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815 Naval Air Squadron is a
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 ...
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 ...
squadron flying the
AgustaWestland Wildcat The AgustaWestland AW159 Wildcat (previously called the Future Lynx and Lynx Wildcat) is a British military helicopter. It is an improved version of the Westland Super Lynx designed to serve in the battlefield utility, search and rescue and a ...
HMA.2 helicopter and is the Navy's front line Wildcat Naval Air Squadron. The squadron is based at
RNAS Yeovilton (HMS Heron) Royal Naval Air Station Yeovilton, or RNAS Yeovilton, (HMS ''Heron'') is an airfield of the Royal Navy and British Army, sited a few miles north of Yeovil, Somerset. It is one of two active Fleet Air Arm bases (the other being RNAS Culdrose) ...
in
Somerset ( en, All The People of Somerset) , locator_map = , coordinates = , region = South West England , established_date = Ancient , established_by = , preceded_by = , origin = , lord_lieutenant_office =Lord Lieutenant of Somerset , lor ...
. The squadron is capable of carrying out multiple roles such as: counter-narcotics, anti-piracy, Above Surface Warfare (ASW), search and rescue, disaster relief and flying and engineering training. In the early 2000s, the Navy said that the squadron was largest helicopter squadron in Europe.


History


Second World War

The squadron formed at
RNAS Worthy Down RAF Worthy Down was a Royal Air Force station built in 1918, north of Winchester, Hampshire, England. After it was transferred to Royal Navy control in 1939 as RNAS Worthy Down (HMS Kestrel), the airfield remained in use throughout the Second Wo ...
on 9 October 1939, from the remnants of
811 __NOTOC__ Year 811 ( DCCCXI) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. Events By place Byzantine Empire * Byzantine–Bulgarian War: Emperor Nikephoros I organises a new ca ...
and 822 squadrons that had survived the sinking of their carrier in September 1939, with
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 ...
aircraft. The squadron disbanded in November 1939 but reformed the same month. In May 1940 the squadron provided support to 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 June 1940, the squadron embarked on and sailed for the Mediterranean in August, attacking and minelaying
Benghazi Benghazi () , ; it, Bengasi; tr, Bingazi; ber, Bernîk, script=Latn; also: ''Bengasi'', ''Benghasi'', ''Banghāzī'', ''Binghāzī'', ''Bengazi''; grc, Βερενίκη ('' Berenice'') and ''Hesperides''., group=note (''lit. Son of he Ghaz ...
,
Rhodes Rhodes (; el, Ρόδος , translit=Ródos ) is the largest and the historical capital of the Dodecanese islands of Greece. Administratively, the island forms a separate municipality within the Rhodes regional unit, which is part of the S ...
and
Tobruk Tobruk or Tobruck (; grc, Ἀντίπυργος, ''Antipyrgos''; la, Antipyrgus; it, Tobruch; ar, طبرق, Tubruq ''Ṭubruq''; also transliterated as ''Tobruch'' and ''Tubruk'') is a port city on Libya's eastern Mediterranean coast, near ...
. The squadron gained early fame with its involvement in the
Battle of Taranto The Battle of Taranto took place on the night of 11–12 November 1940 during the Second World War between British naval forces, under Admiral Andrew Cunningham, and Italian naval forces, under Admiral Inigo Campioni. The Royal Navy launched ...
in 1940, when the Italian Battlefleet in harbour at Taranto was raided; which redefined the use of air power from the sea. The aircraft of the commanding officer was lost, against the crippling of half the Italian fleet. In March 1941, the squadron fought in the
Battle of Cape Matapan The Battle of Cape Matapan ( el, Ναυμαχία του Ταινάρου) was a naval battle during the Second World War between the Allies, represented by the navies of the United Kingdom and Australia, and the Royal Italian navy, from 27 t ...
. The squadron re-equipped in August 1941, with a mixture of Swordfish and
Fairey Albacore The Fairey Albacore is a single-engine biplane torpedo bomber designed and produced by the British aircraft manufacturer Fairey Aviation. It was primarily operated by the Royal Navy Fleet Air Arm (FAA) and was heavily used during the Second ...
aircraft, operating from shore bases in support of the North African campaign. In July 1943, 815 Squadron was assigned to No. 201 (Naval Co-operation) Group with a detachment of Swordfish assigned to
AHQ Malta Air Headquarters Malta (AHQ Malta or Air H.Q. Malta) was an overseas command of the Royal Air Force (RAF) during the Second World War. It was established on 28 December 1941 by renaming RAF Mediterranean under Air Vice Marshal Hugh Lloyd. RAF We ...
; the units participating in
Operation Husky Operation or Operations may refer to: Arts, entertainment and media * ''Operation'' (game), a battery-operated board game that challenges dexterity * Operation (music), a term used in musical set theory * ''Operations'' (magazine), Multi-Ma ...
on 10 July 1943, before 815 Squadron was disbanded.


