137-532: The Boyd Trophy is a silver model of a Fairey Swordfish , which was presented by the Fairey Aviation Company Limited in 1946, in commemoration of the work for Naval Aviation of Admiral Sir Denis Boyd , KCB , CBE , DSC RN. It is awarded annually to the naval pilot(s) or aircrew who, in the opinion of the Flag Officer, Naval Air Command, has achieved
274-585: A German invasion of the United Kingdom This included security patrols and spotting for naval bombardments. In February 1942, the shortcomings of the Swordfish were starkly demonstrated during a German naval fleet movement known as the Channel Dash . Six Swordfish led by Lieutenant Commander Eugene Esmonde sortied from Manston to intercept the battleships Scharnhorst and Gneisenau as they traversed
411-402: A biplane configuration and a single 645 hp Bristol Pegasus IIM radial engine as its powerplant. The company chose initially to pursue development of the project as a self-financed private venture while both customers and applicable requirements for the type were sought. Development of the T.S.R. I was in parallel to Fairey's activities upon Air Ministry Specification S.9/30 , for which
548-460: A karst areas contains thousands of smaller caves. The Borneo rainforest is estimated to be around 140 million years old, making it one of the oldest rainforests in the world. The current dominant tree group, the dipterocarps , has dominated the Borneo lowland rain forests for millions of years. It is the centre of the evolution and distribution of many endemic species of plants and animals, and
685-528: A Swordfish based in Gibraltar located and sank a U-boat, the first such kill to be achieved by an aircraft during nighttime. On 23 May 1943, a rocket-equipped Swordfish destroyed German submarine U-752 off the coast of Ireland , the first kill achieved with this weapon. Towards the end of the war, No. 119 Squadron RAF operated Swordfish Mark IIIs with centimetric radar from airfields in Belgium. Their main task
822-530: A brand new fabrication and assembly facility in Sherburn-in-Elmet , North Yorkshire . Less than a year later, the first Blackburn-built Swordfish conducted its first flight. During 1941, the Sherburn factory assumed primary responsibility for the fuselage, along with final assembly and testing of finished aircraft. Efforts were made to disperse production and to employ the use of shadow factories to minimise
959-666: A colony named "Ellena" in the Kimanis area. The colony failed and was abandoned, due to denials of financial backing, especially by the US government, and to diseases and riots among the workers. Before Torrey left, he managed to sell the land to the German businessman, Overbeck. Meanwhile, the Germans under William Frederick Schuck were awarded a parcel of land in northeastern Borneo of the Sandakan Bay from
1096-528: A consequence of Australia -Southeast Asia collision. Large volumes of sediment were shed into basins, which scattered offshore to the west, north and east of Borneo as well into a Neogene basin which is currently exposed in large areas of eastern and southern Sabah . In southeast Sabah, the Miocene to recent island arc terranes of the Sulu Archipelago extend onshore into Borneo with the older volcanic arc
1233-443: A dive to torpedo release altitude of 18 feet (5.5 m). Maximum range of the early Mark XII torpedo was 1,500 yards (1,400 m) at 40 knots (74 km/h; 46 mph) and 3,500 yards (3,200 m) at 27 knots (50 km/h; 31 mph). The torpedo travelled 200 feet (61 m) forward from release to water impact, and required another 300 yards (270 m) to stabilise at preset depth and arm itself. Ideal release distance
1370-601: A fee to the sultanate. He established a monarchy, and the Brooke dynasty (through his nephew and great-nephew) ruled Sarawak for 100 years; the leaders were known as the White Rajahs . Brooke also acquired the island of Labuan for Great Britain in 1846 through the Treaty of Labuan with the sultan of Brunei, Omar Ali Saifuddin II on 18 December 1846. The region of northern Borneo came under
1507-463: A fleet attack aircraft. During its later years, the Swordfish was increasingly used as an anti-submarine and training platform. The type was in frontline service throughout the Second World War . Despite being representative of early 1930s aircraft design and teetering on the edge of becoming outdated (in comparison to some alternatives), the Swordfish achieved some spectacular successes during
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#17331160043301644-881: A flight of three Expeditors from Trincomalee to Lee-on-Solent in adverse weather conditions. 1948 Lt.Cdr. E.M. Brown , RAE Farnborough Trials with Rubber Deck . 1949 1830 Squadron RNVR 205 accident free deck landings during embarked period in HMS ; Illustrious . 1950 17th Carrier Air Group, HMS Theseus Operations in Korea. 1951 814 Squadron Night flying in HMS Vengeance . 1952 802 and 825 Squadrons Operations in Korea. 1953 848 Squadron Operations in Malaya. 1954 Naval Test Squadron, Boscombe Down Improvements to RN aircraft. 1955 806 Squadron Pioneering
1781-442: A metal airframe covered in fabric. It had folding wings as a space-saving measure, which was useful onboard aircraft carriers and battleships . In service, it received the nickname Stringbag ; this was not due to its biplane struts, spars, and braces, but a reference to the seemingly endless variety of stores and equipment that the type was cleared to carry. Crews likened the aircraft to a housewife's string shopping bag, common at
1918-541: A population density of 30.8 inhabitants per square kilometre (80 inhabitants per square mile). Most of the population lives in coastal cities, although the hinterland has small towns and villages along the rivers. May includes the offshore islands and its populations Due to its size, Brunei is further subdivided into 4 districts ( mukim ), which is similar to the size of smaller administrative units in Indonesia ( kecamatan ) and Malaysia ( daerah ) Data based on
2055-474: A release height of 1,300 ft (400 m) and a dive angle of 70 degrees; tests against a manoeuvring target showed an average error of 44 yd (40 m) from a drop height of 1,800 ft (550 m) and a dive angle of 60 degrees. After more modern torpedo attack aircraft were developed, the Swordfish was soon redeployed successfully in an anti-submarine role, armed with depth charges or eight "60 lb" (27 kg) RP-3 rockets and flying from
2192-451: A series of aircraft catapult and recovery tests aboard the battlecruiser HMS Repulse . K4190 was later restored to its wheeled undercarriage prior to an extensive evaluation process by the Aeroplane and Armament Experimental Establishment at RAF Martlesham Heath . In 1935, following the successful completion of testing at Martlesham, an initial pre-production order for three aircraft
2329-462: A single torpedo hit that only caused minor damage. On 26 May, Ark Royal launched two Swordfish strikes against Bismarck . The first failed to locate the ship. The second attack scored two torpedo hits, one of which jammed the ship's rudders at a 12° port helm. This made Bismarck unmanoeuvrable and unable to escape to port in France. She sank after intense Royal Navy attack within 13 hours. Some of
2466-418: A total of 27 Swordfish aircraft stationed on the island at a time, the type succeeded in sinking an average of 50,000 tons of enemy shipping per month across a nine-month period. During one record month, 98,000 tons of shipping were reportedly lost to the island's Swordfish-equipped strike force. The recorded Swordfish losses were low, especially in relation to the high sortie rate of the aircraft and in light of
