No. 202 Squadron RAF

No. 202 Squadron RAF
Official squadron crest for No. 202 Squadron RAF
Active	17 Oct 1914 (RNAS) - 22 Jan 1920 9 Apr 1920 - 16 May 1921 1 Jan 1929 - 12 Jun 1945 1 Oct 1946 - 31 Jul 1964 1 Sep 1964 - Present[1]
Country	United Kingdom
Branch	Royal Air Force
Role	Search and Rescue
Part of	Search and Rescue Force
Base	RAF Valley plus detached Flights
Motto	Latin: Semper vigilate ("Be Always Vigilant")[2][3]
Helicopter	Sea King HAR.3
Battle honours	Western Front, 1916-1918 Atlantic, 1939-1945 Mediterranean, 1940-1943 North Africa, 1942-1943 Biscay, 1942-1943 The honours marked with an asterix (*) are those emblazoned on the squadron standard
Commanders
Current commander	W/Cdr. Sara Mackmin, RAF
Insignia
Squadron Badge heraldry	A mallard alighting[2][3]
Squadron Codes	JU (Allocated Apr 1939 - Sep 1939, no evidence of use)[2][4] TQ (Sep 1939 - Aug 1943)[5] AX (May 1941 - Aug 1943)[6] TJ (Jul 1944 - Jun 1945)[7] Y3 (Oct 1946 - Apr 1951)[8] A (Apr 1951 - 1956)[9]

No. 202 Squadron of the Royal Air Force presently operates the Sea King HAR.3 in the Search and rescue role at three stations in the northern half of the United Kingdom. It was originally formed as one of the first aeroplane squadrons of the RNAS before it became part of the RAF.

History

Formation and World War I

No. 202 Squadron was formed -along with the entire RAF- on 1 April 1918 by renumbering No. 2 Squadron RNAS. It was originally formed as one of the first aeroplane squadrons of the RNAS on 17 October 1914.^[2][10] It served on the Western Front during the First World War, carrying out reconnaissance and bombing missions from bases in Belgium and France before being disbanded on 22 January 1920.^[3][10]

The interbellum

No. 202 was reformed for a brief existence as fleet co-operation unit between 9 Apr 1920 and 16 May 1921^[2] and some eight years later the squadron came to live again when No. 481 Flight, operating the Fairey III floatplane at Malta was re-numbered as 202 Squadron in 1929, continuing to fly patrols over the Mediterranean Sea throughout the 1930s, being re-equipped with Supermarine Scapa flying boats in 1935.^[3][11]

World War II

During the Second World War, 202 Squadron flew anti-submarine patrols from Gibraltar with Saro London, Consolidated Catalina and Short Sunderland flying boats and some Fairey Swordfish torpedo bombers until 1944, when it moved with their Catalinas to RAF Castle Archdale, Northern Ireland, disbanding there on 12 June 1945.^[3][11]

Post-war

Weather Reconnaissance

202 Squadron reformed by renumbering 518 Squadron^[1] as a Weather Reconnaissance squadron at RAF Aldergrove near Belfast on 1 October 1946, flying converted Halifax Met.6 bombers on long range meteorological flights over the North Atlantic (codenamed "Bismuth"). It re-equipped with the more modern Hastings Met.1 from November 1950, continuing in this role until disbanding on 31 July 1964.^[3][12]

Handley Page Hastings Met Mk.1 of 202 Squadron wearing Coastal Command camouflage at Manchester Airport in 1954

Search and Rescue

No. 202 Squadron was reformed on 1 September 1964^[3] by the renumbering of No. 228 Squadron RAF at RAF Leconfield. The squadron began operating in its search and rescue role using the Westland Whirlwind HAR.10 helicopter. The squadron moved to RAF Finningley on re-equipping with Sea Kings in 1978 (operating the Wessex HAR.2 as an intermediate type while its Sea Kings were sent to the Falklands War),^[13] moving its HQ to RAF Boulmer on the closure of Finningley in 1996, and then to RAF Valley at the start of 2008 where the HQ is co-located with the SAR Force HQ and HQ 22 Squadron.

