818 Naval Air Squadron
Encyclopedia
818 Naval Air Squadron was a Royal Navy
Fleet Air Arm
carrier based squadron formed in August 1939. It served on a number of the Navy's aircraft carrier
s during the Second World War, serving in most of the theatres of the war, before decommissioning at the end of the war.
in August 1939. This was some two months earlier than had originally been planned, owing to the increased threat of war. The squadron was initially equipped with nine Fairey Swordfish Is
, and then embarked on HMS Ark Royal
at the navy's base at Scapa Flow
. Ark Royal was then deployed to search for enemy shipping off Norway
. 818 Squadron then transferred to HMS Furious
in April 1940, after the German invasion of Norway
. On 11 April aircraft from the squadron attacked two German destroyers in Trondheim Fjord.
The squadron then moved ashore, spending the period between May and June 1940 flying out of Thorney
and RAF Carew Cheriton
, working with RAF Coastal Command
in the English Channel
. They returned to Ark Royal in mid-June, and sailed with her to the Mediterranean. They were used in the Attack on Mers-el-Kébir, carrying out strikes against the Vichy-French
battleship
Strasbourg
. They again saw action in attacks on Italian targets on Sicily
, and in the Battle of Cape Spartivento
, with attacks on the Italian battleship Littorio
on 27 November 1940. They were also involved in providing air cover for the Malta Convoys
, and in February 1941 carried out attacks on targets at Livorno
, Genoa
, Pisa
and La Spezia
.
of the German battleship Bismarck
in May 1941 led to the Ark Royal being ordered into the Atlantic with the British fleet to hunt and sink the German ship. When the Bismarck was located, aircraft from 810
and 818 Naval Air Squadrons carried out attacks. Eventually a Swordfish of 818 Squadron, probably the one piloted by Sub-Lt. John Moffat
, struck Bismarck’s aft with a torpedo, jamming her rudder in a turn to starboard. Unable to manoeuvre, the Bismarck swung around in a wide circle, allowing the ships of Force H
to catch up and sink the Bismarck.
, and they were embarked aboard HMS Formidable in February 1942. Formidable then sailed to Ceylon to counter Japanese attacks, but by June a reduction in the threat of such attacks led to the squadron being disbanded. It was reformed at RNAS Lee-on-Solent in October 1942 and was equipped with Swordfish IIs. They sailed aboard HMS Unicorn
in March 1943 to provide cover for convoys to Gibraltar
. Six aircraft from the squadron were used that August for operations during the allied invasion of Sicily
.
The squadron then returned to the Far East aboard HMS Unicorn in November 1943, where they were assigned to the Eastern Fleet. They went ashore at Ceylon, and were disbanded at Cochin in October 1944. They were again reformed, this time at Rattray
in May 1945, and equipped with 18 Fairey Barracuda IIs
, to operate as a torpedo bomber reconnaissance squadron. It had been planned that the squadron would join the 22nd Carrier Air Group in one of the new Colossus class aircraft carriers
, but the end of the war with Japan in August 1945 meant that the squadron was again disbanded, on Victory over Japan Day
, 15 August.
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
Fleet Air Arm
Fleet Air Arm
The Fleet Air Arm is the branch of the British Royal Navy responsible for the operation of naval aircraft. The Fleet Air Arm currently operates the AgustaWestland Merlin, Westland Sea King and Westland Lynx helicopters...
carrier based squadron formed in August 1939. It served on a number of the Navy's aircraft carrier
Aircraft carrier
An aircraft carrier is a warship designed with a primary mission of deploying and recovering aircraft, acting as a seagoing airbase. Aircraft carriers thus allow a naval force to project air power worldwide without having to depend on local bases for staging aircraft operations...
s during the Second World War, serving in most of the theatres of the war, before decommissioning at the end of the war.
Norway and the Mediterranean
818 Squadron was formed as a torpedo reconnaissance squadron at EvantonEvanton
Evanton is a large village in Easter Ross, in the Highland Council Area of Scotland. It lies between the river Sgitheach and the Allt Graad, is north of the city of Inverness, some south-west of Alness, and north-east of Dingwall. The village has a dozen or so streets, the main one being...
in August 1939. This was some two months earlier than had originally been planned, owing to the increased threat of war. The squadron was initially equipped with nine Fairey Swordfish Is
Fairey Swordfish
The Fairey Swordfish was a torpedo bomber built by the Fairey Aviation Company and used by the Fleet Air Arm of the Royal Navy during the Second World War...
, and then embarked on HMS Ark Royal
HMS Ark Royal (91)
HMS Ark Royal was an aircraft carrier of the Royal Navy that served during the Second World War.Designed in 1934 to fit the restrictions of the Washington Naval Treaty, Ark Royal was built by Cammell Laird and Company, Ltd. at Birkenhead, England, and completed in November 1938. Her design...
at the navy's base at Scapa Flow
Scapa Flow
right|thumb|Scapa Flow viewed from its eastern endScapa Flow is a body of water in the Orkney Islands, Scotland, United Kingdom, sheltered by the islands of Mainland, Graemsay, Burray, South Ronaldsay and Hoy. It is about...
