Gallery No 22 - Vickers Wellington

Introduced into service in 1938 Wellingtons and Blenheims shared the honour of being the first Royal Air Force aircraft to attack Germany when they bombed ships at Brunsbüttel on 4 September 1939. Even with its power-operated turrets the Wellington was unable to defend itself adequately in daylight and had to switch to night operations to survive the German defences.

Using the geodetic type of construction developed by Barnes Wallis, the Wellington was immensely strong and could take large amounts of damage and still return safely to base. The Wellington served in many roles during its long service life. Designed as a bomber, it became an effective torpedo carrier and submarine killer in Coastal Command before going on to Transport and Training Commands.

The adaptability of the basic design resulted in the aircraft being used for a number of early experiments in duties we take for granted today; airborne minesweeping, electronic counter-measures, and high altitude flying with pressurised cabins.

General characteristics
Crew: six
Length: 64 ft 7 in (19.68 m)
Wingspan: 86 ft 2 in (26.26 m)
Height: 17 ft 6 in (5.33 m)
Wing area: 750 ft² (69.7 m²)
Empty: 18,556 lb (8,417 kg)
Loaded: lb ( kg)
Maximum takeoff: 25,800 lb (11,703 kg)
Powerplant: 2x Bristol Pegasus Mk I radials, 1,050 hp (780 kW) each
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Performance
Maximum speed: 235 mph (410 km/h)
Range: 2,200 miles (3,540 km)
Service ceiling: 22,000 ft (6,710 m)
Rate of climb: 1,050 ft/min (320 m/min)
Wing loading: 34 lb/ft² (168 kg/m²)
Power/mass: hp/lb ( kW/kg)
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Armament
8x .303 Browning machine guns:
2 in nose turret
4 in tail turret
2 in waist positions
4,500 lb (2,041 kg) bombs