Its fabric-covered metal construction was sturdy and reliable, but lacked refinement. The Swordfish was a large biplane, but because it is single-engined it tends to look deceptively small from a distance and on photographs. The first aircraft reached service units in 1936. The Swordfish entered service when monoplane carrier aircraft were already appearing, and although performance exceeded expectations, it was not spectacular. On 23 April 1935, Fairey received a production order. The TSR.II met the requirements of specification S.15/33, which had superseded S.9/30 in the mean time, and called for a type that could serve as two-seat torpedo-bomber and three-seat reconnaissance aircraft. The wings were slightly swept back to correct the center of gravity position, and the fuselage was made longer. The design team then produced a modified aircraft, designated TSR.II. It flew in this form in July 1933, but was lost in September.

After modifications and replacement of the engine by a Bristol Pegasus IIM radial, it was called the TSR.1 (TSR for Torpedo-Spotter-Reconnaissance). The prototype PV made its first flight on 21 March 1933. The PV was similar to a design that had been offered to meet Air Ministry requirement S.9/30 for an unarmed spotter-reconnaissance aircraft, but had an Armstrong Siddeley Panther radial engine instead of a liquid-cooled Rolls-Royce Kestrel. The precursor of the Swordfish, the Fairey PV, was designed by Marcel Lobelle as a private venture to meet an order from the Greek Navy, which wanted a torpedo-bomber and spotter-reconnaissance aircraft. The nickname Stringbag indicated the versatility of the Swordfish, which could carry an unlikely combination of loads, but also referred to its jungle of bracing wires, which belonged to a past age. Later Swordfishes operated from escort carriers, and were very effective against U-boats.

Initially, Swordfishes operated from the large fleet carriers. It looked antiquated, because it was, but it served until the end of the war and survived its intended replacement. It was a big, unsophisticated biplane, slow and cumbersome. One of the most unusual combat aircraft of World War II was the Fairey Swordfish. Fighting the U-boats Aircraft & Air forces Fairey SwordfishĪ Fairey Swordfish Mk.III with ASV Mk.XI radar between its wheel legs, dipole arrays on its wings struts, and rocket launching rails under the wings.

Rc u boot swordfish