Fairey Albacore, part five

The Fairey Albacore was designated as TBR (Torpedo-Bomber-Reconnaissance) and just like the Swordfish, it was capable of dive bombing. It had a maximum under-wing bomb load of 4 x 500 lb (230 kg) and was equipped with a three-bladed constant speed propeller, it was powered by a single Bristol Taurus II 14-cylinder two-row sleeve-valve radial piston engine which yielded 1065 hp for take-off. That engine was much powerful than the Swordfish' one and theoretically, it was more aerodynamically refined.
The first two prototypes flew for the first time on 12th December 1938 and the first batch was produced in 1939. The early types, designated as Albacore Mk.I, were fitted with the aforementioned Bristol Taurus II engine, but the later ones, were fitted with the more powerful Bristol Taurus XII radial engine which yielded 1130 hp of power. When it was tested at Boscombe Down in 1940 with the Taurus II engine , it showed a maximum speed of 160 mph (258 km/h) at 4800 ft (1463 m) high. Those numbers were achieved with four under-wing depth charges attached, while the maximum speed without them was 172 mph (277 km/h). The total weight of an Albacore carrying a torpedo was 11100 lb (5045 kg).
It was armed with a fixed forward-firing 0.303 in M1919 Browning machine gun which was placed in the starboard wing and had one (in some cases two) defensive 0.303 in Vickers K machine gun placed in the rear cockpit. It could carry either one 1670 lb (760 kg) torpedo or 2000 lb (910 kg) of bombs, depth charges or even flares.
A total of 803 aircraft were manufactured, including two prototypes from 1939 until 1943 when production ceased. All of them were manufactured at Fairey's Aviation Co. Ltd. factory at Hayes, and were test flown at what is now London Heathrow Airport.

Sources:
1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fairey_Albacore
2. https://www.valka.cz/Fairey-Albacore-Mk-I-t1348
3. https://www.militaryfactory.com/aircraft/detail.asp?aircraft_id=1390
4. Hall Park Books - Warpaint 52 - Fairey Albacore

Fairey Albacore, part four

By mid-1942 there were up to 15 squadrons operating the Albacore, from the Arctic Circle protecting Soviet convoys to the Mediterranean, Western Desert and Indian Ocean.
The Albacores were also present at the Battle of El Alamein, as well as Sicily and Salerno landings. During the period ranging from September 1941 until June 1943 No.828 Naval Air Squadron, based in RAF Hal Far, Malta, had to operate a squadron of Albacores under severe blitz conditions due to the siege of Malta, mainly against Axis and Italian shipping and shore targets in Sicily.
On 9th March 1942 twelve Albacores from HMS Victorious (R38) were launched to attack the German Battleship Tirpitz at sea near Narvik, Norway. According to the information from one of six radar-equipped aircraft already airborne, Albacores from 817 and 832 Squadrons launched torpedoes and some even fired their machine guns. Apparently, one of the attacks came just 30 ft (9,1 m) of success at the bow, but the Fleet Air Arm's (FAA) attack on the Tirpitz failed with two aircraft lost and many others damaged.
By mid-1942 around 15 Squadrons were equipped with the Albacore and, in November 1942 the ones belonging to Nos. 817, 820, 822 and 832 Squadrons were deployed in combat to support the Allied landings in North-Western Africa, the so-called Operation Torch. They were employed in anti-submarine patrols and ground-support by bombing enemy coastal positions.
The year 1942 marked the zenith of the Albacore and, by 1943 it was progressively replaced by the Fairey Barracuda or the Grumman Avenger in the FAA. The last Albacore squadron, No. 841, which had been used for shore-based attacks against shipping in the Channel, for the whole of its career with the Albacore, was disbanded in late 1943.
The Royal Air Force (RAF) also employed Albacores. No.36 Squadron based at Singapore acquired five of them to supplement their obsolete Vickers Vildebeest at RAF Seletar in December 1941. The remnants of the squadron were captured by the Japanese in March 1942 when Singapore fell. In November 1943 No.415 Squadron Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) was equipped with Albacores coming from both No. 820 and 841 Squadrons FAA for use in the English Channel during Operation Overlord, being this way the last biplane in service with the RCAF. The Squadron was later reformed and transformed into No.119 Squadron RAF and, in July 1944 it was transferred to Belgium where their Albacores were replaced with the radar-equipped Swordfish Mk.III in early 1945, due to spare shortages.
The very last unit to used the Albacore was the Aden communications flight which used 17 Albacores between mid-1944 and 1946. Some of them were delivered from FAA stock in the SS Empire Arun in December 1945.

