From late 1942, six RAF Sunderland IIIs were stripped of their armament and fitted with bench-type seats, gaining civil markings and registrations and joining the airline BOAC. Six more Sunderlands were converted for transport use in 1943, with a further 12 following in 1944. Following the end of the Second World War, BOAC converted its Sunderlands to a less-austere standard, more suitable for peace-time operations, and known as the "Hythe". The primitive bench seats were removed, with seats fitted for sixteen passengers on one deck in the initial H.1 configuration, with the addition of a promenade deck giving the H.2 configuration, while the H.3 layout had an additional eight seats. of mail could be carried. Engines were standardised as the Bristol Pegasus 38.