2603-471: A volley of flares being dropped by Swordfish aircraft to illuminate the harbour, after which, the Swordfish formation commenced bombing and torpedo runs. Due to the presence of barrage balloons and torpedo nets restricting the number of suitable torpedo-dropping positions, many of the Swordfish had been armed with bombs and made a synchronised attack upon the cruisers and destroyers instead. The six torpedo-armed Swordfish inflicted serious damage on three of
2740-1052: Is Mount Kinabalu in Sabah, Malaysia, with an elevation of 4,095 m (13,435 ft). The largest river system is the Kapuas in West Kalimantan , with a length of 1,143 km (710 mi). Other major rivers include the Mahakam in East Kalimantan (980 km (610 mi) long), the Barito , Kahayan , and Mendawai in South Kalimantan (1,090 km (680 mi), 658 km (409 mi), and 616 km (383 mi) long respectively), Rajang in Sarawak (565 km (351 mi) long) and Kinabatangan in Sabah (560 km (350 mi) long). Borneo has significant cave systems. In Sarawak,
2877-624: Is highly dependent on the oil and gas production sector, and the country has become one of the largest oil producers in Southeast Asia. The Malaysian states of Sabah and Sarawak are both top exporters of timber . Sabah is also known as the agricultural producer of rubber , cacao , and vegetables, and for its fisheries, while Sabah, Sarawak and Labuan export liquefied natural gas (LNG) and petroleum. The Indonesian provinces of Kalimantan are mostly dependent on mining sectors despite also being involved in logging and oil and gas explorations. HDI
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#17331160043303014-596: The Anglo-Dutch Treaty of 1824 to exchange trading ports in Malay Peninsula and Sumatra that were under their controls and assert spheres of influence. This resulted in indirectly establishing British- and Dutch-controlled areas in the north (Malay Peninsula) and south (Sumatra and Riau Islands) respectively. In 1895, Marcus Samuel received a concession in the Kutei area of east Borneo, and based on oil seepages in
3151-588: The Anglo-Iraqi War . The aircraft conducted dive bombing attacks upon Iraqi barracks, fuel storage tanks and bridges. The Swordfish also flew a high level of anti-shipping sorties in the Mediterranean, many aircraft being based at Malta. Guided by aerial reconnaissance from other RAF units, Swordfish would time their attacks to arrive at enemy convoys in the dark to elude German fighters, which were restricted to daytime operations. While there were never more than
3288-775: The Battle of Taranto . The main fleet of the Italian Navy was based at Taranto in southern Italy; in light of the success of the earlier attack upon the French Navy at Mers-el-Kébir, members of the Admiralty sought another victory under similar conditions. The Royal Navy had conducted extensive preparations, with some planning having taken place as early as 1938, when war between the European powers had already seemed inevitable. Regular aerial reconnaissance missions were flown to gather intelligence on
3425-741: The Buccaneer S.2 into service. 1968 814 Squadron Bringing the Wessex HAS.3 to a high state of operational effectiveness at sea. 1969 Lt.Cdr. P.C. Marshall, AFC Exceptional skill and personal courage in bringing a badly damaged Phantom safely back to base. 1970 Lt.Cdr. V. Sirrett The work of 700S Squadron, the Sea King Intensive Flying Trials Unit (IFTU). 1971 826 Squadron , HMS Eagle Rescue of crew from SS Steel Vendor . In bad weather, two Sea King helicopters took off
3562-541: The Indonesian language ) is the third-largest island in the world , with an area of 748,168 km (288,869 sq mi), and population of 23,053,723 (2020 national censuses). Situated at the geographic centre of Maritime Southeast Asia , it is one of the Greater Sunda Islands , located north of Java , west of Sulawesi , and east of Sumatra . The island is divided by the equator , roughly in half between
3699-498: The Italian declaration of war , nine Swordfish of 767 Naval Air Squadron stationed in Hyeres , Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur , France took off for the first Allied bombing raid upon Italian soil. Four days later, 767 Squadron relocated to Bone , Algeria before being split, the training elements returning to Britain while the operational portion proceeded to RAF Hal Far on Malta , where it
3836-1280: The Lebanese civil war . 1985 815 Squadron , HMS Beaver Flight, No. 244 Flight CASEVAC of two casualties from the Japanese freighter REEFER DOLPHIN 400 miles southwest of Lands End in the early hours of 7 October. Recovery of the casualties was carried at night in heavy seas and high winds caused by the tail end of Hurricane Gloria . 1986 849 Squadron 1987 Not awarded. 1988 815 Squadron , 829 Squadron 1989 815 Squadron , HMS Alacrity Flight, No. 233 Flight 1990 829 Squadron , HMS Sheffield Flight, No. 234 Flight 1991 845 Squadron 1992 771 Squadron 1993 845 Squadron References [ edit ] Citations ^ Sturtivant, p.488 ^ Sturtivant, Ballance 1994 , p. 383. ^ "Boyd Trophy for 846 Sqn". Air Pictorial . Vol. 47, no. 8. August 1985. p. 288. ^ Daily Express 8 October 1985. 'Helicopter heroes in sea storm battle'. ^ Official MOD Citation for The Boyd Trophy 1985 Bibliography Ray Sturtivant , Squadrons of
3973-601: The Lynx IFTU Introducing the Lynx into Naval service. 1978 Aircrews of Culdrose squadrons Outstanding record of rescues, medical and humanitarian flights during the year. 1979 HMS Fife Flight Outstanding performance in Dominica , following the devastation caused by Hurricane David . 1980 Not awarded. - 1981 801 Squadron Outstanding achievements in operating
4110-1027: The Mahakam River delta , Mark Abrahams struck oil in February 1897. This was the discovery of the Sanga Sanga Oil Field, a refinery was built in Balikpapan , and discovery of the Samboja Oil Field followed in 1909. In 1901, the Pamusian Oil Field was discovered on Tarakan , and the Bunyu Oil Field in 1929. Royal Dutch Shell discovered the Miri Oil Field in 1910, and the Seria oil field in 1929. During World War II, Japanese forces gained control and occupied most areas of Borneo from 1941 to 1945. In
4247-684: The Nazario Sauro and Daniele Manin were sunk in dive-bombing attacks. The other two Italian destroyers, Pantera and Tigre were heavily damaged and driven ashore at Jedda and later destroyed by HMS Kingston . In 1942, Swordfish of 810 and 829 Squadrons on HMS Illustrious took part in the Battle of Madagascar . They dropped dummy paratroopers in support of the initial landings. They later conducted anti-ship and anti-submarine operations in Diego Suarez Bay and bombed land targets in support of land operations during Operation Ironclad. In
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4384-524: The Northern and Southern hemispheres. The island is politically divided among three states. The sovereign state of Brunei in the north makes up 1% of the territory. Approximately 73% of Borneo is Indonesian territory, and in the north, the East Malaysian states of Sabah and Sarawak make up about 26% of the island. The Malaysian federal territory of Labuan is situated on a small island just off
4521-542: The Sandakan Death March . In addition, of the total of 17,488 Javanese labourers brought in by the Japanese during the occupation, only 1,500 survived mainly due to starvation, harsh working conditions and maltreatment. The Dayak and other indigenous people played a role in guerrilla warfare against the occupying forces, particularly in the Kapit Division . They temporarily revived headhunting of Japanese toward
