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Of all aircraft regarded as anachronisms
the Fairey Swordfish torpedo-bomber
must be the supreme example,
for even back in the 1930s it
appeared archaic and cumbersome.
Stemming from an earlier design
whose prototype had crashed, the first
prototype Swordfish (the TSR.II) first
flew on 17 April 1934 and the production
Swordfish Mk I was prepared to
Specification S.38/34 with slightly
swept-back top wing; construction
was all-metal with fabric covering. By
the outbreak of war in 1939 a total of 689
aircraft had been delivered or were on order, serving with both wheel and
float landing gear aboard Royal Navy
carriers, battleships, battle-cruisers
and cruisers in the torpedo-spotter reconnaissance
role. Among the memorable
events in which the old 'Stringbag' participated was the action at Tarante
on 11 November 1940, when Swordfish
aircraft from HMS Illustrious severely
damaged three Italian battleships; the
crippling of the Bismarck in the Atlantic;
and the suicidal attack on the German
warships, Scharnhorst, Gneisenau
and Prinz Eugen during their
famous escape up the English Channel
in February 1942. Production of the
Swordfish was undertaken largely by
Blackburn, the Swordfish Mk II being
introduced with a strengthened lower
wing to allow eight rocket projectiles
to be mounted, the Swordfish Mk III
with ASV radar between the landing
legs, and the Swordfish Mk IV conversion
of the Mk II with a rudimentary
enclosed cabin. Production ended on
18 August 1944, by which time a total of
2,396 Swordfish had been completed.
| MODEL | Swordfish Mk II |
| CREW | 2-3 |
| ENGINE | 1 x Bristol Pegasus XXX, 559kW |
| WEIGHTS |
| Take-off weight | 3406 kg | 7509 lb |
| Empty weight | 2132 kg | 4700 lb |
| DIMENSIONS |
| Wingspan | 13.87 m | 45 ft 6 in |
| Length | 10.87 m | 35 ft 8 in |
| Height | 3.76 m | 12 ft 4 in |
| Wing area | 56.39 m2 | 606.98 sq ft |
| PERFORMANCE |
| Max. speed | 222 km/h | 138 mph |
| Cruise speed | 193 km/h | 120 mph |
| Ceiling | 3260 m | 10700 ft |
| Range | 1658 km | 1030 miles |
| ARMAMENT | 2 x 7.7mm machine-guns, 1 x 730kg torpedo or 680kg of bombs |
 | A three-view drawing (670 x 596) |
| susan beese, SUSANNICHOLS09(@)BTINTERNET.COM, 17.07.2008 my father roy nichols (bristol) was a tag on the old swordfish,always
called it the string bag,he told us of lifting a plate for protection (i assume.)does this make any sence to you he would have served from about 1942 onwards
after seeing the swordfih at rnas yeovilton mueseum we could not see a plate that would have droped down could you shed some light for us please
many thanks sue (daughter) | | Lee M Ward, leeward(@)firenet.uk.net, 26.04.2007 Cruising speed was 85knots. The Swordfish was the most efficient (at its job) combat aircraft I flew during WW2. It was also the most delightful. It flew like a bird. It leaped off the ground at take-off, carried a huge load, responded to the controls quickly and smoothly, and landed on a carrier gently. Why they ever tried to replace it I can't imagine - Taranto alone, justified every penny spent on it. They never produced anything better.
Where do the publishers get their speed information from? All the figures are rubbish; certainly fictitious! | | Kelli Holmes, kmech62(@)yahoo.com, 04.03.2007 I am currently the only female in the world doing the fabric restoration on a Swordfish for static display. I feel so privileged to be doing this work on such an incredible piece of history. I am in awe of the size of this aircraft and find it hard to grasp that it could ever possibly fly. |
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