title: Aguilera (album)

text: The album deals with themes of empowerment, vulnerability, and healing. Essentially a Latin album, "Aguilera" includes heavy dance-pop, Latin pop, and urbano influences, and features elements of cumbia, tango, tropical music, guaracha, reggaeton. The songs on the album range from beat-heavy uptempo tracks to slow ballads, such as piano ballads and rancheras and features collaborations with Becky G, Nicki Nicole, Nathy Peluso, Ozuna, Tini and Christian Nodal. Five singles were released from the album, including "Pa Mis Muchachas" and "Santo", which both received platinum certifications (Latin field) from the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).


title: Aguilera (album)

text: Upon release, the album received positive reviews and reached the top-twenty on the US Latin Pop Albums chart. Aguilera embarked on the EU/UK Summer Series promotional tour in summer of 2022 which featured five festival shows and three standalone shows in the UK. "Aguilera" and its songs received a combined total of seven nominations at the 23rd Annual Latin Grammy Awards, with the album being nominated for Album of the Year, winning the Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album category. The album also received two nominations at the 65th Annual Grammy Awards including Best Latin Pop Album.


title: Aguilera (album)

text: Aguilera's first Spanish-language album was "Mi Reflejo" which was released on September 12, 2000. After its release, Aguilera would continue release several collaborations in Spanish such as "Hoy Tengo Ganas de Ti" with Alejandro Fernández in 2013, as well as incorporating Latin themes and Spanish lyrics throughout her English-language albums including the songs "Infatuation" from "Stripped" (2002), and "Desnudate" from "Bionic" (2010).


title: Aguilera (album)

text: While working on her eighth studio album, Aguilera took a trip to Ecuador in September 2015 as an ambassador for the World Food Programme. Being half-Ecuadorian herself, Aguilera revealed that the trip had inspired her and that she had begun accumulating ideas for a Spanish-language album. During her appearance on "Watch What Happens Live! with Andy Cohen" in January 2019, Aguilera was asked about whether or not it was her Spanish album, to which she responded by saying, "It's definitely getting back to my roots again [...] the follow up Spanish album has been on my to-do list forever".


title: Aguilera (album)

text: Recording sessions on the album began in 2021 following the cancellation of Aguilera's Las Vegas residency due to the COVID-19 pandemic, in September 2020. In early 2021, Aguilera relocated to Miami, Florida to continue working on the album in a writing camp held by Sony Music Latin. Sessions were held at Criteria and Art House recording studios starting in February 2021, and continued into April 2021. Aguilera enlisted producers Federico Vindver, Rafa Arcaute, and DallasK to work on the album. The first song created in the first session was the album's lead single, "Pa Mis Muchachas". Aguilera conceived the idea of a multiple part album, after the album's first part, "La Fuerza", was completed four weeks into production. She stated that the album would be split into three "six song increments", released as themed EPs throughout 2022 until the album's final full release.


title: Aguilera (album)

text: Aguilera revealed that her goal with the album's musical direction was to pay tribute to Latin music genres. The genres featured on the album include guaracha, tango, ranchera, urbano, and pasillo. It also showcases heavy influences and elements of cumbia, dance-pop, Latin pop, reggaeton, and tropical music.


title: Aguilera (album)

text: The album's lyrical content is separated into three parts, with each part dealing with its own theme. The album's first part, "La Fuerza" (), is a six-track set which focuses on emotional strength and female empowerment. The second part of the album, "La Tormenta" (), is made up of six tracks, and its main theme is vulnerability. The album's final part, "La Luz" (), features a spoken word intro and one song. "La Luz" is centered on forgiveness and closure, taking inspiration from Aguilera's own experience with domestic violence.


title: Aguilera (album)

text: The album's opening track, "Ya Llegué" (), is a "sultry futuristic track" which "gradually turns into a hard-hitting reggaeton". The song samples Aguilera's own 1999 song "Genie in a Bottle". The song is written in the key of E♭ Minor at a tempo of 95 beats-per-minute. The song is followed by "Pa Mis Muchachas" () with Becky G, Nicki Nicole and featuring Nathy Peluso and was described by Aguilera as "an homage to women". The song was drew comparisons to Aguilera's 2001 "Lady Marmalade" with Mýa, Pink, and Lil' Kim. Aguilera revealed that she chose Becky G, Nicole and Peluso "because of the strength they exude". "Pa Mis Muchachas" is a guaracha song written in the key of A Minor at a tempo of 118 beats-per-minute.


title: Aguilera (album)

text: "Somos Nada" () is a "stripped-down piano-led nostalgic ballad that puts [Aguilera's] deep, powerful tone at the forefront". Written in C Major at a moderately slow tempo of 50 beats-per-minute, the song was named a signature song of Aguilera's and its lyrics are about overcoming obstacles and trying to not lose faith in love. "Santo" () is a collaboration with Puerto Rican singer Ozuna and is a perreo song which "later transitions to a hip-shaking cumbia". Lyrically it is about two people who are hooked on each other". It is written in the key of A minor at 96 beats-per-minute. "Como Yo" () is a club-friendly experimental Latin pop song. The dance-pop influenced track has been described as exploring "a different side of Xtina's musical trajectory". It is written in the key of D♭ Major at 104 beats-per-minute. The album's first part ends with "La Reina" (), a ranchera written in E Major at 174 beats-per-minute. The song was described by Aguilera as a "respectful response" to Vicente Fernández's 1973 rendition of "El Rey" (). The song received widespread acclaim from critics, calling it the best song "La Fuerza", and being named the album's anthem.


title: Aguilera (album)

text: "Suéltame" (), a collaboration with Argentine singer Tini, begins the album's second part, "La Tormenta" (). The song is a "seducing, catchy mix of soft reggaetón and trap" with hints of bossa nova, written in F Minor at 138 beats-per-minute. "Suéltame" was called a "a sultry tango-meets-urban collab where the lady takes matters into her own hands". The following track, "Brujería" () is a slow song written in D♭ Major at 186 beats-per-minute. The following track, "Traguito" () was described as orthodox pop. This is followed by the ranchera "Cuando Me Dé la Gana" (). A duet featuring Mexican singer Christian Nodal was also released as the closing track on the second disc of the album. The song is written in the key of D♭ Major at a tempo of 146 beats-per-minute. "La Tormenta" ends with "Te Deseo Lo Mejor" (), a tropical song written in the key of D♭ Major at 186 beats-per-minute.


title: Aguilera (album)

text: The final chapter begins with a spoken intro by Aguilera in which she noted in a "Billboard" interview saying that it is "about finding closure and understanding that everybody has a different story that leads us to why things happen the way that they do and it's not meant for us to understand it". This is followed by the song, "No Es Que Te Extrañe" () in which Aguilera sings about finding peace, closure and forgiveness for her estranged abusive father. "No Es Que Te Extrañe" is a pasillo song. It is written in D♭ Major at 184 beats-per-minute.


title: Aguilera (album)

text: The album title and original artwork were revealed on the day of the album's initial release on May 31, 2022. Naming the album after her father's surname, Aguilera expressed that she had the intention of "acknowledging, embracing and engaging with [her] roots "and with the intention to share "some closure in relation to [her] father", and to have her children reconnect with their heritage. On the album's title, Aguilera noted that,


title: Aguilera (album)

text: I am proud to be an Aguilera. This is a name that has been tried to be taken away from me on numerous occasions, you know, coming up in this business. But I was like 'No, I'm Aguilera.' I'm proud of who I am, I'm proud of my name, I'm proud of where I come from, my father being from Ecuador. It was important. I mean why not come full circle and on all of the chapters and close it on a name. My name I'm so proud to own.


title: Aguilera (album)

text: The artwork used for the original release is a black and white image that portrays Aguilera in a room, seen through a balcony archway with her face obscured by a shadow. She's wearing a white dress with a long train which is flowing behind her. The top of the archway displays the album title ""Aguilera"" in all caps. On June 29, 2022, the artwork was changed to feature a front on view of Aguilera as a statue in a similar setting.


title: Aguilera (album)

text: The album was first teased on October 4, 2021, on Aguilera's website which stated, "Redescubriendo raices. Nos vemos pronto!" () and featured alongside teaser videos of the album's lead single, "Pa Mis Muchachas". After the release of both "Pa Mis Muchachas" and "Somos Nada", Aguilera attended the 22nd Latin Grammy Awards in Las Vegas on November 18, 2021, where she performed both songs alongside piano player Julio Reyes Copello and singers Becky G, Nicki Nicole and Nathy Peluso. She also performed "Somos Nada" at the 47th People's Choice Awards as a part of a medley, and also received the show's first-ever Music Icon Award.


title: Aguilera (album)

text: The first part of the album, "La Fuerza" (), was released on January 21, 2022, as an EP. "La Tormenta" (), originally set for release on May 27, 2022, was postponed following the mass shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, before being released on Monday, May 30, with no prior announcement. Aguilera took to her Instagram story to announce the postponement, saying,I will be postponing the release of my new music as we mourn with the community of Uvalde. My heart breaks for the families and loved ones of the children and educators affected by this tragedy. I urge our leaders to make immediate changes on laws around gun control.


title: Aguilera (album)

text: "Aguilera"'s initial release was in a double album format on Tuesday, May 31, 2022, four days into the tracking week. The double album featured the songs from "La Fuerza" and "La Tormenta" organized in separate discs. The next day, Aguilera announced that the final part of the trilogy of EPs will be called "La Luz" (). Aguilera promoted the album through the EU/UK Summer Series, a promotional tour which featured five festival and three standalone shows in the UK.


title: Aguilera (album)

text: Aguilera hosted "Premiere Party with Christina Aguilera" as part of "Billboard" Latin Music Week on September 27, 2022, where she premiered "No Es Que Te Extrañe". On September 29, 2022, "La Reina" was performed for the first time at the 2022 Billboard Latin Music Awards. On September 30, "La Luz" was released as a single, and consisted of "No Es Que Te Extrañe" alongside an intro which were both also included on the third disc of the standard track list of "Aguilera".


title: Aguilera (album)

text: Five singles have been released from "Aguilera"; three of them are featured on "La Fuerza", one on "La Tormenta" and one on "La Luz".


title: Aguilera (album)

text: "Pa Mis Muchachas" () was released on October 22, 2021, as the lead single from the album. The song is a collaboration with Becky G, Nicki Nicole and features Argentine singer-songwriter Nathy Peluso. "Pa Mis Muchachas" debuted and peaked at number three on the "Billboard" Latin Digital Song Sales on the chart issue dated November 6, 2021, and was certified platinum (Latin field) by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).


