Most successful Anti Ship aircraft

[SaparotRob]

You're supposed to ignore the wife and make encouraging noises when she starts talking, whilst maintaining focus on what you're doing. It's in the manual, bro.

The things one learns here.

 

[Ovod]

All 3 were put out of action for considerable time at a critical juncture of the campaign, I'd say that was the definition of success especially with only 20 aircraft committed. That they were not sunk was thanks to being close to land and able to run themselves aground. Success doesn't have to be defined always as tonnage sunk, thus the credit for also disabling the Bismarck. They also played a role as gunnery spotters in the Norway campaign allowing Warspite to put 8 destroyers out of action, nearly half the entire German destroyer fleet. I'd chalk that in the success column for a anti-ship credentials of a very versatile plane.

I never said the raid at Taranto was not a success - when did I say that? There was more than 20 aircraft were committed, there was also an aircraft carrier, 4 cruisers and 4 destroyers.
I'm just trying to point out that the Swordfish just didn't sink a whole lot of warships. Come to think of it most of the carrier based aviation of the RN had a limited effect against the Axis navies - the RAF probably played a greater role sinking enemy ships.

 

[nuuumannn]

The things one learns here.

Happy wife, happy life...

 

[nuuumannn]

Come to think of it most of the carrier-based aviation of the RN had a limited effect against the Axis navies

History doesn't agree. From a holistic perspective, their impact was far more significant than you might imagine. For example, Cape Matapan, two Italian cruisers and two destroyers were sunk by British gunfire as a result of a torpedo hit on the cruiser Pola launched from an Albacore. The crippled Pola was torpedoed by British destroyers. Also:

Fairey Swordfish - Aircraft - Fighting the U-boats - uboat.net

 

[Ovod]

History doesn't agree. From a holistic perspective, their impact was far more significant than you might imagine. For example, Cape Matapan, two Italian cruisers and two destroyers were sunk by British gunfire as a result of a torpedo hit on the cruiser Pola launched from an Albacore. The crippled Pola was torpedoed by British destroyers. Also:

Fairey Swordfish - Aircraft - Fighting the U-boats - uboat.net

 

[SaparotRob]

This is the first time I've read "holistic" and blowing stuff up in the same paragraph. Refreshing!

 

[syscom3]

What did the USN do against the Germans and Italian surface fleet?

When it came to naval surface warfare, the PTO was the big league.

 

[Ovod]

History doesn't agree. From a holistic perspective, their impact was far more significant than you might imagine. For example, Cape Matapan, two Italian cruisers and two destroyers were sunk by British gunfire as a result of a torpedo hit on the cruiser Pola launched from an Albacore. The crippled Pola was torpedoed by British destroyers. Also:

Fairey Swordfish - Aircraft - Fighting the U-boats - uboat.net

It's funny you should post a page from that website. It claims that 22 U-boats were sunk by Swordfish - however, it also claims that RAF Coastal Command PB4Ys were responsible for 70 U-boat kills - and this before we even mention other RAF types - who knew that the Handley Page Halifax sunk a handful of U-boats as well?

Handley Page Halifax - Aircraft - Fighting the U-boats - uboat.net

Aircraft Types - Aircraft - Fighting the U-boats - uboat.net

 

[nuuumannn]

Yup, but it doesn't change the premise of the so-called ineffectiveness of British carrier-based aircraft.

And yes, the Halifax was operated by Coastal Command as a long-range maritime patrol aircraft. It's pretty much where Bomber Command sent its older bombers, with the exception of the Short Stirling, those mainly went to Transport Command or stayed with Bomber Command at OTU level, and the Manchester, those remained in Bomber Command at OTU level too.

 

[ThomasP]

I have also read that the SB2C Helldiver was the king for the US (at least in the PTO), partly due to the wide spread use late-war when they were dropping mines as well as directly attacking ships and boats with bombs and torpedoes. But I have no statistics to verify this.

 

[Glider]

You're supposed to ignore the wife and make encouraging noises when she starts talking, whilst maintaining focus on what you're doing. It's in the manual, bro.

I left the computer to get a drink and my wife saw this posting. Linda's observation was the partners manual which should simply say

'Humour him. let him think he's got away with it, and plot revenge when next time your out shopping'.

 

[MikeMeech]

Hi

The BC 'Despatch' mentions the following relating to major German surface units, page 175:

It goes on to mention other attacks against naval targets, including:

"On the 14th and 14/15th June (1944), shortkly after the invasion of Normandy, a heavy and outstandingly successful attack was delivered against enemy light surface craft lying in Le Havre. On the following day an attack was made on similar units at Boulogne. These two attacks sank 88 war vessels including three torpedo boats, four armed trawlers and twenty E/R boats, and robbed the enemy of the use of these craft against our cross-Channel shipping."

Mike

 

[michaelmaltby]

"... have also read that the SB2C Helldiver was the king for the US ..."

.... I have seen that claim for the Helldiver too .... IMO ... I can believe it to be numerically accurate ... for the time and the stage of the Pacific war ... but the tonnage numbers wracked up by Lancaster bombers leads me to the opinion that the leading,#1, anti-shipping AC in WW2 : - tonnage sunk, strategic difficulty of target, longevity of AC war-service, etc. ... is the Avro Lancaster bomber.

The Lanc had legs, could lug heavy payload, and was lovely to fly.

 

[GrauGeist]

Some of the lists I have seen, place certain aircraft at the top depending on that list's criteria.
Total ships sunk
Total tonnage sunk
Total pounds of ordnance dropped
Total sorties flown
and so on...
For total enemy Capital ships sunk, the award would go to the SBD - in the span of one year (December 1941 to December 1942), the Dauntless sank:
6 Carriers
1 Battleship
3 Cruisers
1 Submarine
14 Transports

While the total tonnage or number of vessels sunk in that 12 month period might not stack up to other types' totals, that's still a hard accomplishment to beat.

 

[michaelmaltby]

.... good to know. Great AC ... and serving in the early years.

 

[SaparotRob]

And one of my favorite planes.