812 Naval Air Squadron
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812 Naval Air Squadron was a
Naval Air Squadron A naval air squadron (NAS) is the title of naval aviation squadrons in some countries. Poland The Polish ''Morski Dywizjon Lotniczy'' #Naval Air Squadron# was formed in 1920 with two ''Escadrille''s# United Kingdom The squadrons of the Fleet Ai ...
of the British
Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against Fr ...
's
Fleet Air Arm The Fleet Air Arm (FAA) is one of the five fighting arms of the Royal Navy and is responsible for the delivery of naval air power both from land and at sea. The Fleet Air Arm operates the F-35 Lightning II for maritime strike, the AW159 Wi ...
. It was active between 1933 and 1956, and saw service in both
World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...
and the
Korean War {{Infobox military conflict , conflict = Korean War , partof = the Cold War and the Korean conflict , image = Korean War Montage 2.png , image_size = 300px , caption = Clockwise from top:{ ...
.


Service history


First formation

The squadron was first formed on 3 April 1933 aboard the aircraft carrier , then part of the
Mediterranean Fleet The British Mediterranean Fleet, also known as the Mediterranean Station, was a formation of the Royal Navy. The Fleet was one of the most prestigious commands in the navy for the majority of its history, defending the vital sea link between t ...
, by amalgamating No 461 and 462 (Fleet Torpedo)
Flights Flight is the process by which an object moves without direct support from a surface. Flight may also refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Films * ''Flight'' (1929 film), an American adventure film * ''Flight'' (2009 film), a South Korean d ...
. Originally equipped with the
Blackburn Ripon The Blackburn T.5 Ripon was a carrier-based torpedo bomber and reconnaissance biplane designed and produced by the British aircraft manufacturer Blackburn Aircraft. It was the basis for both the license-produced Mitsubishi B2M and the improved ...
, these were replaced with the
Blackburn Baffin The Blackburn B-5 Baffin biplane torpedo bomber designed and produced by the British aircraft manufacturer Blackburn Aircraft. It was a development of the Blackburn Ripon, Ripon, the chief change being that a 545 hp (406 kW) Bristol Pe ...
in January 1934, with the squadron being the first to be fully equipped with this improved derivative of the Ripon. In June 1934, when ''Glorious'' returned to Britain for a refit, the Squadron transferred over to and in February 1935, moved over to , disembarking in March and remaining shore based at
Hal Far HAL may refer to: Aviation * Halali Airport (IATA airport code: HAL) Halali, Oshikoto, Namibia * Hawaiian Airlines (ICAO airline code: HAL) * HAL Airport, Bangalore, India * Hindustan Aeronautics Limited an Indian aerospace manufacturer of fig ...
airfield in
Malta Malta ( , , ), officially the Republic of Malta ( mt, Repubblika ta' Malta ), is an island country in the Mediterranean Sea. It consists of an archipelago, between Italy and Libya, and is often considered a part of Southern Europe. It lies ...
until ''Glorious'' returned to the Mediterranean in September that year. On 24 November 1936, a
cyclone In meteorology, a cyclone () is a large air mass that rotates around a strong center of low atmospheric pressure, counterclockwise in the Northern Hemisphere and clockwise in the Southern Hemisphere as viewed from above (opposite to an an ...
hit Hal Far, destroying three hangars and wrecking seven of the squadron's Baffins. As a result, the squadron was re-equipped with the
Fairey Swordfish The Fairey Swordfish is a biplane torpedo bomber, designed by the Fairey Aviation Company. Originating in the early 1930s, the Swordfish, nicknamed "Stringbag", was principally operated by the Fleet Air Arm of the Royal Navy. It was also us ...
in December 1936. Apart from a short visit to the UK to take part in the 1937 Coronation Review at Spithead, the squadron remained in the Mediterranean until the outbreak of the war in September 1939. ''Glorious'' was then sent to patrol the
Indian Ocean The Indian Ocean is the third-largest of the world's five oceanic divisions, covering or ~19.8% of the water on Earth's surface. It is bounded by Asia to the north, Africa to the west and Australia to the east. To the south it is bounded by ...
, but was recalled to home waters in early 1940, and 812 Squadron was transferred to
RAF Coastal Command RAF Coastal Command was a formation within the Royal Air Force (RAF). It was founded in 1936, when the RAF was restructured into Fighter, Bomber and Coastal Commands and played an important role during the Second World War. Maritime Aviation ...
to take part in mining and bombing operations in the
low countries The term Low Countries, also known as the Low Lands ( nl, de Lage Landen, french: les Pays-Bas, lb, déi Niddereg Lännereien) and historically called the Netherlands ( nl, de Nederlanden), Flanders, or Belgica, is a coastal lowland region in N ...
and in the
Dunkirk evacuation The Dunkirk evacuation, codenamed Operation Dynamo and also known as the Miracle of Dunkirk, or just Dunkirk, was the evacuation of more than 338,000 Allies of World War II, Allied soldiers during the World War II, Second World War from the bea ...
. In March 1941 the squadron left Coastal Command to take part in
Malta convoy The Malta convoys were Allied supply convoys of the Second World War. The convoys took place during the Siege of Malta in the Mediterranean Theatre. Malta was a base from which British sea and air forces could attack ships carrying supplies ...
protection duties aboard . In July, aboard , they participated in the attack on Petsamo. Further Malta convoy duties followed aboard ''Furious'', transferring to in September. After the ''Ark Royal'' was torpedoed and sunk on 13 November, the squadron regrouped at
Gibraltar ) , anthem = " God Save the King" , song = "Gibraltar Anthem" , image_map = Gibraltar location in Europe.svg , map_alt = Location of Gibraltar in Europe , map_caption = United Kingdom shown in pale green , mapsize = , image_map2 = Gibr ...
. While based at RNAS 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 Radar is a detection system that uses radio waves to determine the distance (''ranging''), angle, and radial velocity of objects relative to the site. It can be used to detect aircraft, Marine radar, ships, spacecraft, guided missiles, motor v ...
, enabling them to sink the
U-boat U-boats were naval submarines operated by Germany, particularly in the First and Second World Wars. Although at times they were efficient fleet weapons against enemy naval warships, they were most effectively used in an economic warfare ro ...
on the night of 21 December 1941, and to damage five others. The squadron returned to the UK in April 1942 aboard , and were reattached to Coastal Command in September to fly operations over the
English Channel The English Channel, "The Sleeve"; nrf, la Maunche, "The Sleeve" ( Cotentinais) or ( Jèrriais), ( Guernésiais), "The Channel"; br, Mor Breizh, "Sea of Brittany"; cy, Môr Udd, "Lord's Sea"; kw, Mor Bretannek, "British Sea"; nl, Het Ka ...
. On 18 December 1942, it was amalgamated into 811 Squadron.


