Further development of the Ha 139 led to the land-based version Blohm & Voss BV 142 which had its first flight in October 1938.[1]

Development

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During the early 1930s, the Blohm & Voss shipbuilding company in Hamburg was suffering financial hardship due to a prolonged downturn in orders amid the Great Depression affecting global demand; company officials opted to diversify via the creation of a new subsidiary company, Hamburger Flugzeugbau, which specialised in the design and manufacture aircraft. This new company quickly set about the development of its first flying boat, the tri-engined Blohm & Voss BV 138 Seedrache; the project was considered a natural fit for the firm, being owned by a shipbuilding company meant that many staff already had good knowledge of the maritime environment and suitable construction practices thereof, while the company's main complex was sited on the Elbe, permitting direct access to a large body of water.[2]

During 1935, the firm, having been satisfied with the progress of the Seedrache, decided to embark on design work for a larger four-engined floatplane.[3] From any early stage of development, the prospective against was intended to for civilian use by the German flag carrier Luft Hansa; the airline's requirements included the carriage of a 500 kg payload over a staged 5,000km route at a cruising speed of 250 kmph. The aircraft was also to possess a rugged structure and possess favouring handling characteristics (such as being able to takeoff and alight on rough seas) while also being suitable for catapult-assisted takeoffs.[3]

Shortly after testing of the Ha 139 commenced in 1937, Blohm & Voss started work on a land-based derivative that would be designated BV 142.[4] From the onset, this derivative was to incorporate as much of the design and components of the Ha 139 as realistically possible. While originally intended for civil use, it would ultimately see use by the Luftwaffe during the war.[5]

Operational history

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A Ha 139 on board the catapult ship Friesenland.

The aircraft were flown by Deutsche Luft Hansa on transatlantic routes between 1937 and 1939, predominantly between Bathurst, The Gambia and Natal, Brazil. Catapult-launched from an aircraft tender they were able to transport 500 kilograms (1,100 lb) of mail over a distance of up to 5,000 kilometres (3,100 mi).

Shortly following the outbreak of the Second World War, the aircraft were transferred to the Luftwaffe for military service. In this capacity, they were typically used to perform transport, reconnaissance and minesweeping sorties over the Baltic Sea. The type was not particularly suited for military applications.

Variants

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Ha 139 Nordstern leaving the Friesenland in 1938.
Projekt 15
Catapult launched floatplane mail-carrier design for Deutsche Lufthansa (DLH), became the Ha 139.[6]
Projekt 20
A reconnaissance-bomber derivative of Projekt 15 submitted to the Reichsluftfahrtministerium (RLM) (German air Ministry) which generated little interest.[6]
Ha 139 V1
D-AMIE, named Nordmeer — First of two initial prototypes.[6]
Ha 139 V2
D-AJEY, named Nordwind — Second of two initial prototypes.[6]
Ha 139 V3
D-ASTA, named Nordstern — Third prototype with longer wingspan, increased wing area and modified engine mounts.[6]
Ha 139B
The Ha 139 V3 was given new triangular fins, and re-designated while in service with DLH.[6]
Ha 139B/Umbau
After service with DLH, the Ha 139B was modified as the Ha 139B/Umbau with an extended glazed nose accommodating a navigator and a spherical Ikaria mount for a machine-gun. Additional machine guns were mounted in the cockpit roof hatch and in lateral mountings on either side of the rear fuselage.[6]
Ha 139B/MS
The Ha 139B/Umbau was later modified into a minesweeper (Minensuch) with a magnetic cable loosely run between the nose, wing-tips, and tail.[6]

Specifications (Ha 139B/Umbau)

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Model of the third prototype in Minensuch (minesweeper) configuration at Museum of Flight

Data from Aircraft of the Third Reich : Volume One[6]

General characteristics

  • Crew: 4–5
  • Length: 20.07 m (65 ft 10 in)
  • Wingspan: 29.5 m (96 ft 9 in)
  • Height: 4.8 m (15 ft 9 in)
  • Wing area: 130 m2 (1,400 sq ft)
  • Empty weight: 10,340 kg (22,796 lb)
  • Gross weight: 19,000 kg (41,888 lb)
  • Powerplant: 4 × Junkers Jumo 205C six-cylinder opposed piston diesel engines, 447 kW (599 hp) each for take-off
  • Propellers: 3-bladed variable-pitch metal propellers

Performance

  • Maximum speed: 288 km/h (179 mph, 156 kn) at 3,000 m (9,800 ft)
  • Cruise speed: 238 km/h (148 mph, 129 kn) (maximum) at 2,000 m (6,600 ft)
  • Economical cruise speed: 200 km/h (120 mph)
  • Ferry range: 4,600 km (2,900 mi, 2,500 nmi) at 238 km/h (148 mph)
4,950 km (3,080 mi) at 200 km/h (120 mph)
  • Rate of climb: 2.8 m/s (550 ft/min)

Armament

  • Guns: 4 x 7.92 mm (0.312 in) MG 15 machine guns in nose, flight deck roof hatch, and staggered fuselage lateral mountings

See also

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Related lists

References

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Citations

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  1. ^ Green 2010, pp. 145–147.
  2. ^ Smith and Kay 1972, p. 59.
  3. ^ a b Smith and Kay 1972, p. 63.
  4. ^ Smith and Kay 1972, p. 71.
  5. ^ Smith and Kay 1972, pp. 71-72.
  6. ^ a b c d e f g h i Green 2010, p. 34.

Bibliography

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  • Green, William (2010). Aircraft of the Third Reich (1st ed.). London, UK: Aerospace Publishing Limited. p. 34. ISBN 978-1-900732-06-2.
  • Smith, J. Richard; Kay, Anthony (1972). German Aircraft of the Second World War (First ed.). London, UK: Putnam & Company Ltd. ISBN 0-370-00024-2.

Further reading

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  • Green, William (1979). Warplanes of the Third Reich (Fourth ed.). London, UK: Macdonald and Jane's Publishers Ltd. ISBN 0-356-02382-6.
  • Munson, Kenneth (1978). German Aircraft Of World War 2 in colour. Poole, Dorsett, UK: Blandford Press. ISBN 0-7137-0860-3.
  • Townend, David R. (2010). Clipped Wings -- World War Two Edition. Markham, UK: Aerofile Publications. ISBN 978-0-9732020-1-4.
  • Wood, Tony; Gunston, Bill (1977). Hitler's Luftwaffe: A pictorial history and technical encyclopedia of Hitler's air power in World War II. London, UK: Salamander Books Ltd. p. 136. ISBN 0-86101-005-1.
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