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Last Man Away by Ivan Berryman. The remarkable Fairey Swordfish served with distinction throughout WWII, despite being nothing short of an anachronism. Its dated appearance belied a solid, workmanlike airframe that provided a stable platform from which to launch torpedoes against enemy shipping, the venerable 'Stringbag' sending a greater tonnage of Axis shipping to the bottom than any other allied aircraft in the Second World War. A Mk.II is shown taking off from HMS Ark Royal early in 1941. |
Sea Wings by Ivan Berryman. A pair of Fairey Swordfish Mk1s of 812 Sqn peel away above the pride of the Royal Navy, HMS Ark Royal, during a pre-war exercise in British waters. L9781 is nearest with L7672 in the background |
HMS Ark Royal III by Ivan Berryman. Legendary during her brief wartime career, Ark Royal heralded a new era in aircraft carrier design, possessing tremendous hull rigidity and a formidable array of defensive armament. Apart from her key role in Force H in the Mediterranean and the North Atlantic, Ark Royal also took part in operations off Norway in company with HMS Glorious. It was one of her Blackburn Skuas that claimed the first aerial victory of WWII against a German aircraft on 26th September 1939 and one of her Fairey Swordfish that crippled the mighty Bismarck, leading to the German capital ship's destruction at the hands of the Royal Navy. On 13th November 1941, Ark Royal was torpedoed by U-81 off Gibraltar, her severe list causing flooding to choke her boilers, bringing her to a standstill. Her crew were taken off and the mighty Ark continued to list until she eventually capsized and sank. |
HMS Ark Royal and HMS Sheffield off the Mole, Gibraltar by Ivan Berryman. Having played a vital part in the battle for the Mediterranean for over two years, HMS Ark Royal finally succumbed to a U-Boats torpedo in November 1941. She is shown here with a pair of Swordfish Mk1s of 821 Sqn ranged on the deck, passing the cruiser HMS Sheffield off the Mole, Gibraltar, earlier that same year. |
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