I suspect that Shorts used the Sunderland wing
Only recently seen that statement made as if it were fact. Think in a copy of "Aeroplane" magazine. Of course, many facts turn out to be myths.
Edited to add: The following link states, "The wing span was limited by the Air Ministry to 100ft.—from considerations of hangar space, one presumes—and the fuselage dimensions were largely determined by the size of packing case needed."
Also: "In the primary structure of the Stirling one finds obvious evidence of its flying boat ancestry. The wings are almost identical, so far as the type of design is concerned, with those of the Empire and Sunderland boats. The fuselage, apart from the fact that it has, of course, no step, shows a form of construction very similar to that of the boat hulls."
http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchi...0-%200248.html
Comparisons of wing spans would seem to suggest there may well be something to an Air Ministry stipulation of wing span fitting in the 112 foot hangar. The Lancaster is a fraction over the 100 feet, but remember its wing was increased in span from the Manchester (90 feet 1 inch span).