Sources:
1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fairey_Albacore
2. http://www.pilotfriend.com/photo_albums/timeline/ww2/Fairey%20Albacore.htm
3. https://www.militaryfactory.com/aircraft/detail.asp?aircraft_id=1390
4. https://www.valka.cz/Fairey-Albacore-Mk-I-t1348
5. Hall Park Books - Warpaint 52 - Fairey Albacore

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

Fairey Albacore, part two

The Albacore was conceived as a replacement for the outdated Fairey Swordfish. It was neat-looking and with an enclosed cabin with some luxuries as heating, a windscreen wiper and automatic dinghy ejection. However, the Albacore failed to deliver its high expectations. It failed to replace the Swordfish and, ironically, it was withdrawn before the Swordfish.
After the prototype was tested and production began in 1939 and in 1940 the first production machines were already rolling out from the factories. In that same year, the first production aircraft underwent testing at Aircraft and Armament Experimental Establishment at RAF Martlesham Heath, and since that moment it was reported that not everything was well with the Albacore. Elevators and ailerons were said to be very heavy, the stall with slots free was 'uncomfortable', the front cockpit was too hot under normal summer weather and the rear cockpit was cold and draughty. However some things were credited as better than the Swordfish. The Albacore was steady in a dive, with a smooth recovery when carrying a torpedo and the pilot's view was excellent. In spite of this unpromising results Albacores began to roll out from the factories after a hold-up caused by engine development problems. The initial Bristol Taurus II radial engine which delivered 1065hp of power was replaced by the Taurus XII which yielded 1130hp of power.

Sources:
1. http://www.pilotfriend.com/photo_albums/timeline/ww2/Fairey%20Albacore.htm
2. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fairey_Albacore
3. https://www.militaryfactory.com/aircraft/detail.asp?aircraft_id=1390
4. https://www.valka.cz/Fairey-Albacore-Mk-I-t1348
5. Hall Park Books - Warpaint 52 - Fairey Albacore

Fairey Albacore, part one

The Fairey Albacore was a British carrier-borne biplane torpedo-bomber that was built by Fairey Aviation between 1939 and 1943 for the Royal Navy Fleet Air Arm. It was used during the Second World War, had a crew of three and was designed for spotting and reconnaissance, level, dive and torpedo bombing.
It was commonly known as the "Applecore" and, although initially it was conceived as a replacement for the ageing Fairey Swordfish, it served alongside it and was even retired before, as it was replaced in 1944 by both the Fairey Barracuda and Grumman Avenger.
The prototypes were built to comply with the specification S.41/36 for a three-seat TSR (Torpedo/Spotter/Reconnaissance) for the Fleet Air Arm. It was designed as TBR (Torpedo/Bomber/Reconnaissance) and, like the Swordfish, it was capable of dive-bombing. It was ordered off the drawing board in May 1937 with the a contract put by the Air Ministry for two prototypes and a batch of 98 production aircraft. The prototype flew for the first time on 12th December 1938 at Fairey's Great Western Aerodrome (nowadays part of London Heathrow Airport) and production began in 1939. Apparently the prototype was also tested on floats at Hamble, Hampshire, in 1940 but it showed poor results so further development among those lines wasn't justified.

Sources:
1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fairey_Albacore
2. http://www.pilotfriend.com/photo_albums/timeline/ww2/Fairey%20Albacore.htm
3. https://www.militaryfactory.com/aircraft/detail.asp?aircraft_id=1390
4. https://www.valka.cz/Fairey-Albacore-Mk-I-t1348
5. Hall Park Books - Warpaint 52 - Fairey Albacore