Fairey Albacore; The Under Appreciated Slow Poke 

Brilliant reappraisal of a sadly neglected aircraft Ed! The Albacore should also be remembered for its use over Dunkirk where a raid by 10 Albacores and 9 Skuas on the 31st of May 1940 blunted a German attack over the Nieuport canal. Another early action involving the Albacore was on the 21st June 1940 when three Albacores were shot down over the Island of Texel after attacking German airfields in Holland. But the Germans lost one Bf109 and another two damaged to the return fire of the Albacore gunners in the process. One of the pilots of the Albacores lost that day was Peter Butterworth, who spent the rest of the war in German prison camps, although he was involved in a couple of Escape attempts. After the war, he would become an actor, best remembered for his many roles in "Carry On" films.

Whenever I see photos of the Swordfish flying over the North Sea I start getting cold. I can't imagine an open cockpit in those conditions.

My Father flew the Albacore in English Channel operations in 1944 against German shipping. His final operations were based from the Belgium coast in December 1944.

Ed, this video is a textbook example of why your channel is so good: a relatively obscure subject, really objectively covered, no stone left unturned and a fair-minded, informative verdict delivered. The Albacore deserves a far more sympathetic appraisal than she normally gets.

A lot of early war equipment gets a bad press. But it was what we had and (if used properly) they could do the job and hold the line till better kit got issued. Brave men, well led will always make a difference - although good equipment can help enormously of course.

The Swordfish relies on her Peggy The modified Taurus ain't sound So the Swordfish flies off on her mission While the Albacore stays on the ground Bring back, bring back, Bring back my stringbag to me.

Brilliant - I was always mystified why the Albacore wasn’t used in the ASW role in some tough places leaving crews frozen and struggling to catch up with carriers. I do think the Albacore was the better plane and would have made a better platform so finally I have an answer.

Splendid! The role and huge potential of radar equipped Albacores in the Med and in the Indian ocean also must be remembered. This gave the FAA a unique night attack capability, which was utilised well in the Med and with a little different circumstances also could have played a major role in the Indian Ocean in spring of 42.

Thank you! I've been telling people for decades that the Blackburn production line was the reason the Swordfish outlived the Albacore - and I suspect there could be political reasons why troubled Blackburn were shored up during such desperate times. Did you know that the final mark of the Swordfish also had an enclosed cockpit, never seem to see pix of that.

Fascinating coverage, Ed. Your summary is spot on, relevant to how many legendary beliefs are more nuisance in the cold light of facts. The bravery of the pilots on both sides should also never be forgotten., especially in the backdrop of poorly formulated attack strategies, again on both sides, by leaders in comfortable rooms remote from the action

Nice to see a 415 Sqn (RCAF) Albacore pictured, and really interesting to see an Albacore in US insignia (guessing Operation Torch?)...

Very well done! Thanks for a balance, thoughtful review. I've always thought that the Albacore was better than most histories suggested, but that wartime circumstances somehow favored the more primitive Swordfish.

FWIW: It still somewhat amazes me that some _Stringbags_ -- an aircraft which I love -- were equipped with radar. A _BIPLANE_ equipped with _RADAR._

Fascinating stuff as usual. It’s nice that you found some footage of aircraft operating with the white star roundels of the Operation Torch period.

Never heard of he Fairey Albacore before, but what a good looking biplane it was/is.

Great Video... Thank you ! (Have you done one on that magnificent horror called the "Barracuda"? I would love to see that

When I first came across the Albacore I had wondered why they had just enclosed the cockpit. It was not until I looked into its history I realised that there was more to it and its reputation was not deserved. Taranto may have had a bigger impact if the second carrier had been available as was supposed to happen. One or two more of the larger warships damaged or sunk would have made it harder to make a show of force.

As you say Ed . The forgotten hero ..... l was aware of this very underrated and very able aircraft . But nowhere as detailed as your impeccable coverage . And yes , l have seen this at Yeovilton a number of times . I will view this aircraft with a new admiration the next time l visit Yeovilton . Thankyou Ed.

For some reason in naval wargaming the Albacore is an absolute beast for damage. I had a battleship sunk from just one flight of Albacores!

I hadn't seen them before with US star insignia. Seems it was for Op Torch to make US forces less likely to shoot them down in confusion for Vichy French. Learn something every day.