On Fairey Barracudas

The squadron reformed in October 1943 at
RNAS Lee-on-Solent (HMS Daedalus) Royal Naval Air Station Lee-on-Solent (HMS ''Daedalus'') was one of the primary shore airfields of the Fleet Air Arm. First established as a seaplane base in 1917 during the First World War, it later became the main training establishment and adm ...
to operate
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 ...
torpedo bombers, operating from with the
Eastern Fleet Eastern may refer to: Transportation *China Eastern Airlines, a current Chinese airline based in Shanghai *Eastern Air, former name of Zambia Skyways * Eastern Air Lines, a defunct American airline that operated from 1926 to 1991 *Eastern Air L ...
, attacking targets in
Sumatra Sumatra is one of the Sunda Islands of western Indonesia. It is the largest island that is fully within Indonesian territory, as well as the sixth-largest island in the world at 473,481 km2 (182,812 mi.2), not including adjacent i ...
, August–September 1944.Thetford 1994, p. ? In November 1944 the squadron disbanded and reformed in December at
RNAS Machrihanish (HMS Landrail) Royal Naval Air Station Machrihanish (HMS Landrail), is a former Royal Navy air station, close to Campbeltown in Argyll and Bute, Scotland. Location Located 3 miles (5 km) west of Campbeltown on the western side of the Kintyre Peninsula, Machrih ...
, flying Barracudas for anti-submarine operations, the following month being spent doing DLT (deck landing training) on . The squadron was transferred to the Far East aboard but saw no action before
VJ-Day Victory over Japan Day (also known as V-J Day, Victory in the Pacific Day, or V-P Day) is the day on which Imperial Japan surrendered in World War II, in effect bringing the war to an end. The term has been applied to both of the days on ...
and returned to the UK in September 1945 aboard .


Post war


Avenger and Gannet

The squadron disbanded some time after the war and reformed in 1947 from 744 Squadron, flying Grumman Avengers, which were replaced with
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 ...
s, the last fixed-wing aircraft of the squadron when it disbanded at
RNAS Culdrose (HMS Seahawk) Royal Naval Air Station Culdrose (RNAS Culdrose, also known as HMS ''Seahawk''; ICAO: EGDR) is a Royal Navy airbase near Helston on the Lizard Peninsula of Cornwall UK, and is one of the largest helicopter bases in Europe. Its main role is ser ...
, July 1958.


Westland Whirlwind

In September 1958, the squadron reformed on Westland Whirlwind HAS.7 helicopters, moving to
RNAS Portland (HMS Osprey) RNAS Portland (ICAO: EGDP) was an air station of the Royal Navy, situated at the Isle of Portland, Dorset, England. It was established in 1917 on the western edge of Portland Harbour as HMS ''Sarepta''. From 1959 the station shared the name ...
when engine trouble started to plague the Whirlwinds. The squadron eventually disbanded here on August 1959 by being renumbered to 737 Squadron. The squadron reformed again on 8 September 1959, still on Whirlwinds and after a Far East tour on , it disbanded again in December 1960.


Westland Wessex

On 4 July 1961, the squadron recommissioned at RNAS Culdrose with the Westland Wessex HAS.1. The squadron embarked on in November 1961, moving to in 1964 and provided support against disturbances in
Aden Aden ( ar, عدن ' Yemeni: ) is a city, and since 2015, the temporary capital of Yemen, near the eastern approach to the Red Sea (the Gulf of Aden), some east of the strait Bab-el-Mandeb. Its population is approximately 800,000 peopl ...
and in
Tanganyika Tanganyika may refer to: Places * Tanganyika Territory (1916–1961), a former British territory which preceded the sovereign state * Tanganyika (1961–1964), a sovereign state, comprising the mainland part of present-day Tanzania * Tanzania Main ...
(now Tanzania). After a final deployment on ''Ark Royal'', the unit disbanded at RNAS Culdrose in October 1966.