title: Aguilera (album)

text: "Somos Nada" () was released as the second single on November 18, 2021, coinciding with her performance at the 22nd Annual Latin Grammy Awards. Music videos for both "Somos Nada" and "Pa Mis Muchachas" were filmed simultaneously in Los Angeles and were released with their respective singles. They were directed by Alexandre Moors and tell a continuous story, with "Somos Nada" serving as a sequel to "Pa Mis Muchachas".


title: Aguilera (album)

text: "Santo" () featuring Puerto Rican singer and rapper Ozuna was released as the third single from the album on January 20, 2022, one day before the release of "La Fuerza". The music video for the song was directed by Nuno Gomez and is a continuation of the storyline in "Pa Mis Muchachas" and "Somos Nada". An alternate video for the song was released on June 15, 2022. "Santo" was certified platinum in the Latin field by the RIAA.


title: Aguilera (album)

text: "Suéltame" () with Tini was announced as the fourth single, alongside the announcement of its parent EP, "La Tormenta". It was postponed until its release alongside "La Tormenta" on May 30, 2022. The murder mystery themed music video was first shown during Aguilera's performance of the song at the Mallorca Live Festival and was eventually released on July 22, 2022.


title: Aguilera (album)

text: "No Es Que Te Extrañe" () was announced and was released on September 30, 2022. A music video, which Aguilera co-directed, was also released and depicted her childhood with her abusive father.


title: Aguilera (album)

text: Upon release, the album released positive reviews. In his review for "Latina", Lucas Villa praised the album, stating that "Xtina really gives it her all on this album that pays homage to her Latina roots". He particularly applauded the song "Cuando Me Dé la Gana", recorded with "Mexican crooner" Christian Nodal, noting that "Aguilera once again sounds incredible while tackling the ranchera genre with her mighty voice". BroadwayWorld writer Michael Major noted that Aguilera has "honoured her Latin roots in the best possible way". He adds that "Aguilera" "promises to delight Christina's fans, since she manages to fuse different Latin musical genres without losing that essence that has made her one of the most important and respected artists of her generation". "Pollstar" opined that the album was a "triumphant comeback to the Latin market" for Aguilera, also adding that the singer "proved her powerful vocal prowess is not limited to one language". "Uproxx" considered "Aguilera" as one of the ten best Latin albums of 2022, and Lucas Villa stated: "LatinXtina was a bicultural force to behold this year". "PopSugar" included "Aguilera" on its list of the most anticipated albums of 2023.


title: Aguilera (album)

text: At the 23rd Annual Latin Grammy Awards, the album was nominated for Album of the Year and won the award for Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album, while "Pa Mis Muchachas" received nominations for Record and Song of the Year, and was nominated alongside "Santo" for Best Urban Fusion/Performance. The duet version of "Cuando Me Dé La Gana" with Christian Nodal was nominated in the Best Regional Mexican Song category. With a total of seven nominations, Aguilera was the second most nominated female artist, behind Rosalía's eight, and third overall, tying Jorge Drexler. "Aguilera" also received two Grammy Award nominations for Best Latin Pop Album and Best Immersive Audio Album at the 65th Annual Grammy Awards which "Entertainment Tonight" noted as "a major moment in Latin music" for Aguilera. Soon after the album was released, Aguilera was nominated for Best Latin Artist at the Gold Derby Music Awards.


title: Aguilera (album)

text: The album debuted at number 18 on the "Billboard" US Latin Pop Albums chart and at number 70 on the German's Digital Albums.


title: Curveball

text: In baseball and softball, the curveball is a type of pitch thrown with a characteristic grip and hand movement that imparts forward spin to the ball, causing it to dive as it approaches the plate. Varieties of curveball include the 12–6 curveball, power curveball, and the knuckle curve. Its close relatives are the slider and the slurve. The "curve" of the ball varies from pitcher to pitcher.


title: Curveball

text: The expression "to throw a curveball" essentially translates to introducing a significant deviation to a preceding concept.


title: Curveball

text: The curveball is gripped much like a cup or drinking glass is held. The pitcher places the middle finger on and parallel to one of the long seams, and the thumb just behind the seam on the opposite side of the ball such that if looking from the top down, the hand should form a "C shape" with the horseshoe pointing in towards the palm following the contour of the thumb. The index finger is placed alongside the middle finger, and the other two extraneous fingers are folded in towards the palm with the knuckle of the ring finger touching the leather. Occasionally some pitchers will flare out these two fingers straight and away from the ball to keep them clear of the throwing motion. The curveball and slider share nearly identical grips and throwing motion.


title: Curveball

text: The delivery of a curveball is entirely different from that of most other pitches. The pitcher at the top of the throwing arc will snap the arm and wrist in a downward motion. The ball first leaves contact with the thumb and tumbles over the index finger thus imparting the forward or "top-spin" characteristic of a curveball. The result is the exact opposite pitch of the four-seam fastball's backspin, but with all four seams rotating in the direction of the flight path with forward-spin, with the axis of rotation perpendicular to the intended flight path, much like a reel mower or a bowling ball.


title: Curveball

text: The amount of break on the ball depends on how hard the pitcher can snap the throw off, or how much forward spin can be put on the ball. The harder the snap, the more the pitch will break. Curveballs primarily break downwards, but can also break toward the pitcher's off hand to varying degrees. Unlike the fastball, the apex of the ball's flight path arc does not necessarily need to occur at the pitcher's release point, and often peaks shortly afterwards. Curveballs are thrown with considerably less velocity than fastballs, because of both the unnatural delivery of the ball and the general rule that pitches thrown with less velocity will break more. A typical curveball in the major collegiate level and above will average between 65 and 80 mph, with the average MLB curve at 77 mph.


title: Curveball

text: From a hitter's perspective, the curveball will start in one location (usually high or at the top of the strike zone) and then dive rapidly as it approaches the plate. The most effective curveballs will start breaking at the apex of the arc of the ball flight, and continue to break more and more rapidly as they approach and cross through the strike zone. A curveball that a pitcher fails to put enough spin on will not break much and is colloquially called a "hanging curve". Hanging curves are usually disastrous for a pitcher because the low velocity, non-breaking pitch arrives high in the zone where hitters can wait on it and drive it for power.


title: Curveball

text: The curveball is a popular and effective pitch in professional baseball, but it is not particularly widespread in leagues with players younger than college level. This is with regard for the safety of the pitcher – not because of its difficulty – though the pitch is widely considered difficult to learn as it requires some degree of mastery and the ability to pinpoint the thrown ball's location. There is generally a greater chance of throwing wild pitches when throwing the curveball.


title: Curveball

text: When thrown correctly, it could have a break from seven to as much as 20 inches in comparison to the same pitcher's fastball.


title: Curveball

text: Due to the unnatural motion required to throw it, the curveball is considered a more advanced pitch and poses inherent risk of injury to a pitcher's elbow and shoulder. There has been a controversy, as reported in "The New York Times", March 12, 2012, about whether curveballs alone are responsible for injuries in young pitchers or whether the number of pitches thrown is the predisposing factor. In theory, allowing time for the cartilage and tendons of the arm to fully develop would protect against injuries. While acquisition of proper form might be protective, physician James Andrews is quoted in the article as stating that in many children, insufficient neuromuscular control, lack of proper mechanics, and fatigue make maintenance of proper form unlikely.


title: Curveball

text: The parts of the arm most commonly injured by the curveball are the ligaments in the elbow, the biceps, and the forearm muscles. Major elbow injury requires repair through elbow ligament reconstruction, or Tommy John surgery.


title: Curveball

text: Curveballs have a variety of trajectories and breaks among pitchers. This chiefly has to do with the arm slot and release point of a given pitcher, which is in turn governed by how comfortable the pitcher is throwing the overhand curveball.


title: Curveball

text: Pitchers who can throw a curveball completely overhanded with the arm slot more or less vertical will have a curveball that will break straight downwards. This is called a 12–6 curveball as the break of the pitch is on a straight path downwards like the hands of a clock at 12 and 6. The axis of rotation of a 12–6 curve is parallel with the level ground and perpendicular to its flight path.


title: Curveball

text: Pitchers throwing their curveballs with the arm slot at an angle will throw a curveball that breaks down and toward the pitcher's off-hand. In the most extreme cases, the curve will break very wide laterally. Because the slider and the curveball share nearly the same grip and have the same unique throwing motions, this curveball breaks much like a slider, and is colloquially termed a "slurve". The axis of rotation on a slurve will still be more or less perpendicular to the flight path of the ball; the latter, however, will not be parallel to the ground. With some pitchers, the difference between curveball and other pitches such as slider and slurve may be difficult to detect or even describe. A less common term for this type of curveball is a 1–7 (outdrop, outcurve, dropping roundhouse) or 2–8 (sweeping roundhouse curveball).


title: Curveball

text: A curveball spinning on a vertical axis completely perpendicular to its flight path and thus with complete side spin that is either 3–9 for a right handed pitcher or 9–3 for a left handed pitcher is called a sweeping curveball, flat curveball, or frisbee curveball. The flat curveball will still drop because of gravity, but due to the lack of top spin the drop is only a small amount compared to the 12–6, 1–7/11–5, or 2–8/10–4 curveballs. Most often this side spin happens due to a pitcher having an arm angle that is either side arm or at a very low 3/4 arm angle. However, sometimes complete side spin happens for a pitcher who has a higher arm slot due to the person throwing the pitch with a twisting motion causing the fingers to move around the side of the ball instead of over the top of the ball. Using this twisting motion around the ball is said to cause injury to the arm near the elbow. A slider's spin axis is almost parallel to the ball's flight path similar to a football or bullet, but tilted slightly upwards pointing to 12 o'clock. When a slider's spin axis points to 1 o'clock or 2 o'clock, then the pitch becomes a slurve. This slurve tends to happen when a pitcher uses too much force on the curveball and less finesse. This happens because the pitcher may lazily pronate slightly at the release point instead of following through with complete supination at the end of the throw for the curve. At other times the slurve will happen due to the pitcher supinating a little too much at the release point when throwing a slider, which may be called a slurvy slider. A slurvy slider with the same velocity of a power slider (5–8 mph slower than a fastball) may impart a greater break.


