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Aviation History
1949
1949 - 0022.PDF
The escorting destroyer Rapid turns sharply near Illustrious, wjth her ranged Barracudas. Barracuda Come-Back IT is considered "smart," and, indeed has been so since1943, to titter knowingly, but indulgently, at themention of the Barracuda. Those who have little knowledge of the type, beyond its recognition features, are inclined to consider it as a sort of Swordfish monoplane, due to the formidable array of nautical appendages with which it is usually encumbered. But there are hundreds of crews who, in stress of war, grew to know the " Barra " as a machine of many merits, and who are warmly appre- ciative of the numerous ingenious features by virtue of The " batsman " shepherds a Barracuda in the final stage of which it was able to meet some of the most exacting demands ever made on a long-suffering Naval aircraft. Although upwards of a thousand Merlin-engined Barra- cudas were built at Fairey's Stockport works, and appre- ciable quantities were turned out by Blackburn, Westland and Boulton Paul, little has been heard of the type since the war. The appearance of the later Centaurus-engined Spearfish and other naval strike aircraft further tended to "date" the faithful "Barra," but photographs on this page, showing machines of the type landing on H.M.S. Illustrious during the recently concluded its landing. exercises, afford proof that it survives in service to do a useful job for the Royal Navy. It is to be hoped, nevertheless, that modern turbine-powered replace- ments will not be long delayed. FAIREY BARRACUDA Mk. 3 Rolls-Royce Merlin 32 power unit Span 49ft 2in Width folded ... 18ft 3in Length 40ft 61 n Loaded wcifht 14.500 Ib Max. spaed 220 m.p.h. at 10,000ft Climb to 5,000ft 4 min 48 sec Range 443 sea miles (without auxiliary tanks) Guns 2xO.3O3in Vickeri Other armament 1 x 18-in torpedo, or 6 x 500 Ib bombs,, or depth charges or sea mines
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