Fokker T.II

T.II

Role	Torpedo bomber
National origin	Netherlands
Manufacturer	Fokker-Flugzeugwerke
First flight	1921
Introduction	1922
Retired	ca. 1926
Primary user	US Navy
Number built	3

The Fokker T.II or T.2 was a single engine floatplane designed in the Netherlands in the early 1920s as a torpedo bomber. Three were bought by the US Navy who tested them against other aircraft from the US and the UK. The T.IIs did not win further production orders but remained in service for several years.

Design and development

Fokker's T-designation included both bombers and torpedo bombers; the T.II was the first of this series, as the T.I was an unbuilt project. Three were ordered by the US Navy early in 1921 and completed towards the end of that year. Air power enthusiast General Billy Mitchell visited the Fokker works at Veere in early 1922. General Clayton Bissell, traveling with him, was encouraged by Fokker to fly the T.II. He reported it unresponsive to the controls; Fokker responded by having about a meter of the rear fuselage cut out and the structure re-welded, which cured the problem. The three T.IIs were delivered to the US later in 1922, where they were given the designation FT-1 (Fokker torpedo).^[1]

The T.II was a cantilever low wing monoplane with straight tapered, square tipped wings. Overhung ailerons were used. The fuselage was flat topped and sided and deep from tail to nose, where a 400 hp (300 kW) Liberty 12A water-cooled V-12 engine drove a two blade propeller. The two crew sat in tandem, separate, open round cockpits over the wing. The tailplane was mounted on top of the fuselage; together, it and the elevators were, like the wings, straight tapered in plan and square tipped. The fin and rudder were quite short but the latter extended to the deep keel. The T.II's twin float undercarriage was about 70% of the aircraft's length, projecting well forward of the nose. The floats were mounted on the fuselage by N-struts, two pairs, with diagonal transverse bracing between them, on each float. There were no transverse interfloat struts, as required by the torpedo dropping role.^[1]

The T.II's defensive armament was a single machine gun in the rear cockpit. Its offensive torpedo was mounted externally on the fuselage between the floats.^[1]

Operational history

The US Navy conducted comparative tests of several types at their Anacostia base. The competitors in addition to the Fokker were the US Curtiss CT-1, Douglas DT-1, Stout ST-1 and the UK Blackburn Swift F. The Douglas machine won the production order and the Fokkers went into service at the Naval Air Station, Hampton Roads, remaining there until about 1926.^[1]

Variants

T.II: Company designation of the torpedo bomber evaluated by the US Navy as the Fokker FT
FT-1: The US Navy's designation for the T.II as delivered.
FT-2: The third aircraft modified by the US Navy.

Operators

USA

US Navy

Specifications

Data from Wesselink 1982^[1]

General characteristics

Crew: Two
Length: 15.56 m (51 ft 1 in)
Wingspan: 19.83 m (65 ft 1 in)
Gross weight: 3,314 kg (7,306 lb)
Powerplant: 1 × Liberty 12A water-cooled V-12 engine, 300 kW (400 hp)
Propellers: 2-bladed

Performance

Maximum speed: 167 km/h (104 mph; 90 kn)

Armament

Machine gun in rear cockpit
Torpedo

References

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Fokker T.II.

1 2 3 4 5 Wesselink, Theo; Postma, Thijs (1982). De Nederlandse vliegtuigen. Haarlem: Romem. p. 24. ISBN 90 228 3792 0.

Aircraft produced by Fokker

Company designations
pre-1918

M.1 M.2 M.3 M.4 M.5 M.6 M.7 M.8 M.9 M.10 M.14 M.15 M.16 M.17 M.18 M.19 M.21 M.22

V.1 V.2 V.3 V.4 V.5 V.6 V.7 V.8 V.9 V.10 V.11 V.12 V.13 V.14 V.16 V.17 V.18 V.20 V.21 V.22 V.23 V.24 V.25 V.26 V.27 V.28 V.29 V.30 V.31 V.33 V.34 V.35 V.36 V.37 V.38 V.39 V.40 V.41 V.43 V.45

Austro-Hungarian
military designations

German military
designations

A.I A.II A.III

C.I

D.I D.II D.III D.IV D.V D.VI D.VII D.VIII

Dr.I

E.I E.II E.III E.IV E.V

F.I

K.I

Company designations
post-1918

continuing
German military
designations:

B.I B.II B.IIII B.IV B.V

C.II C.III C.IV C.V C.VI C.VII C.VIII C.IX C.X C.XI C.XIV C.XV

D.IX D.X D.XI D.XII D.XIII D.XIV D.XVI D.XVII D.XXI D.XXIII

DC.I

F.II F.III F.IV F.V F.VI F.VII F.VIII F.IX F.X F.XI F.XII F.XIV F.XVIII F.XX F.XXII F.XXIV F.25 F26 F27 F28 F.29

FG.I FG.II FG.III FG.IV

G.I

S.I S.II S.III S.IV S.IX S-11 S-12 S-13 S-14

T.II T.III T.IV T.V T.VIII T.IX

based on
seating:

Fokker America

United States
military designations

Observation:	AO-1 CO-4 XO-27

Transports:	T-2 C-2 C-5 C-7 C-14 C-15 C-16 C-20 C-31 RA

Bombers:	XLB-2 XB-8 FT-1 FT-2

Attack:	XA-7

Fighters:	PW-5 PW-6 PW-7

Ambulance:	A-2

Trainer:	TW-4

USN/USMC torpedo aircraft designations pre-1962

Torpedo

Boeing	TB

Curtiss	CT

Douglas	DT T2D T3D

Detroit	TE

Atlantic	FT

Great Lakes	TG

Martin	TM T2M T3M T4M T5M T6M

Naval Aircraft Factory	TN T2N

Stout	ST

Blackburn	BST

Torpedo Bomber

Douglas	TBD TB2D

Grumman	TBF TB2F TB3F

Great Lakes	TBG

General Motors	TBM

Vought	TBU

Vultee	TBV

Consolidated	TBY

Torpedo Scout

Grumman	TSF

Patrol Torpedo Bomber

Hall	PTBH

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