Royal Navy Aircraft of WW2

THE FLEET AIR ARM

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Another fun fact about the Fairey Swordfish: Bismarck's AA guns used explosive rounds, but any that hit ripped harmlessly through the canvas because it was too soft to detonate them.

@ron_eisele via X

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Supermarine Seafires on the deck of HMS Indefatigable in the Pacific (1945)

@Empireasthetics via X

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A Supermarine Seafire being brought up onto the flight deck of HMS Furious, August 1944.

@ron_eisele via X

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23 May 1943. 750 miles west of Ireland, first U-Boat destroyed with a rocket attack was U-752 by a Swordfish of 819 NAS from the HMS Archer flown by Sub Lt. H Horrocks RNVR. The ‘Rocket Spears’ had solid, cast-iron heads which punctured the pressure hull.

@ron_eisele via X

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22 May 1939. Flying Officer Hugh Wilson, test pilot for Blackburn Aircraft Ltd., in the cockpit of a prototype Blackburn Roc fighter, RAF Northolt.

@ron_eisele via X

[j-r-macready]

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Martlet MK.IV

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The Fleet Air Arm Corsairs were mad briny pirates

@Hush_Kit via X

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OK, a lot of us do not know much about the Royal Navy’s (RN) escort carriers, so here is a quick summary of these little ships. RN escort carriers, aka “Woolworth Carriers,” were slow, cramped vessels built for one job and one job only: keeping the Atlantic safe. Barely 500 ft long and crewed by fewer than 700 men, they carried up to two dozen aircraft - probably thanks to the deck-edge rail storage system. The RN operated more than 40 of them, using them almost exclusively for anti-submarine warfare and convoy air defense roles. Despite their size, they became some of the most important ships of the Atlantic campaign, credited with directly destroying 40 to 50 U-boats, along with numerous German bombers. Remarkably, only three escort carriers were lost to enemy action during the entire conflict.

@RealAirPower1 via X

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Hanging out, quite literally. During WWII, space aboard Royal Navy escort carriers was at such a premium that Fleet Air Arm crews had to get creative with aircraft storage. So they came up with outrigger parking rails. Aircraft like these Grumman Martlets (F4F Wildcat) would be wheeled right to the edge of the flight deck with their tail gear locked onto narrow rails, leaving the entire tail section hanging out over the sea. It looked absolutely precarious, and it probably was, but it allowed crews to squeeze more fighters onboard. It was a risky but highly effective solution.

@RealAirPower1 via X

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RN Grumman Martlet warms up on HMS Formidable, WWII. Probably 1941-43

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Well look at that Swordfish

@Almurray via X

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First flown in 1939, the Vought Corsair was characterized by its inverted gull, upward folding wings. This feature enabled a large diameter propeller while reducing the length of the undercarriage.

@ron_eisele via X

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Ruler class Escort Carrier HMS Smiter (D 55): Laid down at Seattle-Tacoma Shipbuilding Corp. Seattle, Washington 10.05.43.

Fairey Swordfish taking off and landing on.

@CDRErickson via X

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Royal Navy Avenger aircraft flying from HMS Indomitable in flight over Ishigaki Airfield, Ishigaki, Okinawa, Japan, 9 May 1945; note fire and explosions on the airfield

@VoicesofWW2 via X

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Grumman Martlet of 888 Squadron of British Fleet Air Arm taxiing on HMS Formidable after landing, circa 24 Apr-10 May 1942; HMS Warspite and AMC Alaunia in background.

@HiddenhistoryYT via X

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April 1943, Mediterranean Sea. A pretty solid crew. In the background, the twins HMS Nelson and HMS Rodney are steaming along. The latter has just fired a salvo from its 16" guns. Watching this from among the Martlets on the flight deck is the crew of HMS Formidable. The light cruiser steaming between the battleships and the carrier is HMS Newfoundland (Fiji)💪

@ron_eisele via X

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Grumman (General Motors) TBM-3E Avenger.(Tarpon) in Fleet air Arm.

@JNaviphoto via X