First reformation

No. 812 Squadron was reformed on 1 June 1944 at RNAS Stretton (HMS ''Blackcap'') and equipped with the
Fairey Barracuda The Fairey Barracuda was a British carrier-borne torpedo and dive bomber designed by Fairey Aviation. It was the first aircraft of this type operated by the Royal Navy's Fleet Air Arm (FAA) to be fabricated entirely from metal. The Barracuda ...
. After short spells at
RNAS Ballyhalbert Royal Air Force Ballyhalbert or more simply RAF Ballyhalbert is a former Royal Air Force station at Ballyhalbert on the Ards Peninsula, County Down, Northern Ireland RAF Kirkistown was a satellite to the larger Ballyhalbert. Construction beg ...
(HMS ''Corncrake''), Northern Ireland, and
RAF Heathfield RAF Heathfield, sometimes known as RAF Ayr/Heathfield due to its proximity to Glasgow Prestwick Airport, which was also used by military flights, is a former Royal Air Force station. Like many other wartime airfields, its runways were of the t ...
(HMS ''Wagtail''), Scotland, the squadron embarked on in February 1945, along with 1850 Squadron, flying the
Vought F4U Corsair The Vought F4U Corsair is an American fighter aircraft which saw service primarily in World War II and the Korean War. Designed and initially manufactured by Chance Vought, the Corsair was soon in great demand; additional production contract ...
, to form the
13th Carrier Air Group This is a list of all the Royal Navy Fleet Air Arm groups that were formed. There were Carrier Air Groups which administered squadrons which operated on carriers and Training Air Groups which administered squadrons that operated from land base ...
. Returning to the Mediterranean, 13 CAG were based at HMS ''Falcon'' at
Hal Far HAL may refer to: Aviation * Halali Airport (IATA airport code: HAL) Halali, Oshikoto, Namibia * Hawaiian Airlines (ICAO airline code: HAL) * HAL Airport, Bangalore, India * Hindustan Aeronautics Limited an Indian aerospace manufacturer of fig ...
, Malta, and flew exercises over Sicily. After the German surrender on 8 May 1945, the group were assigned to serve with the
British Pacific Fleet The British Pacific Fleet (BPF) was a Royal Navy formation that saw action against Japan during the Second World War. The fleet was composed of empire naval vessels. The BPF formally came into being on 22 November 1944 from the remaining ships o ...
. The group sailed for Australia aboard ''Vengeance'', and were based at HMS ''Nabswick'' ( MONAB V) at
Jervis Bay Jervis Bay () is a oceanic bay and village on the south coast of New South Wales, Australia, said to possess the whitest sand in the world. A area of land around the southern headland of the bay is a territory of the Commonwealth of Australia ...
from 22 July 1945, where they trained for the planned
invasion of Japan Operation Downfall was the proposed Allied plan for the invasion of the Japanese home islands near the end of World War II. The planned operation was canceled when Japan surrendered following the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, ...
. After the
Japanese surrender The surrender of the Empire of Japan in World War II was announced by Emperor Hirohito on 15 August and formally signed on 2 September 1945, bringing the war's hostilities to a close. By the end of July 1945, the Imperial Japanese Navy ( ...
on 8 August, they were temporarily based at Ponam in the
Admiralty Islands The Admiralty Islands are an archipelago group of 18 islands in the Bismarck Archipelago, to the north of New Guinea in the South Pacific Ocean. These are also sometimes called the Manus Islands, after the largest island. These rainforest-co ...
, before being sent to
Hong Kong Hong Kong ( (US) or (UK); , ), officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China (abbr. Hong Kong SAR or HKSAR), is a List of cities in China, city and Special administrative regions of China, special ...
, arriving at HMS ''Nabcatcher'' (MONAB VIII) at Kai-Tak, in October 1945, and remaining there until the end of the year. No. 812 Squadron was re-equipped with the
Fairey Firefly The Fairey Firefly is a Second World War-era carrier-borne fighter aircraft and anti-submarine aircraft that was principally operated by the Fleet Air Arm (FAA). It was developed and built by the British aircraft manufacturer Fairey Avia ...
, and returned to Australia in January 1946, where they were based (MONAB VI) at
Schofields, New South Wales Schofields is a suburb on the fringe of Sydney's urban sprawl, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Schofields is located north-west of the Sydney central business district, in the Blacktown local government area. It is part of Greater ...
, while ''Vengeance'' was in dry dock for repairs. In March 1946 ''Vengeance'' and her squadrons returned to the UK, via
Ceylon Sri Lanka (, ; si, ශ්‍රී ලංකා, Śrī Laṅkā, translit-std=ISO (); ta, இலங்கை, Ilaṅkai, translit-std=ISO ()), formerly known as Ceylon and officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, is an ...
, and arrived at RNAS Lee-on-Solent (HMS ''Daedalus'') on 12 August 1946, where 812 Squadron was disbanded.