Being obsolescent for an intended purpose didn't preclude being adequate for secondary purposes (thereby freeing up newer planes or ships for frontline use). The B-18 Bolo was obsolete, but usable early in the war for anti-submarine patrolling, when better airplanes were in short supply and needed in combat theaters. US Omaha class light cruisers were obsolescent, but well suited for anti-raider patrolling and rescue of U-boat sinking survivors in the Caribbean and South Atlantic. US Wickes and Clemson class destroyers were obsolescent at the start of WW2, but usable for convoy duty, and eventually many were converted to secondary roles as fast transports, minesweepers, and such (I wonder if RN V and W class destroyers had similar careers). Re-purposed Swordfish likely allowed more capable airplanes to be used in roles that require those greater capabilities.

The big difference for notoriety could be put down to the movie, 'Sink the Bismark' which projected the underdog role of the Swordfish into common culture. Had they made a movie about Matapan it might have been different - both aircraft and in particular the crews were magnificent. Love your videos Ed👍

Many thanks, Ed! I have long wondered why the Albacore was taken out of service before the swordfish. Shame they didnt ask Blackburn to make Albacores!. I'm also puzzled as to why the Barracuda was ordered when there was so little of the German fleet left, the Americans were vastly overpowering Japan. The Albacore was fine - and from what you've explained - better than the sw3ordfish in all but one aspect - the gap bet6ween its ubercarriage legs, To me, the obvious answer would be to modify some Albacores to allow ASW radar to be fitted.. Finally, jets. Jets were clearly going to dominate military aircraft design post war, and the Albacore was doing a grand job for the FAA, so why not just build more Albacores, and then work up specs for an Albacore replacement after the war's ebd? As for Churchill - a great wartime leader of our nation he was (mostly), but it seems that every time he poked his nose into military matters, the result was a disaster! It seems a tad unfair to me that whilst Hitler and Stalin rightly get criticised for theit decidedly unhelpful interferebces with their own military, Churchill seldom does.

I've long thought this would make the perfect warbird today. Slow, small field performance, unusual looks, compact for hangarage, 3 seats... what's not to like?

Great Video. Thank you so much for covering this aircraft. Love ww2 era aviation aircraft but I have to admit...I had never heard of the Albacore. Thank you once again for this video. Great work!!!

The actor Peter Butterworth (best known for the Carry On films) was the pilot in an Albacore that was shot down in the raid on De Kooy and Den Helder on 21-22 June 1940 in which the Observer Sub Lt Dyke was KIA. He and his Air Gunner Leading Airman Jackson were taken POW. Later on in the war Lt Butterworth was held in Stalag Luft III and was one of the POWs involved in the Wooden Horse escape - not an escapee but one of the vaulters. Ironically when the film was made of that escape, he wasn't deemed to look heroic enough to act in it.

Very nice video Ed!! Keep up this awesome series!

Thanks, Ed. And Happy New Year!

At last, someone who can deliver an interesting and informative narrative. Excellent narrative with clear diction, way above the standards of many videos. Well done Ed.

I missed your posts! Hope you had a great holiday season, and I wish you and those you care about, all the best for the New Year! Thank you so much for all your work.

thanks for giving Armoured Carriers a shout out. like your channel, I have been following that one since it first showed up in my feed.

Interesting you mentioned the Devastator - proof that the number of wings is no indicator of service life. Worth remembering the zones the FAA concentrated on for their carrier aircraft - North Atlantic (no enemy fighter), North Sea (partially covered by the RAF) and Mediterranean (where the Italians still used biplane fighters - so a biplane with STOL and long endurance isn't such a bad idea. The British and the French still used slow prop planes (Gannet and Alize) into the 80s for the same roles, though they had better attack planes to do the dangerous work by then.

Considering the Fairey Albacore was supposed to be a stop gap between the retirement of the Fairey Swordfish in 1939 and the introduction the Fairey Barracuda in 1941 as the British Empire was building for a war to begin in 1942 not 1939

A small step up from the stringbag , The Air Ministry detested spending on naval aircraft . And man does it show !

Another great explanation of what should have been a better career for this aircraft. Well done Ed, keep up the good work.

Great presentation!

Excellent, unbiased and informative video. Cheers.

Thank you for covering the Albacore 😊 service.

Great content, Ed! Thanks again!

Excellent stuff, a real eye opener about an aircraft little known to me

Well done once again ! Thank you !

Thanks for another very informative video! My curiousity has been raised though by the footage of Albacores in US markings. Is there another story to be told there?

