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816 Naval Air Squadron
816 Naval Air Squadron (816 NAS), also called 816 Squadron, was a Fleet Air Arm (FAA) naval air squadron of the United Kingdom’s Royal Navy (RN) which last operated the Fairey Firefly FR.I fighter and reconnaissance aircraft within the Royal Navy and last embarked in the Colossus-class light fleet carrier HMS Ocean.
It was first formed in March 1939, aboard the carrier HMS Furious, to support anti-submarine and strike missions for North Atlantic convoys. It conducted the first aerial torpedo attack of the war during the Norwegian Campaign in April 1940. An attack on the German battlecruiser Scharnhorst was attempted in September 1940, and on the squadron joined RAF Coastal Command in March 1941 for operations along the Dutch and French coasts. The squadron re-embarked on HMS Furious in June 1941 to provide anti-submarine cover while RAF aircraft were sent to Malta. On the return trip, it transferred to HMS Ark Royal and stayed with her until she sank in November 1941
It was reformed in February 1942, in Palisadoes, Jamaica, as a TBR squadron that joined HMS Avenger to escort a convoy from the USA to the UK. The squadron joined HMS Dasher in February 1943 for Arctic convoy escort but faced heavy losses when the ship exploded in March 1943, during exercises in the Firth of Clyde. It regrouped at RNAS Machrihanish with new aircraft and by May 1943 was able to target German shipping in the English Channel. Later the squadron then embarked on HMS Tracker for North Atlantic convoys. In March, an aircraft assisted the destroyer HMS Onslaught in sinking a German U-boat, followed by further operations in the days that followed.
It took part in operations in the English Channel to support the Normandy landings. Disbanded at RAF Perranporth in August 1944, it reformed at RNAS Lee-on-Solent in February 1945, as a torpedo bomber reconnaissance squadron on a light fleet carrier and stayed active until 1948.
In 1948 it was re-formed as 816 Squadron RAN a Royal Australian Navy, Fleet Air Arm (RAN) squadron with Fairey Firefly and embarked on HMAS Sydney.
816 Naval Air Squadron was established on 3 October 1939, aboard the Courageous-class battlecruiser, converted to an aircraft carrier, HMS Furious, equipped with nine Fairey Swordfish biplane torpedo bombers. Its primary mission was to deliver anti-submarine warfare capabilities and strike support for convoys traversing the North Atlantic.
In April 1940, the vessel participated in military operations aimed at defending Norway. Notably, on 11 April, it executed the first airborne torpedo assault of the conflict, as eighteen aircraft from 816 and 818 Naval Air Squadrons targeted two Destroyers located in Trondheim Fjord.
The squadron initiated its transition to floatplanes in May; however, the evacuation of France necessitated a revision of this strategy. It temporarily conducted operations from Jersey Airport, also known as RNAS Jersey. On 4 June, nine Fairey Swordfish aircraft from the Torpedo, Bomber, and Reconnaissance Squadron arrived from RNAS Ford (HMS Peregrine), Sussex, for a week of operations, remaining until 11.
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816 Naval Air Squadron
816 Naval Air Squadron (816 NAS), also called 816 Squadron, was a Fleet Air Arm (FAA) naval air squadron of the United Kingdom’s Royal Navy (RN) which last operated the Fairey Firefly FR.I fighter and reconnaissance aircraft within the Royal Navy and last embarked in the Colossus-class light fleet carrier HMS Ocean.
It was first formed in March 1939, aboard the carrier HMS Furious, to support anti-submarine and strike missions for North Atlantic convoys. It conducted the first aerial torpedo attack of the war during the Norwegian Campaign in April 1940. An attack on the German battlecruiser Scharnhorst was attempted in September 1940, and on the squadron joined RAF Coastal Command in March 1941 for operations along the Dutch and French coasts. The squadron re-embarked on HMS Furious in June 1941 to provide anti-submarine cover while RAF aircraft were sent to Malta. On the return trip, it transferred to HMS Ark Royal and stayed with her until she sank in November 1941
It was reformed in February 1942, in Palisadoes, Jamaica, as a TBR squadron that joined HMS Avenger to escort a convoy from the USA to the UK. The squadron joined HMS Dasher in February 1943 for Arctic convoy escort but faced heavy losses when the ship exploded in March 1943, during exercises in the Firth of Clyde. It regrouped at RNAS Machrihanish with new aircraft and by May 1943 was able to target German shipping in the English Channel. Later the squadron then embarked on HMS Tracker for North Atlantic convoys. In March, an aircraft assisted the destroyer HMS Onslaught in sinking a German U-boat, followed by further operations in the days that followed.
It took part in operations in the English Channel to support the Normandy landings. Disbanded at RAF Perranporth in August 1944, it reformed at RNAS Lee-on-Solent in February 1945, as a torpedo bomber reconnaissance squadron on a light fleet carrier and stayed active until 1948.
In 1948 it was re-formed as 816 Squadron RAN a Royal Australian Navy, Fleet Air Arm (RAN) squadron with Fairey Firefly and embarked on HMAS Sydney.
816 Naval Air Squadron was established on 3 October 1939, aboard the Courageous-class battlecruiser, converted to an aircraft carrier, HMS Furious, equipped with nine Fairey Swordfish biplane torpedo bombers. Its primary mission was to deliver anti-submarine warfare capabilities and strike support for convoys traversing the North Atlantic.
In April 1940, the vessel participated in military operations aimed at defending Norway. Notably, on 11 April, it executed the first airborne torpedo assault of the conflict, as eighteen aircraft from 816 and 818 Naval Air Squadrons targeted two Destroyers located in Trondheim Fjord.
The squadron initiated its transition to floatplanes in May; however, the evacuation of France necessitated a revision of this strategy. It temporarily conducted operations from Jersey Airport, also known as RNAS Jersey. On 4 June, nine Fairey Swordfish aircraft from the Torpedo, Bomber, and Reconnaissance Squadron arrived from RNAS Ford (HMS Peregrine), Sussex, for a week of operations, remaining until 11.