The success at Taranto was a remarkable achievement by anyone's standards. Carried out by exceptionally brave men, it requires something special to commemorate their success.

This attractive gold mug bears the dramatic Taranto 80 motif showing a Swordfish, flying through flak, just after a torpedo hit on an Italian man of war. It also has 'Limited Edition 100' printed on it and a special presentation box.

The ceramic coaster is also a Limited Edition of just 100 and bears the same dramatic motif.

Make your choice of mug, coaster or both

Mug 330ml

Coaster 100mm x 100mm

Hand wash only.

Comics normally feature the unbelievable or the fantasy superhero. 'The Stringbags' features both of those - the unbelievable achievements of the World War Two Swordfish and the heroism of their crews.

Produced in graphic form, this excellent book is superbly illustrated. Both writer and artist have paid a great deal of attention to detail as they portray events in which the Fairey Swordfish played a pivotal role - The Battle of Taranto, the sinking of the Bismarck and the Channel Dash etc. 

Written and illustrated by a multi award winning team who have worked with DC and Marvel!

Young or old, the graphic presentation enhances the pithy narrative rather than detracting from it.

Comic in format, but not in content. Very much like the FAA itself, this book has real heart and deals well with being simultaneously academic, informative, entertaining, respectful, reverential and emotive.

A4 Hardback

Images are from The Stringbags by Garth Ennis and PJ Holden (Dead Reckoning, 2020) and are used with publisher permission.

What an extraordinary aircraft the Fairey Swordfish turned out to be. Born at the end of the biplane era, this was an aircraft apparently totally unsuited to fight the war in which it became embroiled. Despite being deemed obsolete at the onset of hostilities, it not only outlived aircraft designed to replace it, but it gave sterling service, virtually unchanged, in all theatres throughout the war.

This reliable and manoeuvrable aircraft, much loved by its crews, had it's major honours at Taranto and in the sinking of the Bismarck, but it also played a huge part in the Battle of the Atlantic and with the Arctic convoys as well as campaigns across the globe.

This is the story of the marathon 26 month restoration of the world's oldest flying Fairey Swordfish, W5856, filmed at their Brough factory by British Aerospace in the 90's. 

W5856 is currently hangared with the Navy Wings Heritage Flight at RNAS Yeovilton and is still a regular and popular display aircraft at air shows around the UK.

Format: All regions

Duration: c:60 mins 

Fun in the sun. In the interests of boat safety this is clearly a reference to turning left rather than anything to do with any alleged traditional association between sailing and alcoholic refreshment!

Comfortable and easy to wear whether manning the oars, manning the barbeque or just messing about on the river. 

High quality (200gsm) T shirts with a fun logo that will appeal to anyone with a love of boats whatever the shape or size (of boat that is!). Great gift idea.

You may also like other items in this range -https://navywingsflightstore.org/collections/old-sailors-never-die-they-simply-turn-to-port

The game of Spoof (sometimes known in this version as 'Three coin') is played throughout the Royal Navy and wherever people gather. It is a simple family strategy game, but is often associated with pubs and bars, where the loser buys drinks for the other players.

Our coins feature Supermarine Seafire, Fairey Swordfish and Westland Wasp, each with the Great British Take Off logo on the reverse and in gold, silver and bronze colours.

The success in crippling the Bismarck and thus allowing it to be destroyed by the British Fleet was a pivotal moment in the War in the Atlantic. Carried out by exceptionally brave men, it requires something special to commemorate their success.

The ceramic coaster is a Limited Edition of just 100.

Coaster 100mm x 100mm

This eye-catching enamel badge features our popular Navy Wings 'Great British Take Off' motif, which encapsulates the charities work to keep our naval aviation history alive.

These decorative Swordfish cufflinks & lapel pin are a smart addition to any suit.

Made with a stunning azure enamel and highly detailed silver design they really do stand out from the crowd.   

If you, or your friends, have any interest in sailing or boating, then this luxury T towel is perfect for your kitchen or galley or as a gift. 

