Fairey Swordfish II

  • Period: Second World War (1939-1945)
  • Uses: Trainer
  • First Flight: 1933 (Fairey TSR I)
  • Display Status: On the Museum Floor.

Little different from the biplanes of First World War and totally obsolete by Second World War, the Fairey Swordfish remarkably remained operational until after 1945. Slow and almost defenceless, it was a successful torpedo bomber against light opposition. Swordfish crippled the Italian fleet at Taranto and helped to sink the German battleship Bismarck. Its main advantage was strength, ease of maintenance, and viceless flying qualities. Swordfish could be flown from aircraft carriers, even in rough seas. By the end of 1941, the wartime Swordfish was confined mainly to anti-submarine operations.

In Canada, Swordfish operated from the Naval Gunnery School in Yarmouth and the Royal Navy Station at Dartmouth, Nova Scotia. In 1946, Fleet Requirement Unit 743 (RCN) was equipped with Swordfish. Its naval nickname was “Stringbag”.

The Fairey Albacore went into service early in the war, but proved little better than the Swordfish, which it was intended to replace. In Canada, the open cockpits of some Swordfish were fitted with sliding hoods for more comfortable winter operations.

Museum Example

  • Registration #: NS122 (RCN)
  • Manufacturer: Fairey Aviation Company Ltd., Great Britain
  • Manufacture Date: Unknown
  • Construction #: Unknown
  • Aquisition Date: 1965
  • Provenance: Purchase

Little is known about the Museum Swordfish’s history, as the aircraft’s original identity was lost in its years of outdoor storage at a farm in Tillsonburg, Ontario. It was purchased by the in 1965 and assigned a fictitious identity.

Specifications

Wing Span:
13.9 m (45 ft 6 in)
Length:
10.9 m (35 ft 8 in)
Height:
3.8 m (12 ft 4 in)
Weight, Empty:
,132 kg (4,700 lb2)
Weight, Gross:
3,406 kg (7,510 lb)
Cruising Speed:
185 km/h (115 mph)
Max Speed:
224 km/h (139 mph)
Rate of Climb:
1,520 m (5,000 ft) / 10 min
Service Ceiling:
2,900 m (9,500 ft)
Range:
879 km (546 mi)
Power Plant:
one Bristol Pegasus XXX, 750 hp, 9-cylinder radial engine