808 Naval Air Squadron is a ship-based helicopter squadron of the

Royal Australian Navy The Royal Australian Navy (RAN) is the navy, naval branch of the Australian Defence Force (ADF). The professional head of the RAN is Chief of Navy (Australia), Chief of Navy (CN) Vice admiral (Australia), Vice Admiral Mark Hammond (admiral), Ma ...

. 808 Naval Air Squadron (808 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 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). Originally established as a fleet fighter squadron at HMS ''Kestrel'', RNAS Worthy Down, in July 1940, it subsequently relocated to RAF Castletown, Caithness, in September. In October of the that year, the squadron was deployed aboard HMS ''Ark Royal'', joining Force H in the Western Mediterranean. Following the sinking of HMS ''Ark Royal'' in November 1941, the squadron was integrated into 807 Naval Air Squadron. Re-formed at HMS ''Merlin'', RNAS Donibristle, in January 1942, the squadron swiftly relocated to HMS ''Vulture'', RNAS St Merryn, HMS ''Heron'', RNAS Yeovilton and HMS ''Gadwall'', RNAS Belfast, before boarding the escort carrier HMS ''Biter'' in September but disembarking at HMS ''Blackcap'', RNAS Stretton. In December 1942, Supermarine Seafire aircraft were introduced, followed by a series of relocations to various shore bases, before briefly operating from HMS ''Battler'' in April 1943. Between May and June 1943 a detachment of four aircraft was deployed aboard HMS ''Battler'' as 'A' Flight to escort a convoy to Gibraltar. The squadron was then deployed on the carrier for operations in the Mediterranean in July 1943, supporting the Salerno landings. Upon returning home the squadron was assigned to the 3rd Naval Fighter Wing. It was later deployed from HMS ''Daedalus'', RNAS Lee-on-Solent, serving with the 2nd Tactical Air Force before, during, and following the Normandy landings. It re-equipped with Grumman Hellcat fighters in October 1944 and the unit embarked on the escort carrier HMS ''Khedive'' in January 1945 to join the Royal Navy's East Indies Fleet in April. It conducted operations off the coasts of Malaya and Sumatra and six aircraft were detached to HMS ''Emperor'', providing air support for the liberation of Rangoon. The unit later targeted airfields in Sumatra and was present during the Japanese surrender in Malaya. It was disbanded in December 1945. It was re-formed in 1950 as 808 Squadron RAN, a carrier-based attack squadron of the Royal Australian Navy's Fleet Air Arm, and saw action during the Korean War before disbanding again in 1958. It was re-formed in 2011 to operate the MRH-90 Taipan helicopter.

History

Royal Navy

Fleet fighter squadron (1940-1941)

808 Naval Air Squadron was formed at RNAS Worthy Down (HMS ''Kestrel''), Hampshire, on 1 July 1940, flying twelve

Fairey Fulmar The Fairey Fulmar is a British carrier-borne reconnaissance aircraft/fighter aircraft which was developed and manufactured by aircraft company Fairey Aviation. It was named after the northern fulmar, a seabird native to the British Isles. The ...

reconnaissance/fighter aircraft, in the role of a Fleet Fighter squadron, under the command of Lieutenant H.E.R. Torin, RN.

= Battle of Britain

= They were initially assigned to the

Isle of Man The Isle of Man ( , also ), or Mann ( ), is a self-governing British Crown Dependency in the Irish Sea, between Great Britain and Ireland. As head of state, Charles III holds the title Lord of Mann and is represented by a Lieutenant Govern ...

to carry out patrols over the

Irish Sea The Irish Sea is a body of water that separates the islands of Ireland and Great Britain. It is linked to the Celtic Sea in the south by St George's Channel and to the Inner Seas off the West Coast of Scotland in the north by the North Ch ...

, but were soon transferred to

Wick Wick most often refers to: * Capillary action ("wicking") ** Candle wick, the cord used in a candle or oil lamp ** Solder wick, a copper-braided wire used to desolder electronic contacts Wick or WICK may also refer to: Places and placenames ...

for the defence of the dockyards, the safeguarding the Royal Navy's primary operational base during wartime at

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 ...

