I, standing for Torpedo-Spotter-Reconnaissance I, the proposed design was a biplane powered by a single 645 hp Bristol Pegasus IIM radial engine.

I was in parallel to Fairey's activities upon Air Ministry Specification S.9/30, for which the company was at one point developing a separate but broadly similar aircraft, but powered by a Rolls-Royce Kestrel engine and having a different fin and rudder configuration.

[3] Fairey promptly informed the Air Ministry of its work for the Greeks, whose interest had waned, and proposed its solution to the requirements for a spotter-reconnaissance plane ("spotter" referring to the activity of observing and directing a warship's Fall of shot).

K4190 was later restored to its wheeled undercarriage prior to an extensive evaluation process by the Aeroplane and Armament Experimental Establishment at RAF Martlesham Heath.

[4] In 1935, following the successful completion of testing at Martlesham, an initial pre-production order for three aircraft was placed by the Air Ministry; it was at this point that the T.S.R II received the name Swordfish.

[5] Manufactured at Fairey's factory in Hayes, West London, the first production aircraft was completed in early 1936 and the type entered service with the Fleet Air Arm (FAA) in July 1936.

The Swordfish III was fitted with centimetric ASV Mk.XI radar mounted between the undercarriage legs, precluding carrying torpedoes, and retained the Pegasus XXX powerplant.

In service, it received the nickname Stringbag; this was not due to its profusion of struts, spars, and braces, but a reference to the seemingly endless variety of stores and equipment that the type was cleared to carry.

[11] The primary weapon of the Swordfish was the aerial torpedo, but the low speed of the aircraft and the need for a long straight approach made it difficult to attack well-defended targets.

[13] The torpedo travelled 200 feet (61 m) forward from release to water impact, and needed another 300 yards (270 m) to stabilise at preset depth and arm itself.

[15] Its low stall speed and inherently tough design made it ideal for operation from the MACs in the often severe mid-Atlantic weather.

[23] Anti-submarine patrols and aerial reconnaissance missions were also flown despite difficult terrain and inhospitable weather, which proved especially challenging for aircrew in the Swordfish's open cockpit.

[24] Twelve Swordfish from 810 and 820 Naval Air Squadrons launched from the aircraft carrier HMS Ark Royal and made three sorties against the anchored fleet.

The Royal Navy had conducted extensive preparations, with some planning having taken place as early as 1938, when war between the European powers had already seemed inevitable.

[26] Regular aerial reconnaissance missions were flown to gather intelligence on the positions of specific capital ships and Swordfish crews were intensively trained for night flying operations, as an undetected aerial attack during the night raid had been judged to be the only effective method of reasonably overcoming the defences of the well-protected harbour and to strike at the fleet anchored there.

Due to the presence of barrage balloons and torpedo nets restricting the number of suitable torpedo-dropping positions, many of the Swordfish had been armed with bombs and made a synchronised attack upon the cruisers and destroyers instead.

[28] The Battle of Taranto firmly established that naval aircraft were independently capable of immobilising an entire fleet and were therefore an effective means of altering the balance of power.

[29] On 28 March 1941, a pair of Swordfish based at Crete contributed to the disabling of the Italian cruiser Pola during the Battle of Cape Matapan.

[24] Guided by aerial reconnaissance, the attacks were timed to arrive at enemy convoys in the dark to elude German fighters, which were restricted to daytime operations.

While there were never more than a total of 27 Swordfish aircraft stationed on the island at any one time, the type succeeded in sinking an average of 50,000 tons of enemy shipping per month over a nine-month period.

The recorded Swordfish losses were low, especially considering the high sortie rate of the aircraft and the lack of any blind-flying equipment, making night flying even more hazardous.

Using ASV radar, the flight were able to spot and attack the ship, resulting in a single torpedo hit that only caused minor damage.

During one convoy battle, Swordfish from the escort carrier HMS Striker and Vindex flew over 1,000 hours on anti-submarine patrols in 10 days.

[38] The intensity of Coastal Command's Swordfish operations was drastically increased after the German invasion of the Low Countries, expanding to involve four Swordfish-equipped squadrons.

Typically flying from Detling, Thorney Island, North Coates and St Eval, Swordfish crews were dispatched to strike strategic targets off the coasts of Netherlands and Belgium in daylight raids, during which they braved anti-aircraft fire and interception by Luftwaffe fighter aircraft.

[23] After the Allied defeat in the Battle of France and the signing of the French Armistice of 22 June 1940, Swordfish focused their activities against ports that might be used for a German invasion of the United Kingdom This included security patrols and spotting for naval bombardments.

Six Swordfish led by Lieutenant Commander Eugene Esmonde flew from Manston to intercept the battleships Scharnhorst and Gneisenau as they traversed the English Channel towards Germany.

British Vice-Admiral Bertram Ramsay wrote "In my opinion the gallant sortie of these six Swordfish aircraft constitutes one of the finest exhibitions of self-sacrifice and devotion to duty the war had ever witnessed".

German Vice-Admiral Otto Ciliax remarked on "the mothball attack of a handful of ancient planes, piloted by men whose bravery surpasses any other action by either side that day.

[44] In mid-1946, the last training squadron equipped with the type was disbanded, after which only a few remained in service to perform sundry duties at a few naval air stations.