816 Naval Air Squadron
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History |
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| 3. October 1939 | 816 NAS formed aboard HMS Furious |
| 13 November 1941 | 816 NAS ceased to exist with sinking of HMS Ark Royal |
| February 1942 | 816 NAS reformed at RNAS Palisadoes, Jamaica |
| 27 March 1943 | 816 NAS ceased to exist with sinking of HMS Dasher |
| May 1943 | 816 NAS reformed at RNAS Machrihanish |
| August 1944 | 816 NAS disbanded at RNAS Perranporth |
| February 1945 | 816 NAS reformed at RNAS |
| 1 July 1948 | 816 NAS disbanded at RNAS Lee-on-Solent |
| 29 August 1948 | 816 NAS formed at RNAS Eglington, Northern Ireland |
| 27 April 1955 | 816 NAS disbanded at NAS Nowra, Australia |
| 15 August 1955 | 816 NAS formed at RNAS Culdrose, Cornwall |
| 25 August 1967 | 816 NAS disbanded at NAS Nowra, Australia |
| 10 January 1968 | 816 NAS formed at NAS Nowra, Australia |
| 1970 | 816 NAS redesignated VS-816 |
| 2 July 1982 | VS-816 disbanded at NAS Nowra, Australia |
| 9 February 1984 | HU-816 formed at NAS Nowra, Australia |
| 30 June 1987 | HU-816 disbanded at NAS Nowra, Australia |
| 8 February 1988 | SITU Seahawk Introduction and Transition Unit formed at NAS Nowra |
| 23 July 1992 | SITU redesignated HS-816 |
| 1997 | HS-816 redesignated 816 NAS |
| Planes: |
Swordfish I
Swordfish I & II
Seafire L.IIc & Ib
Wildcat V
Barracuda II
Firefly FR.1
Firefly FR.1
Braracuda III
Firefly AS.5
Gannet AS.1
Sea Venom FAW.53
Tracker S-2E
Tracker S-2G
Wessex HAS.31
Sea Hawk SH-60B
| 816 NAS Deployments | ||||
| 816 NAS Commanding Officers | ||
| Lt J. Dalyell-Stead, RN (temp) | Oct 1939 | Oct 1939 |
| Lt-Cdr H. H. Gardner, RN | Oct 1939 | May 1940 |
| Lt-Cdr T. G. C. Jameson, RN | May 1940 | Nov 1941 |
| Capt O. Patch, RM | Feb 1942 | Oct 1942 |
| Lt R. C.B. Stallard-Penoyre, RN | Oct 1942 | Apr 1943 |
| Lt P. F. Pryor, RN (temp) | Apr 1943 | July 1943 |
| Lt-Cdr (A) F. C. Nottingham, DSC, RNVR | July 1943 | May 1944 |
| Lt-Cdr P. Snow, RN | May 1944 | Aug 1944 |
| Lt-Cdr The Hon WAC Keppel, DSC, RN | Feb 1945 | Jun 1945 |
| Lt-Cdr (A) J. S. L. Crabbe, RN | Jun 1945 | ? |
| ? | ? | 1. Jul 1948 |
| Lt-Cdr C.R.J. Coxon, RN | 28 Aug 1948 | 2 Sep 1950 |
| Lt-Cdr A.J. Gould | 2 Sep 1950 | 27 Sep 1951 |
| Lt-Cdr D. Buchanan | 27 Sep 1951 | 21 Oct 1952 |
| Lt-Cdr W.G. Herbert | 21 Oct 1952 | 27 Jul 1954 |
| Lt-Cdr D.J. Robertson | 27 Jul 1954 | 27 Apr 1955 |
| Lt-Cdr B.G. O'Connell | 15 Aug 1955 | Mar 1957 |
| Lt-Cdr P. Goldrick | Mar 1957 | 5 Aug 1957 |
| Lt-Cdr J. Griffin | 5 Aug 1957 | 12 Jan 1959 |
| Lt-Cdr D.C. Johns, RCN | 12 Jan 1959 | 11 Jan 1960 |
| Lt-Cdr B.G. Hill | 11 Jan 1960 | 16 Jun 1961 |
| Lt-Cdr K.M. Barnett | 16 Jun 1961 | 22 Jun 1962 |
| Lt-Cdr A.E. Payne | 22 Jun 1962 | 29 Jun 1963 |
| Lt-Cdr T.A. Dadswell | 29 Jun 1963 | 1 Nov 1965 |
| Lt-Cdr M.J. Astbury | 1 Nov 1965 | 25 Aug 1967 |
| Lt-Cdr R. McKenzie | 10 Jan 1968 | 21 Jul 1969 |
| Lt-Cdr K.A. Douglas | 21 Jul 1969 | 26 Jan 1970 |
| Lt-Cdr E. Wilson | 26 Jan 1970 | 24 Apr 1971 |
| Lt-Cdr R.V. Morritt | 24 Apr 1971 | 15 Jan 1973 |
| Lt-Cdr J.L.R. Clarke | 15 Jan 1973 | 11 Feb 1974 |
| Lt-Cdr G.W. Bessel-Browne | 11 Feb 1974 | 23 Aug 1976 |
| Lt-Cdr R.N. Partington | 23 Aug 1976 | 4 Apr 1977 |
| Lt-Cdr P.O. Hamon | 4 Apr 1977 | 6 Jun 1978 |
| Lt-Cdr P.K. Coulson | 6 Jun 1978 | 10 Dec 1979 |
| Lt-Cdr R.J. Godfrey | 10 Dec 1979 | 22 Dec 1980 |
| Lt-Cdr T.L. Ford | 22 Dec 1980 | 2. Jul 1982 |
| Lt-Cdr C. Mayo | 9 Feb 1984 | 6 Dec 1985 |
| Lt-Cdr K.J. Alderman | 6 Dec 1985 | 30 Jun 1987 |
