Fairey Swordfish Mk.I Floatplane
No. 701 Catapult Flight, HMS Malaya
November 1940
(Corgi AA36303)
- Engine: One 690 h.p. Bristol Pegasus III M.3 radial
- Span: 45 ft 6 in
- Length: 35 ft 8 in
- Height: 12 ft 4 in
- Weight: 4,700 lb empty / 7,510 lb loaded
- Crew: Three
- Max Speed: 138 mph at 5,000 ft
- Service Ceiling: 19,250 ft
- Normal Range: 546 miles
- Armament: Two .303 cal MG; one 1,610 lb torpedo, or one 1,500 lb mine, or equivalent load of bombs
- Notes: When WWII broke out, 13 FAA squadrons were equipped with Swordfish bombers. Most were embarked on carriers. Two special squadrons equipped with Swordfish floatplanes were assigned to Royal Navy battleships and cruisers. These were Catapult Flights Nos. 701 and 702. Seventeen more Swordfish squadrons would be formed until the end of WWII. This Swordfish Mk.I Floatplane was embarked aboard the battleship HMS Malaya in early 1940. The warship operated with the Home Fleet and assisted the carriers in defending the UK from German naval threats in the North Sea and Atlantic. HMS Malaya served in WWI including Jutland. Rebuilt twice between the Wars, the latter rebuild saw the addition of a new hangar and fixed catapult aft of the funnel; two cranes were provided to support the movement of the aircraft. In 1942 the aircraft and catapult were removed.
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