09/30/2011. Remarks by Johan Visschedijk: "Despite its close family resemblance to the Fury, the Nimrod single-seat shipboard fighter was not a variant of the land-based warplane, the lineal development of the two aircraft having been entirely separate. Owing much to the Hoopoe, the Nimrod was of similar fabric covered all-metal construction to the Fury; it was powered by a 477 hp Rolls-Royce Kestrel II MS engine.

After Specification 16/30 had been drafted around the Hawker proposal, the pictured prototype was first flown by company test pilot P.E.G. Sayer on September 20, 1931. In November the aircraft was shipped to Japan by aircraft carrier, where it was demonstrated by Flight Lieutenant P.G. Lucas. It returned in the UK in February 1932 and was delivered to Martlesham Heath for performance and handling trials, while in April it accomplished deck landing trials on the HMS Eagle, clearing the Nimrod for service, that commenced in June 1932.

Nimrod Mk.I in markings of the Fleet Air Arm

The first Nimrod Mk.I built against an initial production order for 35 aircraft for the Fleet Air Arm was flown on October 14, 1931. All Nimrods had provision for interchangeable wheel and float landing gears, and the second production aircraft was fitted with twin floats for trials at Felixstowe. A total of 57 Nimrod Mk.Is was Built.

The Nimrod Mk.Is were followed by 28 Nimrod Mk.IIs, these standardizing on the 608 hp Kestrel V engine, 3° of wing sweepback and enlarged tail planes. Three had stainless rather than conventional steel structures. A single evaluation example of the Nimrod Mk.II was supplied to each of Japan and Portugal.

Danish Nimrod (171) (Mark Crowson Collection)

Two Nimrod were exported to Denmark, though powered by 535 hp Kestrel IIIS engines, these were essentially Nimrod Mk.Is. Serialed 170 and 171, these were pattern aircraft for a license-production by the Orlogsvaerftet (naval dockyard). 170, fitted with wheel fairings, was first flown at Brooklands on November 25, 1933, and was followed by 171, without fairings, on December 8; they were delivered to the Danish Naval Air Service in January 1934. Between 1934 and 1936 Orlogsværftet built ten additional Nimrods (serialed 172 to 181), there were eight left when Denmark was occupied by the German forces in April 1940. Thereafter they were not flown, and all destroyed by sabotage at Orlogsverftet in 1943."