One factor rarely considered and never quantified for naval aircraft is the incidence of decklanding accidents and the ability to get the crew (the most valuable equipment) home in all weathers. I believe this was a strength of the Stringbag and possibly the Albacore (apparently not the Barracuda). Did this make the Stringbag a better fit for the Escorts Carriers? I also note that the Stringbag was used for CAP on the Artic Convoys (when bad weather prevented) Martlets from flying which adds another string to their bow. (British Escort Carriers Angus Konstam) As you say Ed A long shadow, thank you, for illuminating the Albacore as a worthy aircraft.

I have looked at the original specifications (M7/36 and the later 41/36) that lead to the Fairey Albacore's design and it's interesting that the Air Ministry issued two specifications, one for a Torpedo Spotter Reconnaissance aircraft (T.S.R specification M7/36) and the other for a Dive Bomber Reconnaissance Aircraft (D.B.R specification o.8/36), with the idea that one of the two specifications would produce an update monoplane design for the FAA. Fairey had been chosen to exclusively tender designs for the Dive Bomber Reconnaissance aircraft. However, the company felt it could not produce a satisfactory aircraft for the specification. This led to the two specifications being merged into one as it was determined that an aircaft designed to the T.S.R. role could also carry out dive bombing. Once the two specifications had been amalgamated, the admiralty expressed a desire for a biplane as the FAA had little to no experience flying monoplanes. The Admiralty wanted the new aircraft as quickly as possible to replace both the Blackburn Shark and Fairey Swordfish, which was deemed to become obsolete by 1940.

Thanks for the explanation on doctrine/design choices for the FAA. Their various oddly-shaped aircraft always puzzled me. It was clear just looking at them they weren't trying to do what the Americans and Japanese were doing, despite the Brits having the tech to do so. I never understood why until now. Their entire carrier force was just a better form of catapult-launched spotter from their point of view. (doctrinally, not in employment)

Eric Winkle brown wrote that the Swordfish rivalled the Tiger Moth for ease of flying, and would almost land itself on a carrier. Thus any other plane would feel heavy...

Great video, Ed...👍

As a private pilot with multi engine and jet rating I have always wanted to try flying an Albacore and a Gannett.

Albacores were also utilized in the British/French invasion of Madagascar in 1942.

I'm afraid that, as a practical matter, I just don't see a lot of daylight in between "this aircraft was obsolete before it first flew because it was poorly designed" and "this aircraft was obsolete before it first flew because it was designed in response to an obsolete specification, which in turn was crafted due to an obsolete doctrine." The Swordfish was already very much obsolescent by 1937, with the emergence of the TBD and B5N in the US and Japan respectively; specifying its replacement type as "that, but with a heater" really shows how little the RN (and the RAF for that matter) cared about, or even _thought_ about, the FAA in the 1930s.

Superb video of a criminally underappreciated aircraft

Well done Ed, this is deserved of a "Forgotten Aircraft" episode. History is written by the winners, and their propaganda lives on. So given the British "underdog" theme, it's not surprising that the Swordfish was immortalised, especially since the improvement was only incremental. But yeah, AC does give us pilots' perspectives on flying each. Cheers!

Kevin - Thank you.

It's too bad the swordfish was better, though I'd imagine the albacore would be a bit more comfortable than the swordfish while flying in the North Atlantic with an enclosed cockpit

Welcome back, Ed!

Thanks Ed.

Hey Ed, have you ever heard of a south African project known as the bomb cart? One of my coworkers had something to do with it, and upon researching it a bit, it seems to be a COIN aircaft that looks like a baby A-10, made from bits of BAC Jet Provost

Hi Mr Nash! Happy new year!

Excellent review.

Ed, that's an interesting shot at time stop 10:37, with what must be a Seafire nestling at the back of the crowd of Albacores. It would be enlightening to identify the ship and the date.

Sort of old hurricane v Spitfire during the Battle of Britain story.

Great video as always. And armoured carriers is a brilliant channel shockingly undersubscribed

Thanks very much for your very kind words. Greatly appreciated. And I appreciate the candor of your assessments. Credit where credit is due. Criticism where criticism is due.

Would you perhaps consider making a video about the origins of Albacore and the monoplane proposal by Fairey? An interesting 'what if...'

Have always liked this plane.

The simple, wooden Swordfish could be repaired by crews on small escort carriers. One big reason the stringbag had such a long life

Never forget the Swordfish was only one year older than the Hurricane and 2 years older than the Spitfire.

RU-vid took away my subscription status, I had to redo it, FYI. Thanks for the video, its cool to find out about these planes at the start of the war.

Excellent!

Awesome thanks

Given you can't know in advance what missions you will be tasked to undertake Who is going to chose the Stringbag Swordfish (the hypothermic option) or the warm, if slightly control heavy Applecore? And neither would I But note - *There is a beautiful Swordfish which FLIES at Shuttleworth (Bedfordshire) on display days* (& loads of other iconic stuff)

It's really a Series 2 Swordfish.

