The Fairey Swordfish was the most successful British torpedo-bomber of World War II, sinking more ships than all the Royal Navy’s battleships put together. The first prototype flew on April 17. 1934. 2,391 Swordfishes were built between 1934 and 1944. The last front-line Swordfish squadron disbanded on May 21, 1945. When it entered fleet service in 1936, it became known as the “Stringbag” due to the many wire braces of its biplane construction. Its most famous mission was the first torpedo attack on a fleet in homeport at Taranto, Italy in 1940, this many believe added credibility to the Japanese plan to attack Pearl Harbor in 1941.

This painting illustrates a “Stringbag” flying into enemy anti-aircraft flak as it is about to launch a torpedo attack on a enemy warship.