810 Naval Air Squadron

810 Naval Air Squadron
810 Naval Air Squadron
Active	1933-1945; 1947-49; 1949-1953; 1954-55; 1955-56; 1959-1960; 1983-2001
Country	United Kingdom
Branch	Royal Navy
Type	Carrier based squadron
Role	Offensive Support
Part of	Fleet Air Arm
Battle honours	Norway 1940; Mediterranean 1940-1; Spartivento 1940; Atlantic 1941; 'Bismarck' 1941; Diego Suarez 1942; Salerno 1943; Korea 1951-3

810 Naval Air Squadron was a

Second World War, the Suez Crisis and the Korean War

.

History

Pre war

810 Squadron was assigned to the

Admiralty

control on 24 May 1939.

Second World War

By the outbreak of war the squadron was aboard Ark Royal, flying 12 Swordfish on anti-submarine patrols. They carried out an unsuccessful attack on

Vaernes aerodrome. They sailed with Ark Royal to Gibraltar, and carried out attacks during the British Attack on Mers-el-Kébir in July. The squadron made an abortive attack on the French battleship Strasbourg, and later attacked the French battleship Dunkerque

.

The squadron was again in action in August and September, when they carried out bombing raids at Cagliari and Sardinia, and against the French fleet in the Battle of Dakar, when their aircraft made an unsuccessful attack on the French battleship Richelieu. They then saw action in November at the Battle of Cape Spartivento, and the following year in February carried out bombing attacks on Tirso Dam, Sardinia and bombing attacks on Livorno and La Spezia in Italy.

Ark Royal was ordered into the Atlantic in May 1941 to search for the

Diego Suarez

.

They were re-equipped with

Sabang in Operation Cockpit in April 1944, and followed this in June with raids on the Andaman Islands. Illustrious then put in for a refit at Cape Town. By February 1945 the squadron was back in the UK at RNAS Stretton, where they were re-equipped with the improved Barracuda IIIs. They moved to the airbase at Thorney Island in March, and then to the East Coast, where they trialled the new ASV Mk.XI radar with RAF Coastal Command

. The squadron then disbanded in August 1945.

Post war

The squadron was re-formed twice previously at RNAS Lossimouth and went on to see action in the Suez Crisis and earlier during the Korean War flying Hawker Sea Furys. During Operation Musketeer, the squadron operated Hawker Sea Hawks from HMS Bulwark. The squadron was then disbanded.

The squadron was reformed with

Ceylon

was scheduled based around carrier based AS operations.

The squadron remained with HMS Centaur throughout the remainder of that Commission, visiting the Persian Gulf - the first Aircraft Carrier to test conditions in the height of summer with cockpit and flight deck temperatures often approaching 160F, before sailing for the Far East including Japan and later Australia.

The ship returned to Home Waters in April 1960 and the Squadron was disbanded on board in the

RAF Duxford

.

It commissioned again on 3 March 1983 at RNAS Culdrose, flying ten Sea King HAS.5, with which they took on part of the role of 737 Naval Air Squadron. They had some responsibility for advanced flying training tasks, but some of these were transferred to 706 Naval Air Squadron in October 1985. The squadron was deployed at times on the Royal Fleet Auxiliary ships RFA Engadine and RFA Argus. The squadron was re-equipped with the Sea King HAS.6 in October 1989, with the last HAS.5s being retired in February 1990. 810 absorbed E Flt of 826 Naval Air Squadron in July 1993, when 826 Squadron was disbanded. 810 Squadron was decommissioned in July 2001, with its main role passing to 814 Naval Air Squadron, and its Search and Rescue element passing to 771 Naval Air Squadron.

Aircraft operated

The squadron operated a variety of different aircraft and versions:^[2]

References

Bibliography

Sturtivant, R; Ballance, T (1994). The Squadrons of The Fleet Air Arm.
ISBN 0-85130-223-8
.

External links

[FOOTNOTESturtivant,_Ballance1994163-1] Sturtivant, Ballance 1994, p. 163.

[FOOTNOTESturtivant,_Ballance1994161-2] Sturtivant, Ballance 1994, p. 161.

[1]

[2]