1842 Naval Air Squadron (1842 NAS) was a

Fleet Air Arm The Fleet Air Arm (FAA) is the naval aviation component of the United Kingdom's Royal Navy (RN). The FAA is one of five :Fighting Arms of the Royal Navy, RN fighting arms. it is a primarily helicopter force, though also operating the Lockhee ...

(FAA)

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 A ...

of the United Kingdom’s

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the naval warfare force of the United Kingdom. It is a component of His Majesty's Naval Service, and its officers hold their commissions from the King of the United Kingdom, King. Although warships were used by Kingdom ...

(RN) between 1944 and 1945 and then a

Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve Royal may refer to: People * Royal (name), a list of people with either the surname or given name * A member of a royal family or royalty Places United States * Royal, Arkansas, an unincorporated community * Royal, Illinois, a village * Roya ...

Air Squadron from 1953 to 1957. The squadron was formed as a fighter squadron at RN Air Section Brunswick in April 1944. Initially, it was based at HMS ''Blackcap'', RNAS Stretton, before relocating to HMS ''Gannet'', RNAS Eglinton. In August, the squadron joined the 6th Naval Fighter Wing and embarked in HMS ''Formidable'', where it took part in operations against the ''Tirpitz''. Following this, the carrier proceeded to the Far East, and the squadron carried out missions over Sakishima Gunto. In June 1945, it became integrated into the 2nd Carrier Air Group, engaging in operations around Tokyo. After the conclusion of the war, the squadron's personnel returned to the United Kingdom aboard HMS ''Victorious'', disbanding upon their arrival in October 1945. It reformed as a Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve Air Branch anti-submarine squadron, in the Channel Air Division, from 1953 and disbanded in 1957.

History

Single-seat fighter squadron (1944-1945)

February 1944 saw the personnel for 1842 Naval Air Squadron gather at Royal Naval Air Establishment (RNAE) Townhill Camp (HMS ''Waxwing''),

Dunfermline Dunfermline (; , ) is a city, parish, and former royal burgh in Fife, Scotland, from the northern shore of the Firth of Forth. Dunfermline was the de facto capital of the Kingdom of Scotland between the 11th and 15th centuries. The earliest ...

Fife Fife ( , ; ; ) is a council areas of Scotland, council area and lieutenancy areas of Scotland, lieutenancy area in Scotland. A peninsula, it is bordered by the Firth of Tay to the north, the North Sea to the east, the Firth of Forth to the s ...

, Scotland, in preparation for their journey to the United States. It formed on 1 April 1944 in the United States at RN Air Section Brunswick, which was located at United States Naval Air Station (USNAS) Brunswick,

Maine Maine ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the United States, and the northeasternmost state in the Contiguous United States. It borders New Hampshire to the west, the Gulf of Maine to the southeast, and the Provinces and ...

, as a Single-seat Fighter Squadron, under the command of Lieutenant Commander(A) A.McD. Garland, DSC, RNVR. It was equipped with eighteen Vought Corsair aircraft, an American carrier-borne

fighter-bomber A fighter-bomber is a fighter aircraft that has been modified, or used primarily, as a light bomber or attack aircraft. It differs from bomber and attack aircraft primarily in its origins, as a fighter that has been adapted into other roles, wh ...

. These were the

Brewster Brewster may refer to: People *Brewster (surname) *Brewster Kahle (born 1960), American computer technologist * Brewster H. Shaw (born 1945), American astronaut * Grace Brewster Hopper (born 1906), American computer scientist, mathematician, and ...

built F3A-1 and F3A-1D variant, designated Corsair Mk III by the Fleet Air Arm. Following the initial familiarisation, the flight training encompassed

navigation Navigation is a field of study that focuses on the process of monitoring and controlling the motion, movement of a craft or vehicle from one place to another.Bowditch, 2003:799. The field of navigation includes four general categories: land navig ...

drills, low-altitude maneuvers,

formation flying Formation flying is the flight of multiple objects in coordination. Formation flying occurs in nature among flying and gliding animals, and is also conducted in human aviation, often in military aviation and air shows. A multitude of studies have ...

