811 Naval Air Squadron was a unit of the British
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against F ...
's
Fleet Air Arm
The Fleet Air Arm (FAA) is one of the five fighting arms of the Royal Navy and is responsible for the delivery of naval air power both from land and at sea. The Fleet Air Arm operates the F-35 Lightning II for maritime strike, the AW159 Wil ...
. It was first founded in 1933, and served during World War II, seeing action in the battle of the Atlantic and on Russian convoys, and was eventually disbanded in 1956.
Service history
Pre-war
The squadron was formed on 3 April 1933 by amalgamating No. 465 and No. 466 Fleet Torpedo Flights, and served aboard the
aircraft carrier
An aircraft carrier is a warship that serves as a seagoing airbase, equipped with a full-length flight deck and facilities for carrying, arming, deploying, and recovering aircraft. Typically, it is the capital ship of a fleet, as it allows a ...
in the
Home Fleet
The Home Fleet was a fleet of the Royal Navy that operated from the United Kingdom's territorial waters from 1902 with intervals until 1967. In 1967, it was merged with the Mediterranean Fleet creating the new Western Fleet.
Before the First ...
.
Initially equipped with the
Blackburn Ripon
The Blackburn T.5 Ripon was a carrier-based torpedo bomber and reconnaissance biplane designed and produced by the British aircraft manufacturer Blackburn Aircraft. It was the basis for both the license-produced Mitsubishi B2M and the improved ...
Mk.II, these were replaced in January 1935 with the
Blackburn Baffin
The Blackburn B-5 Baffin biplane torpedo bomber designed and produced by the British aircraft manufacturer Blackburn Aircraft. It was a development of the Ripon, the chief change being that a 545 hp (406 kW) Bristol Pegasus I.MS radial ...
,
which were in turn replaced by the
Fairey Swordfish
The Fairey Swordfish is a 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 also used ...
Mk.I in October 1936.
In December 1938 the ''Furious'' was paid off, and the next year 811 Squadron was assigned to her
sister ship
A sister ship is a ship of the same 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 often share a ...
.
The squadron lost much of its personnel and all of its aircraft when ''Courageous'' was sunk by a
U-boat
U-boats were naval submarines operated by Germany, particularly in the First and Second World Wars. Although at times they were efficient fleet weapons against enemy naval warships, they were most effectively used in an economic warfare role ...
on 17 September 1939,
and the survivors of 811 and 812 squadrons were reformed into
815 Naval Air Squadron
815 Naval Air Squadron is a Royal Navy Fleet Air Arm squadron flying the AgustaWestland Wildcat HMA.2 helicopter and is the Navy's front line Wildcat Naval Air Squadron. The squadron is based at RNAS Yeovilton (HMS Heron) in Somerset. The squadro ...
.
World War II
811 Squadron was reformed in July 1941 at
RNAS Lee-on-Solent (HMS Daedalus)
Royal Naval Air Station Lee-on-Solent (HMS ''Daedalus'') was one of the primary shore airfields of the Fleet Air Arm. First established as a seaplane base in 1917 during the First World War, it later became the main training establishment and ad ...
, near
Portsmouth
Portsmouth ( ) is a port and city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. The city of Portsmouth has been a unitary authority since 1 April 1997 and is administered by Portsmouth City Council.
Portsmouth is the most dens ...
, as a torpedo-bomber reconnaissance squadron, and was equipped with two
Sea Hurricane
The Hawker Hurricane was a British single-seat fighter aircraft designed and predominantly built by Hawker Aircraft, Hawker Aircraft Ltd. Some versions were built in Canada by the Canada Car and Foundry, Canada Car and Foundry Co Ltd
British vari ...
s and fourteen American
Vought SB2U Vindicator
The Vought SB2U Vindicator is an American carrier-based dive bomber developed for the United States Navy in the 1930s, the first monoplane in this role. Vindicators still remained in service at the time of the Battle of Midway, but by 1943, all h ...
s, which the British called the "Chesapeake".
The squadron also received two former civilian
Avro 652s (the precursor to the
Avro Anson
The Avro Anson is a British twin-engined, multi-role aircraft built by the aircraft manufacturer Avro. Large numbers of the type served in a variety of roles for the Royal Air Force (RAF), Fleet Air Arm (FAA), Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) a ...
) which they operated until March 1942. The Chesapeake's were part of an order originally placed by the French Navy in March 1940, but after the
fall of France
The Battle of France (french: bataille de France) (10 May – 25 June 1940), also known as the Western Campaign ('), the French Campaign (german: Frankreichfeldzug, ) and the Fall of France, was the German invasion of France during the Second World ...
the order was taken over by the British. The aircraft were fitted with an additional fuel tank and armour, and the single French 7.5 mm
Darne machine gun
The Darne machine gun is a machine gun of French origin.
