Eric Brown explains why the Albacore failed to replace Swordfish

Eric Brown's Wings of the Navy is valuable because the same experienced pilot evaluates many naval aircraft with a consistent voice. Brown credits the Fairey Albacore with reliability, sturdiness, and improved crew comfort. He nevertheless condemns the decision to perpetuate a biplane configuration when shipboard monoplane torpedo bombers were already entering service in the United States. The larger Albacore was less manoeuvrable and less responsive than Swordfish, making it an easier target without delivering a decisive new capability. The intended successor therefore left service before the supposedly obsolete aircraft it had been designed to replace.