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The Fairey Barracuda was a British carrier-borne torpedo- and dive-bomber used during the Second World War, the first of its type to be fabricated entirely from metal. It was introduced to the Fleet Air Arm as a replacement for the Fairey Swordfish and Fairey Albacore biplanes. It is notable for its role in attacking the German battleship Tirpitz and infamous for its unusual appearance when the undercarriage was extended and wings folded. Image File history File links Metadata No higher resolution available. ...
A torpedo bomber is a bomber aircraft designed primarily to attack ships with torpedoes, but they could also carry out conventional bombings. ...
A dive bomber is a bomber aircraft that dives directly at its targets in order to provide greater accuracy. ...
An aerospace manufacturer is a company or individual involved in the various aspects of designing, building, testing, selling, and maintaining aircraft, aircraft parts, missiles, rockets, and/or spacecraft. ...
The Fairey Aviation Company, Ltd was a British aircraft manufacturer of the first half of the 20th century based in Heyes (Middlesex) and Heaton Chapel/Ringway in Greater Manchester. ...
The Maiden flight of an aircraft is the first occasion on which an aircraft leaves the ground of its own accord. ...
is the 341st day of the year (342nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...
Year 1940 (MCMXL) was a leap year starting on Monday (link will display the full 1940 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ...
This is a list of aviation-related events from 1943: Events January January 27 - the USAAF makes its first daylight raid on Germany January 30 - Royal Air Force de Havilland Mosquitos make the first daylight air-raid on Berlin January 30-31 – the H2S radar is used by RAF...
The Fleet Air Arm is the branch of the Royal Navy responsible for the operation of the aircraft on board their ships. ...
The Fairey Albacore is a single-engine carrier-borne biplane torpedo bomber built by Fairey Aviation between 1939 and 1943 for the Fleet Air Arm. ...
Four aircraft carriers, (bottom-to-top) Principe de Asturias, amphibious assault carrier USS Wasp, USS Forrestal and light V/STOL carrier HMS Invincible, showing size differences of late 20th century carriers An aircraft carrier is a warship designed to deploy and in most cases recover aircraft, acting as a sea...
A torpedo bomber is a bomber aircraft designed primarily to attack ships with torpedoes, but they could also carry out conventional bombings. ...
Junkers Ju-87 Stuka dive bombers A dive bomber is a bomber aircraft that dives directly at its targets in order to provide greater accuracy and limit the exposure to and effectiveness of anti-aircraft fire. ...
Combatants Allied powers: China France Great Britain Soviet Union United States and others Axis powers: Germany Italy Japan and others Commanders Chiang Kai-shek Charles de Gaulle Winston Churchill Joseph Stalin Franklin Roosevelt Adolf Hitler Benito Mussolini Hideki TÅjÅ Casualties Military dead: 17,000,000 Civilian dead: 33,000...
This article does not cite any references or sources. ...
The Fleet Air Arm is the branch of the Royal Navy responsible for the operation of the aircraft on board their ships. ...
Fairey Swordfish The Fairey Swordfish was a torpedo bomber built by the Fairey Aviation Company and used by the Fleet Air Arm of the Royal Navy during World War II. Affectionately known as the Stringbag by its crews, it was outdated by 1939, but achieved some spectacular successes during the...
The Fairey Albacore is a single-engine carrier-borne biplane torpedo bomber built by Fairey Aviation between 1939 and 1943 for the Fleet Air Arm. ...
Hs123 biplane. ...
Tirpitz was the second Bismarck class battleship of the German Kriegsmarine, sistership of Bismarck. ...
Design and development
The Barracuda resulted from Air Ministry Specification S.24/37 issued in 1937 for a monoplane torpedo bomber. Of the six submissions, the designs of Fairey Aviation and Supermarine (Type 322) were selected and two prototypes of each ordered. The first Fairey prototype flew on 7 December 1940. It had a high-wing configuration, with large Youngman flaps that doubled as dive brakes. Originally fitted with a conventional tail, flight tests suggested stability would be improved by mounting the stabiliser higher, similar to a T-tail, which was implemented on the second prototype. The Barracuda was originally intended to use the Rolls-Royce Exe engine but production of this powerplant was abandoned which delayed the prototype's trials. The prototypes eventually flew with the lower-powered 12-cylinder Vee type Rolls-Royce Merlin 30 engine (1,260 hp or 940 kW) and a three-bladed de Havilland propeller. Further experience with the prototypes and the first production machines (Mk I) revealed the aircraft to be underpowered as a result of the weight of extra equipment that had been added since the initial design. Only 30 Mk Is were built (including five by Westland) and were used only for trials and conversion training. The Air Ministry was formerly a department of the United Kingdom Government, established in 1918 with the responsibility of managing the affairs of the (then newly formed) Royal Air Force. ...