Development
The French gun-making company Darne, which became famous for its innovative shotguns, began making military weapons in 1915, when it was contracted by French government to man ...
was replaced by four British machine guns. It was intended that they be used as anti-submarine patrol aircraft operating from the escort carrier , but it was soon realised that the Chesapeake lacked the power to fly from such a small vessel while carrying a useful load, and they were reassigned to training squadrons in November 1941, and the squadron received Swordfish Mk.2's as replacements.
From August to December 1942 811 Squadron was based at
RAF Bircham Newton
Royal Air Force Bircham Newton or more simply RAF Bircham Newton is a former Royal Air Force station located south east of Docking, Norfolk and north east of King's Lynn, Norfolk, England.
History
The site was first used during the First Wo ...
in
Norfolk
Norfolk () is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in East Anglia in England. It borders Lincolnshire to the north-west, Cambridgeshire to the west and south-west, and Suffolk to the south. Its northern and eastern boundaries are the No ...
, serving under the control of
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 ...
, and flying on anti-shipping and mine-laying operations.
In January 1943, the squadron received three
Grumman F4F 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 Atlan ...
Mk.IVs, called the "Martlet" in British service,
and on 21 February 1943 flew from
RNAS Hatston
RNAS Hatston, also called HMS ''Sparrowhawk'', was a Royal Naval Air Station, one mile to the north west of Kirkwall on the island of Mainland, Orkney, Scotland. It was located near the strategically vital naval base of Scapa Flow, which for mo ...
to embark aboard the
escort carrier
The escort carrier or escort aircraft carrier (U.S. hull classification symbol CVE), also called a "jeep carrier" or "baby flattop" in the United States Navy (USN) or "Woolworth Carrier" by the Royal Navy, was a small and slow type of aircraft ...
to serve on convoy escort duty in the
battle of the Atlantic
The Battle of the Atlantic, the longest continuous military campaign in World War II, ran from 1939 to the defeat of Nazi Germany in 1945, covering a major part of the naval history of World War II. At its core was the Allied naval blockade ...
. On 22 April ''Biter'' and the escort destroyers , , and joined convoy ONS-4 sailing from
Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the 10th largest English district by population and its metropolitan area is the fifth largest in the United Kingdom, with a popul ...
. On 25 April a Swordfish from 811 Squadron attacked , which was then sunk by depth charges by ''Pathfinder''. The convoy arrived at
Halifax,
Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia ( ; ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is one of the three Maritime provinces and one of the four Atlantic provinces. Nova Scotia is Latin for "New Scotland".
Most of the population are native Eng ...
, on 5 April without loss.
From 2 May ''Biter'' defended the convoys
HX 237 and
SC 129 from German
wolf packs. On 12 May a Swordfish from 811 Squadron, with the destroyer and the frigate , attacked and sank . After arriving at Liverpool, the squadron disembarked and were stationed at
RNAS Machrihanish (HMS Landrail)
Royal Naval Air Station Machrihanish (HMS Landrail), is a former Royal Navy air station, close to Campbeltown in Argyll and Bute, Scotland.
Location
Located 3 miles (5 km) west of Campbeltown on the western side of the Kintyre Peninsula, Machrih ...
.
On 2 June 811 Squadron returned to ''Biter'' to escort further convoys between Liverpool and Halifax, including
ON-207 in October. While at
Naval Station Argentia
Naval Station Argentia is a former base of the United States Navy that operated from 1941 to 1994. It was established in the community of Argentia in what was then the Dominion of Newfoundland, which later became the tenth Canadian province, Ne ...
in November, the squadron was supplied with the new American
acoustic torpedo
An acoustic torpedo is a torpedo that aims itself by listening for characteristic sounds of its target or by searching for it using sonar (acoustic homing). Acoustic torpedoes are usually designed for medium-range use, and often fired from a subm ...
, codenamed the
Mark 24 mine
The Mark 24 mine (also known as FIDO or Fido) is an air-dropped anti-submarine warfare weapon (ASW) incorporating passive acoustic homing system and torpedo integration. It was used by the United States, the British and Canadian forces during the S ...
, but commonly known as "FIDO". On 17 November a Swordfish smashed into the end of the
flight deck
The flight deck of an aircraft carrier is the surface from which its aircraft take off and land, essentially a miniature airfield at sea. On smaller naval ships which do not have aviation as a primary mission, the landing area for helicopters ...
of ''Biter'' while landing in a heavy swell, and its unused FIDO torpedo fell into the sea and exploded, badly damaging ''Biter''s rudder. The carrier managed to return to
Rosyth Dockyard
Rosyth Dockyard is a large naval dockyard on the Firth of Forth at Rosyth, Fife, Scotland, owned by Babcock Marine, which formerly undertook refitting of Royal Navy surface vessels and submarines. Before its privatisation in the 1990s it was fo ...
for repairs, which took a month.
![HMS Biter (D97) aerial bow shot March 1944](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b5/HMS_Biter_%28D97%29_aerial_bow_shot_March_1944.jpg)
While ''Biter'' was under repair 811 Squadron were stationed at
RNAS Inskip (HMS Nightjar)
RNAS Inskip, or as it was otherwise known HMS Nightjar, is a former Fleet Air Arm airfield near the village of Inskip, Lancashire, England at . In the 60's and 70's it was a Royal Navy transmitting station known as HMS INSKIP. It is now used a ...
