Fairey Swordfish

[ElAurens]

I would say the Kate, SM 79, and TBF/TBM were far better. Actually the Devastator was better.

The Swordfish just happened to be all the Brits had for that role, so it got used in a couple of famous ops.

[Igo kyu]

Originally Posted by ElAurens

I would say the Kate, SM 79, and TBF/TBM were far better. Actually the Devastator was better.

The Swordfish just happened to be all the Brits had for that role, so it got used in a couple of famous ops.

It was the best Britain had for the role, in the early war, there were others. I suspect one factor may have been it's low speed, which meant that a torpedo entered the water at about the speed it was going to run at. Apparently they were still in production in 1943.

If anyone has figures for torpedoes launched against tonnage sunk, for any torpedo bombers, I'd be interested to hear them.

[ElAurens]

That would be interesting.

Most US torpedo bombers spent the majority of their service dropping bombs though.

Aerial torpedo attack reached it's zenith with the attack on Pearl Harbor, I would think.

Perhaps Google is our friend here....

[WTE_Galway]

Originally Posted by ElAurens

That would be interesting.

Most US torpedo bombers spent the majority of their service dropping bombs though.

Actually most Swordfish spent the majority of time laying mines and dropping bombs and presumably depth charges.

A torpedo was an unusual load out.

The Swordfish had a very good record against submarines ....


1940
U-64,

1941
U-451,

1942
U-577, U-652 +, U-589 +,

1943
U-203 +, U-89 +, U-752, U-617 +,

1944
U-472 +, U-366, U-973, U-653 +, U-288 +, U-277, U-674,
U-959, U-765 +, U-344, U-394 +, U-365,



21 U-boats lost to Swordfish aircraft. + means that the Swordfish shared the credit for the sinking.

[Snuff_Pidgeon]

It also shared credit in the sinking of the Bismark..

[WTE_Galway]

Some other interesting trivia ..

- Several flights of Swordfish were fitted with floats.

- Rocket Assisted Takeoff was used operationally with the Swordfish.

[Oktoberfest]

About torpedoes launched to tons sunk, the problem would be for the americans at the early stage of the war till late 1942, when their torpedoes had very poor reliability compared to those of other nations.

I remember when the first silent hunter came out I've read an article about how they had problems with torpedoes sinking to low and going under the target, or hitting but not detonating, etc...

[Igo kyu]

Originally Posted by Snuff_Pidgeon

It also shared credit in the sinking of the Bismark..

Yeah, except that the Bismark, being crippled, was scuttled to avoid capture, not sunk by enemy (British) fire. Shared credit in a crippling doesn't sound quite so glamourous, but it was enough.

I wonder what we'd have done with a captured Bismark?

[*Buzzsaw*]

Originally Posted by Igo kyu

Yeah, except that the Bismark, being crippled, was scuttled to avoid capture, not sunk by enemy (British) fire. Shared credit in a crippling doesn't sound quite so glamourous, but it was enough.

I wonder what we'd have done with a captured Bismark?

The Bismarck had lost all its fire control, gun turrets and was a floating hulk. It had no defence. The fact it was was scuttled is irrelevant to its defeat. The German crew may have done the deed, but the ship would have been captured otherwise.

As far as the Swordfish were concerned, they were instrumental in the destruction of the ship. One of the torpedos they launched hit Bismarck's rudder and steering geer and jammed it. The ship then circled helplessly while the British pursuers caught up, and was unable to maneuver effectively to avoid the British fire. Without the Swordfish torpedo hit, the Bismarck would likely have escaped to a French port.

The Swordfish may have been obselescent in terms of its performance, but it had an ability to land or takeoff in weather and sea conditions which would have been impossible for other Torpedo planes. This was a function of its extremely low stall/landing/takeoff speed. During the launch of the Swordfish's last attack on Bismarck, sea state was 5, wave height was 4 meters, and wind was blowing 50 kph.

The Swordfish had its greatest moment at Taranto when it sank or disabled 3 Italian Battleships and one Cruiser. The negative result of this event was the Japanese were inspired to try the same technique at Pearl Harbour.

[K_Freddie]

Originally Posted by ElAurens

I would say the Kate, SM 79, and TBF/TBM were far better. Actually the Devastator was better.

Not entirely true.. In doing the crucial damage to the Bismark, under a defensive AAA, more than any American plane has ever faced - they were mostly downed by Zero's (cannot say the same for the Kate's though, but..), The Swordfish hit it's mark due to one important fact.... It was made not of metal, but fabric.. ...Work this one out for yourselves.


Not to mention.. put 8 rockets on the wings, and every UBoat commander dreaded the Swordfish more than a Devastator, TBF, or F4(6)F