812 Naval Air Squadron
| 812 Naval Air Squadron | |
|---|---|
| Active | April 1933–December 1942 June 1944–August 1946 October 1946–October 1953 November 1955–December 1956 |
| Country |  United Kingdom |
| Branch |  Royal Navy |
| Size | 12 to 18 aircraft |
| Part of | Fleet Air Arm |
| Motto(s) | Dex aie (Norman:"God aid us" ) |
| Aircraft flown | Blackburn Ripon(1933–34) Blackburn Baffin(1934–36) Fairey Swordfish(1936–42) Fairey Barracuda(1944–45) Fairey Firefly(1946–53) Fairey Gannet(1955–56) |
| Battle honours | North Sea 1940 English Channel 1940 Mediterranean 1941 Malta Convoys 1941 |
812 Naval Air Squadronwas aNaval Air Squadronof the BritishRoyal Navy'sFleet Air Arm.It was active between 1933 and 1956, and saw service in bothWorld War IIand theKorean War.
Service history
[edit]First formation
[edit]The squadron was first formed on 3 April 1933 aboard the aircraft carrierHMSGlorious,then part of theMediterranean Fleet,[1][2]by amalgamating No 461 and 462 (Fleet Torpedo)Flights.[1]Originally equipped with theBlackburn Ripon,[1]these were replaced with theBlackburn Baffinin January 1934, with the squadron being the first to be fully equipped with this improved derivative of the Ripon.[3]In June 1934, whenGloriousreturned to Britain for a refit, the Squadron transferred over toHMSFuriousand in February 1935, moved over toHMSEagle,disembarking in March and remaining shore based atHal Farairfield inMaltauntilGloriousreturned to the Mediterranean in September that year.[4]On 24 November 1936, acyclonehit Hal Far, destroying three hangars and wrecking seven of the squadron's Baffins. As a result, the squadron was re-equipped with theFairey Swordfishin December 1936.[5][1]Apart from a short visit to the UK to take part in the1937 Coronation ReviewatSpithead,the squadron remained in the Mediterranean until the outbreak of the war in September 1939.[1]Gloriouswas then sent to patrol theIndian Ocean,but was recalled to home waters in early 1940, and 812 Squadron was transferred toRAF Coastal Command[2]to take part in mining and bombing operations in thelow countriesand in theDunkirk evacuation.[6]
In March 1941 the squadron left Coastal Command to take part inMalta convoyprotection duties aboardHMSArgus.In July, aboardHMSFurious,they participated in theattack on Petsamo.Further Malta convoy duties followed aboardFurious,transferring toHMSArk Royalin September. After theArk Royalwas torpedoed and sunk on 13 November, the squadron regrouped atGibraltar.While based atRNAS North Front,late on 30 November the U-boat was spotted by a Fairey Swordfish from No. 812 Squadron FAA and heavily damaged by two bombs dropped by the aircraft. Unable to reach her destination, U-96 made for the port of Saint Nazaire. The squadron received new aircraft equipped with ASV (Air to Surface Vessel)radar,enabling them to sink theU-boatU-451on the night of 21 December 1941,[7]and to damage five others. The squadron returned to the UK in April 1942 aboardUSSWasp(CV-7),and were reattached to Coastal Command in September to fly operations over theEnglish Channel.On 18 December 1942, it was amalgamated into811 Squadron.[2]
First reformation
[edit]
No. 812 Squadron was reformed on 1 June 1944 atRNAS Stretton (HMSBlackcap)and equipped with theFairey Barracuda.[2]After short spells atRNAS Ballyhalbert(HMSCorncrake), Northern Ireland, andRAF Heathfield(HMSWagtail), Scotland, the squadron embarked onHMSVengeancein February 1945, along with1850 Squadron,flying theVought F4U Corsair,[8]to form the13th Carrier Air Group.[9]Returning to the Mediterranean, 13 CAG were based at HMSFalconatHal Far,Malta, and flew exercises over Sicily. After the German surrender on 8 May 1945, the group were assigned to serve with theBritish Pacific Fleet.[8]
