This is a genuine swatch ( approx 10 x 6 cm ) of painted canvas from Fleet Air Arm Fairey Swordfish LS326. It has been signed by Fleet Air Arm veteran Lt Arthur R Towlson. Arthur Towlson DSC had joined the Royal Navy’s Fleet Air Arm in December 1939 and was flying Fairey Barracuda dive bomber aircraft when he was involved in Operation Tungsten to destroy or damage the 823ft long Bismarck class battleship.
Lt Towlson remembered how the attack was carried out in daylight and he flew from HMS Victorious to Altenfjord, Norway, to join aircraft that targeted the centre of Tirpitz from stern to stern to ensure greater accuracy.
He said: “The Tirpitz was huge. I don’t think we had a ship as big as that. We were briefed to attack the centre line of Tirpitz from stern to stern.
‘The bombing practice runs had shown that we could be much more accurate attacking in line than sideways. In fact when it became my turn to bomb, the ship was partially covered by smoke.”
However, he said he was not nervous during the raid and said his aircraft did not encounter any German fighters defending Tirpitz, although they did have to contend with the anti-aircraft guns.
The raid put the ship out of action for months until it was eventually destroyed in a raid by Lancaster bombers in November 1944.