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The Fairey Barracuda was a British carrier-borne torpedo bomber and dive bomber designed by Fairey Aviation. It was the first aircraft of this type operated by the Fleet Air Arm (FAA) of the Royal Navy to be fabricated entirely from metal.
The Barracuda was developed as a replacement for the Fairey Albacore . Development was protracted due to the original powerplant intended for the type, the Rolls-Royce Exe, being cancelled. It was replaced by the less powerful Rolls-Royce Merlin engine. On 7 December 1940, the first Fairey prototype conducted its maiden flight. Early testing revealed it to be somewhat underpowered. The definitive Barracuda Mk II had a more powerful model of the Merlin engine, while later versions were powered by the larger and even more powerful Rolls-Royce Griffon engine. The type was ordered in bulk to equip the FAA. In addition to Fairey's production line, Barracudas were also built by Blackburn Aircraft, Boulton Paul and Westland Aircraft.
The type participated in numerous carrier operations during the conflict, in the Atlantic Ocean, Mediterranean Sea and the Pacific Ocean against the Germans, Italians and Japanese respectively during the latter half of the war. One of the Barracuda's most noteworthy engagements was Operation Tungsten, a mass attack upon the German battleship on 3 April 1944. In addition to the FAA, the Barracuda was also used by the Royal Air Force, the Royal Canadian Navy, the Dutch Naval Aviation Service and the French Air Force. After its withdrawal from service during the 1950s, no intact examples of the Barracuda were preserved despite its once-large numbers, although the Fleet Air Arm Museum has ambitions to assemble a full reproduction.
The Barracuda was a shoulder-wing cantilever monoplane It had a retractable landing gear and non-retracting tailwheel. The hydraulically-operated main landing gear struts were of an "L" shape which retracted into a recess in the side of the fuselage and the wing, with the wheels within the wing. A flush arrestor hook was fitted directly ahead of the tail wheel. It was operated by a crew of three, who were seated in a tandem arrangement under a continuous-glazed canopy. The pilot had a sliding canopy while the other two crew members' canopy was hinged. The two rear-crew had alternate locations in the fuselage, the navigator's position having bay windows below the wings for downward visibility.Bridgman, Leonard. Jane's Fighting Aircraft of World War II. New York: Crescent Books, 1988. p. 120 The wings were furnished with large Fairey-Youngman flaps which doubled as Dive bomber. Originally fitted with a conventional tail, flight tests suggested that stability would be improved by mounting the elevator higher, similar to a T-tail, an arrangement on the second prototype. For carrier stowage the wings folded back horizontally at the roots; the small vertical protrusions on the upper wingtips held hooks that attached to the tailplane.
The Barracuda had originally been intended to be powered by the Rolls-Royce Exe X engine, sleeve valve engine, but production of this powerplant was beset with difficulties and eventually abandoned, which in turn delayed the prototype's trials.Bishop 1998, p. 401. It was decided to adopt the lower-powered 12-cylinder V engine Rolls-Royce Merlin Mark 30 engine to drive a three-bladed de Havilland propeller and the prototypes eventually flew with this configuration. Experiences gained from the prototype's flight testing, as well as operations with the first production aircraft, called Barracuda Mk I, revealed the aircraft to be underpowered which apparently resulted from the weight of extra equipment that had been added since the initial design. Only 23 Barracuda Mk Is were constructed, including five by Westland Aircraft. These aircraft were used for trials and conversion training.
Carrier landing the Barracuda was relatively straightforward due to a combination of the powerful flaps/airbrakes fitted to the aircraft and good visibility from the cockpit. Retracting the air-brakes at high speeds while simultaneously applying rudder would cause a sudden change in trim tab, which could throw the aircraft into an inverted dive.Brown 1980, pp. 105–106.Smith 2008, p. 337. Incidents of this occurrence proved fatal on at least five occasions during practice torpedo runs; once the problem was identified, appropriate pilot instructions were issued prior to the aircraft entering carrier service.
The Barracuda Mk IV never left the drawing board. The next and final variant was the Barracuda Mk V, in which the Merlin was replaced with the larger Rolls-Royce Griffon engine. The increased power and torque of the Griffon required other changes, which included the enlargement of the fin and increased wing span with tips being clipped. The first Barracuda Mk V, which was converted from a Mk II, did not fly until 16 November 1944. Fairey had only built 37 aircraft before the war in Europe was over.
