British Mk.I - This is a model of a Royal
Navy torpedo bomber from the carrier HMS Illustrious that attacked
the Italian fleet moored at Taranto in November 1940. Swordfish
entered service in 1936, replacing the Fairey Seal, and were the Fleet Air Arm's primary carrier
torpedo bombers during the first several years of WWII, although necessity
often required them to operate from land bases as regular bombers. By the end of 1943 Swordfish had been replaced in this role by Fairey Barracudas and American built Grumman
Avengers. Later Swordfish variants, however, starting with
the Mk.II in 1943, had a strengthened lower wing to carry
heavier armament, such as rockets. They were used through the
end of the war in the anti-submarine warfare role.