, finally returning to the ship on 12 January 1944. In early February ''Biter'' sailed in support of Convoy ONS-29 to Halifax, then transferred to Convoy OS-68/KMS-42 bound for
Freetown
Freetown is the 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, educational and p ...
and
Gibraltar
)
, anthem = " God Save the King"
, song = " Gibraltar Anthem"
, image_map = Gibraltar location in Europe.svg
, map_alt = Location of Gibraltar in Europe
, map_caption = United Kingdom shown in pale green
, mapsize =
, image_map2 = Gib ...
. On 16 February, in the
Bay of Biscay
The Bay of Biscay (), known in Spain as the Gulf of Biscay ( es, Golfo de Vizcaya, eu, Bizkaiko Golkoa), and in France and some border regions as the Gulf of Gascony (french: Golfe de Gascogne, oc, Golf de Gasconha, br, Pleg-mor Gwaskogn), ...
, 811's Martlets shot down a
Ju 290 long-range reconnaissance aircraft, which had attempted to attack the convoy escorts with a
glide bomb
A glide bomb or stand-off bomb is a standoff weapon with flight control surfaces to give it a flatter, gliding flight path than that of a conventional bomb without such surfaces. This allows it to be released at a distance from the target rat ...
. ''Biter'' arrived at Gibraltar on 25 February where two Swordfish of 811 Squadron spent a week operating out of
RAF North Front. On 2 March ''Biter'' sailed again, escorting the UK-bound convoys SL-150 and MKS-41, and arrived at Liverpool on the 13th. ''Biter'' continued to escort convoys between the UK and Gibraltar until August 1944 when she was withdrawn from service, for conversion to a transport carrier.
811 Squadron was temporarily based at
RAF Limavady
Royal Air Force Limavady or more simply RAF Limavady is a former Royal Air Force station, also known as Aghanloo airfield, near the city of Derry, Northern Ireland.
History
The station was built in 1940 during the Second World War. The airfield ...
in
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland ( ga, Tuaisceart Éireann ; sco, label= Ulster-Scots, Norlin Airlann) is a part of the United Kingdom, situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, that is variously described as a country, province or region. Nort ...
, serving under RAF Coastal Command, until joining in September 1944 to escort
convoys to Russia. 811 Squadron was disbanded on its return in December 1944.
Post war
The squadron was reformed in September 1945,
and in August 1946 was equipped with the Sea Mosquito TR.33, which was a
de Havilland Mosquito
The de Havilland DH.98 Mosquito is a British twin-engined, shoulder-winged, multirole combat aircraft, introduced during the Second World War. Unusual in that its frame was constructed mostly of wood, it was nicknamed the "Wooden Wonder", or ...
FB.VI modified for carrier operations. An early prototype, flown by test pilot
Eric Brown, was the first twin-engined aircraft to make a carrier landing, when it touched down aboard on 25 March 1944. Stationed at
RNAS Brawdy
The Royal Naval Air Service (RNAS) was the air arm of the Royal Navy, under the direction of the Admiralty's Air Department, and existed formally from 1 July 1914 to 1 April 1918, when it was merged with the British Army's Royal Flying Corps ...
,
Pembrokeshire
Pembrokeshire ( ; cy, Sir Benfro ) is a Local government in Wales#Principal areas, county in the South West Wales, south-west of Wales. It is bordered by Carmarthenshire to the east, Ceredigion to the northeast, and the rest by sea. The count ...
, 811 Squadron was the only unit to operate this type, which never served aboard a carrier, before it was superseded by the
Sea Hornet
The de Havilland DH.103 Hornet, developed by de Havilland, was a fighter aircraft driven by two piston engines. It further exploited the wooden construction techniques that had been pioneered by the de Havilland Mosquito. Development of the ...
. The squadron was disbanded in July 1947.
811 Squadron was reformed in the 1950s, with the Hawker Sea Fury, and embarked aboard HMS Warrior dispatched to the Far East for the Korean War. The squadron flew patrols there until the Peace Treaty was signed in 1954. Subsequently, the Squadron reformed flying the
Hawker Sea Hawk
The Hawker Sea Hawk is a British single-seat jet day fighter formerly of the Fleet Air Arm (FAA), the air branch of the Royal Navy (RN), built by Hawker Aircraft and its sister company, Armstrong Whitworth Aircraft. Although its design origina ...
jet from in mid–1955 and operating from in the
Far East
The ''Far East'' was a European term to refer to the geographical regions that includes East and Southeast Asia as well as the Russian Far East to a lesser extent. South Asia is sometimes also included for economic and cultural reasons.
The ter ...
and the Mediterranean at the Suez war in 1956, before being finally disbanded the same year.
References
{{Use dmy dates, date=June 2017
800 series Fleet Air Arm squadrons