Fairey Swordfish II of the Canada Aviation Museum in Ottawa.
(Photographer unknown. Please contact us if you deserve credit.)

History: When British naval intelligence determined that a large number of Italian warships lay at anchor in Taranto harbor in November 1940, an attack was organized, to be carried out by 21 single-engine carrier-based biplanes. The operation was a huge success -- three battleships were severely damaged, a cruiser and two destroyers were hit, and two other vessels were sunk. In the space of one hour the balance of naval power in the Mediterranean had been altered forever.

The unlikely cause of this destruction was one of the warplane legends of World War Two, the Fairey Swordfish Mk.1, first flown on 17 April 1934. It was a three-man torpedo-bomber and reconnaissance biplane with a basic structure of fabric-covered metal. The wings folded for storage on the crowded deck of an aircraft carrier. Armament included one forward-firing Vickers machine gun and one swiveling Vickers in the rear cockpit. Primary offensive power took the form of depth charges, mines, bombs or, especially, a torpedo.

Unfortunately, this outstanding plane was too slow to withstand the punishment of German anti-aircraft fire. Long, accurate approaches to the target made the Swordfish very vulnerable when delivering its torpedo. Thus came re-deployment in an anti-submarine warfare role, using depth charges and, later, rockets.

As with many wartime aircraft, Swordfish were produced by more than one manufacturer. Well over half (almost 1700) were built by the Blackburn company in Sherburn in Elmet, UK.

The Mk II model was introduced in 1943, and featured strengthened and metal-skinned lower wings to allow the firing of rockets from underneath. Later that year, the Mk III appeared, which featured a large ASV anti-submarine radar unit mounted between the landing gear legs which allowed detection of submarines up to 40 km away. For operation over the cold waters of Canada, the Swordfish Mk IV was fitted with an enclosed cabin.

When production ended in 1944, the Swordfish had had been introduced into a full range of duties for the fleet: Torpedo-bomber, minelayer, convoy escort, anti-submarine warfare (ASW) aircraft and training craft. Today, two Swordfish are airworthy -- one in Britain and one in Canada.

Nicknames: Stringbag; Blackfish (Blackburn-built Swordfish)

Specifications (Swordfish Mk II):
        Engine: One 750-hp Bristol Pegasus XXX 9-cylinder radial piston engine
        Weight: Empty 4,700 lbs., Max Takeoff 7,510 lbs.
        Wing Span: 45ft. 6in.
        Length: 35ft. 8in.
        Height: 12ft. 4in.
        Performance:
            Maximum Speed: 138 mph
            Ceiling: 10,700 ft.
            Range: 1,030 miles
        Armament: Two 7.7-mm (0.303-inch) Vickers machine guns (one forward-firing and one one in a Fairey High-Speed Mounting in rear cockpit); plus one 1,600-pound torpedo, or 1,500 pounds of depth charges, bombs or mines; or up to eight rockets on underwing racks.

Number Built: 2,391

Number Still Airworthy: Two

Links:
Aircraft Research Center -- Swordfish Walkaround
Canada Aviation Museum Swordfish page
Fighting the U-Boats: The Fairey Swordfish
Fly Navy Heritage -- Swordfish Page
Greg Goebel's Fairey Swordfish History
Swordfish Heritage Trust, Yeovilton, UK

[Back to Warbird Alley's Main Page]

All text and photos Copyright 2016, The Doublestar Group, unless otherwise noted.
You may use this page for your own, non-commercial reference purposes only.