The group sailed for Australia aboardVengeance,and were based atHMSNabswick(MONABV) atJervis Bayfrom 22 July 1945, where they trained for the plannedinvasion of Japan.After theJapanese surrenderon 8 August, they were temporarily based at Ponam in theAdmiralty Islands,before being sent toHong Kong,arriving at HMSNabcatcher(MONAB VIII) atKai-Tak,in October 1945, and remaining there until the end of the year.[8]
No. 812 Squadron was re-equipped with theFairey Firefly,and returned to Australia in January 1946, where they were basedHMSNabthorpe(MONAB VI) atSchofields, New South Wales,whileVengeancewas in dry dock for repairs. In March 1946Vengeanceand her squadrons returned to the UK, viaCeylon,and arrived atRNAS Lee-on-Solent (HMSDaedalus)on 12 August 1946, where 812 Squadron was disbanded.[8]
Second reformation
[edit]
The squadron was reformed again on 1 October 1946 atRNAS Eglinton (HMSGannet)inDerry,Northern Ireland,[2]and joined804 Squadron,flying theSupermarine Seafire,[10]to form the14th Carrier Air Group.In February 1947, 14 CAG sailed aboardHMSTheseuson a lengthy Far Eastern cruise, eventually returning in December.[2]
In August 1948 the group sailed for the Mediterranean aboardHMSOcean,where Hal Far was used as a shore base. The group was transferred toHMSGloryin November 1949, and participated in several cruises and exercises, with landings being made onUSSMidway(CV-41)in October.[2]
In March 1951Glorysailed for Korea, where 812 Squadron flew 852sortiesover the next six months, during which three aircraft were lost and several others damaged byAA fire.After two months based in Australia,Gloryreturned to Korean operations, where the squadron flew another 689 sorties, with 104 of them flown in one day. In May 1952 the squadron transferred its aircraft toOcean,and the crews sailed home inTheseus.[2]
In June 1952, the squadron was re-equipped with the Firefly AS.6 atRNAS Anthorn (HMSNuthatch),and in September sailed aboardHMSEaglefor exercises and a visit toOslo.In January 1953 the squadron joinedTheseusfor a cruise, returning toEaglein June for exercises off northern Scotland. It was disbanded at Eglinton on 20 October 1953.[2]
Third reformation
[edit]The squadron was reformed for a third time at Eglinton on 7 November 1955 as ananti-submarine squadron,flying theFairey Gannet.In April 1956 it sailed to the Mediterranean inEagle,taking part in visits and exercises before flying home from Malta, and was disbanded on arrival at Lee-on-Solent on 13 December 1956.[2]
References
[edit]- ^abcdeSturtivant & Ballance 1994,p. 167
- ^abcdefghijGrice, Bill (2008)."812 Squadron".HMS Theseus.Retrieved24 October2011.[unreliable source?]
- ^Willis 2021,p. 123
- ^Sturtivant & Ballance 1994,pp. 167–168
- ^Willis 2021,p. 130
- ^"List of all Fleet Air Arm Commanding Officers 1939-1945".Fleet Air Arm Archive 1939-1945.2005. Archived fromthe originalon 19 June 2010.Retrieved24 October2011.
- ^Laws, Allan, "Fairey Swordfish: The Fleet Air Arm's enigmatic warrior",International Air Power Review,Volume 27, AIRTime Publishing Inc., Westport, Connecticut, 2010, ISSN 1473-9917, page 133.
- ^abcdDavis, Ron (2010)."No.812 Royal Navy Squadron".HMS Vengeance.Retrieved24 October2011.
- ^"Fleet Air Arm Carrier Air Groups 1945".Squadron Database of the Fleet Air Arm Archive 1939-1945.2005. Archived fromthe originalon 14 October 2011.Retrieved24 October2011.
- ^Grice, Bill (2007)."14th Carrier Air Group".HMS Theseus.Retrieved24 October2011.
- Sturtivant, Ray; Ballance, Theo (1994).The Squadrons of the Fleet Air Arm.Tonbridge, Kent, UK: Air Britain (Historians) Ltd.ISBN0-85130-223-8.
- Willis, Matthew (September 2021). "Database: Blackburn Ripon & Baffin".Aeroplane.Vol. 49, no. 9. pp. 119–133.ISSN0143-7240.