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Fairey Fulmar

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Template:Infobox Aircraft The British Fairey Fulmar was a carrier-borne fighter aircraft of the Fleet Air Arm (FAA), serving in the Second World War. A total of 600 were built by Fairey Aviation's Stockport factory during 1940/1941. Its design was based on that of the earlier Fairey P.4/34 that had been developed in 1936 to replace the Fairey Battle light bomber. Although its performance, like that of its Battle antecedent, was lacking, the Fulmar was a reliable, sturdy aircraft with long range and an effective eight machine gun armament.

Design and development

The Fairey P.4/34 was built to Specification P.4/34 as a light bomber capable of being used as a dive bomber, in competition with the Hawker Henley and an unbuilt Gloster design.[1] Its performance was disappointing and it lost out to the Henley (which was eventually ordered as a target tug).

The Fulmar, a navalised version of the P.4/34 was submitted to meet Specification O.8/38 for a two-crew fleet defence fighter. As it was not expected to encounter fighter opposition, high performance or manouverability was not considered important but long range and heavy armament were. The provision of a navigator/wireless operator considered essential for the long, over-ocean flights would be required.

Looking much like its sister, the Battle, the Fulmar prototype was aerodynamically cleaner and featured a folding-wing that was 16 in (40.6 cm) shorter than its bomber lookalike.[2] The prototype K5099 first flew on 13 January 1937 at Ringway with Fairey Test Pilot Chris Staniland at the controls[3][4]. After the first flight tests, the tail was revised, being raised eight inches (20.3 cm).

The first prototype Fulmar acting as "flying mock-up" [5] was powered by a 1,080 hp Rolls Royce Merlin III engine. With this engine, performance was poor, the prototype only reaching 230 mph. With a more powerful Merlin VIII engine and aerodynamic improvements, speed was improved to 255 mph, which owing to the desperate need for modern fighters, was considered adequate. As as a simple derivative of an existing prototype, the Fulmar promised to be available quickly and an order for 127 was placed in mid-1938[6].

During testing, Fulmars were launched from catapults on merchant ships, a convoy defensive plan that was being evaluated at the time.[7]

Operational service

The first squadron to be equipped with the Fulmar was No. 806 Squadron FAA in July 1940 and this squadron began operating from HMS Illustrious shortly afterwards. The Fulmar was not well matched with land-based fighters. The Navy had specified a two-seat machine, feeling that a navigator was needed to cope with the challenges of navigating over the open ocean. As a result, the Fulmar was far too large and unwieldy to compete when it came into contact with single-seat, land-based opposition, as it did in the Mediterranean theatre. Yet its long range was useful at times as evidenced in the 1941 chase of the Bismarck battleship where Fulmars acted as carrier-borne spotters, tracking and trailing the fleeing battleship.[8]

First seeing action on Malta convoy protection patrols in September 1940, the sturdy Fulmar was able to achieve victories against its far more agile Italian and German adversaries. By the fall, Fulmars had shot down ten Italian bombers and six enemy fighters, while giving top cover to the Swordfish raid on Taranto.

By 1942, the Fulmar was being replaced by single-seat aircraft adapted from land fighters such as the Supermarine Seafire or by American single seat fighters such as the Grumman Martlet. It saw useful service in nighttime roles as a convoy escort and intruder and was used to train crews for the Fairey Barracuda. On the other hand, its flight characteristics were considered pleasant, its wide undercarriage provided good deck handling capacities and it had excellent fuel capacity and range. Fulmars were used in long range reconnaissance after they were withdrawn as fighters. Most Fleet Air Arm fighter aces scored at least part of their victories in Fulmars, for example, Sub Lieutenant S.G. Orr, finished the war with 12 confirmed air victories, as the third-highest scoring pilot in the FAA.

At one time, 20 squadrons of the FAA were equipped with the Fulmar. It flew from eight fleet aircraft carriers and five escort carriers. No. 273 Squadron RAF operated them for a while though the crews were FAA. Fulmars destroyed 112 enemy aircraft, which made it the leading fighter type, by aircraft shot down, in the Fleet Air Arm during the Second World War. The Fulmar ended its frontline operational career on 8 February 1945, when a Fulmar MK II night-fighter from No. 813 Squadron had a landing accident at the safety barrier on HMS Campania and was written off [9].

Approximately 100 Fulmars were converted to a night-fighter variant, but had limited success in this role.[10]

The Vichy French captured some examples of Fulmar Mk II during wartime for propaganda and evaluation use, and later these were taken over by the Germans.

Survivors

The only known survivor is N1854, the Fulmar prototype (and first production Mk I) at the Fleet Air Arm Museum.

Variants

  • Mk I: First model series, equipped with Rolls-Royce Merlin VIII of 1,800 hp., 250 built
  • Mk II: Prototype, converted from Mk I
  • Mk II: As series model, engine Merlin XXX of 1,300 hp. tropicalized, some finished as night fighters, 350 built

Total production: 600 examples

Operators

Units using the Fulmar

  • No. 806 Squadron (FAA)
  • No. 273 Squadron (RAF)
  • No. 813 Squadron (Night Sq.)

Specifications (Mk II)

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General characteristics

  • Crew: Two

Performance Armament

References

  1. ^ Mason 1994, p.306.
  2. ^ Winchester 2004, p. 85.
  3. ^ Mason 1992, p. 287.
  4. ^ Lumsden 1990, p. 354.
  5. ^ Lumsden 1990, p. 354.
  6. ^ Mason 1992, p. 287.
  7. ^ Winchester 2004, p. 84.
  8. ^ Winchester 2004, p. 84.
  9. ^ Brown 1973, p. 41.
  10. ^ Winchester 2004, p. 84.
  • Brown, David. Fairey Fulmar Mks I & II. London: Profile Publications, 1973.
  • Lumsden, Alec. "Number Three: Fairey Fulmar." Aeroplane Monthly, June 1990.
  • Mason, Francis K. The British Bomber since 1914. London: Putnam Aeronautical Books, 1994. ISBN 0-85177-861-5.
  • Mason, Francis K. The British Fighter since 1912. Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press, 1992. ISBN 1-55750-082-7.
  • Taylor, John W.R. "Fairey Fulmar." Combat Aircraft of the World from 1909 to the present. New York: G.P. Putnam's Sons, 1969. ISBN 0-425-03633-2.
  • Winchester, Jim. "Fairey Fulmar." Aircraft of World War II: The Aviation Factfile. Kent, UK: Grange Books plc, 2004. ISBN 1-84013-639-1.

Related content

Related development

Aircraft of comparable role, configuration, and era

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