2194days

Aircraft · United Kingdom · 1940-1942

Fairey Swordfish

torpedo bomber

An obsolete-looking biplane nicknamed the 'Stringbag', the Swordfish flew off HMS Illustrious to cripple three Italian battleships at anchor in Taranto harbour in November 1940, a night that shifted the balance of naval power in the Mediterranean and was studied by Japanese planners before Pearl Harbor. Malta-based Swordfish went on to sink Axis supply ships bound for Libya throughout the siege.

Wikipedia

crew2-3
armament1x torpedo or up to 1,500lb bombs, 1-2 machine guns
speed138 mph
producedapprox. 2,391

Mediterranean and North Africa, Battle of the Atlantic

RNHF Swordfish 'LS326' taken at Shoreham Airshow 2013
RNHF Swordfish 'LS326' taken at Shoreham Airshow 2013John5199 · CC BY 2.0 · source
A Fairey Swordfish being hoisted aboard HMS MALAYA, October 1941. After a reconnaissance flight, a Fairey Swordfish sea plane returns to HMS MALAYA and is hoisted in board.
A Fairey Swordfish being hoisted aboard HMS MALAYA, October 1941. After a reconnaissance flight, a Fairey Swordfish sea plane returns to HMS MALAYA and is hoisted in board.Claude Henry Parnall · Public domain · source
A Fairey Swordfish in Flight Close-up of a Fairey Swordfish Mark II, HS 545 'B', in flight as seen through the struts of another aircraft, probably while serving with No 824 Squadron, Fleet Air Arm, 1943-1944.
A Fairey Swordfish in Flight Close-up of a Fairey Swordfish Mark II, HS 545 'B', in flight as seen through the struts of another aircraft, probably while serving with No 824 Squadron, Fleet Air Arm, 1943-1944.British official photographer · Public domain · source

Used in