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Fairey Swordfishdi Cristiano D'Adamo and Sebastiano Tringali |
Narrative |
| The Fairey Swordfish was privately produced by the British Company Fairey
Aviation with the expectation of selling the aircraft to the R.A.F. The first prototype
flew on March 21st, 1933 and was designated TRS I. The acronym stood for
Torpedo Spotter Reconnaissance and the only aircraft made was lost in an accident. Despite
this accident, interest in the aircraft prompted the construction of TSR II, which first
flew on April 17th, 1934. The original prototypes were not too different from
the final production model and a third one even spotted floats. The Royal Navy conducted catapult tests from the H.M.S. Repulse, and in 1935 the aircraft was officially accepted for operational use and named "Swordfish". Soon after, 692 aircrafts followed the original order for 89, and part of the manufacturing was outsourced to the Blackburn Company. The Swordfish Mk I was equipped with a Bristol Pegasus IIM.3 engine
capable of producing 690 HP. Later models denominated MK.II were upgraded with a new and
more powerful Pegasus engine. The aircraft could be equipped with a single 730-kg torpedo,
or a 700-kg mine. Other configurations included three 500-kg bombs, six 250-kg bombs or a
mix of depth charges and flares. |
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| The plane was born obsolete, mostly due to its design, but performed
splendidly. It lacked speed but was able to absorb extensive damage without losing the
ability to fly. It had a crew of three, but during the raid on Taranto one of the
crewmembers was replaced with an additional fuel tank. Conditions aboard, especially
during long flights, were atrocious. The plane was cramped and offered little shelter from
the weather. Swordfish were organized in squadrons. The Ark Royal carried Sq. 810, 814, 820 and 821, the Courageous Sq. 811 and 822, the Eagle Sq. 813 and 824, the Furious Sq. 816 and 818, and finally the Glorious with Sq. 823 and 825. Additional planes were mounted on catapults and assigned to Sq. 701 and 702. The Swordfish earned its place in history by participating in three historic naval battles: the Second Battle of Narvik (where it spotted German destroyers), the hunt for the Bismarck, and the famous Raid on Taranto. The plane is also credited with the first recorded destruction of a submarine (U-64) by an airplane during World War II. Also it was a Swordfish, which crippled the Italian cruiser Pola bringing about the famous Battle of Matapan. |
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| Model | Fairey Swordfish |
| Engine | Bristol Pegasus III |
| Total HP | 690 |
| Wing Span | 13.50 m (45') |
| Lenght | 10.80 m (36') |
| Hight | |
| Wing area | |
| Weight | 2,360 kg (5,200lbs) |
| Max Weight | 3,9500 kg (8,700lbs) |
| Speed | 190 km/h (120 mph) |
| Range | 880 km (550 miles) |
| Max Elevation | 3,500 m(10,500') |
| Armament | 1 Browning, 1 Wickers or Lewis |
| Crew | 3 |
| Total Built |
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