British service The first Barracudas entered operational service on 10 January 1943 with
827 Naval Air Squadron (827 NAS) of the
Fleet Air Arm (FAA) under the command of Lieutenant Commander Roy Baker-Falkner, the former Admiralty test pilot at RAF Boscombe Down, who were deployed in the
North Atlantic. From 1944, the Barracuda Mk II was accompanied in service by radar-equipped but otherwise similar, Barracuda Mk IIIs; these were typically used to conduct
anti-submarine operations. During July 1943, the Barracuda first saw action with
810 Squadron aboard off the coast of
Norway; shortly thereafter, the squadron was deployed to the
Mediterranean Sea to support the
landings at Salerno, a critical element of the
Allied invasion of Italy. During the following year, the Barracuda entered service in the
Pacific Theatre. As the only British naval aircraft in service stressed for dive bombing following the retirement of the
Blackburn Skua the Barracuda participated in
Operation Tungsten, an attack on the while it was moored in
Kåfjord, Alta, Norway. This attack damaged
Tirpitz, killing 122 of her crew and injuring 316, as well as disabling the ship for over two months during the critical period leading up to the Normandy invasion. The slow speed of the Barracudas contributed to the failure of the subsequent
Operation Mascot and
Operation Goodwood attacks on
Tirpitz during July and August of that year, but were effective as diversions while the Normandy landings in
Operation Overlord were underway. On 21 April 1944 Barracudas of 827 Squadron aboard
Illustrious began operations against Japanese forces. The type participated in air raids on
Sabang in
Sumatra, known as
Operation Cockpit. In the Pacific theatre, the Barracuda's performance was considerably reduced by the prevailing high temperatures; reportedly, its combat radius in the Pacific was reduced by as much as 30 per cent. This diminished performance was a factor in the decision to re-equip the torpedo bomber squadrons aboard the fleet carriers of the
British Pacific Fleet with
American-built
Grumman Avengers. In the Pacific, a major problem hindering the Barracuda was the need to fly over
Indonesian mountain ranges to strike at targets on the eastern side of
Java, which necessitated a high-altitude performance that the Barracuda's low-altitude-rated Merlin 32 engine with its single-stage
supercharger could not provide. The Light Fleet Carriers of the 11th ACS (which joined the BPF in June 1945) were all equipped with a Barracuda and a Corsair squadron. By
Victory over Japan Day, the BPF had a total of five Avenger and four Barracuda squadrons embarked on its carriers. A number of Barracudas participated in trial flights, during which several innovations were tested, including
RATOG rockets for boosting takeoff performance (which ended up being regularly used when operating off escort carriers at high weights) and a braking
propeller, which slowed the aircraft by reversing the
blade pitch. Following the end of the conflict, the Barracuda was relegated to secondary roles, for the most part being used as a
trainer aircraft. The type continued to be operated by FAA squadrons up until the mid-1950s, by which time the type were withdrawn entirely in favour of the Avengers.
Canadian service On 24 January 1946, the
Royal Canadian Navy (RCN) took delivery of 12 radar-equipped Barracuda Mk II aircraft; this was a Canadian designation, in British service these aircraft were referred to as the Barracuda Mk. III. The first acquired aircraft were assigned to the newly-formed
825 Sqn. aboard aircraft carrier
HMCS Warrior. The majority of Canadian aircraft mechanics had served during the war and had been deployed on numerous British aircraft carriers, notably and which, along with some Canadian pilots, the RCN crewed and operated on behalf of the RN. During 1948, the
Warrior was paid off and returned to Britain along with the Barracuda aircraft. ==Variants==