4658-484: The Sea Harrier , embarked in HMS Invincible . 1982 Cdr. T.J.H. Gedge Leadership on the ground and in the air, perseverance, skill, professional knowledge and control. 1983 705 Squadron Excellent overall performance, training achievement, outstanding airmanship and exceptional contribution to the prestige of Naval Aviation. 1984 846 Squadron Operations off Lebanon during
4795-576: The Sea Hawk at sea, and for contributions to tactical investigation in night strike role. 1956 Search and Rescue Flight, RNAS Lossiemouth . Lieut. R.H. Williams, C.P.O. A. Japp Search and Rescue Flight. Crew of a wrecked Norwegian vessel (SS Dovrefjell) off the Pentland Firth , Scotland rescued, by two R.N Westland Whirlwind helicopter crews. 3 February 1955. 1957 Not awarded - 1958 845 Squadron Operations in
4932-608: The sultan of Brunei would be the head of state for the federation—though Azahari had his own intention to abolish the Brunei monarchy, to make Brunei more democratic, and to integrate the territory and other former British colonies in Borneo into Indonesia, with the support from the latter government. This directly led to the Brunei Revolt , which thwarted Azahari's attempt and forced him to escape to Indonesia. Brunei withdrew from being part of
5069-650: The 14th century, Borneo became a vassal state of Majapahit (in present-day Indonesia), later changing its allegiance to the Ming dynasty of China. Pre-Islamic Sulu, then known locally as Lupah Sug , stretched from Palawan and the Sulu archipelago at the Philippines; to Sabah , Eastern , and Northern Kalimantan in Borneo. The Sulu empire rose as a rebellion and reaction against former Majapahit Imperialism against Sulu which Majapahit briefly occupied. The religion of Islam entered
5206-624: The 16th century during the Age of Exploration . On a map from around 1601, Brunei city is referred to as Borneo, and the whole island is also labelled Borneo. The name Borneo may derive from the Sanskrit word váruṇa ( वरुण ), meaning either "water" or Varuna , the Hindu god of rain. Another source said it was from the Sanskrit word Kalamanthana , meaning "burning weather" possibly to describe its hot and humid tropical weather. In Indianized Malay era
5343-587: The Allied forces, the meeting was shelved. Sukarno and Hatta continued the plan by unilaterally declaring independence, although the Dutch tried to retake their colonial possession in Borneo. The southern part of the island achieved its independence through the Proclamation of Indonesian Independence on 17 August 1945. The southern part saw guerrilla conflicts followed by Dutch blockade to cut supplies for nationalist within
5480-580: The British Air Ministry . Fairey promptly informed the Air Ministry of its work for the Greeks, whose interest had eventually waned, and proposed its solution to the requirements for a spotter-reconnaissance plane ("spotter" referring to the activity of observing and directing the fall of a warship's gunfire ). In 1934, the Air Ministry issued the more advanced Specification S.15/33 , which formally added
5617-643: The British to halt such efforts, and as a result a Treaty of Protection was signed in 1888, rendering Brunei a British protectorate. Before the acquisition by the British, the Americans also managed to establish their temporary presence in northwestern Borneo after acquiring a parcel of land from the Sultanate of Brunei. A company known as American Trading Company of Borneo was formed by Joseph William Torrey , Thomas Bradley Harris and several Chinese investors, establishing
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5754-484: The British trying to maintain their presence in northern Borneo and the Malay Peninsula, decided to launch a military infiltration, later known as the confrontation , from 1962 to 1969. As a response to the growing opposition, the British deployed their armed forces to guard their colonies against Indonesian and communist revolts, which was also participated by Australia and New Zealand . The Philippines opposed
5891-528: The Central Advisory Council, an advisory council for south Borneo, Celebes , and Lesser Sunda , set up in February 1945. After the fall of Singapore , the Japanese sent several thousand of British and Australian prisoners of war to camps in Borneo such as Batu Lintang camp . From the Sandakan camp site, only six of some 2,500 prisoners survived after they were forced to march in an event known as
6028-561: The Clearwater Cave has one of the world's longest underground rivers while Deer Cave is home to over three million bats , with guano accumulated to over 100 metres (330 ft) deep. The Gomantong Caves in Sabah has been dubbed as the "Cockroach Cave" due to the presence of millions of cockroaches inside the cave. The Gunung Mulu National Park in Sarawak and Sangkulirang-Mangkalihat Karst in East Kalimantan which particularly
6165-434: The Dutch followed suit to increase their economic production. By 1888, North Borneo, Sarawak and Brunei in northern Borneo had become British protectorate . The area in southern Borneo was made Dutch protectorate in 1891. The Dutch who already claimed the whole Borneo were asked by Britain to delimit their boundaries between the two colonial territories to avoid further conflicts. The British and Dutch governments had signed
6302-457: The Dutch only began their trade in 1644: to Banjar and Martapura, also in the southern Borneo. The Dutch tried to settle the island of Balambangan , north of Borneo, in the second half of the 18th century, but withdrew by 1797. In 1812, the sultan in southern Borneo ceded his forts to the British East India Company . The British, led by Stamford Raffles , then tried to establish an intervention in Sambas but failed. Although they managed to defeat
6439-409: The English Channel towards Germany. When the Swordfish formation arrived and commenced an initial attack run coming astern of the ships, the Swordfish were intercepted by roughly 15 Messerschmitt Bf 109 monoplane fighter aircraft; the aerial battle was extremely one-sided, quickly resulting in the loss of all Swordfish while no damage was achieved upon the ships themselves. The lack of fighter cover
6576-547: The Fleet Air Arm , Air Britain (Historians) Ltd. ISBN 0-85130-120-7 Sturtivant, R; Ballance, T (1994). The Squadrons of The Fleet Air Arm . Tonbridge , Kent , UK: Air-Britain (Historians) Ltd. ISBN 0-85130-223-8 . Retrieved from " https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Boyd_Trophy&oldid=1253044917 " Category : Fleet Air Arm Hidden categories: Use dmy dates from November 2016 Use British English from November 2016 Fairey Swordfish The Fairey Swordfish
6713-442: The Indonesian portion of Borneo lost 10.7 million hectares (26 million acres) of tree cover between 2002 and 2019, of which 4 million hectares (9.9 million acres) was primary forest , compared with Malaysian Borneo's 4.4 million hectares (11 million acres) of tree cover loss and 1.9 million hectares (4.7 million acres) of primary forest cover loss. As of 2020, Indonesian Borneo accounts for 72% of
6850-498: The Mers-el-Kébir attack, a detachment of three Swordfish were sent to support British Army operations in the Western Desert , in response to a request for torpedo aircraft to destroy hostile naval units operating off the coast of Libya . On 22 August, the three aircraft destroyed two U-boats, one destroyer and a replenishment ship in the Gulf of Bomba , Libya, using only three torpedoes. On 11 November 1940, Swordfish flying from HMS Illustrious achieved great success in
