892 Naval Air Squadron
892 Naval Air Squadron | |
---|---|
Active | 1942-1943 1945-1968 1969-1978 |
Country | United Kingdom |
Branch | Royal Navy |
Type | Carrier based squadron |
Role | fighter squadron |
Part of | Fleet Air Arm |
Station | RNAS Yeovilton, RAF Leuchars |
Motto(s) | "Strike Unseen" |
892 Naval Air Squadron (892 NAS) was a carrier-based fighter squadron of the
History
892 Naval Air Squadron was first formed on 15 July 1942 at
892 Squadron reformed on 1 April 1945 at RNAS Eglinton (now City of Derry Airport) in Northern Ireland as a night fighter squadron, equipped with Grumman Hellcat II NFs, being the first Fleet Air Arm squadron to be equipped with the night fighter version of the Hellcat.[1][2] The squadron moved to Drem in Scotland for training in its night fighter duties in July 1945, and in December 1945 embarked on the carrier Ocean.[1][2] Ocean had been fitted out during construction as a dedicated nightfighter carrier, and was sent to the Mediterranean carrying 892 Squadron's Hellcats and 1792 Squadron's Fairey Fireflys, in order to evaluate night carrier operations and compare the single-seat Hellcat against the two-seat Firefly as a night fighter. The trials continued into April 1946, showing that intensive night operations from aircraft carriers were practicable, and that the Firefly was more suitable for the Fleet Air Arm's short-term requirements for a night fighter.[5] The squadron disbanded at Gosport on 19 April 1946.[1]
The squadron recommissioned at Yeovolton on 4 July 1955, as an all-weather fighter squadron equipped with the de Havilland Sea Venom.[1] In January 1956, it embarked aboard Albion for a deployment to the Mediterranean and Far East, the carrier returning to Britain in May 1956.[1] In July 1956, the squadron flew out to Malta to join the carrier Eagle, and from 31 October took part in Operation Musketeer, the Anglo-French attack on the Suez Canal, attacking ground targets and providing air cover for the invasion forces.[6] The squadron was disbanded again on 26 December 1956, being incorporated into 893 Naval Air Squadron.[1]
On 1 July 1959 892 Squadron was reformed at Yeovilton from 700Y Squadron with de Havilland Sea Vixen all-weather fighters, being the first operational fighter squadron to use the Sea Vixen.[1][2][7] Eight of the squadron's 12 Sea Vixens deployed aboard Ark Royal in March 1960, while the remaining flight of four Sea Vixens were used to test the Firestreak air-to-air missiles that were the Sea Vixen's primary armament. The two flights rejoined aboard Ark Royal in August 1960, before disembarking on 30 September.[7] In October 1960, the squadron deployed aboard Victorious, which sailed for the Far East in January, returning to Britain in December that year, while from May 1962 to October 1963, the squadron served aboard Hermes on another deployment to the Far East.[8] In December 1963, the squadron was embarked aboard Centaur for a highly active deployment to the Middle and Far East. In April, the squadron's Sea Vixens carried out air strikes against rebelling tribesmen in the Radfan Campaign, while later in the year the squadron flew air defence and surface search patrols around southern Malaysia as Centaur took part in the Indonesia–Malaysia confrontation.[9][10]
The squadron returned to Yeovilton in July 1965 and re-equipped with the improved FAW2 version of the Sea Vixen by the end of the year.
892 Naval Air Squadron was reformed on 31 March 1969, and was the Royal Navy’s only operational
In 1964 the
Against a backdrop of defence cuts 892 Squadron suspected that it would become the last fixed-wing squadron and poignantly adopted a large
Despite its (later to be proved unjustified) claim to being the last Royal Naval squadron to operate fixed wing fighters (
With HMS Ark Royal ready, Phantoms from 892 NAS were embarked and operations could begin, with additional aircraft from 767 using the carrier for practice. Shortly afterwards 767 NAS was disbanded with the personnel and equipment moving to the Phantom Training Flight (a Royal Navy unit), and based at RAF Leuchars, Fife, Scotland in 1972. 892 was also to move base from RNAS Yeovilton to RAF Leuchars in the same year.
Whilst disembarked from Ark Royal the squadron shared Fighter Ready Alert duties with both 23 Squadron (English Electric Lightning) and 43 Squadron of the RAF, who themselves had been equipped with the F4K Phantoms that became surplus when it was decided not to employ another Navy Phantom squadron in Eagle.
Throughout the 1970s the unit was involved in a variety of NATO and Royal Navy exercises. However, the complex maintenance of the Phantom was to consistently plague the aircraft, despite great efforts by crew and maintainers. These efforts were depicted in the BBC documentary Sailor.
With HMS Ark Royal due to pay off in December 1978 it was confirmed that there was to be no future for 892 Squadron. On 27 November 1978 XT870/012 became the last aircraft to be catapulted from a British aircraft carrier. 892 NAS was disbanded on 15 December 1978 and its Phantom FG.1s were transferred to No. 111 Squadron RAF at RAF Leuchars.
Aircraft flown
Aircraft flown by 892 Naval Air Squadron include:
- Grumman Martlet IV
- Grumman Hellcat II NF
- de Havilland Sea Venom FAW.21
- de Havilland Sea Vixen FAW.1
- McDonnell Douglas Phantom FG.1
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Sturtivant & Ballance 1994, p. 321.
- ^ a b c d e March 1970, p. 381.
- ^ Hobbs 2013, p. 140.
- ^ Hobbs 2013, p. 133.
- ^ Hobbs 2013, p. 189.
- ^ Brown 1972, p. 22.
- ^ a b Hazell 2000, p. 16.
- ^ a b Sturtivant & Ballance 1994, pp. 321–322.
- ^ Hazell 2000, pp. 16–17.
- ^ Hobbs 2013, p. 244.
- ^ Hazell 2000, p. 17.
- ^ Sturtivant & Ballance 1994, p. 322.
- Brown, David (1972). Carrier Air Groups: HMS Eagle. Windsor, UK: Hylton Lacy Publishers. ISBN 0-85064-103-9.
- Hazell, Steve (2000). Warpaint Series No. 11: De Havilland Sea Vixen. Crawley, UK: Hall End Books.
- Hobbs, David (2013). British Aircraft Carriers: Design, Development and Service Histories. Barnsley, UK: Seaforth Publishing. ISBN 978-1-84832-138-0.
- March, Peter R. (September 1970). "Timed to be last - 892 Naval Air Squadron". Aircraft Illustrated. Vol. 3, no. 9. pp. 377–381.
- Sturtivant, Ray; Ballance, Theo (1994). The Squadrons of the Fleet Air Arm. Tonbridge, Kent, UK: Air Britain (Historians) Ltd. ISBN 0-85130-223-8.
External links
- http://www.phantomf4k.org 892 Squadron on Phantom F4K, Fleet Air Arm, Royal Navy
- http://www.seavixen.org 892 Squadron on SeaVixen, Royal Navy, Carrier Jet