834 Naval Air Squadron (834 NAS) 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 A ...

of the Royal Navy's

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 ...

. The squadron was formed in

Jamaica Jamaica is an island country in the Caribbean Sea and the West Indies. At , it is the third-largest island—after Cuba and Hispaniola—of the Greater Antilles and the Caribbean. Jamaica lies about south of Cuba, west of Hispaniola (the is ...

in December 1941 as a

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 ...

squadron equipped with

Fairey Swordfish The Fairey Swordfish is a retired 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 a ...

aircraft. The squadron was embarked on

HMS Archer Seven ships of the Royal Navy have been named HMS ''Archer'', named after a person proficient in archery - an archer: * was a 12-gun gun-brig launched in 1801 and sold in 1815. * was a wood screw sloop launched in 1849 and broken up in 1866. * ...

from March 1942 to February 1943 and involved in convoy escorted duties in the Atlantic and Mediterranean. 834 NAS then joined No. 19 Group RAF Coastal Command for duties in the

English Channel The English Channel, also known as the Channel, is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean that separates Southern England from northern France. It links to the southern part of the North Sea by the Strait of Dover at its northeastern end. It is the busi ...

. In June a flight of

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 ...

s was formed and the next month the squadron was embarked on HMS Hunter. The squadron took part in the

Salerno landings Operation Avalanche was the codename for the Allied landings near the port of Salerno, executed on 9 September 1943, part of the Allied invasion of Italy during World War II. The Italians withdrew from the war the day before the invasion, but ...

in September, before being transferred to HMS Battler to provide convoy escort duties in the Indian Ocean. 834 NAS received a further flight of 6 Wildcat Vs in April 1944 and the Seafire flight was disbanded in July. The squadron returned to the UK in November 1944 and was disbanded in December. 834 NAS contained a number of New Zealanders seconded from the

Royal New Zealand Naval Volunteer Reserve The Royal New Zealand Naval Volunteer Reserve (RNZNVR) is the volunteer reserve force of the Royal New Zealand Navy (RNZN). History Early history The first Naval Volunteer Force (New Zealand), Volunteer units were formed in Auckland and Nels ...

who served as pilots and, at one point, the squadron commander. In 1994 the designation of 834 Squadron was transferred from the Royal Navy to the

Royal New Zealand Navy The Royal New Zealand Navy (RNZN; ) is the maritime arm of the New Zealand Defence Force. The fleet currently consists of eight ships. The Navy had its origins in the Naval Defence Act 1913, and the subsequent acquisition of the cruiser , whi ...

. The

Fleet Air Arm Museum The Fleet Air Arm Museum is devoted to the history of British naval aviation. It has an extensive collection of military and civilian aircraft, aero engines, models of aircraft and Royal Navy ships (especially aircraft carriers), and paintings ...

contains a surviving Fairey Swordfish (HS618) which was operated by 834 NAS from May 1943 until it was damaged in the hangar of HMS Hunter during bad weather. It is currently painted in the colours of

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. ...

History

Torpedo, bomber, reconnaissance squadron (1941-1944)

On 12 November 1941, members of 834 Naval Air Squadron gathered at RNAS Eastleigh (HMS ''Raven''),

Hampshire Hampshire (, ; abbreviated to Hants.) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Berkshire to the north, Surrey and West Sussex to the east, the Isle of Wight across the Solent to the south, ...

, for passage to

. The squadron was then officially established at the Royal Naval Air Station at

Palisadoes Palisadoes (word apparently of Portuguese origin) is the thin tombolo of sand that serves as a natural protection for Kingston Harbour, Jamaica. Norman Manley International Airport and the historic town of Port Royal are both on Palisadoes. ...

, commissioned HMS ''Buzzard'', in

Kingston Kingston may refer to: Places * List of places called Kingston, including the six most populated: ** Kingston, Jamaica ** Kingston upon Hull, England ** City of Kingston, Victoria, Australia ** Kingston, Ontario, Canada ** Kingston upon Thames, ...