title: Curveball

text: Generally the Magnus effect describes the laws of physics that make a curveball curve. A fastball travels through the air with backspin, which creates a higher pressure zone in the air ahead of and under the baseball. The baseball's raised seams augment the ball's ability to develop a boundary layer and therefore a greater differential of pressure between the upper and lower zones. The effect of gravity is partially counteracted as the ball rides on and into increased pressure. Thus the fastball falls less than a ball thrown without spin (neglecting knuckleball effects) during the 60 feet 6 inches it travels to home plate.


title: Curveball

text: On the other hand, a curveball, thrown with topspin, creates a higher pressure zone on top of the ball, which deflects the ball downward in flight. Instead of counteracting gravity, the curveball adds additional downward force, thereby giving the ball an exaggerated drop in flight.


title: Curveball

text: There was once a debate on whether a curveball actually curves or is an optical illusion. In 1949, Ralph B. Lightfoot, an aeronautical engineer at Sikorsky Aircraft, used wind tunnel tests to prove that a curveball curves. On whether a curveball is caused by an illusion, Baseball Hall of Fame pitcher Dizzy Dean has been quoted in a number of variations on this basic premise: "Stand behind a tree 60 feet away, and I will whomp you with an optical illusion!"


title: Curveball

text: However, optical illusion caused by the ball's spinning may play an important part in what makes curveballs difficult to hit. The curveball's trajectory is smooth, but the batter perceives a sudden, dramatic change in the ball's direction. When an object that is spinning and moving through space is viewed directly, the overall motion is interpreted correctly by the brain. However, as it enters the peripheral vision, the internal spinning motion distorts how the overall motion is perceived. A curveball's trajectory begins in the center of the batter's vision, but overlaps with peripheral vision as it approaches the plate, which may explain the suddenness of the break perceived by the batter. A peer-reviewed article on this hypothesis was published in 2010.


title: Curveball

text: Popular nicknames for the curveball include "the bender" and "the hook" (both describing the trajectory of the pitch), as well as "the yakker" and "Uncle Charlie". New York Mets pitcher Dwight Gooden threw a curve so deadly that it was nicknamed "Lord Charles" and the great hitter Bill Madlock called it "the yellow hammer”—apparently because it came down like a hammer and was too yellow to get hit by a bat. Because catchers frequently use two fingers to signal for a curve, the pitch is also referred to as "the deuce" or "number two".


title: Curveball

text: Baseball lore has it that the curveball was invented in the early 1870s by Candy Cummings (it is debatable). An early demonstration of the "skewball" or curveball occurred at the Capitoline Grounds in Brooklyn in August 1870 by Fred Goldsmith. In 1869, a reporter for the "New York Clipper" described Phonney Martin as an "extremely hard pitcher to hit for the ball never comes in a straight line‚ but in a tantalizing curve." If the observation is true, this would pre-date Cummings and Goldsmith. In 1876, the first known collegiate baseball player to perfect the curveball was Clarence Emir Allen of Western Reserve College, now known as Case Western Reserve University, where he never lost a game. Both Allen, and teammate pitcher John P. Barden, became famous for employing the curve in the late 1870s. In the early 1880s, Clinton Scollard (1860–1932), a pitcher from Hamilton College in New York, became famous for his curve ball and later earned fame as a prolific American poet. In 1885, "St. Nicholas", a children's magazine, featured a story entitled, "How Science Won the Game". It told of how a boy pitcher mastered the curveball to defeat the opposing batters.


title: Curveball

text: The "New York Clipper" reported, of a September 26, 1863, game at Princeton University (then the College of New Jersey), that F. P. Henry's "slow pitching with a great twist to the ball achieved a victory over fast pitching." By 1866, many Princeton players were pitching and hitting "curved balls".


title: Curveball

text: Harvard president Charles Eliot was among those opposed to the curve, claiming it was a dishonest practice unworthy of Harvard students. At an athletics conference at Yale University in 1884 a speaker (thought to be from Harvard, likely Charles Eliot Norton, a cousin of the Harvard president) was reported to have stated: "For the pitcher, instead of delivering the ball to the batter in an honest, straightforward way, that the latter may exert his strength to the best advantage in knocking it, now uses every effort to deceive him by curving—I think that is the word—the ball. And this is looked upon as the last triumph of athletic science and skill. I tell you it is time to call halt! when the boasted progress in athletics is in the direction of fraud and deceit."


title: Curveball

text: In the past, major league pitchers Tommy Bridges, Bob Feller, Virgil Trucks, Herb Score, Camilo Pascual and Sandy Koufax were regarded as having outstanding curveballs.


title: Dragon Ball Xenoverse

text: Dragon Ball Xenoverse is an action role-playing fighting game based on the "Dragon Ball" franchise developed by Dimps and published by Bandai Namco Games. It was released in February 2015 for PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Xbox 360, Xbox One, and Microsoft Windows.


title: Dragon Ball Xenoverse

text: The game is set almost entirely within a number of 3D areas, which are mostly modeled after notable locations in the "Dragon Ball" universe, accessed from the main hub – the Toki-Toki City. Fighters can traverse the levels free-roaming in large spaces and can fight on ground, in the air and underwater. The game features spoken dialogue from a majority of main characters while in battle, and characters show facial expressions when they strike an opponent or take damage. Although limited, the players have some freedom to explore the planet Earth as it exists in the "Dragon Ball" universe along with a handful of other locations, including the aforementioned Toki-Toki City.


title: Dragon Ball Xenoverse

text: "Xenoverse" is the third "Dragon Ball" game to feature character creation, the first being "Dragon Ball Online" and the second being "". Player-created character has the option of becoming an apprentice of the original "Dragon Ball" characters in order to learn their special moves and access specific costume items. With character customization, players are able to customize their character's race, gender, facial hair, body features, clothing and character's voice effects. There are five available playable races: Saiyans, Namekians, Earthlings, Majins and Frieza's race; all of which have race specific advantages and bonuses as well as shortcomings.


title: Dragon Ball Xenoverse

text: The online multiplayer is accessed from the Toki-Toki City, which serves as a hub where players can form groups and take on cooperative, time-traveling missions.


title: Dragon Ball Xenoverse

text: "Xenoverse" features an entirely original story starring the player's custom character. The story itself borrows elements from the "Dragon Ball Online" MMO, which sees returning villains Towa and Mira manipulating the history of the "Dragon Ball" universe. Time Patrol Trunks asks Shenron to send him a hero who would help him restore the timeline.


title: Dragon Ball Xenoverse

text: "Dragon Ball Xenoverse" is the first game developed by Dimps to feature full 3D battles, similar to Spike's "" and "" series. It was first announced as the "Dragon Ball New Project", until the actual title was revealed on June 10, 2014 during E3 2014.


title: Dragon Ball Xenoverse

text: The 2014 V-Jump #7 issue, in which the game was announced, draws attention to a mysterious figure watching the first battle between Goku and Vegeta from the shadows. With red hair, a scouter, and the Capsule Corporation logo on his sleeve, this character's identity was not clear. However, it was later revealed that this character is in fact a newly created character, confirming the game's character creation feature.


title: Dragon Ball Xenoverse

text: Pre-order releases from participating retailers of the game come with the exclusive Shenron Black Metalcase, Super Saiyan 4 Vegeta as a playable character and two exclusive versions of Frieza Soldier's Battle Suits for the player character. A collector's edition, called the "Trunks Travel Edition", which includes a figurine of the character Trunks, has also been announced. Jaco the Galactic Patrolman, a character from the manga "Jaco the Galactic Patrolman", a prequel to "Dragon Ball", appears as a Japanese pre-order bonus, along with a Master Roshi costume set to customize the player's character with, a Trunks card for "Dragon Ball Heroes", and a code that unlocks Trunks in "".


title: Dragon Ball Xenoverse

text: "Dragon Ball Xenoverse" was originally released on February 5, 2015, in Japan and was slated for release on February 13 elsewhere, before being delayed. Following a two-week delay, it was released on February 24 in North America and February 27 in remaining territories.


title: Dragon Ball Xenoverse

text: "Dragon Ball Xenoverse" received "mixed or average reviews". On review aggregating website Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating in the 0–100 range, the PlayStation 4 version holds the score of 69/100 based on 50 reviews, while the Xbox One version holds 67/100 based on 18 reviews.


title: Dragon Ball Xenoverse

text: Popular Japanese video game magazine "Famitsu" gave the game an overall score of 30/40 saying that it "isn't without its faults and flaws" noting the repetitiveness of in-game missions and lag in team battles as its main drawbacks, concluding that the game is "aimed at "Dragon Ball" fans" and it might "appeal to fighting game fans and gamers that love fast action games". "IGN" gave the game a score of 6.7 out of 10, praising its "true-to-form graphics", unique story and customizable characters while criticizing its "shallow combat" and "unfair missions", noting that the game might appeal to "someone who enjoys anime, fighting, and role-playing games". "Hardcore Gamer" gave the game a 3.5 out of 5, praising the "create-a-character functionality", game mechanics and multiplayer mode, while criticizing the in-game camera movement and distancing from the established Dragon Ball continuity. "GameTrailers" gave it a slightly lower score of 6.0, noting the same flaws mentioned by both "Famitsu" and "IGN", such as the "shallow combat" and repetitiveness as well as its potential appeal to mainly the franchise's established fan base rather than general audience while also noting that "those without such a strong attachment to the franchise may not be able to stomach the compromise."


title: Dragon Ball Xenoverse

text: "GameSpot" also gave the game a score of 6 out of 10, praising its detailed character customization system and a "new, interesting take on a tired story" while also criticizing its loose controls, repetitiveness and unbalanced gameplay. "Destructoid" gave it a score of 4.5 out of 10 or "below average", stating that it "has some high points, however they soon give way to glaring faults". While giving praise for the game's fighting mechanics and aesthetics as well as its similarity to source material, the general game design from balancing issues to repetitiveness is heavily criticized; saying that ""Dragon Ball Xenoverse" has some of the worst design decisions ever embedded into a video game", going on to conclude that "it certainly has its moments and the core fighting mechanics are great, however the game falls flat in too many other areas to be standout title." The review also specifically noted the lingering online service related technical difficulties and poor performance on certain platforms.


title: Dragon Ball Xenoverse

text: Toonami, during their aired video game review segments, gave the game a more favorable critique, giving it a score of 8 out of 10, stating that compared to the last few "Dragon Ball" games, "Xenoverse" "finally got it right" and that it's "a must" for Toriyama fans.


