814 Naval Air Squadron

Infobox Military Unit
unit_name=814 Naval Air Squadron


caption=
dates=1938-1942
1944-1970
1973-2000
2001-Present Day
country=UK
allegiance=
branch=Royal Navy
type=Ship based squadron
role=Anti-Submarine Warfare
equipment=Merlin Mk.1
size=
command_structure=Fleet Air Arm
current_commander=
garrison=RNAS Culdrose
ceremonial_chief=
colonel_of_the_regiment=
nickname=
patron=
motto=“In hoc signo vinces”
“In this sign you will conquer”
colors=
march=
mascot=
battle_honours=Atlantic 1940
notable_commanders=
anniversaries=

814 Naval Air Squadron is a squadron of the Royal Navy Fleet Air Arm. It was formed in December 1938 and has been disbanded and reformed several times.

History

The squadron was formed on December 1938 as a Torpedo Squadron equipped with six Fairey Swordfish aircraft. Originally embarked on HMS "Ark Royal", it transferred to HMS "Hermes" at the outbreak of the Second World War. HMS "Hermes" helped search for the "Graf Spee", then travelled to the Indian Ocean for convoy protection duty. In April 1942 HMS "Hermes" was sunk by Japanese aircraft off Ceylon and the squadron disbanded. The squadron was reformed in July 1944, equipped with Fairey Barracudas, to embark on HMS "Venerable" and headed to the Far East for patrols.

The squadron was equipped with the Firefly aircraft for anti-submarine warfare onboard HMS "Vengeance". In 1960 the Squadron was equipped with its first helicopter, the Whirlwind, (later replaced with the Wessex Mk.1) and embarked on HMS "Victorious" to patrol east of Suez. It was disbanded in July 1970.

It was reformed on March 1973 with four Sea King Mk.1 helicopters and was embarked on HMS "Bulwark", before arriving at RNAS Culdrose on 9 April 1976. In August 1982 the squadron embarked on HMS Illustrious for South Atlantic patrols. It was upgraded to the Sea King Mk.6 in October 1990 and onboard HMS "Invincible" during for the Gulf and Kosovo Wars. It was disbanded on December 2000.

Reformed

It was reformed again in October 2001 equipped with the Merlin Mk.1, designed to be deployed aboard ships or operate from shore. It has seen operational servive aboard HMS "Illustrious", in Iraq during Operation Telic and in the Persian Gulf.

External Links

* [http://www.royal-navy.mod.uk/server/show/nav.2299 Royal Navy 814 Squadron]

References