Saunders-Roe Flying Boat Projects
1857801792, T.Buttler, Br. Secret Projects - Fighters & Bombers, 1935-50, Midland/Ian Allan, 1950, P.144. 0851302203, K.J.Meekcoms/E.B.Morgan, The Br. A/c Specs. File, Air-Britain,1994, P.373.
sw: You are quite right that Catalina gave remarkable endurance. Size, however, seemed important to RAF, so Short/Saro S.35 Shetland was funded in 11/1940, becoming the largest UK beast when flown in 1944. Evidently useless, scheming its replacement began in 1944. When funded 5/1946 as SR.45 the customer, MoS, had Requirements from both BSAAC (3 ordered to MoS Spec. 10/46; 4 added 1948 for BOAC) and RAF Coastal Command (Spec. R.36/46 as Saro P.104, amended to R.2/48, Saro P.162) for a prospective need for 80. That continued to provide "research" funding to Saro until 1955.