Canadian Warplanes 3: Fairey Barracuda

Fairey Barracuda

(Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 4948345)

Fairey Barracudas on a bombing run. Flown by RCN and RCNVR pilots in service with the Fleet Air Arm, Royal Navy.

Fairey Barracuda Mk. II. Canadians serving with the Royal Navy's Fleet Air Arm flew these during the Second World War. On 24 January 1946, the Royal Canadian Navy (RCN) took delivery of 12 radar-equipped Barracuda Mk. II aircraft; this was a Canadian designation, in British service these aircraft were referred to as the Barracuda Mk. III. The first acquired aircraft were assigned to the newly-formed No. 825 Squadron aboard the aircraft carrier HMCS Warrior. The majority of Canadian aircraft mechanics had served during the war and had been deployed on numerous British aircraft carriers, notably HMS Puncher and HMS Nabob which, along with some Canadian pilots, the RCN crewed and operated on behalf of the RN. During 1948, HMCS Warrior was paid off and returned to Britain along with the Barracuda aircraft. Two Fairey Barracuda Mk. II (Serial No. DP872), and (Serial No. LS931), are in storage with the Fleet Air Arm Museum, Yeovilton, Ilchester, Somerset.

There is one Fairey Barracuda Mk. II (Serial No. DP872), survivor in storage at Cobham Hall, Fleet Air Arm Museum, Yeovilton, Ilchester, Somerset.

(IWM Photo, A20180)

Fairey Barracuda Mk. II carrying an 18-inch (46 cm) aerial torpedo. The ASV radar "Yagi" antennae are visible above the wings. Flown by RCN and RCNVR pilots in service with the Fleet Air Arm, Royal Navy.

The Fairey Barracuda was a British carrier-borne torpedo and dive bomber designed by Fairey Aviation. It was the first aircraft of this type operated by the Royal Navy's Fleet Air Arm (FAA) to be fabricated entirely from metal. The Barracuda was developed as a replacement for the Fairey Albacore biplanes. Development was protracted due to the original powerplant intended for the type, the Rolls-Royce Exe, being cancelled; it was replaced by the less powerful Rolls-Royce Merlin engine. On 7 December 1940 the first Fairey prototype conducted its maiden flight; early testing revealed it to be somewhat underpowered. However, the definitive Barracuda Mk II had a more powerful model of the Merlin engine, while later versions were powered by the larger and even more powerful Rolls-Royce Griffon engine. The type was ordered in bulk to equip the FAA; in addition to Fairey's own production line, Barracudas were also built by Blackburn Aircraft, Boulton Paul, and Westland Aircraft.

The type participated in numerous carrier operations during the conflict, being deployed in the Atlantic Ocean, Mediterranean Sea, and the Pacific Ocean against the Germans, Italians, and Japanese respectively during the latter half of the war. One of the Barracuda's most noteworthy engagements was a large-scale attack upon the German battleship Tirpitz on 3 April 1944. In addition to the FAA, the Barracuda was also used by the Royal Air Force, the Royal Canadian Navy, the Dutch Naval Aviation Service and the French Air Force. Following its withdrawal from service during the 1950s, no intact examples of the Barracuda were preserved despite its once-large numbers, although the Fleet Air Arm Museum has ambitions to assemble a full reproduction. (Wikipedia)

Canadian Aircraft losses (3). Detailed records of all known RCAF and Canadian casualties in the RAF during the Second World War may be viewed on line in the Canadian Aircraft Serials Personnel Information Resource (CASPIR). The CASPIR website is researched, coded, maintained entirely by Canadian Warplane Heritage Museum (CWHM) volunteers with only one staff assisting periodically. This work has taken several years, and is unlikely to be finished as continuing research leads to “new finds” and rediscovered Canadian aviation heritage and history. The CWHM volunteer team looks forward to continuing to update and correct the record as additional information and photos are received. Check here.

(IWM Photo, A28847)

Fairey Barracuda Mk. II, No. 814 Squadron, Fleet Air Arm (FAA), over HMS Venerable and the Italian destroyer Alfredo Oriani, 1 May 1945.

(IWM Photo, A 28846)

Fairey Barracuda II aircraft of No. 814 Squadron, Fleet Air Arm banking, showing clearly the observer's blister, the distinctive dive brakes, the high tail plane, and (below the blister) one of the lugs in which the accelerator/catapult engages. Photograph taken from the aircraft carrier HMS Venerable (R63). Flown by RCN and RCNVR pilots in service with the Fleet Air Arm, Royal Navy.