title: Dragon Ball Xenoverse

text: As of March 17, 2015, 1.5 million copies have been shipped worldwide. The game was the second best-selling for PlayStation 4 on PlayStation Store for the month of February 2015, behind "Dying Light". In April 2015, Bandai Namco Entertainment announced that more than 2.5 million copies had been sold. In February 2016, Bandai Namco Entertainment announced that a total of 3.13 million copies had been shipped worldwide. As of July 2018, "Dragon Ball Xenoverse" and "Xenoverse 2" have collectively shipped over 10million units worldwide.


title: Dragon Ball Xenoverse

text: On May 17, 2016, Bandai Namco announced a sequel titled "Dragon Ball Xenoverse 2" for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Microsoft Windows. It was released for said consoles and Steam in October 2016, and for the Nintendo Switch on September 22, 2017.


title: When in Rome, do as the Romans do

text: When in Rome, do as the Romans do (Medieval Latin sī fuerīs Rōmae, Rōmānō vīvitō mōre; sī fuerīs alibī, vīvitō sīcut ibī; often shortened to when in Rome...), or a later version when in Rome, do as the Pope does, is a proverb attributed to Saint Ambrose. The proverb means to follow the traditions or customs of a place being visited.


title: When in Rome, do as the Romans do

text: Saint Monica and her son, Saint Augustine, discovered that Saturday was observed as a fast day in Rome, where they planned to visit. However, it was not a fast day where they lived in Milan. They consulted Saint Ambrose who said "When I am here (in Milan) I do not fast on Saturday, when in Rome I do fast on Saturday." That reply is said to have brought about the saying "When in Rome, do as the Romans do."


title: To Olivia

text: To Olivia (formerly titled An Unquiet Life) is a 2021 British drama film directed by John Hay and starring Hugh Bonneville as Roald Dahl and Keeley Hawes as Patricia Neal. It is based on Stephen Michael Shearer's biography about Neal titled "An Unquiet Life". The film features Geoffrey Palmer in his final film appearance.


title: To Olivia

text: The film covers Dahl and Neal's marriage as they grapple with the loss of their daughter, Olivia, from encephalitis due to measles.


title: To Olivia

text: Bonneville was cast as Dahl in May 2017. Hawes was cast as Neal in November 2019. Heughan was cast as Paul Newman in December 2019.


title: To Olivia

text: In February 2022, it was announced that Vertical Entertainment acquired North American distribution rights to the film, which was released in the United States on April 15, 2022.


title: To Olivia

text: The film has a 58% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Peter Bradshaw of "The Guardian" gave the film two out of five stars, complimenting the performances but finding it too reverential and safe. Clarisse Loughrey of "The Independent" gave it three out of five stars, criticizing its portrayal of Dahl and stating, 'It struggles to reconcile the palpable image of a sensitive family man laid low by depression with the more complicated reality that ran alongside it – that of a sometimes-tyrant with a great capacity for manipulation.'


title: Supermarine

text: Supermarine was a British aircraft manufacturer that is most famous for producing the Spitfire fighter plane during World War II as well as a range of seaplanes and flying boats, and a series of jet-powered fighter aircraft after World War II. The company had successes in the Schneider Trophy for seaplanes, with three wins in a row of 1927, 1929 and 1931.


title: Supermarine

text: The company was founded in 1913 as Pemberton-Billing Ltd on the River Itchen close to Woolston, Southampton, on ground previously purchased by Noel Pemberton Billing to construct motor launches. It produced a couple of prototypes using quadruplane designs to shoot down zeppelins, the Supermarine P.B.29 and the Supermarine Nighthawk. The aircraft were fitted with the recoilless Davis gun and the Nighthawk had a separate powerplant to power a searchlight.


title: Supermarine

text: Upon election as a Member of Parliament (MP) in 1916, Pemberton-Billing sold the company to his factory manager and longtime associate Hubert Scott-Paine who renamed the company Supermarine Aviation Works Ltd. The company became famous for its successes in the Schneider Trophy for seaplanes, especially the three wins in a row of 1927, 1929 and 1931.


title: Supermarine

text: In 1928 Vickers-Armstrongs took over Supermarine as Supermarine Aviation Works (Vickers) Ltd and in 1938 all Vickers-Armstrongs aviation interests were reorganised to become Vickers-Armstrongs (Aircraft) Ltd, although Supermarine continued to design, build and trade under its own name. The phrase Vickers Supermarine was applied to the aircraft. The first Supermarine landplane design to go into production was the famous and successful Spitfire. The earlier Hawker Hurricane and the Spitfire were the mainstay of RAF Fighter Command fighter aircraft which fought off the Luftwaffe bombing raids with fighter escorts during the Battle of Britain in the summer of 1940. While the Hurricane was available in larger numbers and consequently played a larger role, the new Spitfire caught the popular imagination and became the aircraft associated with the battle. It went on to play a major part in the remainder of the war, in a number of variants and marks, and it was the only allied fighter aircraft to be in production through the entirety of the Second World War. Other planes from the period include the Seafire (a naval version of the Spitfire). Supermarine also developed the Spiteful and Seafang, the successors of the Spitfire and Seafire, respectively, and the Walrus flying boat. The Supermarine main works was heavily bombed in 1940. This curtailed work on their first heavy bomber design, the Supermarine B.12/36 which was replaced by the Short Stirling.


title: Supermarine

text: After the end of the war, the Supermarine division built the Royal Navy's first jet fighter, the Attacker, developed from the final Spitfire type. It served front line squadrons aboard aircraft carriers and RNVR squadrons at shore bases. The Attacker was followed by the more advanced Swift which served in the fighter and photo-reconnaissance roles. The last of the Supermarine aircraft was the Scimitar. In the shakeup of British aircraft manufacturing, Vickers-Armstrongs (Aircraft) became a part of the British Aircraft Corporation and the individual manufacturing heritage names were lost.


title: Supermarine

text: In 1909 the British Noel Pemberton-Billing purchased a number of engineering workshops on of land at South in Sussex which he intended to develop as an airfield. At the same time, he built a number of unsuccessful aircraft of his own design. To promote the venture, he founded his own magazine "Aerocraft". Despite attracting some aircraft constructors, the airfield venture failed within a year and about the same time he sold "Aerocraft". In 1911, Pemberton-Billing purchased facilities to provide a base for a motor launch and yacht trading business at White's Yard off Elm Road (later renamed Hazel Road) on the River Itchen, upstream of Woolston, Southampton. To manage the business, Pemberton-Billing hired his friend Hubert Scott-Paine, whom he had first met while involved in property speculation in Shoreham, Kent. Pemberton-Billing, his wife and Scott-Paine lived on Pemberton-Billing's yacht "Utopia".


title: Supermarine

text: Under Scott-Paine's management the business was soon profitable, which allowed Billing (with the assistance of Scott-Paine) to design a series of flying boats with detachable propeller and wings so that with them removed it could be used as a motor launch.


title: Supermarine

text: Pemberton-Billing submitted a patent application for his design in October 1913. After obtaining his aviator's certificate on 17 September 1913 following a £500 bet with Frederick Handley-Page that he could obtain it within 24 hour of commencing flight training, he decided to build his own aircraft.


title: Supermarine

text: In partnership with Alfred Delves de Broughton, Billing established Pemberton-Billing Ltd on 27 June 1914 with capital of £20,000. Billing had 6,800 shares, Broughton 3,700 and works engineer Lorenz Hans Herkomer (1889–1922), 500. Herkomer's background was in electrical engineering and automobiles. Rumanian Carol Vasilesco was employed to prepare drawings and undertake the detailed design of airframes. On land at Oakbank Wharf on the river Itchen in Woolston, Southampton that Billing had previously purchased, the company established a factory with Hubert Scott-Paine as work manager. Its registered telegraphic address, used for sending telegrams and cables to the company, was; "Supermarine, Southampton".


title: Supermarine

text: The first aircraft built by the new company was the Pemberton-Billing P.B.1 a single-seat open cockpit biplane flying boat. Following modifications, the P.B.1 entered testing, but failed to achieve flight. Billing, who had designed the aircraft, claimed he "wanted a boat which would fly rather than an aircraft that would float". Though no proof can be found, Billing claimed that the aircraft made a short hop but other sources state that the PB.1 never flew. The sole P.B.1 was subsequently dismantled and no other examples were constructed.


title: Supermarine

text: The next significant design was the P.B.9 that used a set of wings which had been obtained from Radley-England. One example was built and while it flew it was felt that production was not worth pursuing.


title: Supermarine

text: With no orders coming in, Billing had to sell one of his yachts and lease out part of the facilities to Tom Sopwith who used it for assembly and then testing of his Bat Boat.


title: Supermarine

text: The outbreak of the First World War saw Billing enlist in the Royal Navy Volunteer reserve, and thus he was no longer involved in day-to-day activities.


title: Supermarine

text: With the business by now in serious financial trouble due to a lack of orders, 80 percent of the staff were fired, leaving only 14 employees.


title: Supermarine

text: On 14 November 1914 Broughton used his resources to pay off the company's debits which allowed the company to continue in business. Some work was obtained repairing aircraft subcontracting from Sopwith. Broughton then enlisted which left Scott-Paine in charge.


title: Supermarine

text: At some point in 1914 Carol Vasilesco died suddenly of a heart attack, which left the company without a designer.


title: Supermarine

text: Work still continued on the company's own designs with the next to see the light of day being the P.B.23. The prototype was delivered in September 1915 with tests conducted at Heldon indicating that the design had some promise. As a result, a revised version designated the P.B.25 was produced, for which an order for 20 was received from the Royal Naval Air Service.


title: Supermarine

text: In late 1915 having completed serving with the RNVR and RNAS Billing returned to the company. As a result of his experience while involved in the organising of the air raid in November 1914 on the Zeppelin sheds at Friedrichshafen on Lake Constance Billing believed that England was defenceless against attacks by Zeppelins.


title: Supermarine

text: As a result, his return led to the company concentrating on designing the quadruplane P.B.29, which was designed to shoot down zeppelins.


title: Supermarine

text: In May 1916 the company was awarded by the Air Department of the Admiralty a contract to build the flying surfaces for the AD flying boat and to undertake the detailed design and construction of the AD Navyplane. The AD Flying Boat was initially found to have poor performance in the water, which were eventually resolved. This led to 34 being built, though none saw service.