Air combat manoeuvring Air combat manoeuvring (ACM) is the tactic of moving, turning, and situating one's fighter aircraft in order to attain a position from which an attack can be made on another aircraft. Commonly associated with dogfighting, air combat manoeuvres r ...

and Aerodrome Dummy Deck Landing (ADDL) exercises. On 23 May, the squadron relocated to the US Naval Auxiliary Airfield (USNAA) Bar Harbor,

Bar Harbor, Maine Bar Harbor () is a resort town on Mount Desert Island in Hancock County, Maine, United States. As of the 2020 census, its population is 5,089. The town is home to the College of the Atlantic, Jackson Laboratory, and MDI Biological Laborat ...

, for a week of both daytime and nighttime ADDL training, before returning to Brunswick on 31. The following day, the squadron pilots commenced their flights to the

aircraft carrier An aircraft carrier is a warship that serves as a seagoing airbase, equipped with a full-length flight deck and hangar facilities for supporting, arming, deploying and recovering carrier-based aircraft, shipborne aircraft. Typically it is the ...

, , which was the nominated training carrier operating off the coast of Maine, to complete the necessary landings required for certification in carrier deck landings. On completion of working up at USNAS Brunswick the squadron flew to RN Air Section Norfolk, at USNAS Norfolk, on 27 June. Upon the arrival of all the squadron aircraft, the RN Air Section made the necessary preparations for their embarkation onto the , . Upon the conclusion of loading, HMS ''Rajah'' departed for

New York Harbor New York Harbor is a bay that covers all of the Upper Bay. It is at the mouth of the Hudson River near the East River tidal estuary on the East Coast of the United States. New York Harbor is generally synonymous with Upper New York Bay, ...

, where it joined the eastbound convoy TCU.30 on 2 July. This convoy primarily consisted of

troopship A troopship (also troop ship or troop transport or trooper) is a ship used to carry soldiers, either in peacetime or wartime. Troopships were often drafted from commercial shipping fleets, and were unable to land troops directly on shore, typic ...

s, accompanied by a limited number of

merchant vessel A merchant ship, merchant vessel, trading vessel, or merchantman is a watercraft that transports cargo or carries passengers for hire. This is in contrast to pleasure craft, which are used for personal recreation, and naval ships, which a ...

s. HMS ''Rajah'' reached

Liverpool Liverpool is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. It is situated on the eastern side of the River Mersey, Mersey Estuary, near the Irish Sea, north-west of London. With a population ...

, England, on 12 July, where it proceeded to unload supplies and the aircraft belonging to 1842 Naval Air Squadron. The squadron was initially stationed at RNAS Stretton (HMS ''Blackcap''),

Cheshire Cheshire ( ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in North West England. It is bordered by Merseyside to the north-west, Greater Manchester to the north-east, Derbyshire to the east, Staffordshire to the south-east, and Shrop ...

, England, where it transitioned from eighteen Mk. III Vought Corsair to eighteen Mk. II Vought Corsair, prior to its departure on the 21 for RNAS Eglinton (HMS ''Gannet''),

County Londonderry County Londonderry (Ulster Scots dialects, Ulster-Scots: ''Coontie Lunnonderrie''), also known as County Derry (), is one of the six Counties of Northern Ireland, counties of Northern Ireland, one of the thirty-two Counties of Ireland, count ...

, Northern Ireland. These were the Chance Vought manufactured F3A-1 and F3A-1D variant. This move was part of the squadron's preparation for further training in anticipation of joining the

Fleet Carrier A fleet carrier is an aircraft carrier designed to operate with the main fleet of a nation's navy. The term was developed during World War II, to distinguish it from the escort carrier and other less capable types. In addition to many medium-size ...