Second reformation

The squadron was reformed again on 1 October 1946 at RNAS Eglinton (HMS ''Gannet'') in
Derry Derry, officially Londonderry (), is the second-largest city in Northern Ireland and the fifth-largest city on the island of Ireland. The name ''Derry'' is an anglicisation of the Old Irish name (modern Irish: ) meaning 'oak grove'. The ...
, Northern Ireland, and joined 804 Squadron, flying the
Supermarine Seafire The Supermarine Seafire is a naval version of the Supermarine Spitfire adapted for operation from aircraft carriers. It was analogous in concept to the Hawker Sea Hurricane, a navalised version of the Spitfire's stablemate, the Hawker Hurr ...
, to form the
14th Carrier Air Group This is a list of all the Royal Navy Fleet Air Arm groups that were formed. There were Carrier Air Groups which administered squadrons which operated on carriers and Training Air Groups which administered squadrons that operated from land base ...
. In February 1947, 14 CAG sailed aboard on a lengthy Far Eastern cruise, eventually returning in December. In August 1948 the group sailed for the Mediterranean aboard , where Hal Far was used as a shore base. The group was transferred to in November 1949, and participated in several cruises and exercises, with landings being made on in October. In March 1951 ''Glory'' sailed for Korea, where 812 Squadron flew 852
sortie A sortie (from the French word meaning ''exit'' or from Latin root ''surgere'' meaning to "rise up") is a deployment or dispatch of one military unit, be it an aircraft An aircraft is a vehicle that is able to flight, fly by gaining supp ...
s over the next six months, during which three aircraft were lost and several others damaged by AA fire. After two months based in Australia, ''Glory'' returned 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 to ''Ocean'', and the crews sailed home in ''Theseus''. In June 1952, the squadron was re-equipped with the Firefly AS.6 at RNAS Anthorn (HMS ''Nuthatch''), and in September sailed aboard for exercises and a visit to
Oslo Oslo ( , , or ; sma, Oslove) is the capital and most populous city of Norway. It constitutes both a county and a municipality. The municipality of Oslo had a population of in 2022, while the city's greater urban area had a population of ...
. In January 1953 the squadron joined ''Theseus'' for a cruise, returning to ''Eagle'' in June for exercises off northern Scotland. It was disbanded at Eglinton on 20 October 1953.


Third reformation

The squadron was reformed for a third time at Eglinton on 7 November 1955 as an anti-submarine squadron, flying the
Fairey Gannet The Fairey Gannet is a carrier-borne aircraft that was designed and produced by the British aircraft manufacturer the Fairey Aviation Company. It was developed for the Royal Navy, being the first fixed-wing aircraft to combine both the search an ...
. In April 1956 it sailed to the Mediterranean in ''Eagle'', taking part in visits and exercises before flying home from Malta, and was disbanded on arrival at Lee-on-Solent on 13 December 1956.


References

* * {{Royal Naval Air Squadrons 800 series Fleet Air Arm squadrons