title: Supermarine

text: In March 1916 Billing was elected as an MP. Once in parliament he was very vocal in his support of air power, constantly accusing the government of neglecting the issue. As he intended to run a campaign against the Royal Aircraft Factory and its products, it became apparent that if the company was to maintain a good relationship with the Air Department and gain any further orders it was necessary for the company to distance itself from Billing. As a result, Billing sold his shares in the company for about £12,500 to Hubert Scott-Paine and the other directors who renamed the company Supermarine Aviation Works Ltd and officially registered it under that name on 27 June 1916. As well as Scott-Paine, the other directors were Alfred Delves de Broughton and solicitor Charles Cecil Dominy.


title: Supermarine

text: The first product of the new company was the P.B.31E Nighthawk which was a carryover from Billing's time for a quadruplane heavily armed and searchlight-equipped home defence fighter. Fitted with a recoilless Davis gun, it had a separate powerplant to power the searchlight. Only the prototype was built, which was found to have insufficient performance to be of any use against Zeppelins.


title: Supermarine

text: After completion of the Nighthawk Scott-Paine dropped Billing's fixation with anti-Zeppelin defence fighters, and in the hope of gaining orders for flying boats forged a strong relationship with the RNAS through their local liaison officer James Bird.


title: Supermarine

text: By 1917 realizing that he needed to strengthen the company's technical capability Scott-Paine advertised for a personal assistant. The successful applicant was R. J. Mitchell, who so impressed Scott-Paine he was hired on the spot and given a range of roles within the company to expose him to every aspect of the business including within a year acted for a period as assistant works manager.


title: Supermarine

text: In 1917 the company was contracted to build Short Type 184 torpedo bombers and Norman Thompson N.T.2B trainers.


title: Supermarine

text: In response to the issue of Navy Air Board Specification N.1(b) in early 1917, the company designed what later was called the Supermarine Baby. Three were subsequently built.


title: Supermarine

text: Despite the signing of the armistice agreement and with little prospect of any military contracts for some time lead to the company diversifying by employing its woodworkers in constructing everything from toilet seats to wooden framed bodies for Ford Model T cars.


title: Supermarine

text: At the end of the war Supermarine was the only British aircraft constructor dedicated to building flying boats and Scott-Paine still wished the company to continue in this specialist field. To this end Supermarine joined the Society of British Aircraft Constructors in late 1919 and purchased from the government about 16 surplus AD Flying boats and the two completed Supermarine Babys. Supermarine modified 10 of the AD Flying boats to produce the commercial "Type C" Channel flying boats. The reconfigured aircraft provided accommodation for a pilot and three passengers in three open cockpits. Once the ban on civilian flying was lifted in May 1919 the ten aircraft were registered in June 1919, with three being granted civil certificates of airworthiness at the end of July of that same year. Services commenced in August from Southampton with typically three in service.


title: Supermarine

text: To pilot the commercial services Scott-Paine employed ex-RNAS pilots Henry Biard, Francis Bailey, Philip Brend. John Hoare, Basil Hobbs and Herbert Horsey.


title: Supermarine

text: Following the completion of his duties for the Royal Naval Air Service NZAS James Bird (1883–1946) was invited in 1919 by Scott-Paine to joined Supermarine as a director. A qualified marine architect he had previously been supervising contracts being undertaken by various companies in the Solent area for the RNAS.


title: Supermarine

text: In the summer of 1919 William Hargreaves left to work for Vospers and later in the year Mitchell at the age of 24 was promoted to succeed him as chief designer. In 1920, Mitchell's role was expanded to include that of chief engineer. In 1927, he was offered and accepted a position on the board as Technical Director.


title: Supermarine

text: Other than the income from operating commercial flights, the main income between 1919 and 1921 came from selling Channels with a modified design known as the Channel II being developed. As well as sales within Great Britain the company was able to sell 19 overseas, to customers, including Chile, Japan, New Zealand, Norway and Sweden.


title: Supermarine

text: In 1919 Scott-Paine decided to enter an aircraft from Supermarine in the upcoming 1919 Schneider Trophy contest. A suitable aircraft was produced by heavily modifying N61, the youngest of the two Babys that it had purchased from the government. Fitted with a Napier Lion engine it was given the name Sea Lion. Flown by Basil Hobbs the aircraft sank on 10 September 1919 after it struck flotsam while competing in the event.


title: Supermarine

text: In early 1920 the company developed the Supermarine Sea King a single seat flying boat fighter resembling the Baby and the contemporary Sea Lion racing aircraft. While the prototype of which was exhibited at the Olympia air show but obtained no sales. This was subsequently fitted with new wings and tail surfaces and fitted with a more powerful engine, which Supermarine designating it as the Sea King II. No sales were however forthcoming.


title: Supermarine

text: For the 1922 Schneider Trophy contest, which was being held in Naples, Italy, the company modified the Sea King II by increasing the size of the rudder and fin and fitting a more powerful engine which gave a 50 percent increase in power. Designated Sea Lion II the aircraft won the contest and thus stopped the Italians from winning the trophy outright.


title: Supermarine

text: With it looking likely that no British company would be entering an aircraft in the 1923 Schneider Trophy contest Scott-Paine was persuaded by the British organizers to enter. As Supermarine being in a poor financial state, Mitchell was restricted to modifying the Sea Lion II, the result which was designated Sea Lion III and proved to be uncompetitive.


title: Supermarine

text: For the 1924 contest Mitchell began design work on a completely new flying-boat biplane design called the Sea Urchin, which would have been fitted with a Rolls-Royce engine. However, there was insufficient time to overcome a number of design issues which lead to Supermarine withdrawing from the event.


title: Supermarine

text: In the early 1920s the company developed a series of similar one-off amphibians. The most notable of these was the Seal II, which was a three-seater fleet spotter paid for by the Air Ministry. After it performed well during its evaluation by the RAF, two examples of an improved version, named the Seagull were subsequently purchased by the Air Ministry in 1922. Once these were completed faced with no further orders the company considered closing down part of the factory and laying off staff. Bird approached the Air Ministry for assistance and while he received no orders they were encouraging. At the same time Scott-Paine was close to forming the British Marine Air Navigation Company, which it was expected would place an order for aircraft with Supermarine. In expectation of receiving an order the directors decided not to reduce staff numbers. Meanwhile, to meet the requirements of the expected order Mitchell designed the Sea King in late 1922 to carry six passengers in an enclosed cabin. After receiving confirmation that subsidies would be available from the British government Scott-Paine was able together with Southern Rail and the Asiatic Petroleum to establish the British Marine Air Navigation Company in 1923. They subsequently ordered three Sea Kings, which were used to commence a daily service on 25 September 1923 between Southampton and Guernsey. Then late in 1922 orders were received from the Air Ministry for five Seagull IIs followed by two further orders in early 1923. Later orders for what was called the Seagull III were received in 1925 from the Royal Australian Navy.


title: Supermarine

text: Partly due to Scott-Paine's preoccupation with developing the airline business the relationship between him and Bird began to breakdown. As a result, Bird assembled sufficient funds and on 16 November 1923 he confronted Scott-Paine who after negotiation accepted Bird's offer of £192,000 of his shares and left the company.


title: Supermarine

text: In 1925 in an attempt to obtain additional funds with which to expand the business the original company was wound up with all creditors paid in full and a new public limited company with the same name was established and listed on the Stock Exchange with a capitalisation rising from £13,500 to £250,000.


title: Supermarine

text: In 1926 existing Chief Draughtsman Frank Holroyd was promoted to become Assistant Chief Engineer, while Joseph "Joe" Smith was designated as Chief Draughtsman.


title: Supermarine

text: Looking to expand away from the market for small amphibians and flying boats which was becoming more competitive as Blackburn and Short Brothers entered the market, the company designed large multi-engine flying boats to Air Ministry specifications. As a result, one example was built of the Scylla, a torpedo bomber triplane flying boat to specification 14/21. No orders were forthcoming. One example was also built of the Swan, a twin-engined biplane commercial amphibian to specification 21/22. Capable of carrying 12 passengers it was first flown in March 1924 and tested by the MAEE. The Air Ministry was so impressed with the results that they ordered a military derivative to specification 18/24. Six were ordered, subsequently entering service in 1925 as the Southampton. A further orders soon followed. To manufacture the Southampton, which was much larger than their previous designs a new fabrication workshop were built in 1924 and an erection hangar in 1926. Still short of room, in early 1927 the company took out a lease on the Air Ministry's large wartime flying boat assembly and testing facilities at Hythe. Final erection and testing of the Southamptons was then moved to Hythe, which was on the opposite side of the Solent from the Woolston works.


title: Supermarine

text: While the Southampton Mk I had wooden hulls, the Air Ministry indicated that they wanted future flying boats to be metal hulled and paid for the construction of a prototype. Compared with wooden hulls, metal hulls were stronger, lighter and didn't become heavier over time as the wood soaked up water.


title: Supermarine

text: To enable them to construct metal hulls Supermarine established a metallurgy department headed by Arthur Black (who joined the company at the end of 1925) and established metal production facilities at their Woolston works. The resulting metal hulled version of the Southampton entered service as the Mk II. The Southampton series was very successful with a total of 83 of all types being built.


title: Supermarine

text: As a result of the success of the Seagull and Southampton between 1923 and 1927 sales rose from £137,683 to £403,868 and profits from £58,002 to £111,935.


title: Supermarine

text: While it had been Scott-Paine' love of speed and competitive nature that had been the driving force behind the company's entry's in the early Schneider Trophy contests, Bird was happy to continue Supermarine's involvement as he wanted to use it to enhance the company profile. After the failure of their 1924 entry, and realizing that other countries designs were far superior, Mitchell reached the conclusion that racing flying boats were no longer competitive. As a result, he designed a monoplane seaplane called the S.4 which was used to set a new world air speed record over Southampton Water of 226.75 mph (364.9 kmh). However the sole example crashed during testing prior to the event, forcing the company to withdraw from the event.


title: Supermarine

text: With sponsorship from the Air Ministry, Mitchell began to design a new streamlined monoplane aircraft designated the S.5. Compared with the S.4 which was completely fabricated from wood, the new design had metal floats and fuselage. This was a major risk as at the time Supermarine had no prior experience in metal construction and had still to commission their new metalworking department. Unfortunately as neither the S.5 nor any other design from a British company was ready in time Britain did not enter the 1926 contest. Once the design was finished Supermarine received an order in late 1926 for two examples, with an order for a third following in early 1927. The S.5 dominated the 1927 contest, finishing first and second. The third example crashed killing its pilot while he was attempting to set a new air speed record over the Solent in 1928.


