The Fairey Swordfish is a retired 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 for anti-submarine and training duties. The type was in frontline service throughout the Second World War.
Despite being obsolescent, the Swordfish achieved some spectacular successes during the war, including sinking one battleship and damaging two others belonging to the Regia Marina (the Italian navy) during the Battle of Taranto, and the famous attack on the German battleship Bismarck, which contributed to her eventually being sunk. Swordfishes sank a greater tonnage of Axis powers shipping than any other Allied aircraft during the war. The Swordfish remained in front-line service until V-E Day, having outlasted some of the aircraft intended to replace it.
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 asked for a replacement for the Fairey IIIF Mk.IIIB, and from British Air Ministry specifications M.1/30 and S.9/30.Stott 1971, p. 22. Fairey promptly informed the Air Ministry of its work for the Greeks, whose interest had waned, and proposed its solution to the requirements for a spotter-reconnaissance plane ("spotter" referring to the activity of observing and directing a warship's Fall of shot). In 1934 the Air Ministry issued the more advanced Specification S.15/33, which added the torpedo bomber role.
The prototype, F1875, made its maiden flight from Great West Aerodrome, Heathrow on 21 March 1933, flown by Chris Staniland. F1875 made various flights, including several while re-engined with an Armstrong Siddeley Tiger radial engine before it was refitted with the Pegasus engine. On 11 September 1933, F1875 was lost during a series of spinning tests in which it became unable to recover; the pilot survived the incident. Prior to this, the prototype had exhibited favourable performance, which contributed to the subsequent decision to proceed with the more advanced T.S.R II prototype, which had been specifically developed to conform with the newly issued Specification S.15/33.
On 17 April 1934, the prototype T.S.R II, K4190, made its first flight, flown by Staniland. Compared to the previous prototype, K4190 had a more powerful version of the Pegasus, an additional bay in the rear fuselage to counteract spin tendencies, and the upper wing was slightly swept wing to account for the increased length of the fuselage. During the ensuing flight test programme, K4190 was transferred to Fairey's factory in Hamble-le-Rice, Hampshire, where it was fitted with a twin-float landing gear in place of its original land-only counterpart; on 10 November 1934, the first flight of K4190 in this new configuration was performed. Following successful water-handling trials, K4190 conducted a series of aircraft catapult and recovery tests aboard the battlecruiser HMS Repulse. K4190 was later restored to its wheeled undercarriage prior to an extensive evaluation process by the Aeroplane and Armament Experimental Establishment at RAF Martlesham Heath.Stott 1971, pp. 22–23.
In 1935, following the successful completion of testing at Martlesham, an initial pre-production order for three aircraft was placed by the Air Ministry; it was at this point that the T.S.R II received the name Swordfish.Stott 1971, p. 23. All three pre-production aircraft were powered by the Pegasus IIIM3 engine, but had a three-bladed Fairey-Reed propeller in place of the two-bladed propeller used on the prototype. On 31 December 1935 the first pre-production Swordfish, K5660, made its maiden flight. On 19 February 1936, the second pre-production aircraft, K5661, became the first to be delivered; the final pre-production aircraft, K5662, was completed as a floatplane configuration and underwent water-based service trials at the Marine Aircraft Experimental Establishment at Felixstowe, Suffolk.
Efforts were made to disperse production and to use shadow factories to minimise the damage caused by Luftwaffe bombing raids. Major sub-assemblies were produced by four based in neighbouring Leeds. Initial deliveries from Sherburn were completed to the Swordfish I standard; from 1943 onwards, the improved Swordfish II and Swordfish III came into production and superseded the original model. The Swordfish II carried ASV Mk. II radar and the lower wings had metal undersurfaces to allow the use of 3-inch . Later-built models also had the more powerful Pegasus XXX engine. The Swordfish III was fitted with centimetric ASV Mk.XI radar mounted between the undercarriage legs, precluding carrying torpedoes, and retained the Pegasus XXX powerplant.
Production of the Swordfish ended on 18 August 1944.Stott 1971, p. 26. Almost 2,400 aircraft had been built, 692 having been constructed by Fairey and a further 1,699 by Blackburn at their Sherburn facility. The most numerous version of the Swordfish was the Mark II, of which 1,080 were completed.