Early Merlin 30-powered Barracuda Mk Is were deemed to be underpowered and suffered from a poor rate of climb but once airborne the type proved relatively easy to fly. During October 1941, trials of the Barracuda Mk I were conducted at RAF Boscombe Down, which found that the aircraft possessed an overall weight of when equipped with a torpedo. At this weight the Mk I had a maximum speed of at , a climb to took 19.5 minutes, with a maximum climb rate of at and a service ceiling of .Mason 1998, pp. 294, 306.
The later Barracuda Mk II had the more powerful Merlin 32, providing a increase in power. During late 1942 testing of the Mk II was performed at RAF Boscombe Down. When flown by naval test pilot Lieutenant Roy Sydney Baker-Falkner at it achieved a climb to in 13.6 minutes, with a maximum climb rate of at and an effective ceiling of . Pilot's Notes for Barracuda Marks II and III Merlin 32 engine. London: Air Ministry, February 1945. p.19; at a weight of , the normal takeoff weight with a torpedo, the time to climb to was 12.57 minutes, and climb rates were calculated with the maximum continuous power of the Merlin 32 engine, rather than the 5 minute combat rating. During June 1943, further testing at Boscombe Down by Baker-Falkner demonstrated a maximum range while carrying either a torpedo or a bomb , of and a practical range of , while carrying 6 × bombs reduced the range to and , respectively.Mason 1998, p. 295.
During the earlier part of its service life the Barracuda suffered a fairly high rate of unexplained fatal crashes, often involving experienced pilots. Baker-Falkner was brought in to address the issues and boost morale among operational squadrons.Kilbracken 1980, p. 197. During 1945 the cause was traced to small leaks developing in the hydraulic system. The most common point for such a leak to happen was at the point of entry to the pilot's pressure gauge and was situated such that the resulting spray was directed straight into the pilot's face. The hydraulic fluid contained diethyl ether and as the aircraft were only rarely equipped with and few aircrew wore them below anyway, the pilot quickly became unconscious during such a leak, inevitably leading to a crash.Kilbracken 1980, p. 203. At the end of May 1945 an Admiralty order was issued that required all examples of the type to be fitted with oxygen as soon as possible and for pilots to use the system at all times.
The Royal Air Force (RAF) also operated the Barracuda Mk II. During 1943 the first of the RAF's aircraft were assigned to No. 567 Sqn., based at RAF Detling. During 1944 similar models went to various squadrons, including 667 Sqn. at RAF Gosport, 679 Sqn. at RAF Ipswich and 691 Sqn. at RAF Roborough. Between March and July 1945 all of the RAF's Barracudas were withdrawn from service.Jefford 2001, Chapter The Squadrons.Halley 1988, pp. 411, 436, 451, 452, 457.
During July 1943, the Barracuda first saw action with 810 Squadron aboard off the coast of Norway; shortly thereafter, the squadron was deployed to the Mediterranean Sea to support the landings at Salerno, a critical element of the Allied invasion of Italy.Willis 2009, pp. 72–73. During the following year, the Barracuda entered service in the Pacific War.Harrison 2002, pp. 31–32
As the only British naval aircraft in service stressed for dive bombing following the retirement of the Blackburn Skua the Barracuda participated in Operation Tungsten, an attack on the while it was moored in Kåfjord, Alta, Norway. On 3 April 1944, Strike Leader Roy Sydney Baker-Falkner led two Naval Air Wings with a total of 42 aircraft dispatched from British carriers and scored 14 direct hits on Tirpitz using a combination of and bombs for the loss of one bomber.Willis 2009, pp. 74–75.Gunston, Bill. Classic World War II Aircraft Cutaways. London: Osprey, 1995. pp.120-1.. This attack damaged Tirpitz, killing 122 of her crew and injuring 316, as well as disabling the ship for over two months during the critical period leading up to the Normandy invasion.Smith 2008, pp. 337, 339. However, the slow speed of the Barracudas contributed to the failure of the subsequent Operation Mascot and Operation Goodwood attacks on Tirpitz during July and August of that year, but were effective as diversionary tactics while the Normandy landings in Operation Overlord were underway.Roskill, S.W. The War at Sea 1939–1945. Volume III: The Offensive Part II. London: Her Majesty's Stationery Office, 1961. pp. 156, 161–162. OCLC 59005418. "Bombs away." Gisborne Herald, 29 December 2018.