. Ark Royal was then deployed to search for enemy shipping off Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
. 818 Squadron then transferred to HMS Furious
HMS Furious (47)
HMS Furious was a modified cruiser built for the Royal Navy during the First World War. Designed to support the Baltic Project championed by the First Sea Lord of the Admiralty, Lord John Fisher, they were very lightly armoured and armed with only a few heavy guns. Furious was modified while...
in April 1940, after the German invasion of Norway
Operation Weserübung
Operation Weserübung was the code name for Germany's assault on Denmark and Norway during the Second World War and the opening operation of the Norwegian Campaign...
. On 11 April aircraft from the squadron attacked two German destroyers in Trondheim Fjord.
The squadron then moved ashore, spending the period between May and June 1940 flying out of Thorney
Thorney Island (West Sussex)
Thorney Island is an island that juts into Chichester Harbour in West Sussex. It is separated from the mainland by a narrow channel called the Great Deep. The village of West Thorney lies on the east coast of the island and has been incorporated into the military base...
and RAF Carew Cheriton
RAF Carew Cheriton
RAF Carew Cheriton was a World War II Royal Air Force airfield of Coastal and Training Command near Carew Pembrokeshire. It was sited 6 miles north of Tenby. It was built on the site of RNAS Pembroke from World War I, which had been decommissioned and sold off in the inter war years.Carew...
, working with RAF Coastal Command
RAF Coastal Command
RAF Coastal Command was a formation within the Royal Air Force . Founded in 1936, it was the RAF's premier maritime arm, after the Royal Navy's secondment of the Fleet Air Arm in 1937. Naval aviation was neglected in the inter-war period, 1919–1939, and as a consequence the service did not receive...
in the English Channel
English Channel
The English Channel , often referred to simply as the Channel, is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean that separates southern England from northern France, and joins the North Sea to the Atlantic. It is about long and varies in width from at its widest to in the Strait of Dover...
. They returned to Ark Royal in mid-June, and sailed with her to the Mediterranean. They were used in the Attack on Mers-el-Kébir, carrying out strikes against the Vichy-French
Vichy France
Vichy France, Vichy Regime, or Vichy Government, are common terms used to describe the government of France that collaborated with the Axis powers from July 1940 to August 1944. This government succeeded the Third Republic and preceded the Provisional Government of the French Republic...
battleship
Battleship
A battleship is a large armored warship with a main battery consisting of heavy caliber guns. Battleships were larger, better armed and armored than cruisers and destroyers. As the largest armed ships in a fleet, battleships were used to attain command of the sea and represented the apex of a...
Strasbourg
French battleship Strasbourg
The Strasbourg was a more heavily armoured Dunkerque-class battleship of the French Navy, labeled as a "fast battleship". Faster than full battleships, but not as heavily armed or armoured as them, they were designed to counter the threat of the German "pocket battleships" - the Deutschland-class...
. They again saw action in attacks on Italian targets on Sicily
Sicily
Sicily is a region of Italy, and is the largest island in the Mediterranean Sea. Along with the surrounding minor islands, it constitutes an autonomous region of Italy, the Regione Autonoma Siciliana Sicily has a rich and unique culture, especially with regard to the arts, music, literature,...
, and in the Battle of Cape Spartivento
Battle of Cape Spartivento
The Battle of Cape Spartivento, known as the Battle of Cape Teulada in Italy, was a naval battle during the Battle of the Mediterranean in the Second World War...
, with attacks on the Italian battleship Littorio
Italian battleship Littorio
|-External links:...
on 27 November 1940. They were also involved in providing air cover for the Malta Convoys
Malta Convoys
The Malta Convoys were a series of Allied supply convoys that sustained the besieged island of Malta during the Mediterranean Theatre of the Second World War...
, and in February 1941 carried out attacks on targets at Livorno
Livorno
Livorno , traditionally Leghorn , is a port city on the Tyrrhenian Sea on the western edge of Tuscany, Italy. It is the capital of the Province of Livorno, having a population of approximately 160,000 residents in 2009.- History :...
, Genoa
Genoa
Genoa |Ligurian]] Zena ; Latin and, archaically, English Genua) is a city and an important seaport in northern Italy, the capital of the Province of Genoa and of the region of Liguria....
, Pisa
Pisa
Pisa is a city in Tuscany, Central Italy, on the right bank of the mouth of the River Arno on the Tyrrhenian Sea. It is the capital city of the Province of Pisa...
and La Spezia
La Spezia
La Spezia , at the head of the Gulf of La Spezia in the Liguria region of northern Italy, is the capital city of the province of La Spezia. Located between Genoa and Pisa on the Ligurian Sea, it is one of the main Italian military and commercial harbours and hosts one of Italy's biggest military...
.
