No. 246 Squadron RAF was a squadron of the

Royal Air Force The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's air and space force. It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by regrouping the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) and ...

History

World War I

The squadron was formed at the former Royal Naval Air Station

Seaton Carew Seaton Carew is a seaside resort and civil parish in the Borough of Hartlepool in County Durham, England. It had an estimated population of 6,018. The area is named after a Norman French family called Carou who owned lands in the area and set ...

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

on 18 August 1918 to provide coastal patrols. It was the only RAF squadron to operate the

Blackburn Kangaroo The Blackburn R.T.1 Kangaroo was a British twin-engine reconnaissance torpedo biplane of the First World War, built by Blackburn Aircraft. World War I In 1916, the Blackburn Aircraft Company designed and built two prototypes of an anti-submar ...

. The base closed and the squadron was disbanded, in May 1919 as some sources claim,Rawlings 1982, p. 178. while others have 15 March 1919 or 24 March 1919.Jefford 2001, p. 80.

World War II

The squadron reformed on 1 September 1942 at Bowmore on Islay to operate

Short Sunderland The Short S.25 Sunderland is a British flying boat patrol bomber, developed and constructed by Short Brothers for the Royal Air Force (RAF). The aircraft took its service name from the town (latterly, city) and port of Sunderland in North East ...

flying boats. It began patrols in December 1942 but was disbanded on 30 April 1943.

Post-war

On 11 October 1944 it reformed at

RAF Lyneham Royal Air Force Lyneham otherwise known as RAF Lyneham was a Royal Air Force station located northeast of Chippenham, Wiltshire, and southwest of Swindon, Wiltshire, England. The station was the home of all the Lockheed C-130 Hercules transpor ...

as a transport squadron flying the

Consolidated Liberator The Consolidated B-24 Liberator is an American heavy bomber, designed by Consolidated Aircraft of San Diego, California. It was known within the company as the Model 32, and some initial production aircraft were laid down as export models des ...

, moving to

RAF Holmsley South Royal Air Force Holmsley South or more simply RAF Holmsley South is a former Royal Air Force station in Hampshire, England. The airfield is located approximately northeast of Christchurch, Dorset; about southwest of London Opened in 1942, ...

in December. The

Handley Page Halifax The Handley Page Halifax is a British Royal Air Force (RAF) four-engined heavy bomber of the Second World War. It was developed by Handley Page to the same specification as the contemporary twin-engine Avro Manchester. The Halifax has its or ...

was also used for experimental and conversion duties. In December 1944 the squadron began to convert to the

Avro York The Avro York was a British transport aircraft developed by Avro during the Second World War. The design was derived from the Avro Lancaster heavy bomber, several sections of the York and Lancaster being identical. Due to the importance of L ...

. In February 1945 the squadron absorbed the VVIP Flight and the Metropolitan Communications Squadron RAF at

RAF Northolt ("Ready to carry or to fight") , pushpin_map = Greater London , pushpin_label = RAF Northolt , pushpin_map_caption = Shown within Greater London , coordinates = , type = Royal Air Force station , code = , site_area = , height = , owners ...

. In November 1945 the Halifax aircraft were retired and the Douglas Skymaster introduced. In 1945 the squadron standardised on the

and operated scheduled services to India and the Middle East until it merged with 511 Squadron on 15 October 1946.

Aircraft operated

Jefford 2001, pp. 79–80.

References

Notes

Bibliography

* Halley, James J. ''The Squadrons of the Royal Air Force and Commonwealth, 1918–1988''. Tonbridge, Kent, UK: Air Britain (Historians) Ltd., 1988. . * Jefford, C.G. ''RAF Squadrons: A Comprehensive Record of the Movement and Equipment of All RAF Squadrons and Their Antecedents Since 1912'', Shrewsbury, Shropshire, UK: Airlife Publishing, 1988. . (second revised edition 2001. .) * Rawlings, John D.R. ''Coastal, Support and Special Squadrons of the RAF and their Aircraft''. London: Jane's Publishing Company Ltd., 1982. . *

External links

* Rafweb.org
Squadron histories of nos. 246–250 sqn
{{DEFAULTSORT:No. 246 Squadron Raf

246 __NOTOC__ Year 246 ( CCXLVI) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar, the 246th Year of the Common Era ( CE) and Anno Domini ( AD) designations, the 246th year of the 1st millennium, th ...

Maritime patrol aircraft units and formations Aircraft squadrons of the Royal Air Force in World War II Military units and formations established in 1918 1918 establishments in the United Kingdom Military units and formations disestablished in 1946