On 21 April 1944 Barracudas of No 827 Squadron aboard Illustrious began operations against Japanese forces.Smith 2008, pp. 339-340. The type participated in air raids on Sabang in Sumatra, known as Operation Cockpit.Willis 2009, p. 75. In the Pacific theatre, the Barracuda's performance was considerably reduced by the prevailing high temperatures; reportedly, its combat radius in the Pacific was reduced by as much as 30%. This diminished performance was a factor in the decision to re-equip the torpedo bomber squadrons aboard the fleet carriers of the British Pacific Fleet with United States-built Grumman Avengers.Willis 2009, pp. 75–76.
In the Pacific, a major problem hindering the Barracuda was the need to fly over mountain ranges to strike at targets located on the eastern side of Java, which necessitated a high-altitude performance that the Barracuda's low-altitude-rated Merlin 32 engine with its single-stage supercharger could not effectively provide. Carrying the maximum underwing bomb loads resulted in additional Aerodynamic drag, which further reduced performance.Harrison 2002, p. 29. The Light Fleet Carriers of the 11th ACS (which joined the BPF in June 1945) were all equipped with a single Barracuda and single Corsair squadron. By Victory over Japan Day, the BPF had a total of five Avenger and four Barracuda squadrons embarked on its carriers.Watson, Graham. "Royal Navy: Fleet Air Army, August 1945." orbat.com, v.1.0 7 April 2002. Retrieved: 17 April 2010.
A number of Barracudas participated in trial flights, during which several innovations were tested, including rockets for boosting takeoff performance (which ended up being regularly used when operating off escort carriers at high weights),Harrison 2002, p. 16 and a braking propeller, which slowed the aircraft by reversing the blade pitch.Harrison 2002, p. 20
Following the end of the conflict, the Barracuda was relegated to secondary roles, for the most part being used as a trainer aircraft. The type continued to be operated by FAA squadrons up until the mid-1950s, by which time the type were withdrawn entirely in favour of the Avengers.
Royal Air Force
target="_blank" rel="nofollow"> "Fleet Air Arm reveals progress on project to restore last World War II Barracuda bomber." culture24.org.uk, 25 August 2011. Since the early 1970s, the Fleet Air Arm Museum has been collecting Barracuda components from a wide variety of sources throughout the British Isles to rebuild one.
In 2010, help was sought from the team rebuilding Donald Campbell's record-breaking speed boat, Bluebird, as the processes and skills involved were related to those needed to recreating the aircraft from the crashed remains, so between May 2013 and February 2015 'The Barracuda Project' operated as a sister project to the Bluebird rebuild. The tail section of LS931 was reconstructed using only original material. During September 2014, the wreckage of a rear fuselage was delivered to the workshops to undergo the same processes. In February 2015, the Barracuda sections were transported back to the Fleet Air Arm Museum, where the work continues. "WWII Barracuda bomber to be rebuilt from crash wreckage." BBC News, 30 October 2013.
During 2018, the wreckage of a Fairey Barracuda was discovered by engineers surveying the seabed for an electricity cable between England and France. According to Wessex Archaeology it is the only example of the type to have ever been found in one piece and represents the last of its kind in the UK. During 2019 the wreckage was recovered and it was intended to be reassembled and transported to the Fleet Air Arm Museum for preservation. "'Rare' WWII bomber lifted from sea 75 years after crash." BBC News, 7 June 2019. "Lost WW2 Aircraft lifted from sea after more than 75 years." heritagedaily.com, 5 June 2019.
As of November 2023, the Fleet Air Arm Museum is running a project, including online content to rebuild a Barracuda based on DP872, a Barracuda Mk II built by Boulton Paul in 1943. The project is expected to take ten years and although based on DP872, will use parts from at least four other aircraft, LS931, DR306, MD956 and PM870.
DP872 crashed on 29 August 1944 shortly after takeoff from RNAS Maydown (HMS Shrike) in Northern Ireland. The recovery crew arrived promptly but found the aircraft already sinking in a bog, Blackhead Moss, about from the airfield and were unable to recover the crew of three before the aircraft sank. The remains of the aircraft were recovered in 1971 and stored at the Fleet Air Arm Museum store in Wroughton, Wiltshire.
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