This is a partial list of the British Air Ministry specifications for aircraft. ...
This is a list of aviation-related events from 1937: Events March March 5 - Imperial Airways opens a new flying boat base at Hythe, Hampshire. ...
A monoplane is an aircraft with one main set of wing surfaces, in contrast to a biplane or triplane. ...
The Fairey Aviation Company, Ltd was a British aircraft manufacturer of the first half of the 20th century based in Heyes (Middlesex) and Heaton Chapel/Ringway in Greater Manchester. ...
Supermarine was a British aircraft manufacturer that become famous for producing a range of sea planes and the legendary Supermarine Spitfire fighter. ...
The Supermarine Type 322 was a British carrier borne torpedo divebomber and reconnaissance aircraft of the Second World War. ...
is the 341st day of the year (342nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...
This is a list of aviation-related events from 1940: Events March March 16 - Britain suffers its first civilian air-raid casualties of the war after a raid by KG 26 on Scapa Flow March 25 - the US government grants permission to the countrys aircraft manufacturers to sell advanced...
Flaps are hinged surfaces on the trailing edge of an airplane wing which, when deployed, increase the lift (and drag) of a wing by changing the camber of the airfoil. ...
Dive brakes are meant to slow down an aircraft when in a dive. ...
In aircraft a T-tail is an arrangement of the tail control surfaces with the horizontal surfaces (tailplane and elevators) mounted to the top of the fin, rather than the more common location on the fuselage at the base of the fin. ...
The Rolls-Royce Exe or Boreas aero engine was to be a radial air-cooled engine, intended primarily for the new Fairey Fleet Air Arm aircraft, paticularly the Fairey Barracuda. ...
A V engine is a common configuration for an internal combustion engine in which the pistons are aligned so that, if viewed along the line of the crankshaft, they appear to be in a V. Usually, two opposing pistons share one crank on the crankshaft. ...
The Merlin was a 12 cylinder, 60° V, 27 litre, liquid cooled piston aircraft engine built during World War II by Rolls-Royce and under licence in the United States by Packard. ...
For other uses, see De Havilland (disambiguation). ...
Westland Aircraft was a British aircraft manufacturer located in Yeovil in Somerset, formed just before the start of World War II. During the war the company produced a number of generally unsuccessful designs, but their Lysander would serve as an important liaison aircraft with the RAF. After the war the...
Replacing the Merlin 30 with the more powerful Merlin 32 (1,640 hp or 1,225 kW) and a four-bladed propeller resulted in the definitive Mk II variant of which 1,688 were manufactured by Fairey Stockport/Ringway (675), Blackburn (700), Boulton Paul (300), and Westland (13). A total of 2,607 Barracudas were built. Blackburn Beverley photographed in 1964. ...
Boulton Paul Defiant Boulton Paul Aircraft Ltd was a British aircraft manufacturer that operated between 1914 and 1961. ...
The Supermarine Type 322 first flew in 1943 but with the Barracuda already in production it did not progress further.
Operational history
A Royal Navy Fairey Barracuda Mk II carrying an 18-inch (46 cm) torpedo The first Barracudas entered service on 10 January 1943 with No. 827 Squadron and were deployed in the North Atlantic. The following year they entered service in the Pacific Theatre. The Barracuda first saw action with No. 810 Squadron during the Salerno landings. Barracudas eventually would equip 23 front line squadrons. From 1944 onwards, the Mk IIs were accompanied in service by radar-equipped (but otherwise similar) TB Mk IIIs which were used for anti-submarine patrols. 852 Mk IIIs were eventually produced (406 by Fairey, 392 by Boulton Paul). Fairey Barracuda File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ...
Fairey Barracuda File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ...
This article is about the navy of the United Kingdom. ...
is the 10th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ...
