The Fairey Barracuda made history as the first English all-metal aircraft built for dive-bombing and torpedo-bombing purposes.
As we at The National Interest discussed previously, the deadly, predatory barracuda became the namesake of more than one death-dealing mechanical World War II machine. Last week, we discussed the lesser-known and far less successful example, the American-made Bell YFM-1 Airacuda. This time we discuss the far more successful example, Great Britain’s Fairey Barracuda torpedo and dive bomber.
Fairey Barracuda Initial History and Specifications
Manufactured by Fairey Aviation (eventually acquired by Westland Aircraft in 1960)—the same company that produced another famous WWII “flying fish” (so to speak), the Swordfish biplane torpedo bomber—the Barracuda made its maiden flight on December 7, 1940, and officially entered operational service with the Royal Navy Fleet Air Arm (FAA) on January 10, 1943. In the process, it made history as the first English all-metal aircraft built for dive-bombing and torpedo-bombing purposes.
The plane was ordered as a replacement for both the Swordfish and yet another Fairey warbird bearing an ichthyological moniker, the Albacore biplane.
Tech specs of the warbird were as follows:
- Crew: Three (pilot, navigator, radio operator/gunner)
- Fuselage Length: 39 feet 9 inches (12.12 meters)
- Wingspan: 49 feet 2 inches (14.99 meters)
- Height: 15 feet 2 inches (4.62 meters)
- Empty Weight: 9,350 lbs. (4,241 kgs)
- Gross Weight: 13,200 lbs. (5,987 kgs)
- Max Takeoff Weight: 14,100 lbs. (6,396 kgs)
- Powerplant: One Rolls-Royce Merlin 32 V-12 liquid-cooled piston engine generating 1,640 hp (1,220 kW)
- Max Airspeed: 240 mph (390 km/h, 210 knots)
- Cruise speed: 195 mph (314 km/h, 169 knots)
- Service Ceiling: 16,000 feet (4,900 meters)
- Range: 1,150 miles (1,850 km, 1,000 nautical miles)
- Armament:
- Guns: Two .303 caliber (7.7 mm) Vickers K machine guns in the rear cockpit
- Bombs/Torpedoes: One 1,620-lb. (730 kg) aerial torpedo or 1,000-lb. (453 kg) bomb under the fuselage, or 1,800-lbs. of bombs under the wings
A total of 2,602 airframes (one prototype; twelve production models) were built between 1941 and 1945. In addition to the FAA, the Barracuda was also adopted by the Royal Canadian Navy, the Netherland Naval Aviation Service, and the French Air Force.
Operational History and Performance
As I already indicated at the beginning of this article, the British Barracuda was far more successful than the American Airacuda; unlike the latter, the former actually saw combat, although granted, not to the extent that its Swordfish sister plane or the American-made Grumman TBF/TBM Avenger did. The Barracuda was first “blooded” in combat during the Allied landings at Salerno in September 1943.
Most significantly, the warbird/warfish played a major part in attacks on the Nazi German Kriegsmarine battleship Tirpitz. For example, during Operation Tungsten on April 3, 1944, Strike Leader Lieutenant Commander Roy Sydney Baker-Falkner led two Naval Air Wings with a total of forty-two aircraft dispatched from British carriers HMS Victorious (Pennant No. R38) and HMS Furious (Pennant No. 47) to score fourteen direct hits on Tirpitz using a combination of 1,600-lb. (730 kg) and 500-lb. (230 kg) bombs at the cost of just one bomber.
Where Are They Now?
Here is another instance where the Fairey Barracuda has had a luckier story than its Bell counterpart. No Airacudas (out of thirteen built) were preserved for posterity. Meanwhile, there are no completely intact surviving Barracudas at present, but happily, that situation is slowly but surely being rectified, thanks to an ambitious ten-year live rebuild project being carried out by the Fleet Air Arm Museum. As the Museum’s official info page notes:
“This makes the work of Barracuda Live: The Big Rebuild all the more important to preserve this part of aviation history. Visitors to the exhibition can delve deep into details about the technical build of the Barracuda aircraft in the Arthur Kimberley Viewing Gallery, where they can discover more about science and archaeology behind the wrecks and airframe of Barracuda DP872 and unlock the secrets and stories of the brave crew, including Arthur Kimberley … who sadly died in action during the Second World War, aged 20 … Kimberley was a Telegraphist Air Gunner who flew in Barracuda Aircraft attached to 827 Naval Air Squadron during Arctic Convoy duties. In July 1944, he was part of the attack against the German battleship Tirpitz. This heroic act, in a remote Norwegian fjord, kept the Tirpitz immobilised for the rest of the war.”
About the Author: Christian D. Orr
Christian D. Orr was previously a Senior Defense Editor for National Security Journal (NSJ) and 19FortyFive. He is a former Air Force Security Forces officer, Federal law enforcement officer, and private military contractor (with assignments worked in Iraq, the United Arab Emirates, Kosovo, Japan, Germany, and the Pentagon). Chris holds a B.A. in International Relations from the University of Southern California (USC) and an M.A. in Intelligence Studies (concentration in Terrorism Studies) from American Military University (AMU). He has also been published in The Daily Torch, The Journal of Intelligence and Cyber Security, and Simple Flying. Last but not least, he is a Companion of the Order of the Naval Order of the United States (NOUS). If you’d like to pick his brain further, you can ofttimes find him at the Old Virginia Tobacco Company (OVTC) lounge in Manassas, Virginia, partaking of fine stogies and good quality human camaraderie.
Image: Wikipedia.