. Following this, the squadron was reassigned to

RAF Fighter Command RAF Fighter Command was one of the commands of the Royal Air Force. It was formed in 1936 to allow more specialised control of fighter aircraft. It operated throughout the Second World War, winning fame during the Battle of Britain in 1940. The ...

and was one of only two Allied naval aviation squadrons to take part in the

Battle of Britain The Battle of Britain () was a military campaign of the Second World War, in which the Royal Air Force (RAF) and the Fleet Air Arm (FAA) of the Royal Navy defended the United Kingdom (UK) against large-scale attacks by Nazi Germany's air force ...

, the other being 804 Naval Air Squadron.

= Ark Royal

= In September 1940, the squadron was assigned 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 part of the Royal Navy formation,

Force H Force H was a British naval formation during the Second World War. It was formed in late-June 1940, to replace French naval power in the western Mediterranean removed by the French armistice with Nazi Germany. The force occupied an odd place ...

, operating in the

Mediterranean The Mediterranean Sea ( ) is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the east by the Levant in West Asia, on the north by Anatolia in West Asia and Southern ...

. The squadron shot down two enemy aircraft in an attack on

Sardinia Sardinia ( ; ; ) is the Mediterranean islands#By area, second-largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, after Sicily, and one of the Regions of Italy, twenty regions of Italy. It is located west of the Italian Peninsula, north of Tunisia an ...

in November, followed by another two in operations over

Sicily Sicily (Italian language, Italian and ), officially the Sicilian Region (), is an island in the central Mediterranean Sea, south of the Italian Peninsula in continental Europe and is one of the 20 regions of Italy, regions of Italy. With 4. ...

in January 1941, and a fifth while defending

Malta Malta, officially the Republic of Malta, is an island country in Southern Europe located in the Mediterranean Sea, between Sicily and North Africa. It consists of an archipelago south of Italy, east of Tunisia, and north of Libya. The two ...

in May. The carrier was reassigned to the

Atlantic The Atlantic Ocean is the second largest of the world's five oceanic divisions, with an area of about . It covers approximately 17% of Earth's surface and about 24% of its water surface area. During the Age of Discovery, it was known for se ...

in late May, as part of the hunt for the . Following the successful sinking of the ''Bismarck'', the carrier returned to the Mediterranean, with

807 __NOTOC__ Year 807 ( DCCCVII) was a common year starting on Friday of the Julian calendar, the 807th year of the Common Era (CE) and Anno Domini (AD) designations, the 807th year of the 1st millennium, the 7th year of the 9th century, and the ...

and 808 Squadrons claiming fifteen aerial kills during July and August. 808 Squadron was embarked when ''Ark Royal'' was torpedoed and sunk by the on 13 November 1941. Although all of the squadron personnel survived the sinking, many of the aircraft were lost in the attack: the surviving aircraft were flown from ''Ark Royal'' before the carrier sank and on arrival 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 ...

were merged with the survivors of 807 Naval Air Squadron, which had also been embarked.

Fleet fighter squadron (1942-1945)

808 Naval Air Squadron reformed at RNAS Donibristle (HMS ''Merlin''),

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 ...

, on 1 January 1942, with six Fairey Fulmar Mk II aircraft, the squadron rapidly relocated to RNAS St Merryn (HMS ''Vulture''), Cornwall, RNAS Yeovilton (HMS ''Heron''), Somerset and RNAS Belfast (HMS ''Gadwall''), County Antrim, before boarding the

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 ...

in September, subsequently disembarking at RNAS Stretton (HMS ''Blackcap''), Cheshire.

= Convoy protection

= In December 1942, nine

Supermarine Seafire The Supermarine Seafire is a naval version of the Supermarine Spitfire fighter adapted for operation from aircraft carriers. It was analogous in concept to the Hawker Hurricane variants#Sea Hurricanes, Hawker Sea Hurricane, a navalised aircraft ...

L Mk.IIc fighter aircraft were introduced, followed by a series of relocations to various shore bases, including RNAS Charlton Horethorne (HMS ''Heron'' II), Somerset, RAF Peterhead, Aberdeenshire, RNAS Machrihanish (HMS ''Landrail''), Argyll and Bute and RNAS St Merryn (HMS ''Vulture''), before briefly operating from the , in April 1943. Between May and June 1943, while stationed at RNAS Yeovilton and later

RAF Turnhouse Royal Air Force Turnhouse, or more simply RAF Turnhouse, is a former Royal Air Force Sector Station located in Edinburgh, Scotland. It is now Edinburgh Airport. History A landing ground was first established at Turnhouse in 1915. The airfield ...

