Written by
Jonathan Charles

In an audacious night attack on Nov. 11, 1940, 20 Swordfish of 824 Squadron FAA from the aircraft carrier HMS Illustrious attacked the Italian fleet at anchor in Taranto Harbour, Italy. Lit by the flares dropped by four of the supporting aircraft, and flying at wave-top height between the rows of anti- aircraft guns and battleships, the 11 torpedo bombers struck with devastating accuracy, scoring at least six hits. Once the smoke had cleared, the keels of three battleships were resting on the bottom, leaving the Italian fleet crippled and the rest of the world stunned with the potential of naval air power. The Italians had suffered a severe and costly setback to a daring, well-executed strike from a small but highly trained force, a fact that wasn't lost on the Japanese, in whom it sparked the idea for the attack on Pearl Harbour.

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Overview

The Swordfish was developed from a private venture naval aircraft called the TSR I designed by a team headed by Fairey’s chief designer, Marcel Lobelle. After this aircraft crashed during spin testing, an improved TSR II was flown in April 1934. Over the next two years the TSR II was developed for the Royal Navy to specification S15/33. This called for an aircraft capable of operating from carriers or as a floatplane. It had to be able to drop bombs or torpedoes, as well as undertake reconnaissance and spot for warships’ guns. Having successfully completed its trials, the TSR II was ordered into production as the Swordfish Mk I. A competing design was Blackburn’s Shark, which also made it into production but was soon phased out in favour of Fairey’s aircraft. Blackburn however was soon producing the Swordfish under licence since Fairey was stretched to capacity making other aircraft.

The aircraft the Fleet Air Arm received in July 1936 was a large three-man open cockpit biplane powered by a Pegasus radial engine of only 690 hp (515 kW). Drag from its maze of struts, rigging wires, and fixed undercarriage restricted top speed to only 154 mph (246 km/h). However a large wing area combined with leading edge slats endowed it with excellent low speed handling and this allowed it to operate in the dreadful North Atlantic weather conditions the RN often faced. Other virtues included an extremely reliable engine and a very strong stainless steel tube structure while numerous access panels aided servicing and repair. Its wings could be folded back against the fuselage in seconds so more aircraft could be housed in the cramped carrier hangars, while a floatplane conversion kit allowed it to be carried on battleships for use as a spotter plane. In 1940 a 60 gallon long-range tank was introduced and when fitted in the cockpit in place of the third crewman this almost doubled the range.

The Swordfish Mk I’s primary weapon was the 1,610 lb (730 kg) torpedo. This had to be dropped from a straight and level run at 60 feet (18m). When attacking a large warship a nine-plane squadron would split into three flights and attempt to attack from ahead and both sides of the enemy simultaneously. To minimise their exposure to fire standard procedure was to dive vertically from cruise altitude and pull out into their runs a few hundred feet above the waves. Pilots would then use their “Christmas Tree” sights to judge deflection. This was simply a row of lights mounted across the pilot’s line of sight. After programming the target’s speed the pilot lined the lit bulb up with the enemy’s bow and began his run. In 1940 Duplex torpedo fuses were introduced, these went off either on contact as normal or by detecting a ship’s magnetic flux from below. The latter method was less reliable but did far more damage when it worked, often breaking the backs of merchant ships.

Up to 1,500 lb (680 kg) of ordnance could be carried on the Swordfish’s sixteen wing and fuselage racks, including depth charges, bombs of up to 500 lb (227 kg), or a 1,500 lb (680 kg) mine. It could drop its bombs either from level flight using a bombsight or by dive-bombing vertically, its high drag making dive brakes unnecessary.

Defensive armament was only one fixed and one hand held rifle-calibre machinegun. Although the aircraft’s incredible turning ability could make it a tough target for fighters it was still considered far too vulnerable to be put up against modern fighters. So when blind flying instruments became available in 1940, FAA Swordfish crews began training to operate from carriers in foul weather and also at night, the first naval air arm to do so.

