818 Naval Air Squadron

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818 Naval Air Squadron
Active1939–1942
1942–1944
1945
Country United Kingdom
Branch Royal Navy
TypeCarrier based squadron
RoleOffensive Support
Part ofFleet Air Arm
Battle honoursNorway 1940
Narvik 1940
English Channel 1940
Spartivento 1940
Mediterranean 1940-1
Bismarck 1941[1]

818 Naval Air Squadron was a

Second World War
, serving in most of the theatres of the war, before decommissioning at the end of the war.

History

Norway and the Mediterranean

818 Squadron was formed as a torpedo reconnaissance squadron at Evanton in August 1939. This was some two months earlier than had originally been planned, owing to the increased threat of war. The squadron was initially equipped with nine Fairey Swordfish Is, and then embarked on the aircraft carrier HMS Ark Royal at the navy's base at Scapa Flow.[2] Ark Royal was then deployed to search for enemy shipping off Norway. 818 Squadron then transferred to HMS Furious in April 1940, after the German invasion of Norway. On 11 April aircraft from the squadron attacked two German destroyers in Trondheim Fjord.[2]

The squadron then moved ashore, spending the period between May and June 1940 flying out of

Malta Convoys, and in February 1941 carried out attacks on targets at Livorno, Genoa, Pisa and La Spezia.[2]

Hunting the battleship Bismarck

The

Sub-Lt. John Moffat, struck Bismarck's aft with a torpedo, jamming her rudder in a turn to starboard.[3] Unable to manoeuvre, the Bismarck swung around in a wide circle, allowing the ships of Force H to catch up and sink the German ship.[4]

The Mediterranean and Far East

The squadron later had their Swordfish replaced by nine

Ceylon to counter Japanese attacks, but by June a reduction in the threat of such attacks led to the squadron being disbanded.[2] It was reformed at RNAS Lee-on-Solent in October 1942 and was equipped with Swordfish IIs. They sailed aboard HMS Unicorn in March 1943 to provide cover for convoys to Gibraltar. Six aircraft from the squadron were used that August for operations during the Allied invasion of Sicily.[2]

The squadron then returned to the Far East aboard Unicorn in November 1943, where they were assigned to the

Colossus-class aircraft carriers, but the end of the war with Japan in August 1945 meant that the squadron was again disbanded, on Victory over Japan Day, 15 August.[2]

Notes

  1. ^ FAA battle honours
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j "818 Squadron at the Fleet Air Arm Archive". Archived from the original on 10 October 2008. Retrieved 6 July 2008.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  3. ^ "the sinking of the Bismarck". Archived from the original on 1 December 2007. Retrieved 6 July 2008.
  4. ^ Jameson. Ark Royal, pp. 303–5.

References

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