1st Carrier Air Group (1st CAG) 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) carrier air group of the

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). The formation of the group took place in June 1945, intended for deployment within the

British Pacific Fleet The British Pacific Fleet (BPF) was a Royal Navy formation that saw action against Japan during the Second World War. It was formed from aircraft carriers, other surface warships, submarines and supply vessels of the RN and British Commonwealth ...

. However, it was disbanded later that same year, specifically in September. The unit was assigned to the ''Illustrious''-class aircraft carrier HMS ''Victorious''. The Group was re-established in October 1947, embarking in the

lead ship The lead ship, name ship, or class leader is the first of a series or class of ships that are all constructed according to the same general design. The term is applicable to naval ships and large civilian vessels. Large ships are very comple ...

of her class, . In late 1950, the group was reassigned to the ''Illustrious''-class aircraft carrier . The 1st Carrier Air Group was disbanded for the second time in May 1951.

Naval air squadrons

The 1st Carrier Air Group consisted of a number of squadrons of the

History

The squadrons of the Fleet Air Arm, embarked in the Royal Navy’s Fleet and Light Fleet aircraft carriers, were organised into Air Groups in alignment with

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the naval warfare, maritime military branch, service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is the world's most powerful navy with the largest Displacement (ship), displacement, at 4.5 millio ...

policy following the conclusion of World War II in Europe. This reorganisation aimed to facilitate operations in the

Pacific Theater The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean, or, depending on the definition, to Antarctica in the south, and is bounded by the continen ...

against Japanese forces in 1945.

1945

The Royal Navy during the Second World War A25750

The 1st Carrier Air Group was formed on the 30 June 1945, for the , , as part of the

. During July and August 1945, the latter part of the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, it saw active service over Japan. The 1st Carrier Air Group consisted of

849 Naval Air Squadron 849 Naval Air Squadron (849 NAS), also referred to as 849 Squadron, was a Fleet Air Arm (FAA) naval air squadron of the United Kingdom’s Royal Navy (RN). It most recently operated the Merlin HM2 from February until April 2020. It was formed ...

, which operated the Grumman Avenger, an American

torpedo bomber A torpedo bomber is a military aircraft designed primarily to attack ships with aerial torpedoes. Torpedo bombers came into existence just before the World War I, First World War almost as soon as aircraft were built that were capable of carryin ...

aircraft, along with

1834 Events January–March * January 1 – Zollverein (Germany): Customs charges are abolished at borders within its member states. * January 3 – The government of Mexico imprisons Stephen F. Austin in Mexico City. * January – The W ...

and

1836 Naval Air Squadron 1836 Naval Air Squadron (1836 NAS) was a Fleet Air Arm (FAA) naval air squadron of the United Kingdom's Royal Navy (RN). It was established at HMS ''Saker'' II, RNAS Quonset Point, in August 1943, with Vought Corsair aircraft as a single-seat f ...

s, which were both equipped with Vought Corsair, an American

carrier-based A carrier-based aircraft (also known as carrier-capable aircraft, carrier-borne aircraft, carrier aircraft or aeronaval aircraft) is a naval aircraft designed for operations from aircraft carriers. Carrier-based aircraft must be able to launch ...

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 ...

aircraft, the latter two squadrons previously made up the Fleet Air Arm's 47th Naval Fighter Wing which was absorbed into the 1st Carrier Air Group on its formation. The group embarked in HMS ''Victorious'' in July 1945 for strikes against the Japanese mainland, near Tokyo, up until

Victory over Japan 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 Surrender of Japan, Imperial Japan surrendered in World War II, in effect bringing the war End of World War II in Asia, to an end. The ...

. Notably, an 849 Naval Air Squadron Grumman Avenger from HMS ''Victorious'', located and scored the first bomb hit on the Japanese

escort carrier The escort carrier or escort aircraft carrier (U.S. hull classification symbol CVE), also called a "jeep carrier" or "baby flattop" in the United States Navy (USN) or "Woolworth Carrier" by the Royal Navy, was a small and slower type of aircraf ...