, Jamaica, on 10 December 1941, under the command of Lieutenant Commander L.C.B. Ashburner, RN, designated as a torpedo, bomber, reconnaissance (TBR) squadron and equipped with four

biplane A biplane is a fixed-wing aircraft with two main wings stacked one above the other. The first powered, controlled aeroplane to fly, the Wright Flyer, used a biplane wing arrangement, as did many aircraft in the early years of aviation. While ...

s. In March 1942, these flew to

Charleston, South Carolina Charleston is the List of municipalities in South Carolina, most populous city in the U.S. state of South Carolina. The city lies just south of the geographical midpoint of South Carolina's coastline on Charleston Harbor, an inlet of the Atla ...

, passing through

Cuba Cuba, officially the Republic of Cuba, is an island country, comprising the island of Cuba (largest island), Isla de la Juventud, and List of islands of Cuba, 4,195 islands, islets and cays surrounding the main island. It is located where the ...

Miami Miami is a East Coast of the United States, coastal city in the U.S. state of Florida and the county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade County in South Florida. It is the core of the Miami metropolitan area, which, with a populat ...

, and

Jacksonville Jacksonville ( ) is the most populous city proper in the U.S. state of Florida, located on the Atlantic coast of North Florida, northeastern Florida. It is the county seat of Duval County, Florida, Duval County, with which the City of Jacksonv ...

, where they joined the , , the inaugural escort carrier constructed in the United States. On 18 March, she departed from Charleston to accompany a rapid convoy to West Africa. Serving as an escort for convoy AS 2, she made her way to

Freetown Freetown () is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Sierra Leone. It is a major port city on the Atlantic Ocean and is located in the Western Area of the country. Freetown is Sierra Leone's major urban, economic, financial, cultural, e ...

, Sierra Leone, and ultimately arrived in

Cape Town Cape Town is the legislature, legislative capital city, capital of South Africa. It is the country's oldest city and the seat of the Parliament of South Africa. Cape Town is the country's List of municipalities in South Africa, second-largest ...

, South Africa, on 24 May. Upon her return, HMS ''Archer'' entered the

harbor A harbor (American English), or harbour (Commonwealth English; see spelling differences), is a sheltered body of water where ships, boats, and barges can be moored. The term ''harbor'' is often used interchangeably with ''port'', which is ...

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

on 15 July, where 834 Naval Air Squadron was disembarked to the RN Air Section located at USNAS

Floyd Bennett Field Floyd Bennett Field is an airfield in the Marine Park, Brooklyn, Marine Park neighborhood of southeast Brooklyn in New York City, along the shore of Jamaica Bay. The airport originally hosted commercial and general aviation traffic before bein ...

Brooklyn Brooklyn is a Boroughs of New York City, borough of New York City located at the westernmost end of Long Island in the New York (state), State of New York. Formerly an independent city, the borough is coextensive with Kings County, one of twelv ...

. The squadron was to provide

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 ...

cover for a convoy to the UK, with the introduction of Fairey Swordfish Il, the previous aircraft being phased out and then re-boarded HMS ''Archer'', which subsequently joined convoy UGF 2. This convoy departed from

Hampton Roads Hampton Roads is a body of water in the United States that serves as a wide channel for the James River, James, Nansemond River, Nansemond, and Elizabeth River (Virginia), Elizabeth rivers between Old Point Comfort and Sewell's Point near whe ...

on 2 November 1942, crossing the Atlantic and reaching Gibraltar to await convoy MKF 3. Upon arriving in the United Kingdom on 3 December, 834 Naval Air Squadron proceeded to RNAS Crail (HMS ''Jackdaw''),

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 January 1943, the fleet was expanded to include six aircraft while at RNAS Crail, before transitioning 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 ...

RAF Exeter Exeter ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and the county town of Devon in South West England. It is situated on the River Exe, approximately northeast of Plymouth and southwest of Bristol. In Roman Britain, Exeter w ...

Devon Devon ( ; historically also known as Devonshire , ) is a ceremonial county in South West England. It is bordered by the Bristol Channel to the north, Somerset and Dorset to the east, the English Channel to the south, and Cornwall to the west ...

