Fairey Albacore

The Fairey Albacore was a single-engine biplane torpedo bomber designed and built by the Fairey Aviation Company for the Royal Navy Fleet Air Arm in the Second World War. Known as the Applecore, it was meant to replace the Swordfish and was designated TBR for torpedo, bomber and reconnaissance. It was a single-bay all-metal biplane with a semi-monocoque fuselage, a more powerful Bristol Taurus engine driving a constant-speed propeller and a more refined shape than the Swordfish, usually flown by a crew of three. The first prototype flew on 12 December 1938 from the Great West Aerodrome and the type entered service with 826 Naval Air Squadron in March 1940. At its height 15 first-line squadrons flew it, including at the Battle of Cape Matapan, Second El Alamein and the landings at Sicily and Salerno. About 800 were built at Hayes before production ended in 1943, and one survives at the Fleet Air Arm Museum.