On Sun, 16 Aug 2015 10:21:45 +0100, Ri©ardo
wrote:

On 8/15/2015 10:24 PM, Savageduck wrote:
On 2015-08-15 16:53:07 +0000, Ri
ardo said:

On 8/15/2015 4:50 PM, Charles Lindbergh wrote:
On Sat, 15 Aug 2015 15:24:18 +0100, Ri©ardo
wrote:
On 8/9/2015 2:28 PM, Charles Lindbergh wrote:
On Sat, 08 Aug 2015 22:07:28 -0700, "Bob (not my real pseudonym)"
wrote:
On Sat, 08 Aug 2015 13:04:52 +0000, Charles Lindbergh
wrote:
On Sat, 8 Aug 2015 12:15:23 +0100, Ri©ardo
wrote:
On 8/8/2015 2:35 AM, Byker wrote:

Fairey Swordfish - A remarkable aircraft:

"Although Swordfish numbered no more than 27 aircraft, they sank an
average 50,000 tons (50,800 MT) of shipping every month. During one
month, they sank a record 98,000 tons (99,572 MT). Swordfish
attacked
enemy convoys at night although they were not equipped with night
instrumentation. The risky night missions were necessary to
avoid German
fighters which encircled the island of Malta by day. On June 30,
1940,
Swordfish completed a raid attacking oil installations at
Augusta in
Sicily."

http://www.aviation-history.com/fairey/swordfish.html

Ri©ardo

Ricardo, I read the article you posted. I was shocked the
Swordfish holds the record for sinking more tonnage
than any other allied aircraft during WWII.

I am guessing this had a lot to do with circumstance as opposed
to any remarkable capabilities of the
aircraft, what is your perspective on this?

I would suggest the remarkable capabilities of the crews.

Yeah, I'm sure that's it! ;-)


There's interesting comment today by way of a letter to one of our
national newspapers where the Swordfish gets a mention, as does the
Pacific War of which little is heard about the substantial British
contribution:

"Sir,

The "Forgotten Fleet" and its aircraft will be remembered today when a
vintage Royal Navy Swordfish biplane leads the fly-past over Horse
Guards Parade in London as part of events to commemorate the 70th
anniversary of VJ Day.

The British Pacific Fleet was the largest strike force ever
assembled by
the Royal Navy*** and it fought alongside the US Navy in 1945. Aircraft
of the Fleet Air Arm undertook the largest ever raid in aviation naval
history on the oil fields at Palembang in Sumatra, and British naval
aircraft carried out raids upon Japan itself.

It's most appropriate that a Swordfish, which saw action in every year
of the war, will represent not just the forgotten fleet but the
oft-forgotten Fleet Air Arm too.

We should all take a moment today to remember those who fought the
Japanese Empire. Most who survive are nearly 90 years old or more. They
deserve our salute.

Lt-Cdr Lester May RN (retd)

*** To put that into context, Britain provided three-quarters of the
warships and landing craft for the D-Day landings in Europe!


Interesting article and comments. Is your point that the Brits
contributed significantly to the war against Japan? It would be
logical for them to have done so considering the Japanese, on 8
December 1941(local time, which was before the Japanese attack on
Pearl Harbor), attacked the British in Malaya.

Did I miss your point?


In a word, no. But I was also highlighting how large the size of
British Pacific Fleet strike force must have been in 1945 when one
considers the British contribution to the D-Day landings.

It seems the Swordfish was not well represented in the Pacific or
South-West Pacific, particularly after the 1942 sinking of HMS Hermes in
Ceylon.

The British Pacific Fleet (BPF) had 6 fleet carriers and 9 escort
carriers many of these only moved to the East and Pacific in 1944 and
1945 after Mediterranean and North Atlantic convoy operations had been
dialed back.

HMS Colossus, Joined the BPF in June 1945, the Swordfish was withdrawn
from service in May 1945. She carried 24 Corsairs and 18 Barracudas.

HMS Formidable, refitted at Scapa Flow January 1945 with 36 Corsairs and
18 Avengers. Joined BPF April 4, 1945 in the Phillipines. No Swordfish
onboard, they were being phased out.

HMS Glory, commisioned 2 April 1945, assigned directly to the BPF with
Barracudas, and Corsairs onboard. No Swordfish. She took the Japanese
surrender at Rabaul.

HMS Illustrious, after Taranto and her Indian Ocean cruise, returned to
Scapa Flow and refitted. In 1943 her Swordfish were replaced with
Barracudas. Two squadrons of Corsairs were added to supplement the
Martlets on board. She was assigned to the BPF in November 1944. During
the Battle for Okinawa she was so battle damaged she was withdrawn from
service and returned to the UK in June 1945.

HMS Implacable, was never armed with Swordfish, she was armed with Fairy
Fireflies, Barracudas, and Seafires when she was still part of the Home
Fleet. In March 1945 she was refitted with 12 Fireflies, 48 Seafires and
21 TBF Avengers and joined the BPF on 8 May 1945 (V-E Day).

HMS Indefatigable, joined the BPF in November 1944 with 6 PR Hellcats,
40 Seafires, 12 Fireflies and 21 Avengers onboard. She joined the USN
5th Fleet in March 1945 for the Okinawa invasion. She was the first BPF
carrier hit by kamakazis. She lost 25 of her Seafires on that operation.

HMS Indominable, she was part of the Eastern Fleet in 1944, and after
December 1944 attacks on Sumatra joined the BPF in January 1945. In the
East and with the BPF, she flew 39 Hellcats and 21 Avengers.

HMS Venerable, commissioned January 1945, and assigned directly to the
BPF with 21 Corsairs and 18 Barracudas onboard. She never had Swordfish
at anytime.

HMS Vengance, commissioned 1945, and joined the BPF in July 1945, but
never got out of Sydney before the war ended. Her 24 Corsairs and 18
Barracudas did not fly any combat missions. she was too new to have ever
flown Swordfish.

HMS Victorious. Her Swordfish played an important part in the sinking of
the Bismark. In December 1942 she was loaned to the USN and refitted in
Norfolk VA. where she was armed with Wildcat (FAA Martlet) and
Avengers. In 1944 she returned to the Home Fleet and Barracudas were
added. In June 1944 she joined the Eastern Fleet, and joined the BPF in
November 1944 with 36 Corsairs, 15 Avengers and 1 Walrus.

The 9 BPF Escort carriers were built in Tacoma Washington, and
Birmingham, Alabama and carried a mixture of 24 aircraft made up from
Martlets, Corsairs, Sea Hurricanes, and a small representation of
Avengers. Some of the escort carriers which had been on North Atlantic
convoy duty carried Swordfish before transfer to the BPF, but not in the
Pacific.

The bottom line here is the role the Swordfish played with the BPF was
minimal particularly since the last operational Swordfish Squadron was
disbanded in May 1945, with the last Swordfish coming off the production
line in August 1944. By then most RN carriers were replacing, or had
replaced Swordfish with Barrcudas and Avengers.



Thank you for that, although I was not suggesting otherwise. The
Swordfish was peripheral to later events and, indeed, was obsolescent -
at best - when it did achieve its major glories!

However, the fact that it still turns out for ceremonial duties
indicates that there's some life in the old girl yet.

And I am fascinated to learn that BPF escort carriers were built about
100km from my home. Not that I was around at the time...