The primary role of RAF search and rescue is the recovery of downed military aviators, but in peacetime its aircraft are available all year round for use in civilian distress incidents. Since 1973, over 95% of the rescues carried out by 202 Squadron have been civilian incidents. The rescues carried out over the years by 202 Squadron have included a wide variety of incidents involving rescuing casualties from aircraft, fishing trawlers, ferries, oil rigs, mountainous terrain, cliffs and the waters surrounding Scotland.^[14]

The squadron usually has two aircraft at each of its detached flight locations which, as of 2008, are:

• HQ - RAF Valley
• 'A' Flight - RAF Boulmer
• 'D' Flight - RAF Lossiemouth
• 'E' Flight - RAF Leconfield

The squadron maintains a 15-minutes readiness state during daylight hours and a 45-minutes readiness state during the hours of darkness. The Search and Rescue fleet of Sea Kings are fitted with a video/infrared detection pod, which is similar to the equipment used by police helicopters, to help search for casualties.

Aircraft operated

• Royal Aircraft Factory B.E.2
• Avro 504
• Bristol Scout
• Nieuport 17
• Sopwith Pup
• Sopwith 1½ Strutter
• Farman F.20
• Short 184
• Airco DH.4
• Airco DH.9
• Fairey IIId
• Fairey IIIf
• Supermarine Scapa
• Saro London
• PBY Catalina
• Fairey Swordfish
• Short Sunderland
• Handley Page Halifax
• Handley Page Hastings
• Westland Whirlwind
• Westland Sea King

See also

• Air-sea rescue
• List of Royal Air Force aircraft squadrons
• 22 Squadron - another Sea King squadron
• 1564 Flight - another Sea King unit
• Rescue - a 1990 TV documentary series featuring the search and rescue activities of the squadron

References

Notes

1. ^ ^{a b} Jefford 2001, p. 70.
2. ^ ^{a b c d e} Rawlings 1982, pp. 130-131.
3. ^ ^{a b c d e f g} Halley 1988, p. 261.
4. ^ Bowyer and Rawlings 1979, p. 13.
5. ^ Bowyer and Rawlings 1979, p. 99.
6. ^ Bowyer and Rawlings 1979, p. 18.
7. ^ Bowyer and Rawlings 1979, p. 97.
8. ^ Bowyer and Rawlings 1979, pp. 118-119.
9. ^ Bowyer and Rawlings 1979, p. 126.
10. ^ ^{a b} Lewis 1959, p. 69.
11. ^ ^{a b} 202 Squadron History. 202squadron.com. Retrieved 16 July 2008.
12. ^ Jackson 1989, pp.48-49.
13. ^ http://www.rafweb.org/Sqn201-205.htm
14. ^ Search & Rescue Organisations

Bibliography

• Bowyer, Michael J.F. and John D.R. Rawlings. Squadron Codes, 1937-56. Cambridge, UK: Patrick Stephens Ltd., 1979. ISBN 0-85059-364-6.
• Halley, James J. Famous Maritime Squadrons of the RAF, Volume 1. Windsor, Berkshire, UK: Hylton Lacy Publishers Ltd., 1973. ISBN 0-85064-101-2.
• Halley, James J. The Squadrons of the Royal Air Force & Commonwealth, 1918-1988. Tonbridge, Kent, UK: Air-Britain (Historians) Ltd., 1988. ISBN 0-85130-164-9.
• Jackson, Paul. "The Hastings...Last of a Transport Line". Air Enthusiast. Issue Forty, September–December 1989. Bromley, Kent: Tri-Service Press. pp. 1–7, 47—52.
• Jefford, Wing Commander C.G., MBE,BA,RAF (Retd). RAF Squadrons, a Comprehensive Record of the Movement and Equipment of all RAF Squadrons and their Antecedents since 1912. Shrewsbury: Airlife Publishing, 2001. ISBN 1-84037-141-2.
• Lewis, Peter. Squadron Histories: R.F.C, R.N.A.S and R.A.F. 1912-59. London: Putnam, 1959.
• Rawlings, John D.R. Coastal, Support and Special Squadrons of the RAF and their Aircraft. London: Jane's Publishing Company Ltd., 1982. ISBN 0-7106-0187-5.

Related content

External links

• RAF - 202 Squadron
• The 202 Squadron Association Website
• Squadron histories for nos. 201-205 sqn on RafWeb's Air of Authority - A History of RAF Organisation
• Aircraft and markings for no. 202 sqn
• Search and Rescue team break scramble record