title: Supermarine

text: In the late 1920s Vickers Ltd began a series of divestments and mergers as it attempted to improve the strength and profitability of the group. The most notable was their merger in January 1928 with long term rival Armstrong Whitworth to form Vickers-Armstrongs, with the exception of the Armstrong-Whitworth aircraft division and Armstrong Siddeley motor car division, which were bought out by J. D. Siddeley, and so did not join the new group.


title: Supermarine

text: The new Vickers-Armstrong entity retained the existing Vickers aircraft manufacturing division which was restructured as a semi-independent subsidiary called Vickers (Aviation) Ltd under the management of Robert McLean. McLean was tasked with expanding the new company which he undertook by improving the capability of the existing factory and looking for new facilities. Identifying that a manufacturer of flying boats would be good fit with their existing expertise designing and constructing land-based aircraft they evaluated a number of possible acquisitions. Blackburn was in poor condition, Saunders was potentially too costly as a consortium headed by A.V. Roe was proposing to purchase them, while Short was too big and diverse. That left Supermarine.


title: Supermarine

text: Aware that Supermarine's ability to modernise and expand was limited by a lack of financial resources, Bird and the other directors agreed to sell to Vickers in 1928. Vickers paid £390,000 and renamed it as "Supermarine Aviation Works (Vickers) Ltd".


title: Supermarine

text: Subsequently, in December 1938, following both Air Ministry's and the Vickers board's concerns over delays to the Spitfire and Wellington manufacturing programmes, all Vickers-Armstrongs aviation interests were reorganised to become Vickers-Armstrongs (Aircraft) Ltd, with both Vickers and Supermarine now under a single management team. Both subsidiaries were then formally wound up, although Supermarine continued to design, build and trade under its own name. The phrase Vickers Supermarine was applied to the aircraft.


title: Supermarine

text: Despite selling his shares to Vickers-Armstrongs, Bird stayed on as managing director of Supermarine while Mitchell continued as chief designer. He had signed a 10-year employment contract in 1923, that included a clause that said, if he left Supermarine he could not work for any other competitor without the directors written consent.


title: Supermarine

text: While Supermarine was extremely profitable McLean and his management team were of the opinion that as well as wages being higher than at Vickers, it was also not being run efficiently, had poor record keeping, stock control, and was poorly equipped to build all-metal aircraft, with the ratio of unskilled to skilled labour at 1:3 compared with Vickers' 3:1. They therefore saw numerous opportunities to improve the profitability.


title: Supermarine

text: One measure Vickers undertook was to send their experienced engineer Barnes Wallis to overhaul the work practices in the design department. He arrived while Mitchell was away on his 1929 Christmas holidays and after installing himself in Mitchell's office began to make changes. Mitchell returned in the New Year, expressed his outrage at Wallis's presumption and immediately moved him to a disused loft in a remote corner of the Woolston works with orders to his staff not to make the interloper comfortable. Wallis eventually complained to McLean, who raised it with the board of Vickers-Armstrongs. Faced with Mitchell's threat to resign if Wallis remained, they backed down and Wallis was recalled back to Weybridge.


title: Supermarine

text: Shortly after Wallis's departure Major Harold Payn, an engineer from Vickers design department was appointed by Vickers as Mitchell's deputy. A former pilot with experience from World War I, as well as testing aircraft despite little design experience it was hoped that he would be more diplomatic in bringing Supermarine's design office into agreement with Vickers work practices.


title: Supermarine

text: That said the parent company provided the combined Vickers (Aviation) Ltd with £250,000 in 1929 to support research and development.


title: Supermarine

text: As a consequence the capabilities of the design team at Supermarine were expanded by employing among others Alfred Faddy, William Munro (who had expertise in hydrodynamics and metal hull construction) and Beverley Shenstone who was the first academically trained aerodynamicist at Supermarine. As a consequence the services of Mitchell's deputy Frank Holroyd were no longer required and he was dismissed. By 1931 the restructuring of the company ended with Mitchell still technical director and reporting to him, the Technical Office under Alan Clifton and the Drawing Office under Joe Smith.


title: Supermarine

text: Vickers' own pilots took over test flying, which led to Henry Biard's role as Supermarine's test pilot since 1919 coming to an end. As a result, he left in 1933.


title: Supermarine

text: Trevor Westbrook, a 28 years old and relatively inexperienced protégé of Robert McLean, was installed as Works Manager with a brief to improve the factory. His direct and forthright manner was not met with universal approval by the staff, but under his direction the factory was rebuilt, rationalised and extended, while the production methods were improved. In 1937 he was promoted within the Vickers group and left Supermarine. He was succeeded at Supermarine by H.B. Pratt.


title: Supermarine

text: In response to the onset of the Depression in 1929, with completion of contracts for Southampton running down and no new aircraft orders being received it was necessary to reduce construction staff numbers by a third over the winter of 1930. Vickers supported Supermarine by contracting it to build the wings and undertake the final completion of two Vickers Viastra airliners and then employing it to construct a special version called the Viastra X, for the Prince of Wales. The other notable work was the design of the Type 179, a six-engined flying boat, which led to the company being awarded a contract to build a prototype. Construction proceeded as far as the construction of the hull before the contract was cancelled.


title: Supermarine

text: For the next contest Mitchell created the all metal S.6 which featured the smallest possible airframe that he could design around a Rolls-Royce engine instead of the Napier engines used in the S.4 and S.5. This design won the 1929 contest.


title: Supermarine

text: For the 1931 contest Mitchell created the S.6a, a derivative of the S6. This won the contest and as Britain had won the trophy three times in a row it confirmed Britain as the outright and final winner of the Schneider trophy.


title: Supermarine

text: Following the contest a S6b, flown by Flt Lt G. H. Stainforth went on to set a new world air speed record of 407.5 mph.


title: Supermarine

text: In response to a 1929 Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) requirement for an aircraft to replace their Seagull IIIs, but with the ability to be catapult-launched from cruisers, the company in 1931 designated the Type 223 "Seagull V" as a private venture and built a prototype. This eventually led to the RAAF placing an order in 1934 for 24 production versions which were designated Type 228 "Seagull V". The Royal Navy was impressed by the new design and placed an order for 12 aircraft which were virtually identical except for a more powerful engine. Given the designation Type 236, they entered service as the Walrus. More orders were to follow until a total of 740 were built in all by Supermarine and other firms.


title: Supermarine

text: Following on from the Southampton Mk II the company developed the biplane twin-engined Southampton IV in response to specification R.20/31 for a general reconnaissance flying boat. Featuring all-metal construction with fabric covered flying surfaces, it had an enclosed cockpit. The prototype first flew in July 1932. Renamed the Scapa fifteen were built.


title: Supermarine

text: Soon after the design of the Scapa was finalised, the Air Ministry issued specification R.24/31 for a twin-engined general purpose flying boat, in response to which Supermarine developed the Stranraer. The prototype first flew in July 1934 and they entered service from April 1937, with the last being delivered to the RAF in 1939. Vickers in Canada also built them for the Royal Canadian Air Force.


title: Supermarine

text: In 1930, the Air Ministry began formulating the requirements for an advanced high-performance fighter which were spelled out in specification F.7/30, which was in turn issued in the autumn of 1931 to a number of aircraft manufacturers. Among them was Supermarine, who were keen to broaden its product range from seaplanes and flying boats. In response to the specification, Mitchell designed the Type 224, an all-metal monoplane design, with an open cockpit, un-braced cranked wing and fixed undercarriage. A single prototype was built and first flew in February 1934. Flight testing however identified that it had only average performance and so Supermarine received no production contract.


title: Supermarine

text: Unhappy at how the Type 224 had turned out Mitchell as was his wont commenced in July 1934 designing what he hoped would be a much improved fighter, which was given the designation Type 300. It was much better streamlined than the Type 224, with a shorter wing, retractable undercarriage and an enclosed cockpit. Mitchell continued to evolve the design, striving for the maximum performance he could get from the engine and airframe combination. In November 1934 the design was further revised to accommodate the promising new Rolls-Royce PV.XII (PV-12) engine, which was later named the Merlin. The estimated performance of the new design was such that McLean approved in November 1934 expenditure on detailed design of a prototype, as he was confident that funding of a prototype was extremely likely from what was a supportive Air Ministry. Within a month of receiving the initial data, the Air Ministry issued specification F.37/34 to cover the construction of a prototype Type 300.


title: Supermarine

text: Given the name Spitfire by the Vickers board, the prototype Type 300 when it first flew on 5 March 1936 at nearby Eastleigh airport marked a revolutionary advance for the RAF. The Air Ministry was so impressed that on 3 June 1936 it ordered 310.


title: Supermarine

text: The earlier Hawker Hurricane and the Spitfire were the mainstay of RAF Fighter Command fighter aircraft which fought off the "Luftwaffe" bombing raids with fighter escorts during the Battle of Britain in the summer of 1940.


title: Supermarine

text: While the Hurricane was available in larger numbers and consequently played a larger role, the new Spitfire became adored by both the public and its pilots and became the aircraft associated with the battle. It went on to play a major part in the remainder of the war, in a number of variants and marks, and it was the only allied fighter aircraft to be in production through the entirety of the Second World War.


title: Supermarine

text: At the time of receiving its first order for the Spitfire the company did not have the management skills, organisation tools and physical space as this one order was more than double the total number of aircraft they had built in the previous 20 years. As a result, much of the work had to be sub-contracted to other firms, which led to chaos with drawings and the delivery of parts. To compound the problem skilled sheet-metal workers were in short supply. Supermarine had contracted to deliver the first Spitfire in September 1937, but by early 1938 a single plane had still not left the factory.


title: Supermarine

text: Upon receipt of the order Supermarine commenced fitting out its Woolston Works for production of the new fighter. With the orders for the Spitfire as well as for the Stranraer and Walrus the company a new factory to the designs of the noted 1930's modernist architect, Oliver Percy Bernard and known as the Itchen Works was built on land reclaimed from the River Itchen just upstream from the Woolston Works. Opened in 1939, it was originally intended that it would be used to build the Walrus and Sea Otter, but because of its importance it was soon being used to construct Spitfire fuselages.


