Spotlight Fairey F i r e y Scrutinizes the history of... The Fairey Above ntroduced in 1943, the Fairey contract going to Blackburn for its While Fairey Firefl y AS.5 Firefly is among several types Firebrand. the first VT362 in Fleet Air F i r e y to have served the Fleet Air The Firefly was designed by aircraft were Arm service. This aircraft was struck Arm well during World War H E Chaplin, and on December in action, ITwo and beyond. A two-seat naval 22, 1941, the first prototype tests were continuing at Boscombe off charge on September 26, 1950 fighter-bomber and reconnaissance took to the air. Due to its more Down and the Firefly was cleared at Yeovilton. aircraft, it was a development of powerful 1,730hp (1,290kW) to use underwing rocket projectiles the Fulmar. The latter first flew in engine, it was soon apparent that in 1944. In April of that year the January 1940 and was very quickly the new machine was much faster aircraft proved itself capable of pressed into service aboard HMS than the Fulmar, even though it carrying a total of 16 rockets and Illustrious, such was the need to was 4,000lb (1,810kg) heavier. two 45-gallon drop tanks without protect convoys sailing into Malta. Seeing its potential, the Admiralty an unacceptable loss of performance The Firefly spent a longer period immediately placed an order for (in service, eight rockets were in development, but was much the 200. When production finally ended normally carried). Tests with a better aircraft, being considerably in 1955, over 1,700 had been built. variety of other ordnance were also more powerful and versatile. largely successful, proving the Fairey Development began in 1940, In Navy hands machine’s versatility. following an earlier Air Ministry Handling and performance trials As a result, crews were tasked with call for a ‘turret fighter’. The were carried out at Boscombe increasingly more demanding roles. specification was updated and the Down, Wilts, in 1942, before the Aircraft flew as fighter-bombers or turret idea dropped, leading Fairey first Mk.Is were delivered. They did were used in the Pacific to target to tender a design that could be not enter operational service until German submarines. Attacks on adapted for either single seat or July 1944 when they equipped 1770 enemy airfields, military bases and tandem seat use, and powered by Naval Air Squadron aboard HMS oil refineries were also undertaken. It either a Rolls-Royce Griffon or Indefatigable. The unit’s aircraft was against Japan in both the Indian Napier Sabre engine. Given the flew anti-shipping patrols along the and Pacific Oceans that the Firefly necessity for navigating over open Norwegian coast, along with various operated for most of the war. The sea, all aircraft were eventually built armed reconnaissance sorties. type gained some renown when it as two-seaters, and the Griffon was Fireflies from the unit provided air became the first British-designed selected. A separate, single-seat cover while Avro Lancasters were and built aircraft to fly over Tokyo aircraft intended to operate from attacking the German warship during attacks on Japan’s home naval bases was also built – the Tirpitz. islands. 70 FLYPAST September 2016 SPOT FACT The Indian Naval Air Arm operated Fire ies from 1955 as target tugs Origin & history Most Fireflies were of the Mk.I family, comprising the ‘standard’ F.I fighter-bomber and FR.I fighter- reconnaissance model. The NF.I night-fighter had the same radar used in the latter, with most fitted with the more powerful Griffon XII engine. Another night-fighting variant – the NF.II – was built in limited numbers with a lengthened nose and wing-mounted airborne interception radar. Post-war A second generation of Fireflies, the Mk.IV series, was brought into production after the war. Powered by 2,190hp Griffon 74s, these aircraft remained in frontline service with the Fleet Air Arm until the mid- 1950s. The UK also supplied aircraft to Canada, Australia, Denmark, Ethiopia, India, Thailand and the Netherlands. During the Korean War, British and Australian Fireflies flew ground strikes and anti-shipping patrols, and the type was also used in the Malayan Emergency. The Firefly was gradually replaced may have been the last to operate flew its AS.4s on a small number of Above by the Fairey Gannet, but several Fireflies, its ‘fleet’ soldiering on until operations against Indonesian forces Fairey Firefl ies and a versions of the type were developed 1966. The last time the aircraft was in Dutch New Guinea. Around Douglas Skyraider aboard HMS ‘Eagle’ south of for use as trainers, target tugs and used in anger by a European nation 24 Fireflies are believed to survive Greenland, probably in drones. The Royal Thai Air Force was 1962, when the Netherlands today. the early 1950s. BOTH KEY F i r e y Fairey Fire y F.1 AT A GLANCE: RANGE (miles) 0 250 500 750 1,000 1,070 AT A GLANCE: SPEED (mph) 0 100 200 300 Construction: A total of 1,702 of all models were built, including four prototypes, and 429 F.Is. First Flight: Developed from the Fulmar, the fi rst Firefl y got airborne on December 22, 1941. 