Fairey Swordfish Mk.1, W5856 from The Royal Navy Historic Flight, displaying at Old Warden Aerodrome during the Shuttleworth Fly Navy Airshow 2018.
This aircraft, a "Blackfish" built by Blackburn Aircraft at Sherburn-in-Elmet, first flew on Trafalgar Day (21 October) 1941. She served with the Mediterranean Fleet for a year and was returned to Fairey's Stockport factory for refurbishment. Used for advanced flying training and trials, the aircraft was sent to Canada where it was again used in a training role and stored in reserve after the war's end. Passing through the hands of at least two civilian operators after disposal, she was purchased by Sir William Roberts and brought to Scotland to join his Strathallan Collection. Bought by BAE Systems (known then as British Aerospace) for presentation to the Swordfish Heritage Trust (now the Fly Navy Heritage Trust), the partly-restored airframe went to BAE Systems Brough facility for complete restoration to flying condition, the work being completed in 1993 when she was presented to the RNHF and brought back onto the Military Register of aircraft.
Following extensive work by BAE Systems at Brough to her wings, W5856 flew in 2015 for the first time since being grounded in 2003.
Between 1992 - 2013 she was painted in the pre-WWII colours of 810 Naval Air Squadron embarked in HMS Ark Royal. W5856 now sports the colours of 820 Naval Air Squadron of HMS Ark Royal, representing an aircraft that took part in the Bismarck action in May 1941.
In September 1996 W5856 was adopted by the City of Leeds and now proudly wears the City's coat of arms and name on her port side just forward of the pilot's cockpit.
The Swordfish evolved from the prototype Fairey TSR.II (Torpedo Spotter Reconnaissance), designed by Marcel Lobelle and H.E. Chaplin of the Fairey Aviation Company Ltd. It first flew in 1934 and entered service with No.825 Squadron in 1936. 2391 aircraft were built, the first 692 machines by Fairey Aviation and the remainder under licence by Blackburn Aircraft Company. In service the Blackburn-built aircraft became unofficially known as "Blackfish". Perhaps the most remarkable aspect of this very distinguished aircraft was its longevity. By all normal standards it was already obsolete at the outbreak of WWII. It confounded everyone by remaining in operational service throughout the whole of the war, and was the last British bi-plane to see active service.
It had superb handling qualities which made it uniquely suitable for deck flying operations and the problems of torpedo or dive bombing attacks. Pilots marvelled that they could pull a Swordfish off the deck and put it in a climbing turn at 55 knots. The aircraft manoeuvred in a vertical plane as easily as it would at straight and level, and even when diving from 10,000ft, the ASI would not rise much beyond 200 knots. The controls were not frozen rigid by the force of the slipstream, and it was possible to hold the dive within 200ft of the water.
Even its lack of speed could be turned to advantage. A steep turn at low level towards an attacker just before he came within range and the difference in speed and tight turning circle made it impossible for a fighter to bring its guns to bear for more than a few seconds. The approach to a carrier deck could be made at low speed, yet control response remained good.
Swordfish (or "Stringbags" as they were often nicknamed due to their ability to carry a wide range of weapons, much like a the ability of a string shopping bag to carry any goods) in addition to sinking more than 300,000 tons of German/Italian Axis shipping, were responsible for the destruction of over 20 U-Boats. Operating from adapted merchant vessels, the Merchant Aircraft Carriers (MAC Ships), Swordfish aircraft could be carried with the convoys, providing both a deterrent to submarines and a boost to the merchant sailor's morale.
Amongst their many battle honours are the Battle of the Atlantic, the attack on the Italian Fleet at Taranto in November 1940, the operation to seek, pursue and destroy the German Battleship Bismarck in May 1941, and the ill-fated operation against the German Battlecruisers Scharnhorst, Gneisenau and Heavy Cruiser Prinz Eugen as they made their famous 'Channel Dash' in February 1942. Above all, the Swordfish carved its name in the history books by its exploits in protecting convoys.
From August 1942 they sailed on the Russian convoys. On one such convoy, Swordfish embarked in the escort carriers HMS Vindex and HMS Striker flew 1,000 hours on anti-submarine patrol in the space of 10 days, and in September 1944 Vindex's Swordfish sank four U-Boats in a single voyage.
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