title: Supermarine

text: While it was intended that outside sub-contractors would be employed in manufacturing many major components, Vickers-Armstrongs was initially reluctant to see companies from outside of the group involved and so was slow in releasing the necessary sub-components and drawings. As delays mounted the Air Ministry proposed that Supermarine would only complete the initial order and then once the Hawker Typhoon was ready for service in 1941 switch over to making Bristol Beaufighters. Supermarine was able to convince the Air Ministry that the problems would be overcome, which allayed the concerns sufficient for them to receive another order for 200 Spitfires on 24 March 1938. Supermarine was to subsequently organise over 200 sub-contractors to produce components for the Spitfire, with 27 of them producing fully assembled major components, four building the main section of the wing, four building wing tips and another five building flaps. The major components were then taken on trucks to Eastleigh Airport where fitting of the engines, final assembly and flight testing was undertaken before being distributed to operational RAF bases.


title: Supermarine

text: Due to the production delays, the first RAF unit, 19 Squadron at Duxford, didn't start receiving Spitfire Mk Is until 4 August 1938.


title: Supermarine

text: Even then, production was slow to build up, and only 49 Spitfires had reached the RAF by 1 January 1939. By 3 September 1939 a total of 306 Spitfire Mk Is had been delivered to the RAF.


title: Supermarine

text: Aware of the desperate shortage of modern aircraft, the lack of manufacturing capacity and that as the majority of aircraft manufacturers were located in the south of England, which made them vulnerable to enemy air attack, the British government in 1935 commenced the "Shadow Factory" programme. These massive new "Shadow Factories", which it was intended would employ the latest production techniques, were to be set up in areas away from the immediate threat of attack and where it was felt there would be sufficient transferable skills which could be employed on the manufacturing process. For the Spitfire, Lord Nuffield offered to build the massive Castle Bromwich Shadow Factory near Birmingham.


title: Supermarine

text: Work began on its construction on 12 July 1938. However continual problems beset the factory and despite it having been planned that it would be producing 60 aircraft per week by April 1940 it was not until June 1940 (well into the Battle of Britain) that the problems were resolved by new management, with the first 10 Spitfires being delivered that month. Thereafter production increased to reach a maximum rate of 320 aircraft per month. By the end of the war it had produced a total of 12,129 aircraft (which was over half of all Spitfires made).


title: Supermarine

text: In response to Air Ministry specification B.12/36, which was issued in July 1936 to all the major aircraft manufacturers for a four-engined heavy bomber, Mitchell designed the Type 316 which carried its bombs in both the fuselage and wings. After submitting the Supermarine proposal, Mitchell in characteristic fashion began a total redesign called the Type 317 with new wings and different gun turrets. Two prototypes of the Type 317 were ordered in March 1937.


title: Supermarine

text: Following the death of Mitchell in June 1937 after a long battle with cancer and with Supermarine having problems meeting the demand for the Spitfire the Air Ministry realised that work on the prototypes would be delayed. Therefore, as a precaution they provided funding in 1937 for the development of the competing design from Short Brothers. This design eventually entered service as the Short Stirling.


title: Supermarine

text: The Type 317 prototypes were destroyed by an air raid in 1940, before work had progressed to a point where they flew.


title: Supermarine

text: Following the death of Mitchell, his deputy Harold Payn was appointed Chief Designer. However a security check in September 1939 identified that Payn had a German born wife. Concerns about the risk this posed to a major war program saw Payn dismissed. Joe Smith was promoted from Chief Draughtsman, at first to acting manager of the design department and finally to chief designer in 1941 following approval from the Ministry of Aircraft Production.


title: Supermarine

text: Upon the commencement of the war to protect the Supermarine factory at Woolston, anti-aircraft guns were placed at Peartree Green, the Railway Bridge and Taggarts Wharf.


title: Supermarine

text: At the time completed Spitfire wings and fuselages were taken on lorries from the Woolston and Itchen works, to the assembly hangar at Eastleigh Airport where the Merlin engines were fitted and the assembled aircraft tested. Under the supervision of works manager H.B. Pratt, a partial dispersal of Spitfire production away from the works at Woolston also begun. However, the production delays at Castle Bromwich meant that Supermarine could not afford any interruption in production at Woolston and Itchen which constrained dispersal. However progress was made on identifying suitable sites and requisitioning them.


title: Supermarine

text: To allow Supermarine to concentrate on Spitfires, Saunders Roe on the Isle of Wight took on the manufacture of the Walrus and Sea Otter.


title: Supermarine

text: The Supermarine factory and the Thornycroft naval shipyard (building destroyers, near the Woolston works) made Southampton a prime target for the Luftwaffe. Shortly after 5.30pm on the evening of 15 September 1940, the factory was directly attacked by eighteen Me 110s, each carrying two bombs. Only a few windows were broken, though nine people were killed in nearby houses.


title: Supermarine

text: The raid brought home that immediate action was now needed to disperse production. The buildings that had been sitting idle were prepared, and tools and jigs were gradually moved from Woolston and Itchen to the new facilities.


title: Supermarine

text: The Commercial and Personnel departments (which included payroll) moved to Deepdene House in Bitterne. This was fortunate as it allowed workers to receive emergency pay following later raids, when it was desperately needed, as the homes of many were destroyed by bombs.


title: Supermarine

text: On 24 September 1940, the works were attacked by 17 aircraft at 1.50pm and again by three aircraft at 4.15pm.  The initial raid of Me 110s was led by Martin Lutz of TG210, and by flying low and fast achieved complete surprise, with the workforce receiving little warning of the raid. Twenty-nine high explosive bombs and one incendiary were dropped. There was little damage to the factory as most of the 17 bombs which fell on the site landed in the mud of the river. However, 42 were killed and 161 injured, many when the railway bridge, under which workers were still making their way to air raid shelters, received a direct hit, as did one of the already occupied bomb shelters beneath a railway embankment, where 24 were killed and 75 injured. Also many nearby houses were destroyed with terrible loss of life. Works manager H.B. Pratt was wounded and badly traumatised by the attack.


title: Supermarine

text: Two days later, on 26 September, sixty Heinkel He 111s of KG55 escorted by 60 Me 110 fighters of ZG26 attacked from 5.45pm onwards in two waves. The incoming attack was detected early, with factory sirens sounding just after 4pm, which gave the workers ample time to evacuate. In spite of anti-aircraft fire more than 70 tons of bombs were dropped, with seven bombs directly hitting the Woolston works and one hitting the Itchen works. The factory buildings at Woolston were so badly damaged that they were never rebuilt, and the ruins were at one stage used to train commandos in street fighting. Both prototypes of the Type 317 bomber and three complete Spitfires were destroyed, while over 20 Spitfires were damaged. Luckily, several of the critical production jigs had already been moved to other sites and the remainder of the most important precision machines were virtually undamaged. One bomb scored a direct hit on a bomb shelter, but it was unoccupied as – after the experience of previous raid – many of the employees had run well away from the factory area. Even so, 55 were killed and 92 injured.


title: Supermarine

text: By this time the new factory at Castle Bromwich was producing Spitfires, but with a desperate need for more aircraft Lord Beaverbrook, the Minister of Aircraft Production (MAP), visited Southampton and immediately ordered a complete dispersal of Supermarine's facilities. The top floor of the Polygon Hotel in the centre of Southampton was immediately requisitioned by the MAP for the use of Supermarine's production team.


title: Supermarine

text: Work immediately began by the production team under the leadership of the company's works engineer, Leonard G. Gooch on a dispersal programme. Gooch's impressive efforts meant that by December 1940 he formally replaced Platt as Works Manager. The replacement of Pratt is also believed to have been partially orchestrated by Beaverbrook in retaliation for Pratt's refusal prior to the air raids to allow staff from the MAP into the Supermarine factories without the proper credentials. Pratt, overworked and suffering from depression, committed suicide soon afterwards.


title: Supermarine

text: During 26 September air raid at least one bomb had passed through the drawing office, out of the window and into the mud on the river bank below; another went straight through the floor without exploding. As a result, the majority of the design material and drawings survived. The design team were quickly moved to temporary accommodation in old World War I army huts, being used by the University College in Highfield. One of the huts was then destroyed by an incendiary bomb prompting a further move beginning 7 December 1940 when all of the company's design, production and administration was moved to a new permanent home at Hursley House. Located close to Winchester, this large stately house was requisitioned by the Ministry of Aircraft Production from the Dowager Lady Mary Cooper, who remained in residence until June 1942.


title: Supermarine

text: It was decided that new dispersed facilities should stay within 50 miles of Southampton so that control and communication could be maintained. By mid November 1940, 35 workshops were up and running. Eventually there were 250 sub-contractors supplying 60 workshops in Hampshire, Wiltshire and Berkshire, clustered around four production centres: Reading (with assembly at Aldermaston and Henley), Salisbury (with assembly at Chattis Hill and High Post), Southampton (with assembly at Eastleigh) and Trowbridge (with assembly at Keevil). An additional area around Winchester and Chandler's Ford was linked to the main design base at Hursley Park.


title: Supermarine

text: Each production centre had workshops able to make each part of the plane and an airfield at which final assembly and delivery could be performed. The smallest assembly centre was High Post where the assembly hangar was so small that only three Spitfires could be assembled at a time. Production was six a week.


title: Supermarine

text: Castle Bromwich concentrated on the standard models of Spitfires, including the Mk II, V, IX and XIV, as it was time-consuming to change its mass assembly production lines from one model to another. In contrast the dispersed production and small output from each individual production centre surrounding Southampton had the advantage of allowing flexibility and responsiveness without major disruption to the overall production. Each production centre tended to specialise on a particular model of Spitfire and so could much more quickly provide smaller numbers of specialised aircraft in response to a new threat or requirement of the RAF and Royal Navy.


title: Supermarine

text: The Southampton workforce increased from 2,880 at the start of the war to 3,660 in September 1940, dropped to 3,079 in December 1940 as a result of the air raid before increasing to 10,000 (half of them women) by the end of 1944.


title: Supermarine

text: When looking for suitable sites, preference was placed on buildings with wide concrete floors, uncluttered by pillars, with high ceilings and large access doors. While garages, vehicle showrooms and other workshops were capable of constructing sub-assemblies and even complete fuselages, bus depots with their extra height were valued for the making of wings. Many local garages and large store premises were requisitioned to provide the required facilities. Among the buildings requisitioned were Carey & Lambert's showroom at Austin House in Southampton, Chiswell's Garage, Elliott's furniture factory in Newbury, Hendy's Garage, off Pound Tree Road in the centre of Southampton, Hendy's Agricultural Equipment Showroom at Chandlers Ford, Lowthers Garage on Park Road in Shirley, Seward's Garage, on Winchester Road in Shirley, Shorts Garage, Southampton, Sunlight Laundry also on Winchester Road, and Vincent's Garage in Reading.