''Kaiyo'', at

Beppu Bay is an arm of the western end of the Seto Inland Sea of Japan. Beppu Bay is located on the northeast coast of Kyushu in Ōita Prefecture. The city of Ōita, Ōita, Ōita lies on its southern coast and the city of Beppu, Ōita, Beppu at its west ...

, in

Kyūshū is the third-largest island of Japan's four main islands and the most southerly of the four largest islands (i.e. excluding Okinawa and the other Ryukyu (''Nansei'') Islands). In the past, it has been known as , and . The historical regio ...

, on 24 July 1945, which resulted in severe damage that kept the ship out of the remainder of the war. The 1st Carrier Air Group was disbanded on HMS ''Victorious'' upon the group's return to the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

, on the 8 September 1945.

1947–1951

The 1st Carrier Air Group reformed in October 1947, for the name ship of her class, . The 1st CAG was made up of

801 Naval Air Squadron 801 Naval Air Squadron (801 NAS) was a Fleet Air Arm (FAA) naval air squadron of the United Kingdom’s Royal Navy (RN) formed in 1933 which fought in World War II, the Korean War and the Falklands War. History Fleet Air Arm of the Royal A ...

, which operated the

de Havilland Sea Hornet The de Havilland DH.103 Hornet, developed by de Havilland, is a fighter aircraft driven by two piston engines. It further exploited the wooden construction techniques that had been pioneered by the de Havilland Mosquito. Development of the H ...

, twin engine, fighter aircraft, and

813 Naval Air Squadron 813 Naval Air Squadron (813 NAS), was a Fleet Air Arm (FAA) naval air squadron of the United Kingdom’s Royal Navy (RN) during World War II and again post-war. It most recently operated the Westland Wyvern between November 1956 and April 1958. ...

, which was equipped with

Blackburn Firebrand The Blackburn Firebrand was a British single-engine strike fighter for the Fleet Air Arm of the Royal Navy designed during World War II by Blackburn Aircraft. Originally intended to serve as a pure fighter aircraft, fighter, its unimpressive ...

, a British single-engine

strike fighter In current military parlance, a strike fighter is a multirole combat aircraft designed to operate both as an attack aircraft and as an air superiority fighter. As a category, it is distinct from fighter-bombers, and is closely related to the co ...

aircraft. On the 12 September 1950, the 1st CAG transferred to the , . The 1st Carrier Air Group disbanded on the 31 May 1951.

Aircraft used

Aircraft used by the naval air squadrons that formed the 1st Carrier Air Group in 1945 and between 1947-51: * Grumman Avenger, an American

* Vought Corsair, an American

fighter aircraft Fighter aircraft (early on also ''pursuit aircraft'') are military aircraft designed primarily for air-to-air combat. In military conflict, the role of fighter aircraft is to establish air supremacy, air superiority of the battlespace. Domina ...

, a

navalised A navalised aircraft (or navalized aircraft) is an aircraft that has been specifically designed for naval use, in some cases as a variant of a land-based design. An aircraft based on an aircraft carrier is called carrier-based aircraft. Characte ...

version of the

de Havilland Hornet The de Havilland DH.103 Hornet, developed by de Havilland, is a fighter aircraft driven by two piston engines. It further exploited the wooden construction techniques that had been pioneered by the de Havilland Mosquito. Development of the H ...

for service on British aircraft carriers *

, a British single-engine

Air group commanders

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 the 1st Carrier Air Group, with date of appointment: 1945 *

Commander Commander (commonly abbreviated as Cmdr.) is a common naval officer rank as well as a job title in many army, armies. Commander is also used as a rank or title in other formal organizations, including several police forces. In several countri ...

J.C.N. Shrubsole, RN, from 30 June 1945 * disbandment - 8 September 1945 1947–1951 * Lieutenant Commander D.B. Law, , RN, from 3 November 1948 * Lieutenant Commander S.G. Orr, , RN, from 21 November 1949 * disbandment - 31 May 1951

References

Citations

Bibliography

* * * {{Refend Fleet Air Arm groups Military units and formations established in 1945