Blackburn Baffin The Blackburn B - 5 Baffin biplane torpedo bomber was a development of the Ripon , the chief change being that a 545 hp ( 406 kW ) Bristol Pegasus I . MS radial replaced the Ripon ' s Napier Lion water - cooled inline engine . The Baffin was designed by Major F A Bumpus to meet a Fleet Air Arm requirement as a conventional two - seat single - bay biplane of mixed metal and wooden construction with fabric covering . It had swept , staggered , equal - span wings , the lower having an inverse gull to provide clearance for the torpedo while retaining a short undercarriage . Armament comprised one fixed , forward - firing 0 . 303 in ( 7 . 7 mm ) Vickers machine gun and one free - mounted . 303 in ( 7 . 7 mm ) Lewis gun in rear cockpit , plus one 2 , 000 lb ( 910 kg ) bomb , or 1 , 576 lb ( 716 kg ) Mk VIII or Mk IX torpedo , or three 530 lb ( 240 kg ) or six 250 lb ( 110 kg ) bombs . Development . In the early 1930s the torpedo bomber squadrons of the Fleet Air Arm were equipped with the Blackburn Ripon . While the Ripon had only entered service in 1930 , it was powered by the elderly water - cooled Napier Lion engine , and it was realised that replacing the Lion by a modern air - cooled radial engine would increase payload and simplify maintenance . In 1932 Blackburn decided to build two prototypes of radial - engined Ripons , one powered by an Armstrong Siddeley Tiger and the second by a Bristol Pegasus , as a private venture ( i . e . without an order from the Air Ministry ) . The Pegasus - engined prototype first flew on 30 September 1932 , and after testing was chosen in preference to the Tiger - powered aircraft as a short - term replacement for the Ripon . Initial orders were placed for 26 newly built aircraft and 38 conversions of Ripon airframes , production beginning in 1933 . A further 26 conversions of Ripons into Baffins were ordered in 1935 because of reliability problems associated with the Armstrong Siddeley Tiger engines powering Blackburn Shark s , and the desire to expand the strength of the Fleet Air Arm . An additional three new production Baffins had the 580 hp ( 430 kW ) Pegasus II . M3 engine and were termed the Baffin T8A . The aircraft is said to have inspired the coining of the word " Boffin " . Service . Two prototypes and 33 production Baffins went to a training flight at Gosport for dummy deck - landing and torpedo practice , with the first Squadron re - equipping with the Baffin No 812 Squadron , in January 1934 . The type went to sea with 810 Squadron on , 811 on , 812 on and and 820 Squadron on " Courageous " . In addition , 14 were sent to Malta to serve on carriers in the Mediterranean . The Baffin served barely two years before being replaced by the Shark and Fairey Swordfish , with 812 Squadron continuing to fly Baffins until December 1936 . All British aircraft appear to have been withdrawn from service before the outbreak of the Second World War . In 1937 , New Zealand acquired 29 of the best condition Baffins from the UK to equip Territorial Air Force ( reserve ) squadrons in Auckland , Wellington and Christchurch . Twenty - four were operational on the outbreak of war , 16 in Wellington and eight in Christchurch . On the outbreak of war , these aircraft were utilised as trainers . With the realisation of the threat posed by surface raiders , the RNZAF Baffin was returned to the active list , the survivors being merged in March 1940 as the NZ General Reconnaissance Squadron , renamed 1 GR Squadron in 1941 when half the strength was transferred to 3 GR Squadron . The Baffins were replaced by Lockheed Hudson s before the outbreak of war with Japan ; the last Baffins were broken up at Rongotai in 1941 . Survivor . The wreck of RNZAF Baffin NZ160 , which crashed in 1937 , is being rebuilt .