6987-805: The Persian Gulf, and salvage of SS Melika . 1959 781 Squadron Efficiency in communication flights. 1960 831 Squadron Efficiency in training with the fleet. 1961 HMS Protector 's Flight Efficiency in Antarctica . 1962 815 Squadron Bringing the Wessex HAS.1 into service, pioneering night and all-weather ASW tactics and Wessex SAR procedures. 1963 846 Squadron Operations in Borneo . 1964 845 Squadron Services in defence of Malaysia . 1965 759 Squadron Converting Jet Provost pilots to Hunter aircraft. 1966 No. 849C Flight Outstanding Performance in HMS Ark Royal during Mozambique patrol. 1967 801 Squadron Bringing
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#17331160043307124-466: The Portuguese described the place as surrounded by a stone wall . While Borneo was seen as rich, the Portuguese did not make any attempts to conquer it. The Spanish had sailed from Latin America and conquered the Brunei's provinces in the Philippines and incorporated it into the Mexico-Centered Viceroyalty of New Spain . The Spanish visit to Brunei led to the Castilian War in 1578. The British began to trade with Sambas of southern Borneo in 1609, while
7261-405: The Sarawak river delta reveal that the area was a thriving centre of trade between India and China from the 6th century until about 1300. Stone pillars bearing inscriptions in the Pallava script , found in Kutai along the Mahakam River in East Kalimantan and dating to around the second half of the 4th century, constitute some of the oldest evidence of Hindu influence in Southeast Asia. By
7398-485: The Second Battle of Narvik, Swordfish continually bombed ships, land facilities, and parked enemy aircraft around Narvik . Anti-submarine patrols and aerial reconnaissance missions were also flown despite difficult terrain and inhospitable weather, which proved especially challenging for aircrew in the Swordfish's open cockpit. For many Swordfish crews, this campaign marked their first combat missions and nighttime landings upon aircraft carriers. On 14 June 1940, soon after
7535-471: The Sultanate of Sulu where he conducted business and exported large quantities of arms, opium , textiles and tobacco to Sulu before the land was also passed to Overbeck by the sultanate. Prior to the recognition of Spanish presence in the Philippine archipelago, a protocol known as the Madrid Protocol of 1885 was signed between the governments of the United Kingdom, Germany and Spain in Madrid to cement Spanish influence and recognise their sovereignty over
7672-412: The Sultanate of Sulu—in return for Spain's relinquishing its claim to the former possessions of the sultanate in northern Borneo. The British administration then established the first railway network in northern Borneo, known as the North Borneo Railway . During this time, the British sponsored a large number of Chinese workers to migrate to northern Borneo to work in European plantation and mines, and
7809-473: The Sulu former territories. The Philippine government also claimed that the heirs of the sultanate had ceded all their territorial rights to the republic. The Sultanate of Brunei at the first welcomed the proposal of a new larger federation. Meanwhile, the Brunei People's Party led by A.M. Azahari desired to reunify Brunei, Sarawak and North Borneo into one federation known as the North Borneo Federation ( Malay : Kesatuan Negara Kalimantan Utara ), where
7946-427: The Swordfish flew so low that most of Bismarck ' s flak weapons could not depress enough to hit them. Throughout 1942, the Swordfish was progressively transferred away from the Royal Navy's fleet carriers as newer strike aircraft, such as the Fairey Albacore and Fairey Barracuda , were introduced. In the submarine-hunter role, the Swordfish contributed to the Battle of the Atlantic , detecting and attacking
8083-480: The Swordfish for training. During the early months of the conflict, the Swordfish operated in mostly uneventful fleet protection and convoy escort missions. The Swordfish first saw combat on 11 April 1940, during the Norwegian Campaign . Several Swordfish aircraft were launched from the aircraft carrier HMS Furious to torpedo several German vessels reported to be anchoring at Trondheim . The Swordfish found only two enemy destroyers at Trondheim, scoring one hit in
8220-452: The Swordfish was terminated; the last aircraft to be delivered, a Swordfish III, was delivered that day. Almost 2,400 aircraft had been built, 692 having been constructed by Fairey and a further 1,699 by Blackburn at their Sherburn facility. The most numerous version of the Swordfish was the Mark II, of which 1,080 were completed. The Fairey Swordfish was a medium-sized biplane torpedo bomber and reconnaissance aircraft. The Swordfish employed
8357-443: The administration of North Borneo Chartered Company following the acquisition of territory from the Sultanates of Brunei and Sulu by a German businessman and adventurer named Baron von Overbeck , before it was passed to the British Dent brothers (comprising Alfred Dent and Edward Dent). Further expansion by the British continued into the Borneo interior. This led the 26th sultan of Brunei, Hashim Jalilul Alam Aqamaddin to appeal
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#17331160043308494-413: The aircraft carrier HMS Ark Royal and conducted three sorties of attacks upon the anchored fleet. The torpedo attack, which crippled the French battleship Dunkerque and damaged other vessels present, demonstrated that capital ships could be effectively attacked while in harbour; it was also the first time in history that the Royal Navy had won a battle without the use of gunfire. Shortly after
8631-420: The aircraft intended to replace it. In 1933 Fairey, having established a proven track record in the design and construction of naval aircraft, commenced development of an entirely new three-seat naval aircraft, intended for the twin roles of aerial reconnaissance and torpedo bomber . Receiving the internal designation of T.S.R. I , standing for Torpedo-Spotter-Reconnaissance I , the proposed design adopted
8768-405: The aircraft's flight characteristics. On 11 September 1933, F1875 was lost during a series of spinning tests in which it became unable to recover; the pilot survived the incident. Prior to this, the prototype had exhibited favourable performance, which contributed to the subsequent decision to proceed with the more advanced T.S.R II prototype, which had been specifically developed to conform with
8905-453: The annual global tropical timber acquisition comes from Borneo. Palm oil plantations have been widely developed and are rapidly encroaching on the last remnants of primary rainforest. Forest fires since 1997, started by the locals to clear the forests for plantations were exacerbated by an exceptionally dry El Niño season, worsening the annual shrinkage of the rainforest. During these fires, hotspots were visible on satellite images and
9042-504: The battleships. Two cruisers, two destroyers and other vessels were damaged or sunk. The high manoeuvrability of the Swordfish was attributed with enabling the aircraft to evade intense anti-aircraft fire and hit the Italian ships. The Battle of Taranto firmly established that naval aircraft were independently capable of immobilising an entire fleet and were an effective means of altering the balance of power. The Japanese assistant naval attaché to Berlin, Takeshi Naito, visited Taranto to view
9179-408: The coast of Borneo. When the sixteenth century Portuguese explorer Jorge de Menezes made contact with the Indigenous people native to Borneo, they referred to their island as Pulu K'lemantang , which became the name for modern day Indonesian Borneo. The term kelamantan is used in Sarawak to refer to a group of people who consume sago in the northern part of the island. According to Crowfurd,