, where they were under 19 Group, focusing on night patrols and assaults on shipping in the

. In April 1943, the squadron relocated to RNAS Machrihanish (HMS ''Landrail'') in

Argyll and Bute Argyll and Bute (; , ) is one of 32 unitary authority, unitary council areas of Scotland, council areas in Scotland and a lieutenancy areas of Scotland, lieutenancy area. The current lord-lieutenant for Argyll and Bute is Jane Margaret MacLeod ...

, where it received an additional three Fairey Swordfish aircraft. Subsequently, the squadron moved to RNAS Eglinton (HMS ''Gannet'') in

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, as well as

RAF Ballykelly Royal Air Force Ballykelly, or more simply RAF Ballykelly, is a former Royal Air Force station which opened in 1941 in Ballykelly, County Londonderry. It closed in 1971 when the site was handed over to the British Army as Shackleton Barracks. ...

in the same county. The squadron returned to RNAS Machrihanish in June 1943, at which point it incorporated six

L Mk.IIc

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 ...

to establish a dedicated fighter

flight Flight or flying is the motion (physics), motion of an Physical object, object through an atmosphere, or through the vacuum of Outer space, space, without contacting any planetary surface. This can be achieved by generating aerodynamic lift ass ...

The Royal Navy during the Second World War A21600

In July, three Fairey Swordfish were assigned to 836 Naval Air Squadron as the squadron boarded the , , for deployment to Gibraltar. Upon arrival, as part of convoy WS 33, the Fairey Swordfish contingent disembarked to function as 834Z Naval Air Squadron. During the landings at Salerno in September, the Supermarine Seafire aircraft collaborated with 899 Naval Air Squadron to deliver air defense. Subsequently, the entire squadron moved to

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 ...

, , taking with them nine Fairey Swordfish and six Supermarine Seafire aircraft, and set sail as part of Fast Convoy KMF 24. The carrier made its way to the

Aden Protectorate The Aden Protectorate ( ') was a British protectorate in southern Arabia. The protectorate evolved in the hinterland of the port of Aden and in the Hadhramaut after the conquest of Aden by the Bombay Presidency of British India in January ...

, where 834 Naval Air Squadron conducted anti-submarine patrols from RAF Riyan during October. Subsequently, they re-embarked in the carrier for

Bombay Mumbai ( ; ), also known as Bombay ( ; its official name until 1995), is the capital city of the Indian States and union territories of India, state of Maharashtra. Mumbai is the financial centre, financial capital and the list of cities i ...

, India, to assist convoys in the

Indian Ocean The Indian Ocean is the third-largest of the world's five oceanic divisions, covering or approximately 20% of the water area of Earth#Surface, Earth's surface. It is bounded by Asia to the north, Africa to the west and Australia (continent), ...

. In February 1944, an additional three aircraft were incorporated into their operations, and on 12 March, the German tanker ''Brake'' was discovered in the vicinity of

Mauritius Mauritius, officially the Republic of Mauritius, is an island country in the Indian Ocean, about off the southeastern coast of East Africa, east of Madagascar. It includes the main island (also called Mauritius), as well as Rodrigues, Ag ...

and subsequently sunk by the destroyer, . A

U-boat U-boats are Submarine#Military, naval submarines operated by Germany, including during the World War I, First and Second World Wars. The term is an Anglicization#Loanwords, anglicized form of the German word , a shortening of (), though the G ...

might have sustained damage from a rocket projectile strike. In April 1944, an additional fighter flight consisting of six

Grumman Wildcat The Grumman F4F Wildcat is an American carrier-based fighter aircraft that entered service in 1940 with the United States Navy, and the British Royal Navy where it was initially known as the Martlet. First used by the British in the North Atla ...

Mk V fighter aircraft was established 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, ...

, while the remainder of the squadron remained on land in South Africa at RN Air Section Durban (HMS ''Kongoni''), a lodger unit at South African Air Force Station Stamford Hill. Later, the primary contingent of the squadron, along with the newly formed fighter flight, reassembled in Ceylon in July 1944, coinciding with the withdrawal of the Supermarine Seafire aircraft. The squadron ensured trade security in the Indian Ocean until its disembarkation in September. In November, it relinquished its aircraft and boarded HMS ''Battler'' for the journey home, subsequently transferring to the , , at

Port Said Port Said ( , , ) is a port city that lies in the northeast Egypt extending about along the coast of the Mediterranean Sea, straddling the west bank of the northern mouth of the Suez Canal. The city is the capital city, capital of the Port S ...

