Fairey Swordfish
| Swordfish | |
|---|---|
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| Swordfish number LS326 in flight in 2012 | |
| Role | Torpedo-bomber |
| Manufacturer | Fairey Aviation |
| First flight | 17 April 1934 |
| Introduction | 1936 |
| Retired | 21 May 1945 |
| Primary users |
Royal Navy Royal Air Force Royal Canadian Air Force Royal Netherlands Navy |
| Produced | 1936–1944 |
| Number built | 2,391 (692 by Fairey and 1,699 by Blackburn) |
The Fairey Swordfish was a biplane torpedo bomber designed by the Fairey Aviation Company. Originating in the early 1930s, the Swordfish, nicknamed "Stringbag", was operated by the Fleet Air Arm of the Royal Navy, in addition to having been equipped by the Royal Air Force (RAF) alongside multiple overseas operators, including the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) and the Royal Netherlands Navy. It was initially operated primarily as a fleet attack aircraft; during its later years, the Swordfish became increasingly used as an anti-submarine and training platform. The type was in frontline service throughout the entirety of the Second World War, but it was already considered obsolescent at the outbreak of the conflict in 1939.
Nonetheless, the Swordfish achieved some spectacular successes during the war; notable events included a flight of the type sinking one battleship and damaging two others of the Regia Marina (the Italian Navy) during the Battle of Taranto, and the famous crippling of the Bismarck, which contributed to her eventual demise. By the end of the war, the Swordfish held the distinction of having caused the destruction of a greater tonnage of Axis shipping than any other Allied Aircraft. The Swordfish remained in front-line service until V-E Day, having outlived multiple aircraft that had been intended to replace it in service.
In 1933, Fairey, having established a proven track record in the design and construction of naval aircraft, commenced development upon an entirely new three-seat naval aircraft intended for the twin roles of aerial reconnaissance and torpedo bomber. Receiving the internal designation of T.S.R. I, standing for Torpedo-Spotter-Reconnaissance I, the proposed design adopted a biplane configuration and a single 645 hp Bristol Pegasus IIM radial engine as its powerplant. The company chose to initially pursue development of the project as a self-financed private venture while both customers and applicable requirements for the type were sought. Development of the T.S.R. I was in parallel to Fairey's activities upon Air Ministry Specification S.9/30, for which the company was at one point developing a separate but broadly similar aircraft, powered by a Rolls-Royce Kestrel engine instead as well as employing a differing fin and rudder configuration.
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