Fairey Albacore, part three

The Albacore served for the first time with No.826 Squadron which was formed at RNAS Ford, in Sussex, as a torpedo-bomber squadron purposely formed to fly the Albacore. They received 12 aircraft on 15th March 1940 and on 31st May they went into action attacking E-Boats off the coast of Zeebrugge and engaging road and railroad targets in Westende, in Belgium.
The squadron was rebased to Bircham Newton in Norfolk the following month, where it operated with the Coastal Command until November making night raids, laying mines and shipping bombing. More Albacore squadrons were formed in 1940: No.829 at RNAS Ford, Sussex, No.828 at RNAS Lee-on-Soilent, Hampshire and No.827 at RAF Yeovilton, Somerset, with this last one moving to Stornoway, Scotland for anti-submarine duties. The Albacores were used aboard aircraft carriers when both No.826 and No.829 were assigned to HMS Formidable (67) on 26th November 1940 for convoy escort duties to Cape Town, in the Mediterranean Sea. Aircraft from those squadrons took part in the Battle of Cape Matapan in March 1941 performing torpedo runs, in the most pure Swordfish' fashion, against the Italian Battleship Vittorio Veneto, the first time when the Albacore used torpedoes in action.
Albacores also took part in the raid on Kirkenes and Petsamo in July 1941 when a force composed of Fairey Albacores and Fairey Fulmar tried to attack the Northern Norwegian port of Kirkenes and the Finnish port of Petsamo but suffered heavy casualties when they were intercepted by Luftwaffe's fighters.

Sources:
1. http://www.pilotfriend.com/photo_albums/timeline/ww2/Fairey%20Albacore.htm
2. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fairey_Albacore
3. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/826_Naval_Air_Squadron
4. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/827_Naval_Air_Squadron
5. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/829_Naval_Air_Squadron
6. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_EF_(1941)
7. Hall Park Books - Warpaint 52 - Fairey Albacore