The primary weapon of the Swordfish was the aerial torpedo, but the low speed of the aircraft and the need for a long straight approach made it difficult to attack well-defended targets. Swordfish torpedo doctrine called for an approach at followed by a dive to torpedo release altitude of .Emmott, Norman W. "Airborne Torpedoes". United States Naval Institute Proceedings, August 1977. Maximum range of the early Mark XII torpedo was at and at .Campbell 1985, p. 87. The torpedo travelled forward from release to water impact, and needed another to stabilise at preset depth and arm itself. Ideal release distance was from the target.
The Swordfish could also be used as a Divebomber. During 1939, Swordfish on board HMS Glorious participated in a series of dive-bombing trials, during which 439 practice bombs were dropped at dive angles of 60, 67 and 70 degrees, against the target ship HMS Centurion. Tests against a stationary target showed an average error of from a release height of and a dive angle of 70 degrees; tests against a manoeuvring target showed an average error of from a drop height of and a dive angle of 60 degrees.Smith, p. 66.
After more modern torpedo attack aircraft were developed, the Swordfish was redeployed successfully in an anti-submarine role, armed with or eight 60 lb (27 kg) RP-3 rockets and flying from the smaller escort carriers, or even merchant aircraft carriers (MACs) when equipped for JATO.
By the eve of war in September 1939, the FAA, which had been transferred to Royal Navy control, had 13 operational squadrons equipped with the Swordfish I. There were also three flights of Swordfish equipped with floats, for use with catapult-equipped warships. After the outbreak of the Second World War, 26 FAA Squadrons were equipped with the Swordfish. More than 20 second-line squadrons also operated the Swordfish for training.Stott 1971, pp. 23–24. During the early months of the war, the Swordfish operated in mostly uneventful fleet protection and convoy escort missions.
On 13 April 1940, just before the Second Battle of Narvik, a Swordfish floatplane was launched from the battleship to search for German ships. The crew reported seeing several German destroyers, and also spotted the anchored close to the shore in Herjangsfjord. They dived to and dropped two anti-submarine bombs; one hit and sank the submarine. This was the first U-boat to be destroyed by an FAA aircraft in the war.Stott 1971, pp. 26, 28.
Later that day a force of ten Swordfish were dispatched from HMS Furious to attack the German destroyers with 250lb bombs. They scored no hits and two aircraft were shot down; the crew of one were lost and the crew of the other were picked up after making a forced landing. During the battle, eight German destroyers were sunk or scuttled with no British ships lost.After the Second Battle of Narvik, Swordfish continually bombed ships, land facilities, and parked enemy aircraft around Narvik.Stott 1971, p. 28. Anti-submarine patrols and aerial reconnaissance missions were also flown despite difficult terrain and inhospitable weather, which proved especially challenging for aircrew in the Swordfish's open cockpit. For many Swordfish crews, this campaign marked their first combat missions and nighttime landings upon aircraft carriers.
On 3 July 1940, the Swordfish was one of the main weapons used during the Attack on Mers-el-Kébir, an attack by the Royal Navy upon the French Navy fleet stationed at Oran, French Algeria to prevent the vessels falling into German hands. Twelve Swordfish from 810 and 820 Naval Air Squadrons launched from the aircraft carrier and made three sorties against the anchored fleet. The torpedo attack, which crippled the French battleship Dunkerque and damaged other vessels, demonstrated that capital ships could be effectively attacked while in harbour; it was also the first time in history that the Royal Navy had won a battle without the use of gunfire.
Shortly after Mers-el-Kébir a detachment of three Swordfish were sent to support British Army operations in the Western Desert in response to a request for torpedo aircraft to destroy hostile naval units operating off the coast of Libya. On 22 August the three aircraft destroyed two U-boats, one destroyer and a replenishment ship in the Gulf of Bomba, Libya, using only three torpedoes.Stott 1971, pp. 31, 34.