THANKS Mr.Ed Nash.... Old F-4 2 Shoe🇺🇸

It seems strange that a biplane, the Albacore, with two wings. Would be replaced by a monoplane, the Barracuda, with sometimes , no wings! Thanks for the very informative video. I really appreciate your narration. Some productions have great content but are hard on the ears.

Thanks

a great very interesting video and aircraft Mr.Ed as always. was this aircraft ever equipped with a radar?was it used in any other role than the torpedo attack.thank you have a good one.

The Sea Otter was introduced to replace the Walrus and also failed to do so. Britain seems to be good at building aircraft that fail to replace the type whose role they are to take on.

It served in Indian theater; yay!!😊

Poor Applecores. Nice to see your defence. I noticed the planned TB for the Graff Zeppelin looked very similar to the Applecores. Fiesler something? You have a video I think.

iirc, while the Swordfish outlived the Albacore in Britain, the latter actually outlived its predecessor because it was used by the Canadians several years longer. Which makes sense - heated enclosed cockpit is a big deal in the cold north.

Are there any pictures of an Albacore in monoplane form even of only in plan form? It would be really interesting to see exactly what it would have looked like, especially in comparison to my own pictures of a monoplane variant of the Albacore that I edited in Windows Paint using common sense to come up with a probable design, if not then a definite design form. Considering the circumstances of the times and the need to save materials and funds then Fairey would have probably reused as many parts from other planes so as not to waste time making new jigs which would use up extra materials and funds when jigs already exist for other planes in production. Looking at the other Fairey aircraft of the time I could only see the Fulmar as using wings that were suitable for use on the Albacore being a low wing design and so I replaced the biplane wings with the single wing of the Fulmar along with the undercarriage of the Fulmar and it looks very much like a Mitsubishi A6M Zero but the engine looks tiny in comparison so I made a duplicate with a larger power plant which would have required a larger propeller and so bigger undercarriage and arrestor hook. I then went and edited again for a third variant which was a single seat model with a tear drop canopy, I think on paper albeit digitally speaking the imagination can look upon the monoplane designs quite favourably and although it would have possibly have been much better than the biplane imho, it probably would still have been a poor performer.

@ 8.30 - noooo not that myth again. Suffice to say, the Japanese took it as confirmation that what they were already planning way before Taranto would work.

"I Thought" as per my memory of this age, these Men, and their Machines? Albacore Was it was Much Loved for Gorila or Resistance Use? as I recall she had good STOL abilities, short landing and take off? as I remember told me? but I can Not recall what the Canadians, or Americans, named Her?

Well up to your nonstandard. Much enjoyment

It's a bit unfair the criticism, I can see the reasoning,the Fleet Air arm had a very successful aircraft in the swordfish, so make a more modern enclosed cockpit version that should be better

10:03 Stuka as a fighter… that day yes😮 10:03

I've loved the Albacore since I was a kid! To me it will always be The Flying Killer Tunafish!😁

Excellent Ed. Have you, are you going to do a video on the barracuda ???

Wondering why some of the aircraft featured carried the stars of the U S. Navy? Would be obvious enough, except still carry the British tail insignia, any ideas? Great vid as per, thanks foe sharing.

Jesus Christ when youre compared to the TBD, you have nowhere else to go but up. EDIT: 07:16 How beautiful is that, seriously. I want one.

Hi, great video. I do have a question, any further info on the albacore shown on the flight deck with British tail markings but an apparent US star on the fuselage. Keep up the great work.

BTW, I knew nothing of the Kirkenes raid before now. Thank you for that. ☮

I think a lot of the people who talk ill of the Albacore these days because it was only 'mildly' better than the Swordfish in performance only look at the Wikipedia stats and don't think about crew comfort the more modern design offered for naval operations.

"What if we made a Swordfish, but more modern."

The supposed replacement, the Fairey Barracuda, was basically a total failure. The real replacement was the Grumman TBF/TBM Avenger.

My great great uncle Sub. Lt. Aubrey Clook (Observer) was shot down in one in north africa, and seriously injured.

Torpedeiro muito bonito, aeronave muito interessante 🌟

Funny how the Swordfish still gets much credit even to this day.

I think the single Albacore lost was the one of the squadron commander who scored the hit on Vittorio Veneto

Did I see a fleeting glimpse of an Albacore sporting US pre-1942 Stars on it’s wing taking off from a carrier??