9316-438: The coasts of Netherlands and Belgium in daylight raids, during which they braved anti-aircraft fire and interception by Luftwaffe fighter aircraft. Night time bombing raids were conducted against oil installations, power stations , and aerodromes . After the Allied defeat in the Battle of France and the signing of the French Armistice of 22 June 1940 , Swordfish focused their activities against ports that might be used for
9453-500: The company was at one point developing a separate but broadly similar aircraft, powered by a Rolls-Royce Kestrel engine instead as well as employing a differing fin and rudder configuration. Significant contributions to the T.S.R.I's development came from Fairey's independent design work on a proposed aircraft for the Greek Naval Air Service , which had requested a replacement for their Fairey IIIF Mk.IIIB aircraft, and from specifications M.1/30 and S.9/30, which had been issued by
9590-405: The consequences of the attack; he later briefed the staff who planned the attack on Pearl Harbor . On 28 March 1941, a pair of Swordfish based at Crete contributed to the disabling of the Italian cruiser Pola during the Battle of Cape Matapan . In May 1941, six Swordfish based at Shaibah , near Basra , Iraq , participated in the suppression of a revolt in the region, widely known now as
9727-499: The crew area and the third crew member was left behind. RAF fighters often provided aerial cover where possible and occasionally counterattacked enemy air bases. The intensity of Coastal Command's Swordfish operations was drastically increased after the German invasion of the Low Countries , expanding to involve four Swordfish-equipped squadrons. Typically flying from Detling , Thorney Island , North Coates and St Eval , Swordfish crews were dispatched to strike strategic targets off
9864-650: The crew of 40. 1972 Lt.Cdr. Davis Lt. C.D. Walkinshaw Lt. Park Lt. Lucas Flying 2,800 miles from HMS Ark Royal to Belize . The operation involved two Buccaneers flown in a show of strength to deter Guatemala from invading British Honduras as it was then known. 1973 Not awarded - 1974 Lt. I. McKechnie, HMS Andromeda Flight Evacuation of refugees from Cyprus . 1975 Not awarded - 1976 Lt.Cdr. K.M.C. Simmons Lt. T.J. MacMahon Lt. A.B. Ross CPO ACM E.A. Butler HMS Antrim Flight Rescue off Iceland . 1977 700L Squadron,
10001-420: The currently surviving aircraft were recovered from the farm of Canadian Ernie Simmons. Data from Fairey Aircraft since 1915, The Fairey Swordfish Mks. I-IV General characteristics Performance Armament Related development Aircraft of comparable role, configuration, and era Related lists Borneo Borneo ( / ˈ b ɔːr n i oʊ / ; also known as Kalimantan in
10138-408: The damage caused by Luftwaffe bombing raids. Major sub-assemblies for the Swordfish were produced by four subcontractors based in neighbouring Leeds , these were transported by land to Sherburn for final assembly. Initial deliveries from Sherburn were completed to the Swordfish I standard; from 1943 onwards, the improved Swordfish II and Swordfish III marks came into production and superseded
10275-425: The desires of its indigenous people and following the disposition of Malaya . Sukarno and Mohammad Yamin meanwhile continuously advocated for a Greater Indonesian republic. Towards the end of the war, Japan decided to give an early independence to a new proposed country of Indonesia on 17 July 1945, with an Independence Committee meeting scheduled for 19 August 1945. However, following the surrender of Japan to
10412-490: The discovery of the oldest known figurative art painting , over 40,000 (perhaps as old as 52,000) years old, of an unknown animal, in the cave of Lubang Jeriji Saléh on the island of Borneo. It has been proposed, based on house construction styles, linguistic and genetic evidence, that Madagascar may have been first populated from southern Borneo. According to ancient Chinese (977), Indian and Japanese manuscripts, western coastal cities of Borneo had become trading ports by
10549-562: The east, and the Java Sea and Karimata Strait to the south. To the west of Borneo are the Malay Peninsula and Sumatra . To the south and east are islands of Indonesia: Java and Sulawesi , respectively. To the northeast are the Philippine Islands . With an area of 743,330 square kilometres (287,000 sq mi), it is the third-largest island in the world, and is the largest island of Asia (the largest continent). Its highest point
10686-521: The end of the war, with Allied Z Special Unit provided assistance to them. Australia contributed significantly to the liberation of Borneo. The Australian Imperial Force was sent to Borneo to fight off the Japanese. Together with other Allies, the island was completely liberated in 1945. In May 1945, officials in Tokyo suggested that whether northern Borneo should be included in the proposed new country of Indonesia should be separately determined based on
10823-560: The eve of war in September 1939, the FAA, which had been transferred to Royal Navy control, had 13 operational squadrons equipped with the Swordfish I. There were also three flights of Swordfish equipped with floats, for use with catapult-equipped warships. After the outbreak of the Second World War, 26 FAA Squadrons were equipped with the Swordfish. More than 20 second-line squadrons also operated
10960-461: The fact that many aircraft lacked any blind-flying equipment, making night flying even more hazardous. In May 1941, Swordfish helped pursue and sink the German battleship Bismarck . On 24 May, nine Swordfish from HMS Victorious flew a late night sortie against the Bismarck under deteriorating weather conditions. Using ASV radar, the flight were able to spot and attack the ship, resulting in
11097-496: The finest feat of aviation during the previous year. It is held by the ship, station or establishment in which the winner(s) was/were serving at the time the winning feat was achieved. List of Boyd Trophy Recipients Year Recipient Reason 1946 Lt.Cdr. D.B. Law Lt. Reynolds Formation aerobatic display in Seafires at St Merryn . 1947 Lt.Cdr. H.J. Mortimore, CO of 733 Squadron Leading
11234-675: The first attack of the war by torpedo-carrying aircraft. On 13 April 1940, just before the Second Battle of Narvik , a Swordfish floatplane was launched from the battleship HMS Warspite with the crew ordered to reconnoitre for Germans ships. They reported seeing several German destroyers, and also spotted the German submarine U-64 anchored close to the shore in Herjangsfjord . They dived to 200 feet (60 m) and dropped two 100-pound (45 kg) anti-submarine bombs; one hit and sank
11371-562: The first millennium AD. In Chinese manuscripts, gold, camphor , tortoise shells, hornbill ivory , rhinoceros horn, crane crest , beeswax , lakawood (a scented heartwood and root wood of a thick liana , Dalbergia parviflora ), dragon's blood , rattan , edible bird's nests and various spices were described as among the most valuable items from Borneo. The Indians named Borneo Suvarnabhumi (the land of gold) and also Karpuradvipa (Camphor Island). The Javanese named Borneo Puradvipa , or Diamond Island. Archaeological findings in
11508-530: The first production aircraft was completed in early 1936 and the type entered service with the Fleet Air Arm (FAA) in July 1936. By early 1940, Fairey was busy with the Swordfish and other types such as the new Fairey Albacore torpedo bomber. The Admiralty approached Blackburn Aircraft with a proposal that manufacturing activity for the Swordfish be transferred to the company, who immediately set about establishing