On 11 November 1940 Swordfish flying from achieved great success in the Battle of Taranto.Stott 1971, p. 34. The main fleet of the Italian Navy was based at Taranto in southern Italy; in light of the success of the earlier attack upon the French Navy at Mers-el-Kébir, members of the Admiralty sought another victory under similar conditions. The Royal Navy had conducted extensive preparations, with some planning having taken place as early as 1938, when war between the European powers had already seemed inevitable. Regular aerial reconnaissance missions were flown to gather intelligence on the positions of specific capital ships and Swordfish crews were intensively trained for night flying operations, as an undetected aerial attack during the night raid had been judged to be the only effective method of reasonably overcoming the defences of the well-protected harbour and to strike at the fleet anchored there.
Originally scheduled for 21 October 1940, the Taranto raid was delayed until 11 November to allow for reinforcements to arrive and other commitments to be met. The aerial attack started with being dropped to illuminate the harbour, after which the Swordfish began bomb and torpedo runs. Due to the presence of and restricting the number of suitable torpedo-dropping positions, many of the Swordfish had been armed with bombs and made a synchronised attack upon the cruisers and destroyers instead. The six torpedo-armed Swordfish inflicted serious damage on three of the battleships. Two cruisers, two destroyers and other vessels were damaged or sunk.Stott 1971, pp. 34, 37. The high manoeuvrability of the Swordfish enabled the aircraft to evade intense anti-aircraft fire and hit the Italian ships.Stott 1971, p. 37. The Battle of Taranto firmly established that naval aircraft were independently capable of immobilising an entire fleet and were therefore an effective means of altering the balance of power. The Japanese assistant naval attaché to Berlin, Takeshi Naito, visited Taranto to view the consequences of the attack; he later briefed the staff who planned the attack on Pearl Harbor.Lowry and Wellham 2000, p. 92.
On 28 March 1941, a pair of Swordfish based at Crete contributed to the disabling of the Italian cruiser Pola during the Battle of Cape Matapan.
In May 1941 six Swordfish based at Shaibah, near Basra, Iraq, participated in the suppression of a revolt in the region, widely known now as the Anglo-Iraqi War. The aircraft made dive bombing attacks on Iraqi barracks, fuel storage tanks and bridges.
The Swordfish also made many anti-shipping sorties in the Mediterranean, many being based at Malta. Guided by aerial reconnaissance, the attacks were timed to arrive at enemy convoys in the dark to elude German fighters, which were restricted to daytime operations. While there were never more than a total of 27 Swordfish aircraft stationed on the island at any one time, the type succeeded in sinking an average of 50,000 tons of enemy shipping per month over a nine-month period. During one record month, 98,000 tons of shipping were reportedly lost to the island's Swordfish. The recorded Swordfish losses were low, especially considering the high sortie rate of the aircraft and the lack of any blind-flying equipment, making night flying even more hazardous.
On 26 May, Ark Royal launched two Swordfish strikes against Bismarck. The first failed to locate the ship. The second attack scored two torpedo hits, one of which jammed the ship's rudders at a 12° port helm.Kennedy 2002, p. 166. This made Bismarck unmanoeuvrable and unable to escape to port in France. She sank after intense Royal Navy attack within 13 hours.Stott 1971, p. 38. Some of the Swordfish flew so low that most of Bismarcks flak weapons could not depress enough to hit them.Kennedy 2002, pp. 112, 165.
Throughout 1942, the Swordfish was progressively transferred away from the Royal Navy's as newer strike aircraft, such as the Fairey Albacore and Fairey Barracuda, were introduced. In the submarine-hunter role, the Swordfish contributed to the Battle of the Atlantic, detecting and attacking the roaming U-boat packs that preyed upon merchant shipping between Britain and North America and in support of the Arctic convoys which delivered supplies from Britain to Russia. Swordfish attacked submarines directly and guided destroyers to their locations. During one convoy battle, Swordfish from the escort carrier and flew over 1,000 hours on anti-submarine patrols in 10 days.
One of the more innovative uses of the Swordfish was its role with merchant aircraft carriers ("MAC ships"). These were 20 civilian cargo or tanker ships modified to carry three or four aircraft each on anti-submarine duties with convoys. Three of these vessels were Dutch-manned, and several Swordfish of 860 (Dutch) Naval Air Squadron were typically deployed on board. The others were manned by aircrew from 836 Naval Air Squadron. At one time this was the largest squadron operating the type, with 91 aircraft.
