Fairey Swordfish

E445705

The Fairey Swordfish was a British biplane torpedo bomber of World War II, renowned for its obsolete appearance yet highly effective carrier-based operations, including crippling major Italian and German warships.

All labels observed (7)

How this entity was disambiguated

Statements (50)

Predicate Object
instanceOf biplane
carrier-based aircraft
torpedo bomber
aircraftConfiguration single-engine biplane
airframe fabric-covered metal frame
appearance obsolete-looking biplane
armament 18-inch aerial torpedo
bombs
depth charges
machine guns
countryOfOrigin United Kingdom
crew 3
designedFor naval torpedo attack
ship-based operations
engineType radial piston engine
enteredServiceWith Royal Navy Fleet Air Arm
linked to: Fleet Air Arm
firstFlight 1934-03-17
introduced 1936
landingGear fixed landing gear
launchPlatform aircraft carrier
catapult-equipped warship
escort carrier
manufacturer Fairey Aviation Company
maximumSpeed 138 mph
222 km/h
nicknamed Stringbag
notableAchievement crippling the German battleship Bismarck in 1941
crippling the Italian fleet at Taranto in 1940
notableCharacteristic effective low-speed handling
rugged construction
notableOperation Battle of Taranto
linked to: Attack on Taranto

Bismarck engagement
Channel Dash attacks
operator Royal Air Force
Royal Canadian Navy
Royal Navy
powerplant Bristol Pegasus radial engine
primaryUser Fleet Air Arm
reasonForNickname ability to carry many different stores and loads
retired 1945
role anti-submarine warfare aircraft
maritime strike aircraft
reconnaissance aircraft
torpedo bomber
serviceBranch Royal Navy Fleet Air Arm
linked to: Fleet Air Arm
takeoffAndLanding short takeoff and landing capability
usedFor anti-submarine patrols
convoy escort
mine-laying missions
usedInConflict World War II

How these facts were elicited

Referenced by (24)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.

Attack on Taranto usedAircraftType Fairey Swordfish
Bismarck attackedBy Swordfish torpedo bombers
linked to: Fairey Swordfish
HMS Indomitable aircraftOperated Fairey Swordfish
Bristol Pegasus usedInAircraft Fairey Swordfish (Pegasus‑powered variants)
subject linked to: Bristol Pegasus radial engine
linked to: Fairey Swordfish
Fairey Aviation Company notableProduct Fairey Swordfish
German battleship Bismarck attackedBy Fleet Air Arm Fairey Swordfish torpedo bombers
linked to: Fairey Swordfish
813 Naval Air Squadron aircraftOperated Fairey Swordfish
827 Naval Air Squadron aircraftOperated Fairey Swordfish
HMS Ark Royal aircraftOperated Fairey Swordfish
subject linked to: aircraft carrier HMS Ark Royal
HMS Victorious aircraftOperated Fairey Swordfish
subject linked to: aircraft carrier HMS Victorious
HMS Ark Royal notableAircraftOperated Fairey Swordfish
Operation Judgment aircraftUsed Fairey Swordfish torpedo bomber
linked to: Fairey Swordfish
Bristol radial engine family powered Fairey Swordfish (selected variants with Pegasus)
linked to: Fairey Swordfish
Fairey Albacore designedToReplace Fairey Swordfish
Fairey Albacore predecessor Fairey Swordfish
Stringbag refersTo Fairey Swordfish
Stringbag appliedTo British Fairey Swordfish biplane torpedo bomber
linked to: Fairey Swordfish
Fairey Barracuda predecessor Fairey Swordfish
Fairey Barracuda designedAsReplacementFor Fairey Swordfish
Fairey IIIF successor Fairey Swordfish
Blackburn Shark replacedBy Fairey Swordfish
Blackburn Shark successorRoleAircraft Fairey Swordfish