During the first three years of the war Swordfish saw extensive action. In May 1940 they attacked German warships and airfields in Norway, but were often thwarted by bad weather. Later that year they supported the BEF at Dunkirk, and were used to bomb and mine Channel invasion ports by night. In the Mediterranean Swordfish from HMS Ark Royal torpedoed the Vichy French battlecruiser Dunkerque at Oran. The Malta-based Swordfish of No.830 Squadron grew increasingly deadly to the Axis’ North African convoys in nighttime attacks; by 1943 they had sunk or damaged shipping totalling 500,000 tons.

The action that made the Swordfish’s name though came in November 1940 at Italy’s heavily protected main naval base at Taranto. Twenty Swordfish launched at night in two waves from HMS Illustrious struck the Italian Fleet moored there with torpedoes and bombs. For the loss of only two Swordfish the battleships Conte di Cavour, Caio Duilio, and Littorio were all badly damaged by torpedoes. The next day the remainder of the Italian Navy’s capital ships retreated north, handing control of much of the Mediterranean to the Royal Navy.

Two Swordfish strikes were launched in May 1941 in atrocious weather on the German battleship Bismarck. Nine aircraft from HMS Victorious scored a single torpedo hit, while four days later a fifteen strong strike from HMS Ark Royal managed two more hits, one of which jammed the Bismarck’s rudder. This allowed pursuing British battleships to catch up with the now circling Bismarck the next day and destroy her with gunfire.

On Feb. 12, 1942 six Swordfish were foolishly sent in daylight to intercept a huge German fleet trying to force a way up the English Channel. Up against the German battlecruisers Scharnhorst and Gneisnau, the cruiser Prinz Eugen, as well as a screen of 40 other ships and a huge Luftwaffe fighter umbrella, they stood no chance. Flak and masses of fighters accounted for all six although two got close enough to launch torpedoes. The eighteen pilots and crew were all decorated and the leader Lt. Cdr. Esmonde was awarded a posthumous Victoria Cross.

After this, Swordfish were phased out as torpedo carriers and came to be used increasingly in the U-Boat war. Their ability to operate from small escort carriers in dreadful weather or at night made them ideal for convoy protection. Crews often faced long hours in an open cockpit in sub freezing conditions, knowing that a ditch due to engine failure or even a change of wind direction meant almost certain death. Many Swordfish were also lost while trying to land on the heaving deck of an escort carrier at night or in a storm.

ASV radar had been carried on Swordfish from as early as 1941 and was increasingly used to find U-Boats and ships in poor visibility. Upon detecting a U Boat the Swordfish would attempt to use cloud or sun cover to approach unseen. If fired upon from long range they would often wait out of range and call up other aircraft or ships for a combined attack. If the U Boat dived, the Swordfish crew could then attack unmolested using depth charges.

With the introduction of metal lower wing skins on the Mk II Swordfish in early 1943, rockets supplemented depth charges as the principal anti-submarine weapon. These were usually fired in four pairs from 600 yards (554 m) down to 200 yards (185 m) and could easily penetrate a U Boat hull, even through water. The Mk II also featured an uprated 750 hp (559 kW) Pegasus engine. Also appearing in 1943 was the Mk III, with improved centimetric Mk X or XI radar housed in a radome between the undercarriage legs. This shorter wavelength radar could spot a surfaced U-Boat out to 25 miles (40 km) in good conditions. RATOG rocket assisted takeoff packs were an option on the Mk III, and these allowed heavier weapon loads to be carried from the small escort carriers in calm conditions.

Swordfish sank or participated in sinking 21 U-Boats but more importantly, by forcing shadowing U-Boats down they also saved many convoys from attack. By the time the last Swordfish squadron was disbanded just after VE day in May 1945, this amazing biplane had become one of the most successful anti shipping aircraft of the war. As well as crippling five capital ships, it had sunk 300,000 tons of enemy shipping and damaged far more.

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Variants

* Converted from existing airframes.

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Specifications

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