In 1942, Swordfish of 810 and 829 Squadrons on HMS Illustrious took part in the Battle of Madagascar. They dropped Paradummy in support of the initial landings.
They later conducted anti-ship and anti-submarine operations in Antsiranana and bombed land targets in support of land operations during Operation Ironclad. In the later Operation Jane, Swordfish were ready to support the attack on Toamasina, but in the event the town surrendered before they were needed.
The intensity of Coastal Command's Swordfish operations was drastically increased after the German invasion of the Low Countries, expanding to involve four Swordfish-equipped squadrons. Typically flying from Detling, Thorney Island, North Coates and St Eval, Swordfish crews were dispatched to strike strategic targets off the coasts of Netherlands and Belgium in daylight raids, during which they braved anti-aircraft fire and interception by Luftwaffe fighter aircraft. Night time bombing raids were conducted against oil installations, , and . After the Allied defeat in the Battle of France and the signing of the French Armistice of 22 June 1940, Swordfish focused their activities against ports that might be used for a German invasion of the United Kingdom This included security patrols and spotting for naval bombardments.
In February 1942, the shortcomings of the Swordfish were starkly demonstrated during a German naval movement known as the Channel Dash. Six Swordfish led by Lieutenant Commander Eugene Esmonde flew from Manston to intercept the battleships and as they traversed the English Channel towards Germany. When the Swordfish formation began their attack run, approaching astern of the ships, the Swordfish were intercepted by about 15 Messerschmitt Bf 109 fighter aircraft; the fight was extremely one-sided, quickly resulting in the loss of all Swordfish while no damage was inflicted upon the ships themselves. The lack of fighter cover was a contributing factor for the heavy losses; only 10 of 84 promised fighters were available. Thirteen of the 18 Swordfish crew involved were killed. Esmonde, who had previously led an attack on Bismarck, was awarded the Victoria Cross posthumously.
The courage of the Swordfish crews was noted by commanders on both sides. British Vice-Admiral Bertram Ramsay wrote "In my opinion the gallant sortie of these six Swordfish aircraft constitutes one of the finest exhibitions of self-sacrifice and devotion to duty the war had ever witnessed". German Vice-Admiral Otto Ciliax remarked on "the mothball attack of a handful of ancient planes, piloted by men whose bravery surpasses any other action by either side that day."Kemp, pp. 199–200.
However, as a result of this incident, Swordfish were quickly withdrawn from the torpedo-bomber role in favour of more anti-submarine duties. Armed with depth charges and rockets, the aircraft were good submarine killers.
In the anti-submarine role, the Swordfish pioneered the naval use of air to surface vessel (ASV) radar, allowing the aircraft to effectively locate surface ships at night and through clouds.Harrison 2001, p. 9. Swordfish were flying missions with the radar by October 1941. In December 1941, a Swordfish based in Gibraltar located and sank a U-boat, the first such kill to be achieved by an aircraft during nighttime. On 23 May 1943, a rocket-equipped Swordfish destroyed German submarine U-752 off the coast of Ireland, the first kill achieved with this weapon.
By 1945, nine front-line squadrons were still equipped with Swordfish. Overall, Swordfish sank 14 U-boats. The Swordfish was intended to be replaced by the Fairey Albacore, also a biplane, but it outlived its intended successor until succeeded by the Fairey Barracuda monoplane torpedo bomber. Operational sorties of the Swordfish continued into January 1945. The last active missions are believed to have been anti-shipping operations off the coast of Norway by FAA Squadrons 835 and 813, where the Swordfish's manoeuvrability was essential.Wragg 2005, pp. 127–131. The last operational squadron, 836 Naval Air Squadron, which had last been engaged in providing resources for the MAC ships, was disbanded on 21 May 1945, soon after the end of World War II in Europe.Stott 1971, pp. 38–40. In mid-1946, the last training squadron equipped with the type was disbanded, after which only a few remained in service to perform sundry duties at a few naval air stations.Stott 1971, p. 40.
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