This is a list of aviation-related events from 1943: Events January January 27 - the USAAF makes its first daylight raid on Germany January 30 - Royal Air Force de Havilland Mosquitos make the first daylight air-raid on Berlin January 30-31 – the H2S radar is used by RAF...
The Pacific Theater of Operations (PTO) is the term used in the United States for all military activity in the Pacific Ocean and the countries bordering it, in World War II. Pacific War is a more common name, around the world, for the broader conflict between the Allies and Japan...
Operation Avalanche was the codename for the landings near the port of Salerno, executed on 9 September 1943, part of the Allied invasion of Italy. ...
1944 (MCMXLIV) was a leap year starting on Saturday. ...
USS Virginia, a Virginia-class nuclear attack (SSN) submarine Alvin in 1978, a year after first exploring hydrothermal vents. ...
The Royal Canadian Navy took delivery on January 24, 1946 of 12 radar equipped Fairey MkII Barracuda (Fairey designated the radar equipped Barracuda as MKIII so a descrepancy exists as Canada called them MKII's) aircraft for the first acquired aircraft carrier H.M.C.S. Warrior and assigned them to newly formed 825 Squadron. Canadian aircraft mechanics had been trained in England during the war serving on British aircraft carriers, notably H.M.S. Puncher and and H.M.S. Nabob which the Canadian Navy operated for the British Navy along with some Canadian pilots. The Canadian Naval Air Branch in Canada after the war was dominated by Royal Navy commissoned Officers and other lesser ranks. After the war aircraft technician (all types) trainees from Canada were sent to England for training until 1948 when the School Of Naval Aircraft Maintenance, SNAM was established at R.C.N.A.S., H.M.C.S.Shearwater, Dartmouth Nova Scotia. H.M.C.S. Warrior had been built for service in hot climates and had no heating systems and because of this the ship was unable to operate in the colder Eastern climate of Canada. It was sent to the Canadian west coast via the Panama canal for duty in the warmer climate. It was paid off in 1948 and returned to Britain along with the Barracuda aircraft. It replaced by H.M.C.S. Magnificent equipped with Fairey Fireflies, Bristol Seafuries, and later with Avengers. (the submitter of this information about the Canadian Navy Air Branch served 1947 to 1952 and spent time as an aircraft mechanic on H.M.C.S. Magnificent )
The Mk IV never left the drawing board, so the next and final version of the Barracuda was the Mk V which replaced the Merlin powerplant with a Rolls-Royce Griffon and featured various aerodynamic changes. The Mk V did not take to the air until 16 November 1944, and Fairey built only 37 before the war in Europe was over. Rolls-Royce Griffon The Rolls-Royce Griffon was a 2,240 in³ (36. ...
is the 320th day of the year (321st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...
1944 (MCMXLIV) was a leap year starting on Saturday. ...
Early, underpowered Barracudas suffered from poor rate of climb but once airborne, proved easy to fly. Pilots came to appreciate the powerful Youngman flaps/airbrakes and carrier landings were simple due to the aforementioned flaps and good visibility from the cockpit. During the earlier part of its service life, the Barracuda suffered a fairly high rate of unexplained fatal crashes, often involving experienced pilots. In 1945 this was traced to small leaks developing in the hydraulic system. For other uses, see Aviator (disambiguation). ...
Hydraulics is a branch of science and engineering concerned with the use of liquids to perform mechanical tasks. ...
The most common point for the leak was at the point of entry to the pilot's pressure gauge and was situated such that the resulting spray went straight into the pilot's face. The chosen hydraulic fluid contained ether and as the aircraft rarely were equipped with oxygen masks (and few aircrew wore them below 10,000 ft (3,000 m) anyway) the pilot quickly became unconscious leading to a crash. An Admiralty order issued at the end of May 1945 required all examples of the type to be oxygen fitted as soon as possible, and for pilots to use the system at all times. Operation of airbrakes at high speeds caused a sudden change in trim which could throw the aircraft into an inverted dive. This proved fatal on at least five occasions during practice torpedo runs. Many techniques have been developed for the measurement of reduced or increased pressures. ...
This article is about the chemical compound. ...
Breathing 100% oxygen from a tight fitting pressure demand oxygen mask An oxygen mask provides a method to transfer breathing oxygen gas from a storage tank to the lungs. ...
Flag of the Lord High Admiral The Admiralty was formerly the authority in the United Kingdom responsible for the command of the Royal Navy. ...
