AP 118 · No. 10 Section II · Aircraft 1934

Aircraft hub · 1934 · Second World War

Fairey Swordfish

The ‘Stringbag’: a biplane that crippled the Bismarck and sank more Axis tonnage than any other Allied aircraft. The gazetteer currently lists it at 3 UK museums.

1934
First flight
2,391
Built
139 mph
Top speed
3
Museums
Side profile of the Swordfish I, painted as W5856, the Blackburn-built 1941 Fairey Swordfish (civil G-BMGC) flown by Navy Wings, formerly the Royal Navy Historic Flight, from RNAS Yeovilton, with its 690 hp Bristol Pegasus IIIM3 radial, painted as ‘4A’ of 820 Naval Air Squadron from HMS Ark Royal in the May 1941 attack on the Bismarck, as it flew from 2015 to 2023: Temperate Sea Scheme of Extra Dark Sea Grey and Dark Slate Grey over Sky Grey, yellow-ringed fuselage roundels with black ‘4A’ aft, ‘ROYAL NAVY’ over ‘W5856’, roundels above the upper wing only, a large black ‘4A’ under the upper wing, ‘CITY OF LEEDS’ on the port nose, a black three-blade propeller with yellow tips, a Vickers K on the rear cockpit and a dummy torpedo
Plate 55 · The Hangar

Last verified 2026-10-11 against the gazetteer Compendium. Airframes move — confirm on museum pages before travel.

On charge

Where to see the Fairey Swordfish in the UK

The gazetteer records 3 Fairey Swordfish airframes (including cockpit sections and replicas where noted) across 3 UK collections, in 3 regions: East of England, South West England, Northern Ireland.

MuseumCityRegionAirframes recorded
Fleet Air Arm MuseumChecked 2026-10-08 Yeovil South West England Fairey Swordfish II HS618 wears P4139
IWM DuxfordChecked 2026-10-08 Cambridge East of England Fairey Swordfish III NF370
Ulster Aviation Society (Maze Long Kesh)Checked 2026-10-08 Lisburn Northern Ireland Fairey Swordfish HS503

3D model

The Swordfish I in 3D

A procedural model built in Blender from the type’s published dimensions, painted as W5856, the Blackburn-built 1941 Fairey Swordfish (civil G-BMGC) flown by Navy Wings, formerly the Royal Navy Historic Flight, from RNAS Yeovilton, with its 690 hp Bristol Pegasus IIIM3 radial, painted as ‘4A’ of 820 Naval Air Squadron from HMS Ark Royal in the May 1941 attack on the Bismarck, as it flew from 2015 to 2023: Temperate Sea Scheme of Extra Dark Sea Grey and Dark Slate Grey over Sky Grey, yellow-ringed fuselage roundels with black ‘4A’ aft, ‘ROYAL NAVY’ over ‘W5856’, roundels above the upper wing only, a large black ‘4A’ under the upper wing, ‘CITY OF LEEDS’ on the port nose, a black three-blade propeller with yellow tips, a Vickers K on the rear cockpit and a dummy torpedo. Drag to orbit, scroll or pinch to zoom · all 215 models · download .glb (818 KB) · Plate 55 in The Hangar

Computed from the survey

Collection context

Types you’ll see alongside

Blackburn Buccaneer, de Havilland Vampire, Fairey Gannet, GAF Jindivik & the target drones, Gloster Meteor.

Where the type is thickest

East of England has 1 collection recording the type.

Type notes

The Fairey Swordfish in brief

TypeFairey Swordfish
UK museums holding one3
Airframes recorded in this survey3

Serials are the gazetteer's survey snapshot of what each collection records on charge — restorations move between workshops and reserve hangars, so check the museum page for opening times and current display status before travelling. Every type across 119 museums is indexed in the Compendium.

Aircraft questions

Frequently asked

How many Fairey Swordfish airframes are left in the UK?

The Aviation Gazetteer records 3 Fairey Swordfish airframes in UK collections.

Which museum has the most Fairey Swordfish airframes?

Fleet Air Arm Museum has the most in this survey, with 1 recorded airframe.