Westland Lynx

In January 1981, after a gap of some 15 years, the squadron re-commissioned at
RNAS Yeovilton (HMS Heron) Royal Naval Air Station Yeovilton, or RNAS Yeovilton, (HMS ''Heron'') is an airfield of the Royal Navy and British Army, sited a few miles north of Yeovil, Somerset. It is one of two active Fleet Air Arm bases (the other being RNAS Culdrose) ...
with the Lynx HAS.2 as the Headquarters Squadron for embarked Lynx Flights. It then moved to RNAS Portland (HMS Osprey) in 1982 and it saw action during the
Falklands War The Falklands War ( es, link=no, Guerra de las Malvinas) was a ten-week undeclared war between Argentina and the United Kingdom in 1982 over two British dependent territories in the South Atlantic: the Falkland Islands and its territorial ...
of 1982. The flights were shared with 829 Naval Air Squadron until they were amalgamated in 1993, to become the largest helicopter squadron in the world. In 1998–99 after an absence of nearly 17 years, the unit moved back to RNAS Yeovilton, with the closure of RNAS Portland. In September 2000 a Lynx Helicopter from 815 NAS took part in Operation Barras. The aircraft, flown by Lt Cdr Al Jones and Lt Nigel Cunningham as the Observer flew over 30 missions deep into the Sierra Leone Jungle. In 2002, a Lynx from 815 Squadron crashed into the Atlantic Ocean while participating in a joint British–American exercise, with the loss of the pilot, Lieutenant Rod Skidmore and observer, Lieutenant Jenny Lewis. Several of the Lynx helicopters are stated as part of the Response Force Task Group. In July 2012, three Lynx helicopters supported the
Olympics The modern Olympic Games or Olympics (french: link=no, Jeux olympiques) are the leading international sporting events featuring summer and winter sports competitions in which thousands of athletes from around the world participate in a vari ...
security operation embarked on HMS Ocean tasked with intercepting aircraft that entered restricted airspace. In November 2012, the Lynx of 217 Flight deployed to the Horn of Africa for four months on board the
French frigate Surcouf ''Surcouf'' (F711) is a of the French Navy. Construction began at Lorient Naval Dockyard on 6 July 1992, launched 3 July 1993, and the ship was commissioned May 1996. Since entering service, ''Surcouf'' has taken part in numerous missions, n ...
, the first extended deployment of a British helicopter on a French warship.


AgustaWestland Wildcat

The squadron currently operates the AgustaWestland Wildcat HMA.2 which replaced the Lynx HMA.8. The squadron received the first four of twelve Wildcats in April 2016. The retirement of the Lynx fleet began in December 2014 and was completed in March 2017.


Current composition

The squadron is composed of a Headquarters and fifteen flights and an attached Maritime Interdiction (MI) Flight. The squadron's Small Ship's Flights embark in Type 23 frigates, Type 45 destroyers or
Royal Fleet Auxiliary The Royal Fleet Auxiliary (RFA) is a naval auxiliary fleet owned by the UK's Ministry of Defence. It provides logistical and operational support to the Royal Navy and Royal Marines. The RFA ensures the Royal Navy is supplied and supported by ...
ships. In September 2018, 213 Flight conducted the first Wildcat landing on a ''Queen Elizabeth''-class aircraft carrier. The Maritime Interdiction (MI) Flight is maintained at high readiness to provide support and assistance to counter-terrorism in the UK. In 2014, the Navy said after the squadron completes the transition from the Lynx to the Wildcat the squadron would consist of twelve single-manned flights at readiness for deployed operations worldwide and two double-manned Maritime Counter Terrorism (MCT) flights at very high readiness in the UK.


Aircraft flown

The squadron flies the Wildcat HMA.2. A list of aircraft that have been flown by 815 Naval Air Squadron include: * Fairey Swordfish Mks.I, II * Fairey Albacore Mk.I * Fairey Fulmar Mks.I, II * Fairey Barracuda Mk.II, TR.3 * Grumman Wildcat Mk.VI * Fairey Firefly T * Grumman Avenger TBM-3E, AS.4, AS.5 * Fairey Gannet AS.1, T.2, AS.4 * Westland Whirlwind HA.R3, HAS.7 * Westland Wessex HAS.1 * Westland Lynx HAS.2, HAS.3, HMA.8 * AgustaWestland Wildcat HMA.2


Battle honours

815 Naval Air Squadron has received the following
battle honours A battle honour is an award of a right by a government or sovereign to a military unit to emblazon the name of a battle or operation on its flags ("colours"), uniforms or other accessories where ornamentation is possible. In European military t ...
. * North Sea 1940 * Mediterranean 1940–42 * Taranto 1940 * Libya 1941–42 * Matapan 1941 * Burma 1944 * East Indies 1944 * Falkland Islands 1982 * Kuwait 1991


References


Citations


Bibliography

* *


External links

* {{Royal Naval Air Squadrons 815 Squadron Military units and formations established in 1939 Military units and formations of the United Kingdom in the Falklands War