witpqs
Posts: 26087
Joined: 10/4/2004 From: Argleton Status: offline
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I just did a google search and looked at a bunch of sites. I failed to find 200 mph anywhere. I found one site that was a forum posting where the author seemed to say that he copied the stats from a book to answer another poster. The posters name is Trackend on the site ww2aircraft.net and he gives a citation. Here is that post: http://www.ww2aircraft.net/forum/aviation/question-speed-swordfish-7041.html quote:
This is the most comprehensive specs I have for the StringBag Del and is taken from the SwordFish Story by Ray Sturtivant although it does'nt give unladen performance. Power Plant Bristol Pegasus Mk IIIM3 (or MK 30) Nine Cylinder Radial air cooled supercharged engine rated at 775hp at 2300RPM at sea level and 690hp at 2300rpm at 3500ft (five minute combat rating 750hp at 2525rpm at 4750ft when fitted with Fairey Reed three bladed fixed pitch metal propeller) Fuel Capacity 155 Imperial gallons in main fuselage tank and a further 12.5 Imperial gallons in gravity tank. Provision for 60 Imperial gallon auxiliary tank slung from torpedo crutches beneath centre fuselage. Dimensions Span (upper mainplane) 45ft 6in. (lower mainplane) 43ft 9in. Width with mainplanes folded 17ft 3in. Length (tail down) 36ft 1in, (flying attitude) 36ft 4in. Height (tail down) 12ft 10.5in, (flying attitude) 13ft 5.75in. Gross wing area 607 sq ft. Weights (MK1 late production) Empty 4,700lbs Empty equpped 5,200lbs Loaded 8,100lbs Maximum loaded 8,700lbs Maximum overload 9,250lbs Armament One fixed forward firing Vickers .303 machine gun x 600 rounds One Lewis .303 machine gun x 6 magazines mounted on Fairey high speed. fleximount Loads included Optional, one 1,610 lb torpedo. one 1,500lb sea mine or 1,500lb of bombs (which could comprise of 2 500lb bombs beneath fuselage and 2 250lb bombs beneath lower main plane or one 500lb bomb beneath lower each lower main plane. The MkII could instead carry four 60lb rockets underneath each lower mainplane. Performance (MkI late production at 8,700lbs loaded weight) Maximum speed 132mph at sea level, 139mph at 4,750ft. Maximum cruising speed 128mph at 5,000ft with maximum weak mixture power. Economical cruising speed 104mph at 5,000ft. Range with 1,500lb bomb load at economical cruising speed & no external stores 546 miles. With 60 Imperial gallon external tank 1,030 miles. Initial climb rate 1,200ft/min. Time to 5,000ft at 8,700lbs weight 10 minutes. Service ceiling (9,250lbs weight) 10,700ft, (8,700lbs weight) 12,400ft. Maxmium unloaded ceiling 19,250ft. Take off distance (to clear 50ft max load) 725yds. Deck run into 20 kt wind 180yds, 30kt wind 115yds, 40kt wind 62yds. Landing run (over 50ft at 8,700lbs) 550yds. I have some other figures from issued middle east documents for the Swordfish in seaplane configuration but the ones above are about (as far as I can find out) the most accurate. As for kills the Fleet Air Arm museum in Yoevilton seems to settle around 300,000 tonnes + of merchantile shipping excluding mine layed kills and 20 submarines through direct involvement as for naval vessels this list includes obviously several capital and numorous smaller vessels ranging from cruisers too gun boats, as for anti tank and air to air action I have not been very successfull in this but there are quite a few accounts in various articals of kills in this area. I know that a bunch of guys on this forum have reference books - if someone has 200 mph for the Swordfish I hope they speak up.
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