In spite of their odd appearance, Barracudas were effective dive bombers (torpedoes were rarely, if ever, used in combat by the type in spite of appearing in many publicity photos because the aircraft lacked the engine power to effectively carry them) and played a pivotal role in a major attack on the German battleship Tirpitz. On 3 April 1944, 42 aircraft from British carriers HMS Victorious and Furious scored 14 direct hits on Tirpitz with 250 lb (114 kg) and 500 lb (227 kg) bombs at the cost of three bombers [1]. The attack disabled Tirpitz for over two months. Tirpitz was the second Bismarck class battleship of the German Kriegsmarine, sistership of Bismarck. ...
is the 93rd day of the year (94th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...
1944 (MCMXLIV) was a leap year starting on Saturday. ...
HMS Victorious (R38) was the second Illustrious-class aircraft carrier ordered under the 1936 Naval Programme. ...
HMS Furious was a modified Courageous class large light cruiser (an extreme form of battlecruiser) converted into an early aircraft carrier of the Royal Navy. ...
Barracudas were used to test several innovations including RATOG rockets for takeoff and a braking propeller which slowed the aircraft by reversing the blade pitch. JATO is an acronym for Jet Assisted Take Off. ...
For other uses, see Propeller (disambiguation). ...
Turning the pitch angle of wingblades on or off the wind to controll is absorption of power. ...
The Barracuda continued in Fleet Air Arm service until the mid 1950s, by which time they were all replaced by Grumman Avengers. Not a single example exists today, although the Fleet Air Arm Museum has large pieces of wreckage from two crashed aircraft and hopes to collect enough parts to eventually assemble a complete example for static display. Grumman TBF Avengers in 1942 The Grumman TBF Avenger (designated TBM for aircraft manufactured by General Motors) was an American torpedo bomber, developed initially for the United States Navy and Marine Corps and used by a large number of air forces around the world. ...
// Fleet Air Arm Meuseum The Fleet Air Arm Museum is located 7 mile north of Yeovil, and 40 miles south of Bristol, on RNAS Yeovilton. ...
Variants - Mk I
- First production version, Rolls-Royce Merlin 30 engine with 1,260 hp (940 kW), 30 built
- Mk II
- Upgraded Merlin 32 engine with 1,640 hp (1,225 kW), four-bladed propeller, ASV radar, 1,688 built
- Mk III
- Anti-submarine warfare version of Mk II with radar in a blister under rear fuselage, 852 built
- Mk IV
- Mk II (number P9976) fitted with a Rolls-Royce Griffon engine with 1,850 hp (1,380 kW), first flight 11 November 1944, abandoned in favor of Fairey Spearfish.
- Mk V
- Griffon 37 engine with 2,020 hp (1,505 kW), payload increased to 2,000 lb (910 kg), ASH radar under the left wing, revised tailfin, 37 built
The Merlin was a 12 cylinder, 60° V, 27 litre, liquid cooled piston aircraft engine built during World War II by Rolls-Royce and under licence in the United States by Packard. ...
Rolls-Royce Griffon The Rolls-Royce Griffon was a 2,240 in³ (36. ...
is the 315th day of the year (316th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...
Fairey Spearfish was a World War II British torpedo bomber. ...
Operators -
 United Kingdom Image File history File links Flag_of_the_United_Kingdom. ...
The Fleet Air Arm is the branch of the Royal Navy responsible for the operation of the aircraft on board their ships. ...
Specifications (Barracuda Mk II) General characteristics - Crew: 3
- Length: 40 ft 0 in (12.18 m)
- Wingspan: 47 ft 6 in (14.49 m)
- Height: 15 ft 0 in (4.60 m)
- Wing area: 404.94 ft² (37.62 m²)
- Empty weight: 9,800 lb (4,445 kg)
- Loaded weight: 12,600 lb (5,715 kg)
- Max takeoff weight: 14,080 lb (6,385 kg)
- Powerplant: 1× Rolls-Royce Merlin 32 liquid-cooled V12 engine, 1,640 hp (1,225 kW)
Performance Armament - Guns: 2× 0.303 in (7.7 mm) Vickers K machine guns in rear cockpit
- Hardpoints: 5: (two under each wing and one under the fuselage), with a capacity of 1,620 lb (735 kg), equipped to carry:
- Four paratroopers have been deployed from underwing containers on several occasions
The distance AB is the wing span of this Aer Lingus Airbus A320. ...
