W5856 in 1993 (Photo Andrew Thomas (CC BY-SA 2.0))
The oldest surviving Fairey Swordfish Mk I, W5856, has returned to the skies after twelve years of absence. The aircraft was mostly restored by the team of engineers on the Royal Navy Historic Flight based at RNAS Yeovilton.
The aircraft, which made its maiden flight in 1941, has been repainted in the colour scheme of 820 Naval Air Squadron on HMS Ark Royal during the attack on the Bismarck in the Northern Atlantic in the same year.
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