Shrimp

‘Shrimp’ was a small experimental floatplane built by the British aerospace firm Saunders‑Roe in the late 1940s as part of a post‑war program to explore lightweight marine aircraft concepts. The prototype, registration G‑AGIX, first flew on 22 April 1949 from the Isle of Wight’s Bembridge airfield. Powered by a single de‑rated 65‑hp Blackburn Cirrus Minor engine driving a two‑bladed wooden propeller, the Shrimp featured a compact, all‑metal monocoque fuselage, folding high‑mounted wings and a pair of retractable aluminium floats that could be lowered for water operation or retracted for land‑based taxiing. Its design emphasized simplicity, low weight (just 540 lb empty) and short‑take‑off capability, allowing it to become airborne within 250 ft on a calm sea. Although only one airframe was ever constructed, the Shrimp provided valuable data on hull‑float integration, control surface articulation at low speeds, and the feasibility of light amphibious trainers for naval auxiliary services. The lessons learned informed later Saunders‑Roe projects such as the P.172 Jetstream and contributed to the broader post‑war revival of British seaplane development, marking the Shrimp as a modest yet pivotal stepping stone in amphibious aviation history.