An air group's strength after several days or weeks depended on how readily damaged aircraft could return to service. After Illustrious suffered a prolonged hangar fire later in the war, some Swordfish at the far end were repaired despite smoke, firefighting agents and splinter damage. The Hurricane provides a comparison: holes in canvas-covered areas could be patched quickly if vital structure such as a spar remained intact. Similar damage to a Spitfire's stressed-skin wing could demand much more extensive work or replacement. Repairability helped preserve useful aircraft, but it did not remove the Swordfish's vulnerability to fighters. Taranto gave it the night torpedo mission in which its particular strengths could be used.
Notable Point · 1:09:41-1:13:53
Repairability keeps an air group flying beyond the first day
Swordfish repairs after a hangar fire and the Hurricane-Spitfire comparison show how construction affected an air group's ability to sustain operations.