Fairey Swordfish, the WWII warship killer that crippled the mighty Bismarck. An amazing documentary about the restoration of the aircraft that was a key player during WWII, and crippled the mighty Bismarck, one of the most feared ships of Nazi Germany.

This rare video is presented courtesy to our friends at Navy Wings Heritage Centre
(https://navywings.org.uk/
Please visit, and support them, if you have a chance!

The Fairey Swordfish is a biplane torpedo bomber, designed by the Fairey Aviation Company. Originating in the early 1930s, the Swordfish, nicknamed "Stringbag", was principally operated by the Fleet Air Arm of the Royal Navy. It was also used by the Royal Air Force (RAF), as well as several 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 was increasingly used as an antisubmarine and training platform. The type was in frontline service throughout the Second World War.

Despite being a representation of early 1930s aircraft design and teetering on the edge of becoming outdated (in comparison to some alternatives), the Swordfish achieved some spectacular successes during the war. Notable events included sinking one battleship and damaging two others of the Regia Marina (the Italian navy) during the Battle of Taranto, and the famous attack on the German battleship Bismarck, which contributed to her eventual demise. Swordfish sank a greater tonnage of Axis shipping than any other Allied aircraft during the war. The Swordfish remained in frontline service until VE Day, having outlived some of the aircraft intended to replace it.

In 1933 Fairey, having established a proven track record in the design and construction of naval aircraft, commenced development of an entirely new threeseat naval aircraft, intended for the twin roles of aerial reconnaissance and torpedo bomber. Receiving the internal designation of T.S.R. I, standing for TorpedoSpotterReconnaissance I, the proposed design adopted a biplane configuration and a single 645 hp Bristol Pegasus IIM radial engine as its powerplant. The company chose initially to pursue the development of the project as a selffinanced 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 RollsRoyce Kestrel engine instead as well as employing a differing fin and rudder configuration.


Workers carrying out salvage and repair work on a wing of a Swordfish
Significant contributions to the T.S.R.I's development came from Fairey's independent design work on a proposed aircraft for the Greek Naval Air Service, which had requested a replacement for their Fairey IIIF Mk.IIIB aircraft, and from specifications M.1/30 and S.9/30, which had been issued by the British Air Ministry. Fairey promptly informed the Air Ministry of its work for the Greeks, whose interest had eventually waned, and proposed its solution to the requirements for a spotterreconnaissance plane ("spotter" referring to the activity of observing and directing the fall of a warship's gunfire). In 1934, the Air Ministry issued the more advanced Specification S.15/33, which formally added the torpedo bomber role.

General characteristics

Crew: 3 pilot, observer, and radio operator/rear gunner (observer's position frequently replaced with auxiliary fuel tank)
Length: 35 ft 8 in (10.87 m)
Wingspan: 45 ft 6 in (13.87 m)
Width: 17 ft 3 in (5.26 m) wings folded
Height: 12 ft 4 in (3.76 m)
Wing area: 607 sq ft (56.4 m2)
Airfoil: RAF 28
Empty weight: 4,195 lb (1,903 kg)
Gross weight: 7,580 lb (3,438 kg)
Powerplant: 1 × Bristol Pegasus IIIM.3 9cylinder aircooled radial piston engine, 690 hp (510 kW)
Propellers: 3bladed metal fixedpitch propeller
Performance

Maximum speed: 143 mph (230 km/h, 124 kn) with torpedo at 7,580 lb (3,438 kg) and 5,000 ft (1,524 m)
Range: 522 mi (840 km, 454 nmi) normal fuel, carrying a torpedo
Endurance: 5 hours 30 minutes
Service ceiling: 16,500 ft (5,000 m) at 7,580 lb (3,438 kg)
Rate of climb: 870 ft/min (4.4 m/s) at 7,580 lb (3,438 kg) at sea level
690 ft/min (210.3 m/min) at 7,580 lb (3,438 kg) and 5,000 ft (1,524 m)
Armament
Guns: ** 1 × fixed, forwardfiring .303 in (7.7 mm) Vickers machine gun in the upper right fuselage, breech in the cockpit, firing over the engine cowling
1 × .303 in (7.7 mm) Lewis or Vickers K machine gun in rear cockpit
Rockets: 8 × "60 lb" RP3 rocket projectiles (Mk.II and later)
Bombs: 1 × 1,670 lb (760 kg) torpedo or 1,500 lb (700 kg) mine under fuselage or 1,500 lb total of bombs under fuselage and wings.


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