Fairey Spearfish

 

The Fairey Spearfish was designed by Fairey Aviation to a specification issued by the Admiralty for a replacement of the Fairey Barracuda for a torpedo/dive bomber. Compared to the Barracuda, the Spearfish was powered by a much powerful engine, had a bigger internal weapons bay and had a retractable ASV Mk. XV surface-search radar mounted behind the bomb bay. The Spearfish was half as large as the Barracuda, as it was designed to operate from the Malta-class carriers which eventually were never completed.

In August 1943 Fairey received an order for three prototypes to be built against the Specification O.5/43 and the prototype was built at Fairey's Hayes factory. It flew for the first time on 5th July 1945 from Heston airfield, in London. Two further prototypes were also built, but they didn't take off until 1947. In November 1943 the company was also ordered to produce a dual-control dive-bombing trainer variant, under the specification T.21/43. It was built at Heaton Chapel Factory and flown at Ringway airport, in Manchester, on 20th June 1946. Three further development machines were ordered in May 1944. These were going to be assembled at Heaton Chapel with the last two powered by a Rolls-Royce Pennine engine. However, only the first one, powered by a Bristol Centaurus engine was built, but never flew.

An initial production order for 150 machines was placed, to be manufactured at Heaton Chapel. All of them were to be powered by the 2.600 hp Bristol Centaurus engine in different variants. With the cancellation of the Malta-class aircraft carriers, the Fleet Air Arm no longer had a requirement for new torpedo bombers and the programme was cancelled. Work continued on the two other prototypes, albeit very slowly. 

The first prototype was used by Napier & Son at Luton for trials on the company's in-flight de-icing system, it was then used again for ground-training purposes on 30th April 1952 and it was scrapped shortly afterwards. The second prototype was used by the Royal Navy for carrier trials at RNAS Ford, in Sussex, until it was sold for scrap on 15th September. The third prototype was employed for ASV Mk.XV radar trials, but was damaged in a heavy landing on 1st September 1949 and sold for scrap as it was beyond reparation. The fourth prototype never flew and was used as a source of spare parts. The only Heaton Chapel-built aircraft was the closest to the planned production and was used for engine-cooling and power-assisted flying control trials, until it was struck off charge on 24th July 1951.

Sources:

1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fairey_Spearfish

2. https://www.valka.cz/Fairey-Spearfish-t54911