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826 Naval Air Squadron
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826 Naval Air Squadron
826 Naval Air Squadron (826 NAS), sometimes known as 826 Squadron, was a Fleet Air Arm (FAA) naval air squadron of the United Kingdom’s Royal Navy (RN). It most recently operated Westland Sea King anti-submarine warfare helicopter between June 1970 and July 1993.
It formed during World War II operating Fairey Albacore, Fairey Swordfish and Fairey Barracuda torpedo bombers. Post war during the late forties the squadron flew Fairey Firefly, then briefly Grumman Avenger. The squadron transitioned to Fairey Gannet in 1955. Between 1966 and 1970 it flew Westland Wessex.
826 Naval Air Squadron was formed at RNAS Ford (HMS Peregrine), in Sussex, as a torpedo bomber squadron equipped with twelve Fairey Albacore biplanes.
After initial training it was placed under the operational control of RAF Coastal Command, flying its first mission, a daylight bombing raid against a road junction at Nieuwpoort, Belgium on 31 May 1940. The squadron continued to fly a mixture of convoy escort missions, daylight attacks against German land and sea targets and nighttime patrols against German E-boats until the Albacore was grounded on 3 July 1940 owing to the unreliability of the aircraft's Bristol Taurus engines. This resulted in the Squadron being temporarily re-equipped with the older Fairey Swordfish until the Albacore was returned to use in August.
From August to October 1940, the Squadron carried out more convoy escort patrols and raids against barges being massed by the Germans in the Channel ports in preparation for Operation Sealion. On 7 October the squadron left Coastal Command control to undertake more training in preparation for carrier-based operations. From May to October, the Squadron dropped 55.5 tons of bombs and seven tons of mines, escorted over 100 convoys. It claimed two Messerschmitt Bf 109 fighters shot down for the loss of five Albacores.
In November 1940, the squadron embarked on the newly commissioned aircraft carrier HMS Formidable, which sailed for the Mediterranean via South Africa and the Red Sea, the squadron flying attacks against Massawa in Italian-ruled Eritrea on the way.
Peter Butterworth, famous as an actor in the British Carry On film series, was flying for the squadron when he was shot down in 1940.
The squadron's strength was supplemented by two Swordfishes in March 1941 to replace losses. 826 Squadron took part in the Battle of Cape Matapan on 28 March 1941, damaging the Vittorio Veneto. On 26 May 1941, following an attack on an airfield on Karpathos, Formidable was badly damaged by German bombers, and was withdrawn from operations for repair, with 826 Squadron being detached for land-based operations.
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826 Naval Air Squadron
826 Naval Air Squadron (826 NAS), sometimes known as 826 Squadron, was a Fleet Air Arm (FAA) naval air squadron of the United Kingdom’s Royal Navy (RN). It most recently operated Westland Sea King anti-submarine warfare helicopter between June 1970 and July 1993.
It formed during World War II operating Fairey Albacore, Fairey Swordfish and Fairey Barracuda torpedo bombers. Post war during the late forties the squadron flew Fairey Firefly, then briefly Grumman Avenger. The squadron transitioned to Fairey Gannet in 1955. Between 1966 and 1970 it flew Westland Wessex.
826 Naval Air Squadron was formed at RNAS Ford (HMS Peregrine), in Sussex, as a torpedo bomber squadron equipped with twelve Fairey Albacore biplanes.
After initial training it was placed under the operational control of RAF Coastal Command, flying its first mission, a daylight bombing raid against a road junction at Nieuwpoort, Belgium on 31 May 1940. The squadron continued to fly a mixture of convoy escort missions, daylight attacks against German land and sea targets and nighttime patrols against German E-boats until the Albacore was grounded on 3 July 1940 owing to the unreliability of the aircraft's Bristol Taurus engines. This resulted in the Squadron being temporarily re-equipped with the older Fairey Swordfish until the Albacore was returned to use in August.
From August to October 1940, the Squadron carried out more convoy escort patrols and raids against barges being massed by the Germans in the Channel ports in preparation for Operation Sealion. On 7 October the squadron left Coastal Command control to undertake more training in preparation for carrier-based operations. From May to October, the Squadron dropped 55.5 tons of bombs and seven tons of mines, escorted over 100 convoys. It claimed two Messerschmitt Bf 109 fighters shot down for the loss of five Albacores.
In November 1940, the squadron embarked on the newly commissioned aircraft carrier HMS Formidable, which sailed for the Mediterranean via South Africa and the Red Sea, the squadron flying attacks against Massawa in Italian-ruled Eritrea on the way.
Peter Butterworth, famous as an actor in the British Carry On film series, was flying for the squadron when he was shot down in 1940.
The squadron's strength was supplemented by two Swordfishes in March 1941 to replace losses. 826 Squadron took part in the Battle of Cape Matapan on 28 March 1941, damaging the Vittorio Veneto. On 26 May 1941, following an attack on an airfield on Karpathos, Formidable was badly damaged by German bombers, and was withdrawn from operations for repair, with 826 Squadron being detached for land-based operations.