Sopwith Cuckoo dropping a torpedo - one of first torpedo bombers

Heinkel He 115 torpedo bomber seaplane

Fairey Swordfish with a torpedo

A torpedo bomber is a bomber aircraft designed primarily to attack ships with torpedoes, but they could also carry out conventional bombings. Generally, they carried torpedos designed for air launch, that were smaller and lighter than those used by submarines. Sopwith Cuckoo dropping a torpedo Source: [1]. Copyright expired due to age of photo. ... Sopwith Cuckoo dropping a torpedo Source: [1]. Copyright expired due to age of photo. ... Heinkel He 115 torpedo-bomber. ... Heinkel He 115 torpedo-bomber. ... A DeHavilland Single Otter floatplane in Harbour Air livery. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1024x768, 100 KB) Descdription: Fairey Swordfish II standing on airfield, Duxford 2002 Air Show Source: [1] Author: Mr. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1024x768, 100 KB) Descdription: Fairey Swordfish II standing on airfield, Duxford 2002 Air Show Source: [1] Author: Mr. ... A bomber is a military aircraft designed to attack ground targets, primarily by dropping bombs. ... A torpedo in Rail terminology refers to a small explosive device strapped to the top of the rail to alert an approaching train of immediate danger ahead. ... German UC-1 class World War I submarine A model of Gunter Priens Unterseeboot 47 (U-47), German WWII Type VII diesel-electric hunter-killer (SSK) submarine USS Virginia, a Virginia-class nuclear attack (SSN) submarine A submarine is a specialized watercraft that can operate underwater. ...

The torpedo bomber first appeared during the later years of World War I. As an airborne torpedo could weigh as much as 2000 pounds (or 907 kilograms, more than twice the bombload of a contemporary single-engined bomber), the aircraft carrying it needed to have a more powerful engine. Carrying torpedoes also required a long bomb-bay (or in any case a longer fuselage), which was why a special type of plane was needed for this role. However, a number of multi-engined, heavier aircraft have also been used in torpedo bomber role. Combatants Allied Powers: British Empire France Italy Russia United States Central Powers: Austria-Hungary Bulgaria Germany Ottoman Empire Casualties Military dead: 5 million Civilian dead: 3 million Total dead: 8 million Military dead: 4 million Civilian dead: 3 million Total dead: 7 million The First World War, also known as... In an aircraft, the fuselage is the main body section that holds crew and passengers or cargo. ...

Torpedo bombers existed almost exclusively prior to and during WWII. During the war they were an important player in many famous battles, notably the British attack at Taranto and the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. They did particularly well in these attacks as the targets were stationary. In other battles, when the targets were ships able to maneuver at high speed and hence much harder to hit, torpedoes proved less effective, except in cases when the crews launching them were especially well trained (for an example, see Sinking of Prince of Wales and Repulse). Still, even a single torpedo hit on an enemy warship could cripple it decisively (as during the hunt for the Bismarck), so the torpedo bomber remained a very dangerous weapon. One crucial limitation of a torpedo bomber was that it had to fly a long, straight course at a constant altitutude towards the target ship before launching its torpedo, and hence was highly vulnerable to anti-aircraft fire. Torpedo bombers disappeared almost immediately at the end of the war, replaced by more generalized aircraft, and then missiles. Combatants Allies: Soviet Union, United Kingdom, France/Free France, United States, Canada, China, India, Australia, Poland, New Zealand, South Africa, Greece, and others Axis Powers: Germany, Italy, Japan, Bulgaria, Finland, Romania, Hungary, Burma, Slovakia Casualties Military dead: 17 million Civilian dead: 33 million Total dead: 50 million Military dead: 8... Combatants United Kingdom Italy Commanders Lumley Lyster Inigo Campioni Strength 21 bombers 6 battleships Casualties 2 bombers destroyed 1 battleship sunk 2 battleships damaged 1 cruiser damaged The naval Battle of Taranto took place on the night of 11 November – 12 November 1840 during World War II. The Royal Navy... Combatants United States of America Imperial Japan Commanders Husband Kimmel (USN) Walter Short (USA) Chuichi Nagumo (IJN) Strength 8 battleships, 8 cruisers, 29 destroyers, 9 submarines, ~50 other ships, ~390 planes 6 aircraft carriers, 2 battleships, 3 cruisers, 9 destroyers, 8 tankers, 23 fleet submarines, 5 midget submarines, 441 planes... The Sinking of Prince of Wales and Repulse was a World War II naval engagement which illustrated the effectiveness of aerial attacks against naval forces that were not protected by air cover and the resulting importance of including an aircraft carrier in any major fleet action. ... The German battleship Bismarck is one of the most famous warships of the Second World War. ...

In a parallel development, some maritime strike aircraft and helicopters have been capable of launching guided torpedoes against submarines. However, the mode of operation of these aircraft is considerably different.

Some important torpedo bombers

• Douglas TBD Devastator
• Fairey Swordfish
• Fairey Barracuda
• Grumman TBF Avenger
• Nakajima B5N Kate
• Nakajima B6N Jill
• Savoia-Marchetti SM.79 Sparviero

The Douglas Aircraft Company was founded by Donald Wills Douglas, Sr. ... The Douglas TBD Devastator was a torpedo bomber of the United States Navy, ordered in 1934, first flying in 1935 and entering service in 1937. ... 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 Barracuda was a British carrier-borne torpedo- and dive-bomber used during World War II, the first of its type to be fabricated entirely from metal. ... The Grumman Aircraft Engineering Corporation, later Grumman Aerospace Corporation, was a leading producer of military and civilian aircraft of the 20th century. ... 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. ... Nakajima B5N1 Kate torpedo bomber with a dummy torpedo (exercise unit) taking off from the Japanese aircraft carrier Akagi during a training mission. ... 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: 中島 B6N 天山 - Heavenly Mountain, Allied reporting name: Jill) was the Imperial Japanese Navys standard torpedo... The Savoia-Marchetti SM.79 Sparviero (Italian: sparrowhawk) was important Italian bomber of World War II. The three engine airplane was well made, and performed well both as a torpedo and medium bomber. ...