Italian submarine Torelli, on the night of 3 June 1942, and the first confirmed kill was the , sunk on 5 July 1942 by a Vickers Wellington of 172 Squadron, piloted by American Wiley B. Howell. In the previous five months not one submarine had been sunk, and six aircraft had been lost. The Leigh Light turned the tables, and by August the U-boats preferred to take their chances in daytime when they had some warning and could fight back. At least one Fairey Swordfish I biplane torpedo bomber was trialled with a Leigh Light under the lower port wing, with a large battery pack slung under the fuselage where the torpedo would normally be carried. The armament was a rack of anti-submarine bombs carried under the other wing. With such a heavy load performance was poor with a top speed marginally above the stall speed. A Swordfish III was also fitted with a Leigh Light under the starboard wing, at some point, though it is unclear where the battery pack was stowed as the ASV radar scanner apparently filled the torpedo area. Wing Commander Peter Cundy was also given the Air Force Cross for his part in the development of the Leigh Light. Training The observation post and concrete indicator arrow at Putsborough were built for Leigh Light training. A buoy anchored in Morte Bay was used as a target. Two other sites at Woolacombe and midway along the bay provided triangulation to assess the accuracy of the bombing attempt. References External links Technical details of the Leigh Light Military aviation World War II military equipment of the United Kingdom Searchlights Military equipment introduced from 1940 to 1944