, where it officially disbanded upon arrival in the UK on 6 December. Efforts to reestablish the squadron as a special operations unit at RNAS Culdrose (HMS ''Seahawk''),

Somerset Somerset ( , ), Archaism, archaically Somersetshire ( , , ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South West England. It is bordered by the Bristol Channel, Gloucestershire, and Bristol to the north, Wiltshire to the east ...

, in 1994 did not come to fruition.

Aircraft operated

The squadron has operated a number of different aircraft types:

Battle honours

The

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 834 Naval Air Squadron are: * Salerno 1943 * East Indies 1944

Naval air stations

834 Naval Air Squadron operated from a number of naval air stations of the Royal Navy, and Royal Air Force stations in the UK and overseas, and also a number of Royal Navy escort carriers and other airbases overseas: * Royal Naval Air Station Palisadoes (HMS ''Buzzard'') (10 December 1941 - 10 March 1942) * transit (10 - 18 March 1942) *

Charleston Air Force Base Charleston Air Force Base is a United States military facility located in the City of North Charleston, South Carolina. The facility is under the jurisdiction of the United States Air Force's 628th Air Base Wing (628 ABW), a subordinate elem ...

(18 -19 March 1942) * (19 March - 16 July 1942) * RN Air Section Floyd Bennett Field (16 July - 31 October 1942) * HMS ''Archer'' (31 October - 2 December 1942) * Royal Naval Air Station Crail (HMS ''Jackdaw'') (2 December 1942 - 9 February 1943) * Royal Air Force Exeter ( 19 Gp) (9 February - 21 April 1943) ** Royal Air Force Harrowbeer (Detachment three aircarft 14 - 15 April 1943) * Royal Naval Air Station Machrihanish (HMS ''Landrail'') (21 April - 30 May 1943) * Royal Naval Air Station Eglinton (HMS ''Gannet'') (30 May - 15 June 1943) * Royal Air Force Ballykelly (30 May - 15 June 1943) * Royal Naval Air Station Machrihanish (HMS ''Landrail'') (15 June - 8 July 1943) * (8 July - 15 September 1943) ** Royal Naval Air Station Machrihanish (HMS ''Landrail'') (Detachment three aircraft 7 - 13 August 1943) ** RN Air Section Gibraltar ('Z' Flight) (25 August - 15 September 1943) ** Paestum Airfield (Detachment 12 - 14 September 1943) * (15 September - 15 October 1943) * Royal Air Force Rbiyan (Lurkulla) (5 - 19 October 1943) * HMS ''Battler'' (19 October 1943 - 4 February 1944) * Royal Naval Air Station Katukurunda (HMS ''Ukussa'') (25 July - 11 August 1944) * HMS ''Battler'' (11 August - 19 September 1944) * Royal Naval Air Station Coimbatore (HMS ''Garuda'') (19 - 27 September 1944) * RN Air Section Cochin (27 - 28 September 1944) * HMS ''Battler'' (28 September - 7 October 1944) * Royal Naval Air Station Trincomalee (HMS ''Bambara'') (7 - 18 October 1944) * Royal Air Force Vavuniya (18 October - 7 November 1944) * HMS ''Battler'' (crews) (7 - 22 November 1944) * (crews) (22 November - 6 December 1944) * disbanded UK - (6 December 1944)

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 834 Naval Air Squadron: * Lieutenant Commander L.C.B. Ashburner, RN, from 12 November 1941 ( KiFA 19 November 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 ...

L.G. Wilson, RN, from 20 November 1941 * Lieutenant Commander(A) E. Dixon-Child, RN, from 21 January 1943 * Lieutenant Commander(A) D.W. Phillips, , RN, from 12 August 1944 * disbanded - 6 December 1944 Note: Abbreviation (A) signifies Air Branch of the RN or

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), ...

References

Citations

Bibliography

* * * * * {{Royal Naval Air Squadrons 800 series Fleet Air Arm squadrons Military units and formations established in 1941 Air squadrons of the Royal Navy in World War II Military units and formations of the Royal Navy in World War II Royal New Zealand Navy