, Edinburgh, a detachment of four aircraft was deployed aboard HMS ''Battler'' as 'A' Flight to escort a convoy to Gibraltar. The purpose was to offer protection for convoy OS.49/KMS.16, which departed from

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 ...

on 4 June. On 10 June, two Supermarine Seafire aircraft from 808 'A' Flight were lost. During the return journey to the United Kingdom, HMS ''Battler'' served as an extra escort for convoy XK.9, which left Gibraltar on 22 June. This convoy attracted increased attention from the ''

Luftwaffe The Luftwaffe () was the aerial warfare, aerial-warfare branch of the before and during World War II. German Empire, Germany's military air arms during World War I, the of the Imperial German Army, Imperial Army and the of the Imperial Ge ...

'', resulting in two Supermarine Seafire fighters from 808 'A' Flight downing a

Focke-Wulf Fw 200 Condor The Focke-Wulf Fw 200 ''Condor'', also known as ''Kurier'' (German for ''courier'') to the Allies, is an all-metal four-engined monoplane designed and produced by the German aircraft manufacturer Focke-Wulf. It was the first heavier-than-air craf ...

on 22 June. The entire squadron was then deployed on the carrier for operations in the Mediterranean in July 1943, supporting the Salerno landings. Upon returning home in

sister ship A sister ship is a ship of the same Ship class, class or of virtually identical design to another ship. Such vessels share a nearly identical hull and superstructure layout, similar size, and roughly comparable features and equipment. They o ...

, the squadron integrated into the 3rd Naval Fighter Wing, focusing on training for close support operations at RNAS Burscough (HMS ''Ringtail''),

Lancashire Lancashire ( , ; abbreviated ''Lancs'') is a ceremonial county in North West England. It is bordered by Cumbria to the north, North Yorkshire and West Yorkshire to the east, Greater Manchester and Merseyside to the south, and the Irish Sea to ...

= D-Day

= The Squadron was re-equipped in May 1944 at RNAS Lee-on-Solent (HMS ''Daedalus'') with 20

L Mk.III. At the same time, they were attached to No. 345 Reconnaissance Wing of the Royal Air Force

Second Tactical Air Force The Second Tactical Air Force (2TAF) was one of three tactical air forces within the Royal Air Force (RAF) during and after the Second World War. It was made up of squadrons and personnel from the RAF, other British Commonwealth air forces, and ...

. While part of this wing, 808 Naval Air Squadron, along with three other FAA squadrons (

885 Year 885 ( DCCCLXXXV) was a common year starting on Friday of the Julian calendar. Events By place Europe * Summer – Emperor Charles the Fat summons a meeting of officials at Lobith (modern Netherlands), and accuses Hugh, an ...

886 __NOTOC__ Year 886 (Roman numerals, DCCCLXXXVI) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Julian calendar. Events By place Byzantine Empire * March – A wide-ranging conspiracy against Emperor Basil I, led by John Kourkouas (9t ...

and

897 Naval Air Squadron 897 Naval Air Squadron (897 NAS), sometimes expressed as 897 Squadron, was a Fleet Air Arm (FAA) naval air squadron of the United Kingdom’s Royal Navy (RN). It most recently operated Hawker Sea Hawk between November 1955 and January 1957. Est ...

s) and also two RAF squadrons ( 26 and 63 Squadrons), plus the

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 ...

(USN) artillery observation aircraft squadron VCS-7, flying

Supermarine Spitfire The Supermarine Spitfire is a British single-seat fighter aircraft that was used by the Royal Air Force and other Allies of World War II, Allied countries before, during, and after World War II. It was the only British fighter produced conti ...

Mk Vb fighters, provided valuable target coordinates and fire control for RN and USN

battleship A battleship is a large, heavily naval armour, armored warship with a main battery consisting of large naval gun, guns, designed to serve as a capital ship. From their advent in the late 1880s, battleships were among the largest and most form ...

s and

cruiser A cruiser is a type of warship. Modern cruisers are generally the largest ships in a fleet after aircraft carriers and amphibious assault ships, and can usually perform several operational roles from search-and-destroy to ocean escort to sea ...

s, during 20 days of operations during the

Normandy Landings The Normandy landings were the landing operations and associated airborne operations on 6 June 1944 of the Allies of World War II, Allied invasion of Normandy in Operation Overlord during the Second World War. Codenamed Operation Neptune and ...