These are extremely high quality. This is a serious T towel!

• 100% cotton
• Weighty 8 oz half panama weave
• Large at c. 47cm x 74cm
• Fully hemmed on all sides
• Hanging loop

You can be confident that it will still be raising a smile for many years to come.

You may also like other items in this range -https://navywingsflightstore.org/collections/old-sailors-never-die-they-simply-turn-to-port

This quality polo commemorates the brave crews who took part in the gallant attack on the Bismarck and crippled her, giving the the Royal Navy the opportunity to despatch the dangerous German raider.

To mark the 80th anniversary of this historic achievement, we have commissioned a very special shirt. Above the Navy Wings logo on the right sleeve is the 'Limited Edition 80' motif. The dramatic chest motif has Bismarck 80 in the scroll and the left sleeve has the proud profile of a Fairey Swordfish above the legend 'Sink the Bismarck'.

Only 80 of these very special commemorative shirts will be made. 

N.B. As there is a limited number and we do not know which sizes will be required, there may be a delay with this item.

This smart black flying suit is perfect for all young flying enthusiasts and would make a great gift.

Now a lucky child can look just like a real Fleet Air Arm pilot.

The good quality suit comes with 4 velcro areas where patches can be applied.

Supplied with 3 patch badges worth over £15

1. Royal Navy
2. Fleet Air Arm Wings
3. Navy Wings Heritage Flight

Baseball cap (not supplied with flying suit) and badges also available separately.

Our thanks to George for modelling it. A Fleet Air Arm pilot in the making perhaps?

These lovely brass navigation lamps are constructed in the traditional manner from polished brass and using magnifying Fresnel lenses. These replica navigation lamps create a delicate ambient light ideal for living room or study.

They are 8” tall with wall mounting brackets.
Not suitable for outdoor use.
Dimension: 21cm

Bulb not included
Bulb required: 25 watt E14 bulbs

Specifically created to mark the 80th anniversary of the Battle of Taranto.

 It's 80 years since the 'Men of Taranto' made history. Their courageous, successful and innovatory attack on the Italian Fleet in Taranto harbour changed the balance of power in the Mediterranean in favour of the allies. This aided the war in North Africa and, in providing the Japanese with the blue print for their attack on Pearl Harbour, ultimately had an effect on the global course of the war. It also marked the beginning of the decline in significance of the capital ship and the ascendancy of the aircraft carrier.

To the Men of Taranto!

300ml

We recommend hand wash only for extra longevity

These elegant watches feature the proud Fleet Air Arm zigzag front and centre and are ideal either for every day or a special occasion.

For those who have served, or are serving. Remembrance isn't just about November the 11th, so there is a small poppy marking 11 o'clock.

Not only do they look good, but they are accurate, reliable and have a high specification. 

• Handmade in London
• Exclusive hand drawn dial
• Water-resistant 3atm (30m)
• Mineral crystal glass
• Japanese quartz movement
• 2-year warranty
• Unique to Navy Wings

Elegant, emotive, fraternal and sensibly priced.

38mm case, stainless steel mesh strap with sliding clasp, sword hands.

Supplied in presentation box.

Ideal for any golfer and a great gift.

Boldly marked with our Fly Navy logo the set includes a pitch repairer and two ball markers. 

Support a great cause and play your part in reducing single-use plastic with our new reusable shopping bags.

Choose from the following two designs:

Natural Cotton with Great British Take Off motif

Bag size: 38cm x 42cm

Polyester Scrunch bag with Navy Wings logo

Bag size: 39cm x 43cm

This design has the added feature of a toggle-fastened corner pouch, perfect for keeping it compact and tidy.

Personal hygiene has never been more important, so this handy (excuse the pun) to use and convenient sized spray is ideal for pocket, handbag, car or just around the house.

