11–12 November 1940 | 11–12 November 2025
Eighty-five years ago this week, in the dark skies over southern Italy, courage and innovation combined to change the course of naval history.
On the night of 11–12 November 1940, twenty-one Fairey Swordfish aircraft from the Royal Navy’s aircraft carrier HMS Illustrious launched a daring night-time attack on the Italian battle fleet anchored in Taranto Harbour.
Flying in near silence, low over the water, and illuminated only by flares and tracer fire, the crews of the Fleet Air Arm achieved what many had thought impossible. Their torpedoes crippled three of Italy’s six battleships, damaged several other vessels, and demonstrated — for the first time in history — that a naval air strike launched from an aircraft carrier could decisively defeat a fleet at anchor.
It was a turning point. The attack on Taranto marked the dawn of a new era in naval warfare, one in which aircraft — not battleships — would rule the seas. The lessons learned by the Royal Navy that night would later echo across the world, influencing operations such as the attack on Pearl Harbor just one year later.
But beyond the strategic triumph lies the human story — the courage, skill, and resolve of the Swordfish crews who faced extraordinary danger in the skies above Taranto. Flying open-cockpit biplanes already considered obsolete, they pressed home their attack through intense anti-aircraft fire, navigating by moonlight and instinct. Their bravery and determination stand among the greatest acts of naval aviation in history.
As the custodians of this proud heritage, Navy Wings exists to keep their legacy alive. Each time our own Swordfish takes to the skies, it does so in tribute to those men who flew before; a living reminder of their service and sacrifice.
Eighty-five years on, we honour their courage, their innovation, and their enduring contribution to freedom.
Their story still flies with us.
You can read more about the Battle of Taranto by following the link below.