11645-535: The first stage of the war, the British saw the Japanese advance to Borneo as motivated by political and territorial ambitions rather than economic factors. The occupation drove many people in the coastal towns to the interior, searching for food and escaping the Japanese. The Chinese residents in Borneo, especially with the Sino-Japanese War in Mainland China mostly resisted the Japanese occupation. Following
11782-654: The formation of resistance movements in northern Borneo such as the Jesselton Revolt , many innocent indigenous and Chinese people were executed by the Japanese for their alleged involvement. In Kalimantan, the Japanese also killed many Malay intellectuals, executing all the Malay sultans of West Kalimantan in the Pontianak incidents , together with Chinese people who were already against the Japanese for suspecting them to be threats. Sultan Muhammad Ibrahim Shafi ud-din II of Sambas
11919-638: The former low-lying areas of the peninsula. Deeper waters separating Borneo from neighbouring Sulawesi prevented a land connection to that island, creating the divide known as Wallace's Line between Asian and Australia- New Guinea biological regions. The island today is surrounded by the South China Sea to the north and northwest, the Sulu Sea to the northeast, the Celebes Sea and the Makassar Strait to
12056-506: The fuselage; along with other aerodynamic-related tweaks to the rear of the aircraft. During the ensuing flight test programme, K4190 was transferred to Fairey's factory in Hamble-le-Rice , Hampshire , where it received a twin- float undercarriage in place of its original land-only counterpart; on 10 November 1934, the first flight of K4190 in this new configuration was performed. Following successful water-handling trials, K4190 conducted
12193-421: The gallant sortie of these six Swordfish aircraft constitutes one of the finest exhibitions of self-sacrifice and devotion to duty the war had ever witnessed". German Vice-Admiral Otto Ciliax remarked on "the mothball attack of a handful of ancient planes, piloted by men whose bravery surpasses any other action by either side that day." However, as a result of this incident, Swordfish were quickly withdrawn from
12330-415: The independent Federation of Malaya desired to unite Malaya, the British colonies of Sarawak , North Borneo , Singapore and the protectorate of Brunei under the proposed Federation of Malaysia . The idea was heavily opposed by the governments in both Indonesia and the Philippines as well from communist sympathisers and nationalists in Borneo. Sukarno, as the president of the new republic, perceiving
12467-543: The island as Nusa Tanjungnagara , which means the island of the Tanjungpura Kingdom . Borneo was formed through Mesozoic accretion of microcontinental fragments, ophiolite terranes and island arc crust onto a Paleozoic continental core. At the beginning of the Cenozoic Borneo formed a promontory of Sundaland which partly separated from Asian mainland by the proto-South China Sea . The oceanic part of
12604-531: The island due to its influence in the region) and several islands in the Philippines. During the 1450s, Shari'ful Hashem Syed Abu Bakr , an Arab born in Johor , arrived in Sulu from Malacca. In 1457, he founded the Sultanate of Sulu ; he titled himself as "Paduka Maulana Mahasari Sharif Sultan Hashem Abu Bakr". Following its independence in 1578 from Brunei's influence, Sulu began to expand its thalassocracy to parts of
12741-539: The island in the 10th century, following the arrival of Muslim traders who later converted many indigenous peoples in the coastal areas. The Sultanate of Brunei declared independence from Majapahit following the death of the Majapahit emperor in the mid-14th century. During its golden age under Bolkiah from the 15th to the 17th century, the Bruneian sultanate ruled almost the entire coastal area of Borneo (lending its name to
12878-514: The island's tree cover, Malaysian Borneo 27%, and Brunei 1%. Primary forest in Indonesia accounts for 44% of Borneo's overall tree cover. The island historically had extensive rainforest cover, but the area was reduced due to heavy logging by the Indonesian and Malaysian wood industry, especially with the large demands of raw materials from industrial countries along with the conversion of forest lands for large-scale agricultural purposes. Half of
13015-491: The later Operation Jane, Swordfish were ready to support the attack on Tamatave , but in the event the town surrendered before they were needed. During early 1940, Swordfish aircraft of 812 Squadron under RAF Coastal Command started a campaign against enemy ports along the English Channel . The aircraft routinely sortied to drop naval mines near such harbours. To increase range, additional fuel tanks were installed in
13152-445: The more innovative uses of the Swordfish was its role with merchant aircraft carriers ("MAC ships"). These were 20 civilian cargo or tanker ships modified to carry three or four aircraft each on anti-submarine duties with convoys. Three of these vessels were Dutch-manned, and several Swordfish of 860 (Dutch) Naval Air Squadron were typically deployed on board. The others were manned by aircrew from 836 Naval Air Squadron. At one time this
13289-515: The name Kalamanthana was derived from Sanskrit terms kala (time or season) and manthana (churning, kindling or creating fire by friction), which possibly describes the heat of the weather. In 977, Chinese records began to use the term Bo-ni to refer to Borneo. In 1225, it was also mentioned by the Chinese official Chau Ju-Kua (趙汝适). The Javanese manuscript Nagarakretagama , written by Majapahit court poet Mpu Prapanca in 1365, mentioned
13426-516: The new Federation of Malaysia due to some disagreements on other issues while political leaders in Sarawak and North Borneo continued to favour inclusion in a larger federation. With the continuous opposition from Indonesia and the Philippines, the Cobbold Commission was established to discover the feeling of the native populations in northern Borneo; it found the people greatly in favour of federation, with various stipulations. The federation
13563-463: The newly issued Specification S.15/33. On 17 April 1934, the prototype T.S.R II, K4190 , performed its maiden flight, flown by Staniland. In comparison with the previous prototype, K4190 was equipped with a more powerful model of the Pegasus engine, an additional bay within the rear fuselage to counteract spin tendencies, and the upper wing was slightly swept back to account for the increased length of
13700-631: The newly proposed federation, claiming the eastern part of North Borneo (today the Malaysian state of Sabah) as part of its territory as a former possession of the Sultanate of Sulu . The Philippine government mostly based their claim on the Sultanate of Sulu's cession agreement with the British North Borneo Company, as by now the sultanate had come under the jurisdiction of the Philippine republican administration, which therefore should inherit
13837-447: The northern Borneo. Both the sultanates who ruled northern Borneo had traditionally engaged in trade with China by means of the frequently-arriving Chinese junks . Despite the thalassocracy of the sultanates, Borneo's interior region remained free from the rule of any kingdoms. After the fall of Malacca in 1511, Portuguese merchants traded regularly with Borneo, and especially with Brunei from 1530. Having visited Brunei's capital,
13974-485: The original model. The Swordfish II carried ASV Mk. II radar and featured metal undersurfaces to the lower wings to allow the carriage of 3-inch rockets , later-built models also adopted the more powerful Pegasus XXX engine. The Swordfish III was fitted with centimetric ASV Mk.XI radar between the undercarriage legs, precluding carrying torpedoes, and retained the Pegasus XXX powerplant. On 18 August 1944, production of
