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.
Fairey Swordfish on YOUTUBE
Specification
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
46 ft 6 in
Length
10.87 m
36 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
As a young NAM(A /E)Naval Air mechanic (airframes and engines)stationed at "Heron Flight" RNAS Yeovilton 1967-68 I was selected to join a small crew of four to rebuild the Pegasus radial engine and prepare the old "Fairey Swordfish " laying in the corner of the hanger.The crew consisted of "HMS HERON"s Test Pilot, a LT CDR (I only knew him as "Sir" of course)though he was very friendly and an engineer,CPO (A /E)McCaffrey, LAM (A /E)Steve Redwing and myself.Sir would come and go in between test flights on Sea Vixens,Venoms,Hunters and almost anything else that came into Yeovilton and needed repair and test prior to leaving;He would take away parts for repair and assist on rebuild.CPO McCaffrey was the Co-ordinator and kept the A700 log book up together as well as hands on work. Steve Redwing and I did all the basic mechanics with Steve being more qualified than me with my QM & QS status. Once all the work was completed we ground tested before test flying with Sir flying of course,the CPO as observer and Steve Redwing rear gunner /radio operator. The aircraft landed and we set to work on refuel and checks, then "Sir" fitted me up with biggles style leather cap and gloves, goggles, Biggles flying jacket with harness,overalls and boots and gave me the following instructions...You are to raise and lower deckhook on my instructions, stand and shoot the crowds with the machine gun and should we encounter a problem, on my command, you remove the parachute from its stowage (left side of cockpit) connect to harness,stand up and jump!!! I never had to jump, we took off very quickly, just lifted, and it was an experience that I did not then realise just how lucky I was to have.Cheers
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)
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!
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.
