Supermarine Southampton or Seagull III parts

Good sleuthing!

With a little bit more sleuthing the Korect Depth Gauge Co becomes the more familiar KDG gauge company, though by 1935 the more familiar WW2 type KDG fuel gauge with ‘no internal tank components’ appears on ads. So the query gauge, relying on internal tank components, is in the 20’s – early 30’s period

Thanks to Bazv!

Fargo, thanks for the Solent contact

Nicko, nice work on Korect gauges and bolt deciphering, thank you!

Re the Bolt Head marking .

Using the old aviation mnemonic ‘Eat Good Jam Leave None’

E = 1/4″, G =  5/16″, J =3/8, L = 7/16″ and N = 1/2″

So ‘E’ = 1/4” Dia Bolt and ’10’ = Ten Tenths of an inch plain shank length.

Thus  an E10 Bolt is 1/4” Dia BSF Bolt with a plain shank length of 1.0”.

Hi Ed. I have one reference from 1943 with references to obsolete gauges for training including some for Southampton and Seagull (as opposed to Seagull V which is listed in the current section), but unfortunately not the fuel gauges for these aircraft.

Attached is an extract from a 1934 text that describes the ‘Korect’ fuel gauge system that seems to match what you have. The text refers to Smiths under the electric fuel gauge section on page 19; who knows if Smiths made the Korect system or a gauge/pump pair that seems to match.

gauge face and side

Here is a fuel gauge with Supermarine on the dial face, capacity 54 gallons, hopefully an indicator of application. The gauge was operated by  pushing something like a priming pump. I can only guess how the system worked, as I would assume the fuel tank was vented, so you could not pressurize the tank to get some form of pressure reading translating as fuel level. I am familiar with Televel gauges which used a float on a wire within the fuel tank, but this has no similar mechanism. It is definitely pre electric, with a 3090 drawing number. 

I have found one photo of a trim wheel on Short Singapore, a 1926 design, hosted on the IWM archives site. In the antipodes, only the RNZAF operated four Singapores, which were eventually scuttled in Fiji. A Kestrel pusher engine remains from a RNZAF Singapore in the excellent MOTAT Museum. Though the wheel looks very familiar to the Short Singapore arrangement, it is more ‘bent down’ than the query wheel. I am thinking that the query wheel may still fit a Napier Lion Seagull III, given the roof mounting arrangement, the Australian context, era and lack of roof for Southhampton.  

Hi Ed. For the photos, at the moment I’m having plenty of luck just using my ‘snipping tool’ to get images on to my clipboard, and then just paste them directly into my posts. I don’t think this used to work for me, but I’m happy about it while it works!

I can’t help with the images, but it might be worth contacting Solent Sky museum in Southampton who specialise in Supermarine and other local manufacturers and who may have photos or drawings?

Solent Sky | Southampton | Spitfire Legend

Mea Culpea – you are absolved P&P.

Dover patent related to ‘Exonite’, a form of cellulose nitrate covering common on cars in the 1920’s.

sorry P&P I can’t see the images.

Hand scale

Bolt head stamp

Dover patent stamp

Inspection stamp

Trim wheel