Fairey Swordfish
Type: Torpedo carrier of the Royal Navy.
History: One of the great combat aircraft of history, the well-loved Fairey Swordfish looked archaic even when new, yet outlasted the aircraft intended to replace it and served valiantly and successfully from countless carriers and rough airstrips from start to finish of WW2.
Designed to Specification S.38/34, it derived from an earlier prototype which got into an uncontrollable spin. Designated TSR.II the revised aircraft had a longer, spin-proof body, necessitating sweeping back the upper wing slightly. All-metal, with fabric covering, pre-war Fairey Swordfish were often twin-float seaplanes, these usually serving in the three-seat spotter role. Most however, equipped the Fleet Air Arm's 13 land plane torpedo squadrons and during World War II a further 13 were formed.
Probably taken in early 1942, this picture shows Fairey Swordfish huddled on the constricted deck of an escort carrier.
Stories of this amazingly willing aircraft are legion. One aircraft made twelve minelaying sorties in 24 hours. Another torpedoed an enemy ship in a round trip taking ten hours. A handful based in Malta sank an average of 50,000 tons of enemy vessels (most very heavily armed with flak) every month in 1941-1943.
The highlight of the Swordfish's career was the attack on the Italian naval base of Taranto, on 10-11 November 1940, when two Swordfish were lost in exchange for the destruction or damaging of three battleships, a cruiser, two destroyers and other warships.
A torpedo of a Fairey Swordfish hit the stern and seriously damaged the steering gear of the battleship Bismarck in May, 1941. Both rudders were jammed and she was sunken later by HMS King George V and HMS Rodney.
The Fairey Swordfish Mk II had metal-skinned lower wings for rocketfiring, the Mk III had radar and the Mk IV an enclosed cockpit.
From 1940 all production and development was handled by Blackburn, which built 1,699 of the 2,391 delivered.
Users: Great Britain (Royal Navy).
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No combat aircraft of World War II left a greater legacy of willing work. These paint-flaking Mk IIs, built by Blackburn, were on duty in 1944.
Fairey Swordfish Mk II |
| Type |
Torpedo carrier |
| Power plant |
one 750 hp Bristol Pegasus IIIM3 nine-cylinder radial engine
|
| Accommodation |
2 |
| Wing span |
45 ft 6 in |
| Length overall |
35 ft 8 in |
| Height overall |
12 ft 4 in |
| Weight empty |
4,700 lb |
| Weight loaded |
7,510 lb |
| Maximum speed |
138 mph |
| Initial climb |
1,220 ft/min |
| Service ceiling |
19,250 ft |
| Range |
546 miles
(with full ordnance) |
| Armament |
One fixed 0.303in Vickers, one manually aimed 0.303in Browning or Vickers K machine-gun in rear cockpit
|
crutch for 18in torpedo (1,610 lb) or 1,500 lb mine or 1,500 lb bombs. Underwing racks for eight 60 lb rockets. |
| First flight (TSR.II) |
17 April 1934 |
| Production delivery (Mk I) |
December 1935 |
| Service delivery (Mk I) |
February 1936 |
Final delivery (Mk IV) |
June 1944 |
| Total production figure |
Total: 2,391 |
3d model Fairey Swordfish
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