14111-438: The peat swamp is comparatively infertile, while it is known to be the home of various bird species such as the hook-billed bulbul , helmeted hornbill and rhinoceros hornbill . There are about 15,000 species of flowering plants with 3,000 species of trees (267 species are dipterocarps ), 221 species of terrestrial mammals and 420 species of resident birds in Borneo. There are about 440 freshwater fish species in Borneo (about
14248-574: The positions of specific capital ships and Swordfish crews were intensively trained for night flying operations, as an undetected aerial attack during the night raid had been judged to be the only effective method of reasonably overcoming the defences of the well-protected harbour and to strike at the fleet anchored there. Originally scheduled for 21 October 1940, the Taranto raid was delayed until 11 November to allow for key reinforcements to arrive and other commitments to be met. The aerial attack started with
14385-650: The projection in the former territories in East Kalimantan Province (prior to the separation of North Kalimantan in 2012) Based on alphabetical order Religion in Brunei (2016) Religion in Malaysian Borneo (2020) Religion in Indonesian Borneo (December 2023) The island of Borneo is divided administratively by three countries. Borneo's economy depends mainly on agriculture, logging and mining, oil and gas, and ecotourism . Brunei's economy
14522-490: The proto-South China Sea was subducted during the Paleogene period and a large accretionary complex formed along the northwestern of the island of Borneo. In the early Miocene uplift of the accretionary complex occurred as a result of underthrusting of thinned continental crust in northwest. The uplift may have also resulted from shortening due to the counter-clockwise rotation of Borneo between 20 and 10 mega-annum (Ma) as
14659-461: The rainforest is one of the few remaining natural habitats for the endangered Bornean orangutan . It is an important refuge for many endemic forest species, including the Borneo elephant , the eastern Sumatran rhinoceros , the Bornean clouded leopard , the Bornean rock frog , the hose's palm civet and the dayak fruit bat . Peat swamp forests occupy the entire coastline of Borneo. The soil of
14796-697: The region. While nationalist guerrillas supporting the inclusion of southern Borneo in the new Indonesian republic were active in Ketapang, and to lesser extent in Sambas where they rallied with the red-white flag which became the flag of Indonesia , most of the Chinese residents in southern Borneo expected to be liberated by Chinese Nationalist troops from mainland China and to integrate their districts as an overseas province of China . Meanwhile, Sarawak and Sabah in northern Borneo became separate British crown colonies in 1946. In 1961, Prime Minister Tunku Abdul Rahman of
14933-498: The resulting haze frequently affected Brunei, Indonesia and Malaysia. The haze could also reach southern Thailand , Cambodia , Vietnam and the Philippines as evidenced on the 2015 Southeast Asian haze . A 2018 study found that Bornean orangutans declined by 148,500 individuals from 1999 to 2015. List of highest peaks in Borneo by elevation. List of longest river in Borneo by length. In November 2018, scientists reported
15070-479: The roaming U-boat packs that preyed upon merchant shipping between Britain and North America and in support of the Arctic convoys which delivered supplies from Britain to Russia. Swordfish attacked submarines directly and guided destroyers to their locations. During one convoy battle, Swordfish from the escort carrier HMS Striker and Vindex flew over 1,000 hours on anti-submarine patrols in 10 days. One of
15207-551: The same as Sumatra and Java combined). The Borneo river shark is known only from the Kinabatangan River . In 2010, the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) stated that 123 species have been discovered in Borneo since the " Heart of Borneo " agreement was signed in 2007. The WWF has classified the island into seven distinct ecoregions . Most are lowland regions: According to analysis of data from Global Forest Watch ,
15344-643: The second pre-production aircraft, K5661 , became the first to be delivered; the final pre-production aircraft, K5662 , was completed in the floatplane configuration and underwent water-based service trials at the Marine Aircraft Experimental Establishment at Felixstowe , Suffolk . In early 1936, an initial production contract for 68 Swordfish aircraft was received, as the Swordfish I . Manufactured at Fairey's factory in Hayes , West London ,
15481-452: The smaller escort carriers , or even merchant aircraft carriers (MACs) when equipped for rocket-assisted takeoff (RATO) . Its low stall speed and inherently tough design made it ideal for operation from the MACs in the often severe mid-Atlantic weather. Indeed, its takeoff and landing speeds were so low that, unlike most carrier-based aircraft, it did not require the carrier to be steaming into
15618-471: The southern part of the island upon resuming contact in 1815, posting residents to Banjarmasin, Pontianak and Sambas and assistant-residents to Landak and Mampawa. The Sultanate of Brunei in 1842 granted large parts of land in Sarawak to the British adventurer James Brooke , as a reward for his help in quelling a local rebellion. Brooke established the Raj of Sarawak and was recognised as its rajah after paying
15755-487: The state of Sabah, although his plan failed and resulted in the Jabidah massacre and later the insurgency in the southern Philippines . In August 2019, Indonesian president Joko Widodo announced a plan to move the capital of Indonesia from Jakarta to a newly established location in the East Kalimantan province in Borneo. The demonym for Borneo is Bornean . Borneo had 23,053,723 inhabitants (in 2020 Censuses),
15892-469: The submarine. This was the first U-boat to be destroyed by an FAA aircraft in the war. Later that day, a force of ten Swordfish were dispatched from HMS Furious to attack the German destroyers with 250lb bombs. They scored no hits and two aircraft were shot down; the crew of one were lost, the crew of the other were picked up after making a forced-landing. During the battle, eight German destroyers were sunk or scuttled with no British ships lost. After
16029-469: The sultanate the next year and declared a blockade on all ports in Borneo except Brunei, Banjarmasin and Pontianak , the project was cancelled by the British governor-general Lord Minto in India as it was too expensive. At the beginning of British and Dutch exploration on the island, they described the island of Borneo as full of head hunters , with the indigenous in the interior practising cannibalism , and
16166-417: The time and which could accommodate contents of any shape, and that a Swordfish, like the shopping bag, could carry anything. The primary weapon of the Swordfish was the aerial torpedo , but the low speed of the biplane and the need for a long straight approach made it difficult to deliver against well-defended targets. Swordfish torpedo doctrine called for an approach at 5,000 feet (1,500 m) followed by
16303-608: The torpedo bomber role in competition with the Blackburn Shark in the combined role. Initially, the Shark replaced the Seal in the spotter-reconnaissance squadrons and the Swordfish replaced the Baffin in torpedo squadron, after which the Shark was quickly replaced by the Swordfish. For nearly two years during the late 1930s, the Swordfish was the sole torpedo bomber aircraft equipping the FAA. By