title: Supermarine

text: While most owners left with little complaint there were some who objected. The Hants and Dorset Bus Depot on Winchester Road in Southampton was already being used to store sandbags and pumps needed by the Fire Brigade in the event of an air raid. The deputy town clerk refused to move the pumps as he considered them to be more important. Eventually sufficient official pressure was brought to bear and the council moved the buses and pumps out, leaving Supermarine with the job of disposing of sandbags. The Mayor of Salisbury initially objected to the takeover of the city's bus depot until it was pointed out to him by MAP that as the local patron of the Spitfire Fund, it was no use collecting money if there was nowhere to build the aircraft. Near Trowbridge the owner of the Barnes steamroller factory on Church Street in Southwick thought his steamrollers were more important and appealed to his local MP. An arbitration panel ruled that Supermarine could have 75% of the factory; a wall was built to separate the two activities. Later a large purpose-built facility was built on Bradley Road in Trowbridge, where the main body and wing were made, and parts incorporated from other Trowbridge factories added, before being transported on trucks to Keevil Airfield. In a hangar at Keevil the Spitfire would be assembled, tested and then flown by an ATA (Air Transport Auxiliary) pilot to a frontline airfield.


title: Supermarine

text: Often there were also conflicts with other Ministries, who had already requisitioned sites needed by Supermarine, but the Ministry for Aircraft Production usually ruled supreme as the production of aircraft had the highest priority.


title: Supermarine

text: Production fell from 363 aircraft in the quarter before the raids to 177 and 179 respectively in the next two quarters. It took another nine months before it was back to 100 per month, as the programme both had to find suitable new facilities, sufficient skilled workers to replace those killed and wounded and also the additional numbers needed to increase production, while at the same time provide accommodation for them. There was a great reluctance of Southampton-based workers to move away to the new dispersal facilities. Once the existing skilled workers were relocated it took time to train new semi-skilled workers. Many were straight out of school or older men who had undergone the Government's basic engineering training. As the war progressed more woman entered the workforce and began to take on more senior roles. By the end of the war, 8,000 planes had been built in the dispersal factories around Southampton.


title: Supermarine

text: In addition to the Spitfires and Seafires made at Supermarine's dispersed Southampton factories and at Castle Bromwich, several companies were subcontracted to make entire Supermarine designs. The most significant were Westland Aircraft who were responsible for the manufacture of the majority of the Seafire, making over 2,000, while Cunliffe-Owen Aircraft at their shadow factory at Eastleigh from 1942 converted 118 Spitfires VBs into Seafires before constructing over 520 new Seafires.


title: Supermarine

text: Joe Smith was confident that the Spitfire had great development potential and was successful in obtaining the maximum capability from the Spitfire and its naval version the Seafire through numerous variants, including the introduction of the Rolls-Royce Griffon-engined series, all of which ensured that it remained a front line fighter until the end of World War II.


title: Supermarine

text: By 1942, the designers had realised that the characteristics of the Spitfire's wing at high Mach numbers might become a limiting factor in further increasing the aircraft's high-speed performance. As a result, work commenced on the Spiteful and Seafang, which were designed to be successors of the Spitfire and Seafire, respectively. However, with the advent of jet propulsion, the future of high-performance fighters was clearly with the jet fighter, so only a small number were built.


title: Supermarine

text: Following the end of the war with no further need for dispersal of production the Itchen works was rebuilt but not the Woolston works. The manufacturing facilities were split into the Southern (Chilbolton, Eastleigh, Hursley and Itchen) under Leonard Gooch and Northern (South Marston and Trowbridge) under Stuart Lefevre.


title: Supermarine

text: With little demand for flying boats and lacking expertise in large multi-engined aircraft Supermarine concentrated on jet fighters, building the Royal Navy's first jet fighter, the Attacker. To expedite its development Smith used the wings of Spiteful mated to a new fuselage housing a Nene engine. It served front line squadrons aboard aircraft carriers and RNVR squadrons at shore bases. The Attacker was followed by the more advanced Swift which served in the fighter and photo-reconnaissance roles.


title: Supermarine

text: The last aircraft to bear the Supermarine name was the Scimitar, the final examples of which were delivered in 1957.


title: Supermarine

text: In the late 1950s Supermarine became engaged in non-aviation related work ranging from film equipment to hovercraft (from 1961). The Vickers-Armstrongs VA-3 hovercraft which was constructed in the reconstructed Itchen works.


title: Supermarine

text: In the consolidation of British aircraft manufacturing in the late 1950s, Vickers-Armstrongs (Aircraft) became a part of the British Aircraft Corporation in 1960 and the individual manufacturing heritage names were lost.


title: Supermarine

text: A separate Supermarine design office continued to exist at Weybridge until 1957 when many staff were absorbed into the main Vickers-Armstrongs organisation or relocated to the new Supermarine headquarters at South Marston in Wiltshire. In response to government specification GOR.339, Vickers-Armstrongs whose design team largely consisted of ex-Supermarine engineers (based in Weybridge) offered the Type 571. This design was eventually merged with that proposed by English-Electric/Short design to create the final design for the BAC TSR-2.


title: Supermarine

text: Premiering in February 2018 at NST City in Southampton Howard Brenton's play "The Shadow Factory" told the story of the impact of the air raids on the Supermarine factory in 1940.


title: Supermarine

text: The production starred David Birrell (Fred/Hugh), Catherine Cusack (Lil/Sylvia), Lorna Fitzgerald (Jackie Dimmock), Hilton McRae (Lord Beaverbrook) and Daniel York (Len Gooch).


title: Supermarine

text: The former Woolston Works is today the site of an aggregate unloading wharf and an apartment block. Only the pre-cast reinforced concrete slipway still exists - designed by noted modernist architect Oliver Bernard in 1936/37 together with the much expanded factory and Grade II Listed since 27/06/2011. A nearby memorial plaque remembers those who died during the three air raids in 1940 that targeted the Supermarine works.


title: Supermarine

text: The name was revived in 1990 by a company in Burslem called Supermarine Aero Engineering Ltd. that hand builds parts for Spitfire planes.


title: Supermarine

text: Northshore Marine Motor Yachts builds a range of motorboats under the Supermarine name in Itchenor near Chichester, England. The name is also used for Spitfire replicas made by an Australian company in Cisco, Texas.


title: Supermarine

text: Initially, the company had no system for naming projects with a structured system only coming into use just prior to the company being purchased by Vickers-Armstrongs. The new owners imposed the Vickers' system where once a new project was approved for further work a Type number was allocated. Vickers initially assigned a block of Type numbers from 178 to 190 to Supermarine.


title: Bob Rafelson

text: Robert Jay Rafelson (February 21, 1933 – July 23, 2022) was an American film director, writer, and producer. He is regarded as one of the key figures in the founding of the New Hollywood movement of the 1970s. Among his best-known films as a director include those made as part of the company he cofounded, Raybert/BBS Productions, "Five Easy Pieces" (1970) and "The King of Marvin Gardens" (1972), as well as acclaimed later films, "The Postman Always Rings Twice" (1981) and "Mountains of the Moon" (1990). Other films he produced as part of BBS include two of the most significant films of the era, "Easy Rider" (1969) and "The Last Picture Show" (1971). "Easy Rider", "Five Easy Pieces" and "The Last Picture Show" were all chosen for inclusion in the Library of Congress' National Film Registry. He was also one of the creators of the pop group and TV series "The Monkees" with BBS partner Bert Schneider. His first wife was the production designer Toby Carr Rafelson.


title: Bob Rafelson

text: Robert Jay Rafelson was born in Manhattan on February 21, 1933 to a Jewish family, the son of Marjorie (Blumenfeld) and Sydney Rafelson, a hat ribbon manufacturer. His much-older first cousin, once removed, was screenwriter and playwright Samson Raphaelson, the author of "The Jazz Singer", who wrote nine films for director Ernst Lubitsch. "Samson took an interest in my work," Rafelson told critic David Thomson. "If he liked a picture, then I was his favorite nephew. But if he didn't like it, I was a distant cousin!"


title: Bob Rafelson

text: Rafelson attended the Trinity-Pawling School, a boarding school in Pawling, New York, from which he graduated in 1950. As a teenager he would often run away from home to pursue an adventurous lifestyle, including riding in a rodeo in Arizona and playing in a jazz band in Acapulco. After studying philosophy at Dartmouth College (where he had made friends with screenwriter Buck Henry), and graduating in 1954, Rafelson was drafted into the U.S. Army and stationed in Japan. In Japan he worked as a disk jockey, translated Japanese films and was an adviser to the Shochiku Film Company as to what films would be financially successful in the United States. In an interview with critic Peter Tonguette, Rafelson said he was fascinated by the films he saw in Japan, especially those of Yasujirō Ozu, whose original approach to editing captivated him as a young man: "I'd have to watch an Ozu movie over and over again—say, "Tokyo Story"—and I was hypnotized by the stillness of his frames, his sureness of composition," he said. "So I suppose my own aesthetic evolved from looking at certain kinds of pictures—Bergman and Ozu and John Ford, if you will."


title: Bob Rafelson

text: Rafelson began dating Toby Carr in high school and they later married in the mid-1950s. The couple had two children: Peter Rafelson, born in 1960, and Julie Rafelson, born in 1962. Toby Rafelson was a production designer on many films, including her husband's "Five Easy Pieces", "The King of Marvin Gardens", and "Stay Hungry", as well as Martin Scorsese's "Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore" and Jonathan Demme's "Melvin and Howard".


title: Bob Rafelson

text: Rafelson's first professional job was as a story editor on the TV series "Play of the Week" for producer David Susskind in 1959. The series produced televised stage plays from contemporary and classical authors. Rafelson's job required him to read hundreds of plays, select which were to be produced, and write some additional dialogue uncredited. Rafelson's first writing credits were for an episode of the TV series "The Witness" in 1960 and an episode of the series "The Greatest Show on Earth" in 1963.


title: Bob Rafelson

text: In June 1962, Rafelson and his family moved to Hollywood, where he began working as an associate producer on television shows and films at Universal Pictures, Revue Productions, Desilu Productions and Screen Gems. After an argument with Lew Wasserman over creative differences on the show "Channing", culminating in Rafelson sweeping "awards, medallions, souvenir ashtrays, and other tchotchkes" from Wasserman's desk, he was fired.