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Fairey Swordfish Torpedo Bomber Bi
Plane. Robert Taylor Swordfish aviation
prints. Robert Taylor Fairey Swordish Bi Plane aviation
prints. Full range of Fairey Swordfish signed limited edition art prints by Aviation artist Robert Taylor.
published by The Military Gallery and available from Cranston Fine Arts.
Look out for the two print promotional packages available at great
discounts.
FAIREY SWORDFISH, Torpedo Bomber and reconnaissance Biplane, crewed by Three,
with a top speed of 154mph, reduced to 136mph as a float plane. maximum ceiling
19,000 feet. reduced as a float plane. armed with a .303 Vickers machine gun
fixed forward and one in the rear cockpit.. One 1610lb Torpedo or up to
1500lb bomb load. At the outbreak of world war two the Fleet air arm had 13 operational
squadrons .The Fairey Swordfish has earned its place in history for major
contributions to naval warfare. during the Norwegian campaign, and
especially during the raid on Toranto. During November 1940, Twenty
Swordfish to off from HMS Illustrious (operation Judgement ) to attack the
Italian Fleet in their Harbour of Toranto. At Least nine torpedoes hit their
targets. Seven Italian Ships were badly damaged including The Italian
battleships, Caio Duillio, Littorio and Conte De Cavour. this was followed
in February 1942, by a Heroic but suicidal attack on German Battle Cruisers in
the English Channel by six swordfish of 825 squadron from RAF Manston. all
aircraft and crews were lost. This resulted in a Victoria Cross for the leader
Lieutenant Commander E Esmonde. The next major event was the Torpedo
Attack on the Bismarck from Swordfish from HMS Ark Royal, which badly damaged
the steering gear of the Bismarck which helped in the final destruction of
the German battleship by Royal Navy Battleships. The fairey
Swordfish was also used in anti-submarine and anti-shipping roles, The
Swordfish sunk more enemy ships (by Tonnage) than any other aircraft acting in
the same roles. By the end of the War the Fleet Air Arm still had nine
active squadrons. but were finally disbanded in May 1945. A total of 2399
Swordfish Were Built.
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| Launch Against the Bismarck by Robert Taylor. Late in the day on May 26, 1941, in deteriorating weather, 15 Fairey Swordfish biplanes launched from the heaving deck of the aircraft carrier HMS Ark Royal. Each was armed with a single torpedo, its task to halt the escape of the battleship Bismarck. The navy pilots knew they must succeed before dark: by the following morning the German battleship would reach the protection of Luftwaffe aircraft based in France. Contending with turbulence and sea spray, one by one the Swordfish made their attack, running in just feet above the waves. The frail biplanes were met with a barrage of murderous gunfire, Bismarck bringing all possible armament to bear. Attempting to avoid the in-coming attack, the 42,000 ton battleship was in a high-speed turn when a torpedo from a Number 2 subflight Swordfish struck her steering gear. The explosion irreparably jammed her rudder over 12 degrees sealing the fate of the mighty warship. Unable to steer, all she could do was await the dawn and the arrival of the British Home Fleet. Signed limited edition of 500 prints. Paper size 34 inches x 26 inches (86cm x 66cm). Price £ Signed by Lieutenant Commander John William Jock Moffat RN,
Lieutenant Leslie Bill Bailey RN,
Commander Patrick Bernard Pat Jackson RN and
Rear Admiral Philip David Percy Glick CBE OBE DSC.
ITEM CODE RST0029 |
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