319 Powerplant: One 1,730lb (1,290kW) Rolls-Royce Griffon IIB V-12 or 1,900hp Griffon XII driving a three-bladed propeller. Dimension: Span 44ft 6in (13.6m). Length 37ft 7in. Height 13ft 7in. Wing area 328sq ft (30.5sq m). Weight: Empty 9,750lb (4,423kg). Loaded 14,020lb. Performance: Max speed 319mph (513km/h) at 17,000ft (5,182m). Service ceiling 28,000ft. Initial rate of climb 1,700ft per min. Max range 1,070 miles (1,722km). AT A GLANCE: CEILING (feet) Armament: Four 20mm cannon in wings, plus provision for two 1,000lb bombs or eight 0 7,000 14,000 21,000 28,000 60lb rockets under wings. Crew: Two – pilot and observer. 28,000 Note: performance and weights varied according to role and confi guration. F.1s were built by General Aircraft 132 September 2016 FLYPAST 71 Spotlight Fairey F i r e y Clearing the decksAndy Thomas pro les some of the aircrew who helped to make the Fire y a potent naval ghter Above ormed at Yeovilton in On April 5, 1942 he survived Major ‘Cheese’ Somerset in September the sinking of the cruiser HMS Cheesman, CO of 1943, 1770 Squadron was Cornwall off Ceylon. Retrained 1770 Squadron. VIA AUTHOR the first unit to put the on fighters, he served on an escort FFairey Firefly into operational service. carrier in the Atlantic before joining Initially commanded by Lt Cdr I P 1770. Godfrey, in early February 1944 he handed over to a Royal Marine pilot, Target Tirpitz Major Vernon Cheesman. Having worked up, 1770 Squadron Universally known as ‘Cheese’, took the Firefly to sea for the first he had joined the marines in time on May 18, 1944 when it 1936 but three years later began embarked on the carrier HMS training as a pilot. At first he flew Indefatigable. The ship’s air group the Supermarine Walrus and was trained for Operation Mascot – awarded an MBE for a mid-ocean strikes against the elusive battleship rescue in one of these ungainly Tirpitz moored in Altenfjord in amphibians. northern Norway. This huge vessel 72 FLYPAST September 2016 SPOT FACT The Fire y entered operational Men Behind service in July 1944 t h e F i r e y Clearing posed a continuing threat to the cold, barren and desolate. An engine led 1770 Squadron back onto Above left Arctic convoy route to North failure here meant, out harp and Indefatigable for further attacks, A Firefl y I of 1770 Russia. halo and hello St Peter!” known as Operation Goodwood, Squadron landing on ‘Implacable’ after one of Working closely with the strike German radar detected the strike staged on the 22nd, 24th and 29th. the ‘Tirpitz’ strikes in the leader, Lt Cdr Roy Baker-Falkner, force, so by the time it arrived The fleet carriers were bolstered by summer of 1944. Cheesman’s unit was to escort Fairey Tirpitz was wreathed in a protective two escort carriers, HMS Nabob and N FRANKLIN Barracuda dive-bombers to the smoke screen and very few of the Trumpeter. target and then fly ahead to suppress airmen even caught a glimpse Once again a combination of low Below flak batteries. The strike launched of the ship. The Fireflies and cloud and German preparedness A Firefl y I fi tted with a podded ASH. AUTHOR’S from Indefatigable, Formidable and Grumman Hellcats tasked with flak foiled the strikes, which caused COLLECTION Furious in the early hours of July suppression were the first to attack only slight damage. Cheesman led 17 with Cheesman leading 1770 before turning their attention to a his Fireflies on each of the attacks, at sea level before having to climb destroyer, which suffered superficial successfully strafing flak up to 9,000ft (2,743m) to cross the damage, and a small vessel which batteries around Tirpitz. He mountains. was forced aground, heavily was awarded the DSO for He wrote afterwards: “What cruel- damaged. the determined way he looking terrain that was; all white, In early August Cheesman led his unit. examples were initially ordered by the Admiralty 200 September 2016 FLYPAST 73 SPOT FACT The Fire y was produced from 1941 until 1955 Above First ‘kill’ Lt Douglas Price In November 1944, Indefatigable “Over Pladjoe, Stott and Ward red (right) with sailed for the Far East, taking his observer.