British WWII's bombers

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Fairey Swordfish

By far the most succesful and famous biplane fighting aircraft of WWII. Its naval nickname was "Stringbag".

Little different from the biplanes of World War I and totally obsolete by World War II, 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 Tarente and helped to sink the German 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.

General characteristics Swordfish Mk. II
Primary function	Torpedo bomber
Power plant	One Bristol Pegasus 30; 9cylinder radial engine
Thrust	820 HP		603 kW
Wingspan	45.50 ft		13.87 m
Length	35.66 ft		10.87 m
Height	12.3 ft		3.75 m
Wingarea	607 sq ft		56.39 sq m
Weight	empty	4,707 lb	2,135 kg
	max.	8,896 lb	4,035 kg
Speed	max.	143 mph	230 km/h
	cruising	115 mph	185 km/h
Initial rate of climb	500 ft/min		152 m/min
Ceiling	12,400 ft		3,780 m
Range	770 mi		1,240 km
Armament	2x 7.7mm machine gun; 1x 730 kg torpedo or 1x 680 kg mine (ev. deep bombs)
Crew	2 - 3
First flight	Prototype TSR II 17.4.1934
Date deployed	1936 (Mk.I)
Number built	2,391

Jirka Wagner

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Last updated 01.10.2008