Hunting the Bismarck
The breakout into the AtlanticOperation Rheinübung
Operation Rheinübung was the sortie into the Atlantic by the new German battleship Bismarck and heavy cruiser Prinz Eugen on 18–27 May 1941, during World War II...
of the German battleship Bismarck
German battleship Bismarck
Bismarck was the first of two s built for the German Kriegsmarine during World War II. Named after Chancellor Otto von Bismarck, the primary force behind the German unification in 1871, the ship was laid down at the Blohm & Voss shipyard in Hamburg in July 1936 and launched nearly three years later...
in May 1941 led to the Ark Royal being ordered into the Atlantic with the British fleet to hunt and sink the German ship. When the Bismarck was located, aircraft from 810
810 Naval Air Squadron
810 Naval Air Squadron was a Royal Navy Fleet Air Arm carrier based squadron formed on 3 April 1933 with the amalgamation of the 12 Blackburn Dart aircraft from 463 and 44 Flight Flights Royal Air Force to the Fleet Air Arm...
and 818 Naval Air Squadrons carried out attacks. Eventually a Swordfish of 818 Squadron, probably the one piloted by Sub-Lt. John Moffat
John Moffat (pilot)
John William Charlton Moffat was a Royal Navy Fleet Air Arm pilot, famous for crippling the German battleship Bismarck during its Atlantic sortie, codenamed Operation Rheinübung on 26 May 1941, whilst flying a Fairey Swordfish biplane....
, struck Bismarck’s aft with a torpedo, jamming her rudder in a turn to starboard. Unable to manoeuvre, the Bismarck swung around in a wide circle, allowing the ships of Force H
Force H
Force H was a British naval formation during the Second World War. It was formed in 1940 to replace French naval power in the western Mediterranean that had been removed by the French armistice with Nazi Germany....
to catch up and sink the Bismarck.
The Mediterranean and Far East
The squadron later had their Swordfish replaced by nine Fairey Albacore IsFairey Albacore
The Fairey Albacore was a British single-engine carrier-borne biplane torpedo bomber built by Fairey Aviation between 1939 and 1943 for the Royal Navy Fleet Air Arm and used during the Second World War. It had a three-man crew and was designed for spotting and reconnaissance as well as delivering...
, and they were embarked aboard HMS Formidable in February 1942. Formidable then sailed to Ceylon to counter Japanese attacks, but by June a reduction in the threat of such attacks led to the squadron being disbanded. It was reformed at RNAS Lee-on-Solent in October 1942 and was equipped with Swordfish IIs. They sailed aboard HMS Unicorn
HMS Unicorn (I72)
HMS Unicorn was a aircraft repair ship and light aircraft carrier built for the Royal Navy in the late 1930s. She was completed during World War II and provided air cover over the amphibious landing at Salerno, Italy in September 1943. The ship was transferred to the Eastern Fleet in the Indian...
in March 1943 to provide cover for convoys to Gibraltar
Gibraltar
Gibraltar is a British overseas territory located on the southern end of the Iberian Peninsula at the entrance of the Mediterranean. A peninsula with an area of , it has a northern border with Andalusia, Spain. The Rock of Gibraltar is the major landmark of the region...
. Six aircraft from the squadron were used that August for operations during the allied invasion of Sicily
Allied invasion of Sicily
The Allied invasion of Sicily, codenamed Operation Husky, was a major World War II campaign, in which the Allies took Sicily from the Axis . It was a large scale amphibious and airborne operation, followed by six weeks of land combat. It launched the Italian Campaign.Husky began on the night of...
.
The squadron then returned to the Far East aboard HMS Unicorn in November 1943, where they were assigned to the Eastern Fleet. They went ashore at Ceylon, and were disbanded at Cochin in October 1944. They were again reformed, this time at Rattray
Rattray
Rattray may refer to:* Blairgowrie and Rattray, beside Blairgowrie, Scotland* Cathy Rattray-Williams, Jamaican track and field sprinter* David Rattray, South African historian* Robert Sutherland Rattray, British anthropologist and africanist...
in May 1945, and equipped with 18 Fairey Barracuda IIs
Fairey Barracuda
The Fairey Barracuda was a British carrier-borne torpedo- and dive bomber used during the Second World War, the first of its type used by the Royal Navy's Fleet Air Arm to be fabricated entirely from metal. It was introduced as a replacement for the Fairey Swordfish and Fairey Albacore biplanes...
, to operate as a torpedo bomber reconnaissance squadron. It had been planned that the squadron would join the 22nd Carrier Air Group in one of the new Colossus class aircraft carriers
Colossus class aircraft carrier
The 1942 Design Light Fleet Carrier, commonly referred to as the British Light Fleet Carrier, was a light aircraft carrier design created by the Royal Navy during World War II, and used by eight naval forces between 1944 and 2001...
, but the end of the war with Japan in August 1945 meant that the squadron was again disbanded, on Victory over Japan Day
Victory over Japan Day
Victory over Japan Day is a name chosen for the day on which the Surrender of Japan occurred, effectively ending World War II, and subsequent anniversaries of that event...
, 15 August.