Fairey Albacore

The Fairey Albacore is a single-engine biplane torpedo bomber designed and produced by the British aircraft manufacturer Fairey Aviation. It was primarily operated by the Royal Navy Fleet Air Arm (FAA) and was heavily used during the Second World War.
The Albacore, popularly known as the "Applecore", was conceived as a replacement for the Fairey Swordfish, an earlier biplane introduced during the mid 1930s. It was typically operated by a crew of three and was designed for spotting and reconnaissance as well as level, dive, and torpedo bombing. First flown on 12 December 1938, the Albacore was in production between 1939 and 1943, and entered FAA service with 826 Naval Air Squadron during March 1940. The type was initially operated from land bases, being dispatched on attach missions against enemy shipping and harbours in the vicinity of the English Channel. The first operations onboard an aircraft carrier commenced in November 1940.
At its height, 15 first-line FAA squadrons flew the Albacore operated. The type was prominently used in the Mediterranean, participating in the Battle of Cape Matapan, the Second Battle of El Alamein, as well as the landings at Sicily and Salerno. Despite the intention to replace the Swordfish, the Albacore served alongside it and was eventually retired before it, both aircraft having being replaced by a pair of monoplane designs, the Fairey Barracuda and Grumman Avenger. In addition to the FAA, both the Royal Air Force (RAF) and the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) also operated the type.Wikipedia entry
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Category:British
Category:Fairey Aviation
Category:World War 2
Category:Biplane
Category:Single engine
Category:Piston engined
Category:Torpedo bomber