Buccaneer Boys 2: More True Tales by Those Who Flew the 'Last All-British Bomber' - Hardback

Following the critically acclaimed publication eight years ago of Buccaneer Boys, long-serving Buccaneer navigator Air Commodore Graham Pitchfork has now followed up the great success of the book with more true tales from those who flew the last all-British bomber. Thirty 'Buccaneer Boys', drawn from the Fleet Air Arm, the Royal Air Force and the South African Air Force, outline their experiences in the maritime role, operations overland, including the first Gulf War, and operations by the South Africans in the Border Wars. In addition to the aircrew, air engineer officers and ground crew have also contributed. The reader is left in no doubt that the 'Buccaneer Boys' knew how to work hard and play hard. The skill, professionalism and excitement of operating and servicing this iconic British aircraft shines throughout every page. This book is lavishly illustrated with 100 black and white photographs and two-colour plate sections of 40 photographs, many never previously published.

Publisher: Grub Street Publishing 
ISBN: 9781911667186
Number of pages: 224
Dimensions: 156 x 234mm
Published: 30 July 2021

Author's biography:

Air Commodore Graham Pitchfork spent 36 years in the RAF, as a navigator. He was director of Air Warfare and, before retiring in 1995, was a director of Military Intelligence at the MoD. Now living in Gloucestershire, Graham is the author of several aviation books, including Buccaneer Boys and Beaufighter Boys (Grub Street). In 2012 Graham received both the Guild of Air Pilots and Air Navigators Award for Aviation Journalism and the Air Power Association Award of the CP Robertson Memorial Trophy for his services to aviation writing. He has written over 600 Air Force obituaries for the Daily Telegraph in the last 16 years.

The RAF's continuing role in the projection of air power in the defence of the United Kingdom and its overseas interests since the end of the Second World War is well known. However, the same cannot always be said about the Royal Navy's Fleet Air Arm (FAA), in part due to the ten-year gap between the retirement of the Harrier and the arrival of the F-35B and the Queen Elizabeth-class aircraft carriers. Flying high performance aircraft off a carrier demands not only a high level of skill, but also a considerable amount of courage and determination, not least to land back on a very small piece of real estate bobbing about in a rough sea, often at night, with no possibility of diversion. The nature of these operations has meant that the accident rate and aircrew losses were very high - and accepted as part of the job. With the arrival of the Queen Elizabeth and the Prince of Wales, it is time to redress the balance and bring the FAA's extraordinary story to the audience it so richly deserves through the words of those air and ground crews who have been part of it since 1945. What emerges is an amazing close-knit esprit de corps, often accompanied by a long-standing and still simmering rivalry between the RAF and the Royal Navy over who should project air power overseas. Enormous respect is shown by the aviators and ships' senior officers for the aircraft handlers and maintainers, who work long hours in a highly dangerous environment on the flight deck. This first volume looks chronologically at every aircraft type flown in an air defence role since 1945. Involvement in conflicts including Korea, Suez, the Falklands, Bosnia and elsewhere is included, and perforce the cost in human lives, even in everyday operations, frequently emerges. Balancing this are the everyday grind, the good times, the humour, the 'runs ashore' and the sense of pride in a job well done. All delivered in the words of the men themselves.

We also have a number of copies of Volume 1 signed by FAA Aircrew and Engineers.

Lt Cdr Paul Chaplin - Pilot - Sea Vixen and Phantom
Lt Adrian Tuite - Observer - Gannet, Sea Vixen and Phantom
Lt Kim Sharman - Pilot - Sea Vixen
Cdr Tim Gedge AFC- Pilot - Sea Vixen, Phantom, Sea Harrier
Cdre Duncan Reid MBE FRaeS BA RN - Air Engineering Officer, Task Force Chief                                                                                                                  Aircraft Engineer

About the author

Steve Bond has spent nearly 50 years in aviation. He served in the RAF as an aircraft propulsion technician and was part of the Eurofighter Typhoon project team. He later joined City University London where he developed and ran the world’s first MSc Air Safety Management (ASM) programme, lecturing on the subject all over the world. He has a PhD in ASM, is a chartered engineer, and a fellow of the Royal Aeronautical Society. Now a full-time author he was recently elected Freeman of the Honourable Company of Air Pilots in recognition of his contribution to aviation.