. On D-Day, "pooling" of the spotting units' aircraft meant that all units flew either Spitfires or Seafires.Naval Aviation News May–June 1994, p.32. This role of "spotters" lasted until 26 June, by which time the fighting was too far inland to be covered by the ship's guns.

= East Indies fleet

= The squadron relocated to RNAS Ballyhalbert,

County Down County Down () is one of the six counties of Northern Ireland, one of the nine counties of Ulster and one of the traditional thirty-two counties of Ireland. It covers an area of and has a population of 552,261. It borders County Antrim to the ...

, where it underwent re-equipment with twenty-four Grumman Hellcat fighter aircraft in October. 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 aircraft, these were the F6F-3, which had the

Pratt & Whitney R-2800 Double Wasp The Pratt & Whitney R-2800 Double Wasp is an American twin-row, 18-cylinder, air-cooled radial aircraft engine with a displacement of , and is part of the long-lived Wasp family of engines. The R-2800 saw widespread use in many important ...

engine and the F6F-5 with the R-2800-10W engine, designated Hellcat F. Mk. I and F. Mk. II respectively by the Fleet Air Arm. In January 1945, it embarked in the , and proceeded to integrate into the East Indies Fleet, with the squadron disembarking to RNAS Katukurunda (HMS ''Ukussa''),

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 the 7 February. In April, aerial patrols, reconnaissance, and maritime assaults were conducted during operations near Malaya and

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 list of islands by area, sixth-largest island in the world at 482,286.55 km2 (182,812 mi. ...

, with four aircraft temporarily deployed on sister ship for a strike mission. During Operation Sunfish, 808 Naval Air Squadron, operating from HMS ''Khedive'', accomplished a total of one hundred and thirteen sorties, of which eighty-two were expedited, accumulating a total of 203 hours and 49 minutes of flight time. The detachment aboard HMS ''Emperor'' logged 52 hours and 35 minutes of flight time. The squadron experienced losses of four Grumman Hellcats due to deck mishaps, resulting in the fatalities of two pilots. In terms of enemy losses, four aircraft were destroyed in aerial engagements, with one additional aircraft classified as probable and two others sustaining damage. Furthermore, five enemy aircraft were reported damaged on the ground. In May, aerial support was rendered for

Operation Dracula Operation Dracula was a World War II-airborne and amphibious attack on Rangoon by British and Anglo-Indian forces during the Burma Campaign. The plan was first proposed in mid-1944 when the Allied South East Asia Command was preparing to reoccup ...

, which aimed at the liberation of

Rangoon Yangon, formerly romanized as Rangoon, is the capital of the Yangon Region and the largest city of Myanmar. Yangon was the List of capitals of Myanmar, capital of Myanmar until 2005 and served as such until 2006, when the State Peace and Dev ...

(now Yangon),

Burma Myanmar, officially the Republic of the Union of Myanmar; and also referred to as Burma (the official English name until 1989), is a country in northwest Southeast Asia. It is the largest country by area in Mainland Southeast Asia and ha ...

(now Myanmar). Between April 25 and May 6, the squadron conducted seventy-five sorties, accumulating a total of 110 hours and 35 minutes of flight time. Of these, thirty-two sorties were initiated using the ship’s catapult. The squadron suffered losses on the 25 April, including the death of one pilot and the destruction of three Grumman Hellcat aircraft. A comparable operation was conducted during anti-shipping assaults in the

Andaman Sea The Andaman Sea (historically also known as the Burma Sea) is a marginal sea of the northeastern Indian Ocean bounded by the coastlines of Myanmar and Thailand along the Gulf of Martaban and the west side of the Malay Peninsula, and separated f ...

, which was succeeded in June by attacks on airfields in Sumatra. During the air strikes on the

Andaman Islands The Andaman Islands () are an archipelago, made up of 200 islands, in the northeastern Indian Ocean about southwest off the coasts of Myanmar's Ayeyarwady Region. Together with the Nicobar Islands to their south, the Andamans serve as a mari ...

