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I read somewhere that the Swordfish was nicknamed stringbag because you could fit everything in it. Like those cloth laundry bags that tied with a string.
Source: one of the voices in my head.
Very unlikely. The majority of the 30 or so torpedoes fired at the Bismarck never reached their target, some of them ended up striking HMS Sheffield instead. Hardly the result of some sort of targeting policy, surely?I watched a documentary about the Bismarck sinking and am re watching it now. It stated that it was called Stringbag because it could carry anything both inside and outside. Maybe that is what you were referring to W WATU
As an aside it also stated that the pilots attacking Bismarck were told to target the rear propeller and steering gear, everything I have read said it was pure luck, you cant actually target any part of the ship launching from over 1,000 yards you are very lucky to hit it. Does anyone have any info on this?
I read up on that last night. Sheffield was hit several times. Since it didnt defend itself the Swordfish could et in close. Their torpedoes were armed with magnetic fuses, none exploded on contact but some exploded in the ships wake. The Sheffield Captain contacted Ark Royal and for the attack on Bismarck they used contact fuses.Very unlikely. The majority of the 30 or so torpedoes fired at the Bismarck never reached their target, some of them ended up striking HMS Sheffield instead. Hardly the result of some sort of targeting policy, surely?
Not sure what source you read but Sheffield was not hit at all in this attack. 15 Swordfish took off from Ark Royal and 11 dropped torpedoes against Sheffield before the mistake was realised. About half the torpedoes exploded prematurely either on contact with, or shortly after entering, the water. Sheffield was able to increase speed and to manoeuvre to avoid the rest.I read up on that last night. Sheffield was hit several times. Since it didnt defend itself the Swordfish could et in close. Their torpedoes were armed with magnetic fuses, none exploded on contact but some exploded in the ships wake. The Sheffield Captain contacted Ark Royal and for the attack on Bismarck they used contact fuses.
I'm not sure when or why Fairy Swordfish were first called stringbags. The walrus was known as the shagbat. This did seem to be based on its appearance and rather apt.TheView attachment 647541
The walrus was known as the shagbat.
Some help below…. Courtesy of Shagbat – John KniftonFor us colonials, what's a shagbat? It wasn't mentioned on Downton Abbey…
So….. is there any other definition of a shagbat.? Well, I don't think there is, but I can offer you a couple of twos for you to add together and produce at least fifty-five."a legendary bird, whose reputedly ever-decreasing circular flightpath had its own inevitable conclusion".
And what does the "bat" bit mean? This I found in a second on-line dictionary:"Used by people who think the term "making love" is too innocent and " f**** " is too coarse."
"Any annoying post-menopausal woman, but especially one who applies a considerable amount of make-up….She may even scare small children with her appearance. An example would be "I try to be nice to the old bat.":
Miss Glasgow 2021Right behind youBiffF15 (3 Fs). I just typed in shagbat into Google Images and up pops pictures of nothing but the Walrus along with this nightmare