, . On 7 August the squadron embarked in HMS ''Formidable''. Following a brief period of flight training, it reached

Scapa Flow Scapa Flow (; ) is a body of water in the Orkney Islands, Scotland, sheltered by the islands of Mainland, Graemsay, Burray,S. C. George, ''Jutland to Junkyard'', 1973. South Ronaldsay and Hoy. Its sheltered waters have played an impor ...

on 11 August to make preparations for

Operation Goodwood Operation Goodwood was a British offensive during the Second World War, which took place between 18 and 20 July 1944 as part of the larger battle for Caen in Normandy, France. The objective of the operation was a limited attack to the south, ...

. On 14 August,

1841 Events January–March * January 20 – Charles Elliot of the United Kingdom and Qishan of the Qing dynasty agree to the Convention of Chuenpi. * January 26 – Britain occupies Hong Kong. Later in the year, the first census of the ...

and 1842 Naval Air Squadrons were officially assigned to the

6th Naval Fighter Wing Sixth is the ordinal form of the number six. * The Sixth Amendment, to the U.S. Constitution * A keg of beer, equal to 5 U.S. gallons or barrel * The fraction Music * Sixth interval (music)s: ** major sixth, a musical interval ** minor sixth ...

. The squadron experienced the loss of multiple aircraft while conducting assaults on the German battleship ''Tirpitz'', which was positioned in a Norwegian fjord during the month of August. HMS ''Formidable'' later set sail for the

Far East The Far East is the geographical region that encompasses the easternmost portion of the Asian continent, including North Asia, North, East Asia, East and Southeast Asia. South Asia is sometimes also included in the definition of the term. In mod ...

; however, the aircraft carrier required a refit in

Gibraltar Gibraltar ( , ) is a British Overseas Territories, British Overseas Territory and British overseas cities, city located at the southern tip of the Iberian Peninsula, on the Bay of Gibraltar, near the exit of the Mediterranean Sea into the A ...

. As a result, the squadron disembarked at RN Air Section Gibraltar, while a contingent proceeded to , the Royal Naval Air Station at Dekheila,

Egypt Egypt ( , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a country spanning the Northeast Africa, northeast corner of Africa and Western Asia, southwest corner of Asia via the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to northe ...

, to await the ship's readiness. The refitting process was scheduled to last four months, during which the Wing was disembarked on 21 September. In early November, several aircraft were relocated to RNAS Dekhelia, commencing the journey on 13 November. The detachment returned to RAF North Front, Gibraltar (the location of the Air Section), at the beginning of January and subsequently re-embarked on HMS ''Formidable'' later that month. Upon reaching the Far East, the squadron disembarked at RNAS Puttalam (HMS ''Rajaliya''),

Ceylon Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, also known historically as Ceylon, is an island country in South Asia. It lies in the Indian Ocean, southwest of the Bay of Bengal, separated from the Indian subcontinent, ...

, on 8 February 1945. On arrival, the squadron underwent re-equipping with a new variant of Vought Corsair. These were the Goodyear built FG-1D variant, designated Corsair Mk IV by the Fleet Air Arm. In the months of April and May, the squadron took part in

Operation Iceberg 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-Man ...

, focusing on assaults against the

Sakishima Gunto The (or 先島群島, ''Sakishima-guntō'') ( Okinawan: ''Sachishima'', Miyako: ''Saksїzїma'', Yaeyama: ''Sakїzїma'', Yonaguni: ''Satichima'') are an archipelago located at the southernmost end of the Japanese Archipelago. They are part o ...

archipelago located in the

East China Sea The East China Sea is a marginal sea of the Western Pacific Ocean, located directly offshore from East China. China names the body of water along its eastern coast as "East Sea" (, ) due to direction, the name of "East China Sea" is otherwise ...

. On the 4 and 9 of May, HMS ''Formidable'' came under

Kamikaze , officially , were a part of the Japanese Special Attack Units of military aviators who flew suicide attacks for the Empire of Japan against Allied naval vessels in the closing stages of the Pacific campaign of World War II, intending to d ...

attack, leading to the loss of multiple aircraft. HMS ''Formidable'' reached

Sydney Sydney is the capital city of the States and territories of Australia, state of New South Wales and the List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city in Australia. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Syd ...

