Fairey Swordfish
Fairey Swordfish Float-Plane
From Wing Commander Garlick’s photo album. A Fairey Swordfish Float-Plane flying off Gibraltar. This had a wingspan of 45 and a half feet and a top speed of 139 m.p.h. They were the ‘eyes of the fleet’ used for submarine patrols and were operated from Royal Navy battleships using a crane. They could carry a torpedo and with a slow approach speed could be very accurate in delivery. As a slow aircraft, they were highly vulnerable to fighter attack and consequently were mostly used out at sea away from any likely fighter reach.
One Life Left 