Fairey Swordfish

Specifications:

Speed – 143 mph with torpedo at 7,580 lb (230 km/h, 124 knots) at 5,000 ft (1,450 m)
Range – 522 mi (840 km, 455 nmi) normal fuel, carrying torpedo
Ceiling – 16,500 ft at 7,580 lb (5,030 m)
Climb rate – 870 ft/min (4.42 m/s) at sea level at 7,580 lb. (690 ft/min (3.5 m/s) at 5000 ft (1,524 m) at 7,580 lb)
Length – 35 ft 8 in (10.87 m)
Wingspan – 45 ft 6 in (13.87 m)
Wing area – 607 ft² (56.4 m²)
Height – 12 ft 4 in (3.76 m)
Engine – 1 × Bristol Pegasus IIIM.3 radial engine, 690 hp (510 kW)
Guns – 1 × fixed, forward-firing .303 in (7.7 mm) Vickers machine gun in upper right fuselage, breech in cockpit, firing over engine cowling; 1 × .303 in (7.7 mm) Lewis or Vickers K machine gun in rear cockpit
Bombs – 1 × 1,670 lb (760 kg) torpedo or 1,500 lb (700 kg) mine under fuselage or 1,500 lb total bombs under fuselage and wings.

The design dated back to the early thirties when the British Air Ministry issued specification S.9/30 for a “fleet spotter reconnaissance aircraft”. The Fairey Aviation Company submitted a privately financed design. Later design improvements led to the designation “Torpedo spotter reconnaissance”.

The Fairey Swordfish was a large, slow biplane with a low wing loading, ideal for actions off carrier decks. The structure was largely metal, covered with fabric. The first machine was powered by a Bristol Pegasus IIM air-cooled, nine cylinder radial, developing 635 hp. These were severely underpowered. The next, much improved, prototype used a Pegasus IIIM3 with 775 hp. First flown in 1934, this aircraft exceeded the governments demands, so an order was placed for the first 86 production examples in 1935. The first deliveries were made in the following year, further orders continuing well after the beginning of the war.

The three seater airplane could easily lift off a carrier deck with a standard 18 inch 1,610 lb. torpedo slung between the wheels under the fuselage. It’s ungainly looks gave it the nickname “Stringbag”, after a type of shopping bag used to carry all manner of things by old English ladies.

In spite of it’s seeming lack of sophistication, the Swordfish was to prove excellent in its intended role. Although highly vulnerable to attack by fighter planes, it’s low speed and stable stance made it easy to line up for a torpedo attack, coming in from abeam of a hostile vessel, while staying below the level the enemy ships could fire their guns. It’s slow flying speed made landings much safer on carriers…..into the wind, the closing speed could be as little as 30 knots.

Because they were helpless against fighters, these airplanes were usually only operated far out sea, where land based opposition could not reach. Swordfish based at Malta were operated at night and were all but invulnerable to the opposition. Starting in 1940, squadrons of Swordfish stationed here had sunk more than a million and a half tons of enemy shipping….a record never to be equaled. Maintenance was a breeze on such a simple design.

Combat of the type
Swordfish were used tentatively for escort duty at the very beginning, until they had a chance to prove themselves. This soon came to pass, when a floatplane version, flown by W.M.L. Brown off the HMS WARSPITE was used to spot for the guns of that ship, resulting in the destruction of seven German destroyers. (Brown dealt the finishing blow to one of these with a bomb from his aircraft). Shortly afterwards, the same pilot executed the first dive bombing attack by the Fleet Air Arm, resulting in the sinking of a U-boat.

The Swordfish became legend when they made naval history at TARANTO, Italy. The modern Italian fleet was anchored here on the night of November 11, 1940. That evening, two strike forces of twelve aircraft each, were launched from the aircraft carrier HMS ILLUSTRIOUS. Under a full moon, with total tactical surprise, they evaded heavy fire and barrage balloons around the port, came in low and sank one battleship and crippled two others. A heavy cruiser and a destroyer were also severely damaged. This strike reduced Italian naval power by half, for a loss of only two Swordfish (one crew).

The Japanese envoy in Italy took a great interest in this attack, studying its execution carefully. The Taranto raid, by proving the vulnerability of closely moored ships to aerial attack from aircraft carriers, showed the way to the future of air power. He was shortly recalled to Tokyo and was instrumental in planning the attack on Pearl Harbor against the Americans. This, of course, had an immense effect on world events and the course of the war.

The other fabled exploit by Swordfish involves their part in the sinking of the famous BISMARCK. After a long cat-and-mouse sea chase by the Royal Navy, it was two torpedo hits from Swordfish of 818 Squadron, operating off the carrier HMS ARK ROYAL, that finally succeeeded in damaging the steering and crippling the German ship. This allowed other fleet ships to catch and destroy her with gunfire and surface torpedoes. Swordfish assembled in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia were used on merchant ships with hastlly added flight decks to guard convoys in the Atlantic. These were known as MERCHANT AIRCRAFT CARRIERS or MAC ships, for short.

Special Canadian closed cockpit versions were used throughout the war in Naval Air Gunner and torpedo training out of Yarmouth, Nova Scotia. They were even used by Canada briefly after the war, until being replaced by Fairey Fireflies and Supermarine Seafires. (the navalized Spitfire)

A total of 2, 396 Swordfish were built. After being withdrawn from service, seven were bought as scrap for $50 each by ERNIE SIMMONS, an eccentric Tillsonburg collector. There they languished, severely deteriorating, exposed to the elements, until Mr. Simmons death in 1970. One of these aircraft was purchased at auction by Bob Spence, of Muirkirk, Ontario. Mr. Spence undertook the huge task of a private restoration and finally, in 1992, the aircraft was flown again. It is now a much loved fixture on the airshow circuit, and is one of only two flying examples in the world. The other is in Britain.
History - Fairery Swordfish II LS326

LS326 was built as a Swordfish II (Blackfish) by Blackburn and delivered to the Royal Navy at Donibristle, Scotland, on the 17th August 1943. In the following October LS326 was allocated to 836 NAS (Navy Air Squadron) based at Maydown, Northern Ireland. While with 836 Squadron LS326 flew anti-submarine sorties protecting the trans-Atlantic convoys, first with “L Flight” embarked on the oil tanker MV Rapana (MAC ship) and from February 1944 with “K Flight” operating from the grain ship MV Empire MacCallum (MAC ship).

On retirements from front-line duties LS326 finished the WW2 on training and communication duties at Royal Naval Air Station Culham, Oxfordshire, then at Worthy Down, Hampshire. Purchased by the Fairey Aviation Company in 1945 and registered as G-AJVH LS326 was placed into storage at White Waltham Airfield, the home of West London London Aero Club, later in the year.

Restored in 1955, LS326 continued to fly from White Waltham Airfield. In 1959 LS326 was repainted as aircraft “5A” from 825 NAS to play a starring role in the 1960 black-and-white British war film “Sink the Bismarck!” starring Kenneth More. Presented to the Royal Navy by the Westland Aircraft Company in September 1960, LS326 kept the ‘5A’ identity and colour scheme until 1986. Re-covered at Booker Airfield in 1987 and re-painted in the 836 NAS “MV Rapana” colours and markings.

In the late 1990’s LS326 was named the “City of Liverpool” in recognition of the part played by the people of Liverpool in the Battle of the Atlantic. Grounded in early 2000 due to corrosion in the wing spars but following extensive work by BAE Systems at Brough LS326 resumed flying again in July 2008. LS326 is owned by the Royal Navy Historic Flight which i

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