, Australia, on 31 May, after which her squadrons were disembarked at RNAS Jervis Bay (HMS ''Nabswick''), the location of MONAB V,

New South Wales New South Wales (commonly abbreviated as NSW) is a States and territories of Australia, state on the Eastern states of Australia, east coast of :Australia. It borders Queensland to the north, Victoria (state), Victoria to the south, and South ...

, returning on 22 June. On 28 June, the 6th Naval Fighter Wing was officially dissolved as the Admiralty transitioned to the United States model of Carrier Air Groups. In this system, all squadrons assigned to a specific aircraft carrier were organised into a Carrier Air Group (CAG). The aircraft carrier HMS ''Formidable'' was designated to No. 2 CAG, which included 1841, 1842, and

848 Naval Air Squadron 848 Naval Air Squadron was a squadron of the Royal Navy Fleet Air Arm. It operated the Westland Sea King HC.4 helicopter and previously provided advanced flying training to pilots for the other squadrons in the Commando Helicopter Force. The ...

s. In the final weeks of the conflict, airstrikes were executed in the

Tokyo Tokyo, officially the Tokyo Metropolis, is the capital of Japan, capital and List of cities in Japan, most populous city in Japan. With a population of over 14 million in the city proper in 2023, it is List of largest cities, one of the most ...

region, with two pilots fortunate enough to be rescued by the US Navy's submarine after they were compelled to ditch in Owase Harbour, Japan, on 28 July. Following the conclusion of the Second World War, the squadron abandoned its aircraft in Australia and its personnel boarded for their journey to the United Kingdom, where the squadron was officially disbanded upon arrival on 31 October 1945.

Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve Air Squadron

Anti-submarine squadron

On 28 March 1953, 1843 Naval Air Squadron reformed at RNAS Ford (HMS ''Peregrine''),

Sussex Sussex (Help:IPA/English, /ˈsʌsɪks/; from the Old English ''Sūþseaxe''; lit. 'South Saxons'; 'Sussex') is an area within South East England that was historically a kingdom of Sussex, kingdom and, later, a Historic counties of England, ...

, England, as an

anti-submarine An anti-submarine weapon (ASW) is any one of a number of devices that are intended to act against a submarine and its crew, to destroy (sink) the vessel or reduce its capability as a weapon of war. In its simplest sense, an anti-submarine weapon ...

squadron in the Channel Air Division, under the command of Lieutenant Commander(A) R.A. Jameson, RNVR. It was essentially a renaming of 1840A Naval Air Squadron. The squadron shared a pool of aircraft with

1840 Naval Air Squadron 1840 Naval Air Squadron (1840 NAS) was a Fleet Air Arm (FAA) naval air squadron of the United Kingdom’s Royal Navy (RN). During World War II over 80% of the pilots were from the Royal Netherlands Naval Aviation Service. Formed at HMS ''Ringt ...

. The RNVR squadron disbanded on 10 March 1957 under the

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defence cuts of that year.

Aircraft flown

1842 Naval Air Squadron flew three variants of only one aircraft type: * Vought Corsair Mk III

(April - June 1944) * Vought Corsair Mk II fighter-bomber (July 1944 - February 1945) * Vought Corsair Mk IV fighter-bomber (February - October 1945)

Battle honours

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 ...

have been awarded to 1842 Naval Air Squadron * Norway 1944 * Okinawa 1945 * Japan 1945

Assignments

1842 Naval Air Squadron was assigned as needed to form part of a number of larger units: *

(14 August 1944 - 30 June 1945) * 2nd Carrier Air Group (30 June - 31 October 1945)

Naval air stations

1842 Naval Air Squadron operated from a number of naval air stations of the Royal Navy in the UK and overseas, and a Royal Navy fleet and escort carrier: HMS Rajah FL7059