16440-431: The torpedo bomber role. On 21 March 1933, the prototype T.S.R. I, F1875 , conducted its maiden flight from Great West Aerodrome , Heathrow , piloted by Fairey test pilot Chris Staniland . F1875 performed various flights, including several while re-engined with an Armstrong Siddeley Tiger radial engine before it was refitted with the Pegasus engine again, was used to explore the flight envelope , and to investigate
16577-423: The torpedo-bomber role in favour of more anti-submarine duties. Armed with depth charges and rockets, the aircraft were good submarine killers. In the anti-submarine role, the Swordfish pioneered the naval use of air to surface vessel (ASV) radar , allowing the aircraft to effectively locate surface ships at night and through clouds. Swordfish were flying missions with the radar by October 1941. In December 1941,
16714-551: The war. Notable events included sinking one battleship and damaging two others of the Regia Marina (the Italian navy) during the Battle of Taranto , and the famous attack on the German battleship Bismarck , which contributed to her eventual demise. Swordfish sank a greater tonnage of Axis shipping than any other Allied aircraft during the war. The Swordfish remained in front-line service until V-E Day , having outlived some of
16851-474: The waters around the island infested with pirates , especially between the north eastern Borneo and the southern Philippines. The Malay and Sea Dayak pirates preyed on maritime shipping in the waters between Singapore and Hong Kong from their haven in Borneo, along with the attacks by Illanuns of the Moro pirates from the southern Philippines, such as in the Battle off Mukah . The Dutch began to intervene in
16988-574: The wind. On occasion, when the wind was right, Swordfish were flown from a carrier at anchor. In July 1936, the Swordfish formally entered service with the Fleet Air Arm (FAA), which was then part of the RAF; 825 Naval Air Squadron became the first squadrons to receive the type that month. The Swordfish began replacing both the Fairey Seal in the spotter-reconnaissance role and the Blackburn Baffin in
17125-457: The word kelamantan is the name of a type of mango (Mangifera) so the island of Borneo is called a mango island by the native. But he adds that the word is fanciful and unpopular. The local mango, called klemantan, is still widely found in rural areas in Ketapang and surrounding areas of West Kalimantan. Internationally it is known as Borneo , derived from European contact with the Brunei kingdom in
17262-467: Was 1,000 yards (910 m) from target if the Swordfish survived to that distance. The Swordfish was also capable of operating as a dive-bomber . During 1939, Swordfish on board HMS Glorious participated in a series of dive-bombing trials, during which 439 practice bombs were dropped at dive angles of 60, 67 and 70 degrees, against the target ship HMS Centurion . Tests against a stationary target showed an average error of 49 yd (45 m) from
17399-783: Was a biplane torpedo bomber , designed by the Fairey Aviation Company . Originating in the early 1930s, the Swordfish, nicknamed "Stringbag", was principally operated by the Fleet Air Arm of the Royal Navy . It was also used by the Royal Air Force (RAF), as well as several overseas operators, including the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) and the Royal Netherlands Navy . It was initially operated primarily as
17536-459: Was a contributing factor for the heavy losses experienced; only 10 of 84 promised fighters were available. Thirteen of the 18 Swordfish crew involved were killed. Esmonde, who had previously led an attack on Bismarck , was awarded the Victoria Cross posthumously. The courage of the Swordfish crews was noted by commanders on both sides. British Vice-Admiral Bertram Ramsay wrote "In my opinion
17673-516: Was essential. The last operational squadron, 836 Naval Air Squadron , which had last been engaged in providing resources for the MAC ships, was disbanded on 21 May 1945, soon after the end of World War II in Europe . In mid-1946, the last training squadron equipped with the type was disbanded, after which only a few remained in service to perform sundry duties at a few naval air stations. A large proportion of
17810-463: Was executed in 1944. The sultanate was thereafter suspended and replaced by a Japanese council. The Japanese also set-up Pusat Tenaga Rakjat (PUTERA) in the Indonesian archipelago in 1943, although it was abolished the following year when it became too nationalistic. Some of the Indonesian nationalist like Sukarno and Hatta who had returned from Dutch exile began to co-operate with the Japanese. Shortly after his release, Sukarno became president of
17947-523: Was intended to be replaced by the Fairey Albacore, also a biplane, but it outlived its intended successor until succeeded by the Fairey Barracuda monoplane torpedo bomber. Operational sorties of the Swordfish continued into January 1945. The last active missions are believed to have been anti-shipping operations off the coast of Norway by FAA Squadrons 835 and 813, where the Swordfish's manoeuvrability
18084-467: Was placed by the Air Ministry; it was at this point that the T.S.R II received the name Swordfish . All three pre-production aircraft were powered by the Pegasus IIIM3 engine, but adopted a three-bladed Fairey-Reed propeller in place of the two-bladed counterpart used on the earlier prototype. On 31 December 1935, the first pre-production Swordfish, K5660 , made its maiden flight. On 19 February 1936,
18221-615: Was re-numbered as 830 Naval Air Squadron . On 30 June, operations re-commenced with an opening night raid upon oil tanks at Augusta, Sicily . On 3 July 1940, the Swordfish was one of the main weapons during the Attack on Mers-el-Kébir , an attack by the Royal Navy upon the French Navy fleet stationed at Oran , French Algeria to prevent the vessels falling into German hands. Twelve Swordfish from 810 and 820 Naval Air Squadrons launched from
18358-497: Was successfully achieved with the inclusion of northern Borneo through the Malaysia Agreement on 16 September 1963. To this day, the area in northern Borneo is still subjected to attacks by Moro pirates since the 18th century and militant from groups such as Abu Sayyaf since 2000 in the frequent cross border attacks . During the administration of Philippine president Ferdinand Marcos , Marcos made some attempts to destabilise
18495-514: Was the largest squadron operating the type, with 91 aircraft. In March and April 1941, during the East African campaign , Swordfish from HMS Eagle 's 813 and 824 Naval Air Squadrons , operating from shore bases, were used against Italian land and naval targets in Massawa, East Africa. On 2 April 1941 four Italian destroyers, attempting to escape from Massawa, were attacked at sea by the Swordfish;
18632-478: Was the result of southeast dipping subduction while the younger volcanics are likely resulted from northwest dipping subduction the Celebes Sea . Before sea levels rose at the end of the last ice age , Borneo was part of the mainland of Asia, forming, with Java and Sumatra , the upland regions of a peninsula that extended east from present day Indochina . The South China Sea and Gulf of Thailand now submerge
18769-567: Was to hunt at night for German midget submarines in the North Sea and off the Dutch coast. The radar was able to detect ships at a range of around 25 miles (40 km). One of the aircraft operated by 119 Squadron in this role survives and is part of the collection of the Imperial War Museum ( see Surviving aircraft ). By 1945, nine front-line squadrons were still equipped with Swordfish. Overall, Swordfish sank 14 U-boats. The Swordfish
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