A first flight was not recorded until December 7, 1940 by which time Britain was fully engulfed in another World War in Europe. As expected, the aircraft underperformed because of its weight and engine installation with testing eventually including two prototypes (P1767 and P1770 - Fairey company model Type 100). This led to the initial 30 production models - the Barracuda Mk I - being mainly seen as evaluation and trainers in service. By the time of the Barracuda Mk II production model, the engine was replaced with the Rolls-Royce Merlin 32 of 1,640 horsepower output now driving a four-bladed propeller unit. The Mk II ended as the quantitatively definitive production form with 1,688 being built. The Barracuda Mk III arrived later and was outfitted with ASV III radar in a rear fuselage blister for the Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW) role to which 852 of this mark were completed. The Mk IV became an ultimately abandoned Barracuda model featuring the Rolls-Royce Griffon 1,850 horsepower engine. Its prototype first flew in November of 1944 but this design was given up in favor of the Fairey "Spearfish" instead. The Barracuda Mk V was the last in the line, being finalized with a Rolls-Royce Griffon 37 engine of 2,020 horsepower and ASH radar (the latter installed under the portside wing). Only 37 of this model were built.
Even after ordered for serial production, British factories were slow to deliver Barracudas to frontline FAA units as many resources were tied to meeting Royal Air Force (RAF) demands. The first Mk I models became available for service in January of 1943 (through No. 827 Squadron) and operated over the North Atlantic with first actions near Norway from the deck of the HMS Illustrious (July 1943). The Barracuda was further pressed in combat during the landings at Salerno (Operation Avalanche) during the Allied advance on Italy. During 1944, the Barracuda line was finally committed to combat actions in the Pacific Theater and served there until end of the war in September 1945 as one of the more high profile British aircraft in the region. The Barracuda's major claim to fame during its time aloft came in the April 1943 engagement of the German battleship Tirpitz in which British bombers were able to score direct hits against the vessel. While not directly sinking the warship, the damage was enough to remove the mighty vessel from active service for some two full months.
Large and relatively slow, the Fairey Barracuda certainly made a name for itself in the global conflict. The line suffered losses as did any other aircraft line and accidental crashes were somewhat common though the cause of the latter was blamed on leaking ether from hydraulic sources, thus rendering pilots unconscious in flight. Nevertheless, the aircraft became a proven battlefield performer and critical contributor to the British cause of World War 2, helping to secure the ultimate victory over the Axis powers in full.
Contributors to Barracuda production involved Fairey, Blackburn, Boulton Paul, and Westland. The Royal Canadian Navy and the Dutch-in-exile both exhibited the type in wartime service. The French operated the Barracuda only in the post -war years (through the Air Force branch). The RAF also stocked the type through squadrons Nos. 567, 618, 667, 679, and 691.
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