| Cdr D.M. Dowsing | 23 Jul 1992 | 15 Dec 1994 |
| Cdr M.J. Wright | 15 Dec 1994 | 15 Dec 1996 |
| Cdr M.P. Folkes | 15 Dec 1996 | 18 Dec 1998 |
| Cdr M.G. Campbell | 18 Dec 1998 | 8 Dec 2000 |
| Cdr A.H. Whittaker | 8 Dec 2000 | 14 Dec 2002 |
| Cdr B.I. White | 14 Dec 2002 | 4 Dec 2004 |
| Cdr A.R. Rushbrook | 4 Dec 2004 | 30 Jun 2006 |
| Cdr S.J. Bateman | 30 Jun 2006 | 6 Dec 2007 |
| Cdr C.J. Smallhorn | 6 Dec 2007 | 11 Dec 2009 |
| Cdr S.A. Craig | 11 Dec 2009 | 20 Jan 2012 |
| Cdr G.A. O'Loughlan | 20 Jan 2012 | 17 Jan 2014 |
| Cdr M.L. Pavillard | 17 Jan 2014 | present |
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History |
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The squadron formed aboard HMS Furious in October 1939 with 9 Swordfish for anti-submarine duties for a Canadian convoy. HMS Furious took part in the defence of Norway in April 1940, the squadron making the first airborne torpedo attack of the war. With the fall of the Low Countries and evacuation of France, the squadron operated briefly from Jersey then in June 1940 embarked on HMS Furious, the squadron attempting to attack the German battleship Scharnhorst in September 1940. On 22 September 1940 5 aircraft were lost in an attack on shipping at Trondheim, and a month later the squadron bombed fuel storage tanks at Tromso. The squadron joined RAF Coastal Command in March 1941 for operations on the Dutch and French coasts, and in June embarked on HMS Furious to escort RAF aircraft being ferried to Malta. Returning with HMS Ark Royal until torpedoed on 13 November 1940 when the squadron ceased to exist. In February 1942, the squadron reformed at Palisadoes, Jamaica with 4 Swordfish for torpedo bomber reconnaissance duties, embarking on HMS Avenger as convoy escort from USA to the UK, losing 2 aircraft enroute. From September till December 1942 the squadron operated under RAF Coastal Command in the English Channel, joining HMS Dasher in February 1943 for arctic convoy duties to Russia but the ship blew up on 27 March 1943 in the Clyde with much loss of life. The squadron having reformed at RNAS Machrihanish attacked E-boats in the English Channel in May 1943 and in June moved to Fearn where its 6 Swordfish IIs were temporarily combined with a fighter flight of 6 Seafire L.IIc’s formerly of 895 NAS for 3 months, and later with 6 Seafire Ib’s From August 1943 The combined flights embarked on HMS Tracker for two Atlantic convoy duties and in January 1944 the unsuitable Seafire were replaced by 6 Wildcat and the squadron joined HMS Chaser for arctic convoy duties to Russia. On 4 March 1944, aircraft sank U-472 with HMS Onslaught and over the next 2 days sank U-366 and U-973. In April 1944 the squadron was re-equipped with 12 Swordfish and attached to 19 Group RAF Coastal Command at Perranporth and RNAS St Merryn for duties in the English Channel leading up to D-Day activities at Normandy, finally disbanding at Perranporth in August 1944. In February 1945 the squadron was reformed as Torpedo Bomber Reconnaissance Squadron with 18 Barracuda IIs at RNAS Lee-on-Solent, with intentions to join a Colossus-class carrier as part of the 20th Carrier Air Group, but instead it was re-equipped in July 1945 with 12 Firefly FR.Is at Woodvale, moving to Inskip in August 1945 until after the end of the war. On 29 August 1948, 816 NAS reformed at RNAS Eglington as a Royal Australian Navy squadron equipped with Fairey Fireflies. They embarked on HMAS Sydney as part of the 20st CAG.
- Has anyone more Informations about this Squadron - |