, HMS ''Emperor'' deployed four Grumman Hellcats, each equipped with eight 60lb rockets, to locate and engage the SS ''Kuroshyio Maru''. Additionally, six more Grumman Hellcats from HMS ''Khedive'' were dispatched to target the airfield at

Lhokseumawe Lhokseumawe (; , Jawi script, Jawoë: ), is the second largest city (by population, after Bandar Aceh, Banda Aceh) in Aceh province, Indonesia, having recently overtaken Langsa. The city covers an area of 181.06 square kilometres, and had a popu ...

in Northern Sumatra. Operation Balsam followed which involved additional assaults on airfields in Sumatra, specifically targeting the facilities at Lhoksemawe,

Medan Medan ( , ) is the capital city, capital and largest city of the Indonesian Provinces of Indonesia, province of North Sumatra. The nearby Strait of Malacca, Port of Belawan, and Kualanamu International Airport make Medan a regional hub and multi ...

, and

Binjai Binjai (English: or , Jawi script, Jawi: ), formally Kota Binjai (Binjai City), is an independent city in the North Sumatra province of Indonesia, bordered by Deli Serdang Regency to the east and Langkat Regency to the west. Binjai is connected ...

on the 20, utilising the Grumman Hellcats from the 808 Naval Air Squadron amongst others. Subsequent to

V-J 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 wh ...

, support was rendered throughout the occupation of Malaya, later, aircraft landed at RNARY Coimbatore (HMS ''Garuda''), Ceylon and personnel only travelled aboard HMS ''Khedive'' to the United Kingdom, where the squadron was officially disbanded upon its arrival on 5 December.

Royal Australian Navy

808 Squadron was re-formed on 25 April 1950 at RNAS St Merryn, equipped with Hawker Sea Furies and assigned to operate with the

. The squadron was embarked aboard HMAS ''Sydney'' as part of the 21st Carrier Air Group. 808 Squadron was one of three RAN squadrons embarked aboard ''Sydney'' during her deployment to the Korean War. 808 Squadron's tour of Korea primarily consisted of combat air patrols, ground attack support, armed reconnaissance, and anti-shipping strikes. In 1954, the squadron was decommissioned, but was re-formed a year later, equipped with de Havilland Sea Venom FAW.53s, and assigned to the new Australian carrier, HMAS ''Melbourne''. 808 Squadron remained in service for three years, and was finally decommissioned on 1 December 1958. 808 Squadron re-formed in 2011 to operate the RAN's six MRH90 helicopters. The squadron was formally recommissioned on 11 July 2013. In April 2022, the RAN ceased flying the MRH90 and the fleet was placed into storage. After the MRH90 were retired, 808 Squadron was re-rolled to operate MH-60R Seahawk helicopters.

Aircraft flown

The squadron has flown a number of different aircraft types.

Royal Navy

List of aircraft, variants and dates used: *

Mk.I

reconnaissance In military operations, military reconnaissance () or scouting is the exploration of an area by military forces to obtain information about enemy forces, the terrain, and civil activities in the area of operations. In military jargon, reconnai ...

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 ...

(July 1940 - August 1941) * Fairey Fulmar Mk.II reconnaissance/fighter aircraft ( - November 1941, January - November 1942) *

Mk Vb/ hooked fighter aircraft (December 1942 - April 1943) *

L Mk.IIc fighter aircraft (December 1942 - May 1944) * Supermarine Spitfire Mk Vb fighter aircraft (February - May 1944) * Supermarine Spitfire PR Mk XIII

photo-reconnaissance Aerial reconnaissance is reconnaissance for a military or strategic purpose that is conducted using reconnaissance aircraft. The role of reconnaissance can fulfil a variety of requirements including artillery spotting, the collection of imag ...

aircraft (March 1944) * Supermarine Spitfire L Mk Vb fighter aircraft (May - July 1944) * Supermarine Seafire L Mk.III fighter aircraft (June - October 1944) * Grumman Hellcat F. Mk. I fighter aircraft (October 1944 - March 1945) * Grumman Hellcat F. Mk. II fighter aircraft (October 1944 - November 1945)

Royal Australian Navy

Helicopters (2010s)

* MRH90

Korean War (1950s)

* Hawker Sea Fury Mk II * de Havilland Sea Venom FAW.53

Battle honours

The Royal Navy

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 ...