In aviation, the Maximum Take-Off Weight (or MTOW) is the maximum weight with which an aircraft is allowed to try to achieve flight. ...
The Merlin was a 12 cylinder, 60° V, 27 litre, liquid cooled piston aircraft engine built during World War II by Rolls-Royce and under licence in the United States by Packard. ...
Colombo Type 125 Testa Rossa engine in a 1961 Ferrari 250TR Spyder V-12 engine simplified cross-section V12 redirects here. ...
VNO of an aircraft is the V speed which refers to the velocity of normal operation. ...
Airspeed Indicator in a light aircraft The VC of an aircraft is the V speed which refers to the velocity of cruising. ...
The maximal total range is the distance an aircraft can fly between takeoff and landing, as limited by fuel capacity in powered aircraft, or cross-country speed and environmental conditions in unpowered aircraft. ...
In aeronautics, the service ceiling is the maximum density altitude where the best rate of climb airspeed will produce a 100 feet per minute climb(twin engine) and 50 feet(single engine) at maximum weight while in a clean configuration with maximum continuous power. ...
In aerodynamics, wing loading is the loaded weight of the aircraft divided by the area of the wing. ...
Power-to-weight ratio is a measure commonly used when comparing various vehicles (or engines), including automobiles, motorcycles and aircraft. ...
The Vickers K gun known as the Vickers Gas Operated (VGO) in British service, was a rapid firing machine gun developed for use by observers in aircraft. ...
The torpedo, historically called a locomotive torpedo, is a self-propelled explosive projectile weapon, launched above or below the water surface, propelled underwater toward a target, and designed to detonate on contact or in proximity to a target. ...
Depth Charge used by U.S. Navy later in World War II The depth charge is the oldest anti-submarine weapon. ...
An American USMC Paratrooper using a MC1-B series parachute Paratroopers are soldiers trained in parachuting and generally operate as part of an airborne force. ...
References - Donald, David and Lake, Jon, editors. Encyclopedia of World Military Aircraft. London: AIRtime Publishing, 1996. ISBN 1-880588-24-2
- Gunston, Bill. Classic World War II Aircraft Cutaways. London: Osprey, 1995. ISBN 1-85532-526-8.
- Hadley, D. Barracuda Pilot. London: Airlife Publishing, 2000. ISBN 1-84037-225-7.
- Taylor, H.A. Fairey Aircraft Since 1915. London: Putnam, 1974. ISBN 0-370-00065-X.
External links - Fairey Barracuda
- British Aircraft of World War II: Fairey Barracuda
Related content Comparable aircraft Designation sequence Related lists The Supermarine Type 322 was a British carrier borne torpedo divebomber and reconnaissance aircraft of the Second World War. ...
Nakajima B6N1 Tenzan torpedo bomber (Jill) explodes in the air after a direct hit by 5-inch shell from the USS Yorktown (CV-10) off Kwajalein on December 4, 1943 The Nakajima B6N Tenzan (Japanese: ä¸å³¶ B6N 天山 - Heavenly Mountain, Allied reporting name: Jill) was the Imperial Japanese Navys standard torpedo...
Grumman TBF Avengers in 1942 The Grumman TBF Avenger (designated TBM for aircraft manufactured by General Motors) was an American torpedo bomber, developed initially for the United States Navy and Marine Corps and used by a large number of air forces around the world. ...
The Fairey Seafox was a Second World War reconnaissance floatplane of the Fleet Air Arm designed to be catapulted from the deck of a warship. ...
The Fulmar was a carrier-borne fighter aircraft of the Fleet Air Arm built by Fairey Aviation during 1940. ...
The Fairey Albacore is a single-engine carrier-borne biplane torpedo bomber built by Fairey Aviation between 1939 and 1943 for the Fleet Air Arm. ...
The Fairey Firefly was a British Second World War-era carrier-borne fighter aircraft of the Fleet Air Arm. ...
Fairey Spearfish was a World War II British torpedo bomber. ...
The Fairey Jet Gyrodyne was a British experimental gyrodyne aircraft, a form of compound helicopter related to autogyros, built by Fairey Aviation. ...
This is a list of aircraft of the Fleet Air Arm. ...
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