Paperback
ISBN: 9781911667315
Publisher: Grub Street Publishing

N.B. Only sales here contribute to keeping heritage aircraft flying

Featuring the proud zigzag pattern of the Fleet Air Arm these tough ladies shirts have the Sea Vixen on the front and Swordfish and Sea Fury on the reverse.

They are made to our own design by Badger, a company who make shirts for top league and national teams - if they can stand that sort of wear, they will last for years.

                                  THIS IS A DISCONTINUED LINE - JUST ONE LEFT

Smart, durable and very good at keeping things hot or cold....

Navy Wings 650ml Copper Vacuum Insulated Bottle -

now you can enjoy your favourite hot or cold drink in this smart double-walled, stainless steel bottle.

Navy Wings 350ml Copper Vacuum Insulated Tumbler - the double-walled vacuum construction with copper insulation means it keeps drinks hot for up to 8 hours and cold for 24 hours and also prevents condensation on the outside of the tumbler.

Each tumbler has a wide opening for comfortable filling and pouring with a push-on lid with slide closure.

Top quality, these are solidly built and will last for years.

Essentially a development of the Avro Lancaster via the later Lincoln, the Avro Shackleton was the RAF’s first line of defence in the maritime role from 1951 for twenty years, thereafter continuing to serve as an airborne early warning aircraft for another twenty, until 1991. The ‘Old Grey Lady’, the ‘Growler’, ‘20,000 rivets in loose formation’, but mostly known simply as the ‘Shack’, it is viewed with great affection by those who flew and maintained it. In addition to its traditional sub-hunting role, it was also used extensively for search and rescue operations, and even as a conventional bomber in the Aden theatre. Operating around the world with squadrons based in the UK, the Mediterranean, Middle East and Far East, ‘Shacks’ were also used to support the blockade of oil supplies to Rhodesia during the UDI crisis in the ’60s and ’70s, and searching for gun-running boats during the Indonesian Confrontation.

All of the Boys’ stories are from air and ground crew veterans.

Volume One:

Covers UK-based units flying from Ballykelly (including Aldergrove), Farnborough, Honington, Kinloss, Lossiemouth, St Eval and St Mawgan, plus many overseas detachments including Christmas Island and Majunga. To complement the detailed personal accounts and anecdotes are hundreds of original photographs and extensive appendices. A feast for any ‘Shack’ or military aviation aficionado.

Format: Hardback

Extent: 256 pages
Dimensions: 234 x 156 mm
ISBN: 9781911621126. 
Publication Date: 28 September 2018

Volume 2: 

Steve Bond has garnered another exceptional group of Shack operators who delight in giving the reader their tales of derring-do. Another one for the Boys’ kitbag!

Volume Two covers those units based overseas at Changi, Gan, Gibraltar, Khormaksar, Luqa (and Hal Far), and Sharjah, plus the South African Air Force operations from Ysterplaat/Malan.

The Battle of the Atlantic (1939-1945) was the longest and most complex battle of WWII. Often referred to as the Battle FOR Britain (as opposed to the Battle of Britain), it was the battle that Britain simply had to win or be strangled out of the conflict. Fairey Swordfish and MAC (Merchant Aircraft Carrier - converted merchantmen) ships played a vital role in winning the war against the U boat. 

In c.270 convoys accompanied by this redoubtable duo, there was only one successful attack on a convoy.

2023 marks the 80th anniversary of that point in the battle where Grand Admiral Karl Doenitz and the German high command recognised that their war had shifted from successful convoy predation to a point where their own losses were had become unsustainable.

Quality polo with quality commemorative embroidery showing Swordfish, carrier and U boat.

Now your four-legged friends can support the Commando Helicopter Force with a stylish Zig Zag collar and/or lead.

Standard collar length extends between 32-52cm / 12-20in /width: 2cm
Large collar extends to 22in, width 2.5cm/1in
Dog lead length: 147cm / 58in, width: 2.5cm