awarded to 808 Naval Air Squadron are: * Mediterranean 1940-41 * Spartivento 1940 * "''Bismarck''" 1941 * Malta Convoys 1941 * Atlantic 1943 * Salerno 1943 * Normandy 1944 * Burma 1945 * East Indies 1945

Assignments

808 Naval Air Squadron was assigned as needed to form part of a number of larger units: * 3rd Naval Fighter Wing (25 October 1943 - 9 December 1945)

Naval air stations

808 Naval Air Squadron was active at various naval air stations of the Royal Navy and Royal Air Force stations, both within the United Kingdom and internationally. Additionally, it operated from a Royal Navy fleet and several escort carriers, as well as other airbases located abroad.

World War Two air stations and aircraft carriers

List of air stations and aircraft carriers used by 808 Naval Air Squadron during World War two including dates: HMS Battler FL1588

1940 - 1941 * Royal Naval Air Station Worthy Down (HMS ''Kestrel'') (1 July - 5 September 1940) * Royal Air Force Castletown (5 September - 2 October 1940) * Royal Naval Air Station Donibristle (HMS ''Merlin'') (2 - 31 October 1940) * (31 October - 13 November 1940) * ship sunk - (13 November 1941) 1942 - 1945 * Royal Naval Air Station Donibristle (HMS ''Merlin'') (1 January - 17 March 1942) * Royal Naval Air Station St Merryn (HMS ''Vulture'') (17 March - 18 April 1942) * Royal Naval Air Station Yeovilton (HMS ''Heron'') (18 April - 30 May 1942) * Royal Naval Air Station Belfast (HMS ''Gadwall'') (30 May - 2 September 1942) * (2 - 29 September 1942) * Royal Naval Air Station Stretton (HMS ''Blackcap'') (29 September - 16 October 1942) * Royal Air Force Andreas (16 - 20 October 1942) * Royal Air Force Peterhead (20 - 24 October 1942) * Royal Naval Air Station Machrihanish (HMS ''Landrail'') (24 October - 20 November 1942) * Royal Naval Air Station Stretton (HMS ''Blackcap'') (20 November - 11 December 1942) * Royal Naval Air Station Charlton Horethorne (HMS ''Heron'' II) (11 December 1942 - 8 January 1943) * Royal Naval Air Station St Merryn (HMS ''Vulture'') (8 January - 9 September 1943) * Royal Naval Air Station Machrihanish (HMS ''Landrail'') (9 February - 10 April 1943) * (10 April - 7 May 1943) * Royal Naval Air Station Donibristle (HMS ''Merlin'') (7 - 20 May 1943) ** HMS ''Battler'' (Detachment three aircraft 7 - 11 May 1943) * Royal Naval Air Station Yeovilton (HMS ''Heron'') (20 May - 14 June 1943) ** HMS ''Battler'' (Detachment four aircraft 6 - 29 June 1943) * Royal Air Force Turnhouse (14 June - 20 July 1943) * Royal Air Force Andover (20 - 30 July 1943) * HMS ''Battler'' (30 July - 29 August 1943) * Royal Naval Air Station Machrihanish (HMS ''Landrail'') (29 - 30 August 1943) * HMS ''Battler'' (30 August - 17 September 1943) ** Paestum Airfield (Detachment 12 - 17 September 1943) * (17 - 23 September 1943) * RN Air Section Gibraltar (23 September - 1 October 1943) * HMS ''Hunter'' (1 - 6 October 1943) * Royal Naval Air Station Burscough (HMS ''Ringtail'') (6 October 1943 - 21 January 1944) * HMS ''Hunter'' (21 January - 25 February 1944) * Royal Naval Air Station Lee-on-Solent (HMS ''Daedalus'') (25 February - 7 March 1944) * Royal Naval Air Station Henstridge (HMS ''Dipper'') (7 - 31 March 1944) * Royal Naval Air Station St Merryn (HMS ''Vulture'') (31 March - 11 April 1944) * Royal Naval Air Station Henstridge (HMS ''Dipper'') (11 - 22 April 1944) * Royal Air Force Dundonald (22 April - 6 May 1944) * Royal Naval Air Station Ayr (HMS ''Wagtail'') (6 - 14 May 1944) * Royal Naval Air Station Lee-on-Solent (HMS ''Daedalus'') (14 May - 4 August 1944) * Royal Naval Air Station Ayr (HMS ''Wagtail'') (4 -9 August 1944) * Royal Naval Air Station Ballyhalbert (9 August - 1 September 1944) ** Royal Naval Air Station Kirkistown (Aerodrome Dummy Deck Landings (ADDLs) 21 August 1944) * Royal Air Force Hawarden (1 - 25 September 1944) * Royal Air Force Boulmer (25 - 26 September 1944) * Royal Naval Air Station Eglinton (HMS ''Gannet'') (26 - 28 September 1944) * Royal Air Force Hawarden (28 September - 12 October 1944) * Royal Naval Air Station Ballyhalbert (12 October 1944 - 4 January 1945) * (Deck Landing Training (DLT) (4 - 5 January 1945) * (5 January - 7 February 1945) * Royal Naval Air Station Katukurunda (HMS ''Ukussa'') (7 February - 16 March 1945) * HMS ''Khedive'' (16 March - 5 April 1945) * Royal Naval Air Station Trincomalee (HMS ''Bambara'') (5 -6 April 1945) * HMS ''Khedive'' (6 - 21 April 1945) ** (Detachment four aircraft 4 - 20 April 1945) * Royal Naval Air Station Colombo Racecourse (HMS ''Berhunda'') (21 - 23 April 1945) * HMS ''Khedive'' (23 April - 19 May 1945) * Royal Naval Air Station Colombo Racecourse (HMS Berhunda) (19 May - 14 June 1945) * HMS ''Khedive'' (14 - 23 June 1945) * Royal Naval Air Station Trincomalee (HMS ''Bambara'') (23 June - 11 July 1945) * HMS ''Khedive'' (11 - 21 July 1945) * Royal Naval Air Station Puttalam (HMS ''Rajaliya'') (21 July - 5 August 1945) * HMS ''Khedive'' (5 August - 18 September 1945) * Royal Naval Aircraft Repair Yard Coimbatore (HMS ''Garuda'') (18 September - 8 November 1945) * HMS ''Khedive'' (crews) (8 November - 5 December 1945) * disbanded UK - (5 December 1945)

