The Short Gurnard was a single-engined two-seat biplane naval fighter, built in the United Kingdom to an Air Ministry specification in 1929.

The specification sought a Fairey Flycatcher replacement, an aircraft that would spend much time in fleet spotter and reconnaissance roles, though without the third crew member the navy usually thought necessary for the latter task; but it also was to have the speed and rate of climb to catch bombers.

[1] As a result of the Air Ministry comments, the fuselage of the Gurnard was quite different from Shorts recent series of single-engined monocoques.

The two separate open cockpits were very close together, the pilot sitting in front just under a visibility cut-out in the trailing edge of the upper wing, raised up for a better view over the nose.

Accordingly, the Gurnard II had a smooth and pointed cowling, with a drum-shaped radiator between the undercarriage legs, whilst the radial engine had a narrow chord Townend ring, with the rear part of its cylinders visible from the side.

[1] The wheeled undercarriage was a simple single-axle arrangement, with oleo legs forward to the engine bulkhead and rearward bracing struts to the root of the rear wing spar.

[1] The Gurnard II, fitted with floats, was the first to fly, taking off from the Medway off Shorts' Rochester factory on 16 April 1929.

By early June both aircraft were at RAF Martlesham Heath for evaluation against the specification, though they both returned briefly to Shorts for some modifications.

The wheels were on stubs offset from the axle, so that in one position they were lifted above the water, but rotated through 180° from the pilot's cockpit they reached the ground.

In October the float was modified, and later that month six flights were made between Lympne airfield (land) and the Medway (water) in a total of 90 minutes.