1944 - 1945 * RN Air Section Brunswick, Maine, (1 April - 27 June 1944) ** RN Air Section Norfolk, Virginia, (Detachment DLT 1 - 7 June 1944) * RN Air Section Norfolk, Virginia, (27 - 29 June 1944) * (29 June - 13 July 1944) * Royal Naval Air Station Stretton (HMS ''Blackcap''), Cheshire, (13 - 21 July 1944) * Royal Naval Air Station Eglinton (HMS ''Gannet''), County Londonderry, (21 July - 7 August 1944) * (7 - 14 August 1944) * Royal Naval Air Station Hatston (HMS ''Sparrowhawk''), Mainland, Orkney, (14 - 18 August 1944) * HMS ''Formidable'' (18 August - 2 September 1944) * Royal Naval Air Station Donibristle (HMS ''Merlin''), Fife, (2 - 16 September 1944) * HMS ''Formidable'' (16 September - 19 October 1944) ** RN Air Section Gibraltar, Gibraltar, (Detachment two aircraft 21 September - 18 October 1944) * RN Air Section Gibraltar, Gibraltar, (19 October 1944 - 14 January 1945) ** Detachment: transit (13 - 15 November 1944) ** Royal Naval Air Station Dekheila (HMS ''Grebe''), Egypt, (15 November 1944 - 27 January 1945) * HMS ''Formidable'' (14 January - 8 February 1945) * Royal Naval Air Station Puttalam (HMS ''Rajaliya''), Ceylon, (8 - 22 February 1945) * HMS ''Formidable'' (22 February - 1 June 1945) ** Royal Naval Air Station Jervis Bay (HMS ''Nabswick''), Jervis Bay Territory, (Detachment 22 - 24 March 1945) * Royal Naval Air Station Jervis Bay (HMS ''Nabswick''), Jervis Bay Territory, (1 - 22 June 1945) * HMS ''Formidable'' (22 June - 23 August 1945) * Royal Naval Air Station Nowra (HMS ''Nabbington''), New South Wales, (23 August - 25 September 1945) * ( crews) (25 September - 31 October 1945) * disbanded UK - (31 October 1945) 1953 - 1957 * Royal Naval Air Station Ford (HMS ''Peregrine''), Sussex, (ex-1840A Naval Air Squadron 28 March 1953 - 10 March 1957) ** Annual training: *** Royal Naval Air Station Eglinton (HMS ''Gannet''), County Londonderry, (22 August - 5 September 1953) *** Royal Naval Air Station Hal Far (HMS ''Falcon''), Malta, (8 - 22 May 1954) *** Royal Naval Air Station Eglinton (HMS ''Gannet''), County Londonderry, (20 August - 3 September 1955) * disbanded - (10 March 1957)

Commanding officers

List of

commanding officer The commanding officer (CO) or commander, or sometimes, if the incumbent is a general officer, commanding general (CG), is the officer in command of a military unit. The commanding officer has ultimate authority over the unit, and is usually give ...

s of 1842 Naval Air Squadron with date of appointment: 1944 - 1945 * Lieutenant Commander(A) A.McD. Garland, ,

RNVR The Royal Naval Reserve (RNR) is one of the two Volunteer Reserves (United Kingdom), volunteer reserve forces of the Royal Navy in the United Kingdom. Together with the Royal Marines Reserve, they form the Maritime Reserve (United Kingdom), ...

, from 1 April 1944 (

KiA Kia Corporation (, formerly known as Kyungsung Precision Industry (京城精密工業) and Kia Motors Corporation) is a South Korean multinational automobile manufacturer headquartered in Seoul, South Korea. It is South Korea's second larges ...

16 April 1945) * Lieutenant Commander(A) D.G. Parker, DSC, RNVR, from 17 April 1945 * disbanded - 31 October 1945 1953 - 1957 * Lieutenant Commander(A) R.A. Jameson, RNVR, from 28 March 1953 * disbanded - 10 March 1957 Note: Abbreviation (A) signifies Air Branch of the RN or RNVR.

References

Citations

Bibliography

* * * *

External links

* {{Royal Naval Air Squadrons 1800 series Fleet Air Arm squadrons Military units and formations established in 1944 Military units and formations of the Royal Navy in World War II