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 808 Naval Air Squadron: 1940 - 1941 *

Lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a Junior officer, junior commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations, as well as fire services, emergency medical services, Security agency, security services ...

H.E.R. Torin, RN, from 1 July 1940 * Lieutenant Commander R.C. Tillard, RN, from 20 July 1940 ( KiA 8 May 1941) * Lieutenant Commander E.D.G. Lewin, , RN, from 31 May 1941 * disbanded - 13 November 1941 1942 - 1945 * Lieutenant C.P. Campbell-Horsfall, RN, from 1 January 1942 * Lieutenant Commander(A) A.C. Wallace,

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 17 March 1943 * Lieutenant Commander(A) J.F. Rankin, DSC, RN, from 25 October 1943 * Lieutenant Commander(A) O.F. Wheatley, RNVR, 20 May 1945 (KiA 20 June 1945) * Lieutenant Commander(A) R.F. Bryant, RN, from 25 June 1945 * disbanded - 5 December 1945 Note: Abbreviation (A) signifies Air Branch of the RN or RNVR.

References

Citations

Bibliography

* * Hill, Steven D. "Invasion! Fortress Europe: Naval aviation in France, summer 1944" ''Naval Aviation News May–June 1994.'' * Price, Alfred. ''Spitfire a Complete Fighting History''. Enderby, Leicester, UK:The Promotional Reprint Company Limited, 1991. * *

External links

*
808 Squadron webpage at the Royal Australian Navy website
{{Use dmy dates, date=June 2017 800 series Fleet Air Arm squadrons Air squadrons of the Royal Navy in World War II Military units and formations established in 1940 Flying squadrons of the Royal Australian Navy Military units and formations of Australia in the Korean War

History

Royal Navy

Fleet fighter squadron (1940-1941)

= Battle of Britain

= Ark Royal

Fleet fighter squadron (1942-1945)

= Convoy protection

= D-Day

= East Indies fleet

Royal Australian Navy

Aircraft flown

Royal Navy

Royal Australian Navy

Helicopters (2010s)

Korean War (1950s)

Battle honours

Assignments

Naval air stations

World War Two air stations and aircraft carriers

Commanding officers

See also

References

Citations

Bibliography

External links