3d model fairey torpedo - Fairey Swprdfish... by pbratt

Despite the fact that the Fairy Swordfish was completely obsolete by the outbreak of the second world war the venerable 'Stringbag' served with distinction throughout WW2 and destroyed more Axis shipping than any other allied aircraft, including many impressive feats of arms. This was due to the fact that for a long time it was the only allied, carrier based torpedo bomber available in any numbers and the sheer heroism of the Royal Navy crews who were prepared to fight and die in an open cockpit biplane over the mid atlantic in atrocious weather conditions.

Initially known as the T(orpedo)S(trike)R(econaisance) II, the Swordfish was first flown by Chris Staniland on 17th April 1934 and at the end of the year Fairy's were awarded a contract for 86 production examples. By the start of WW2 the Swordfish was operating with twelve operational squadrons. The Swordfish first saw action during the battle of Narvik when the cruiser HMS Warspite launched it's Swordfish seaplane to spot for its main armament. during the engagement Warspite sank six German destroyers while the Swordfish itself dropped bombs on a seventh. After which the Swordfish dive bombed a German U-Boat, (U-64) and sank it.

The Swordfish was progressively replaced by more modern types as a torpedo bomber, but the addition of rocket projectile's, depth charges and air to surface radar gave the type a new lease of life and the swordfish continued to give valuable service throughout the remainder of WW2.