| 823 Naval Air Squadron | |
|---|---|
| Active | 1933–1945 |
| Country |  United Kingdom |
| Branch |  Royal Navy |
| Type | Carrier based squadron |
| Role | Offensive Support |
| Part of | Fleet Air Arm |
| Battle honours | Norway 1940 |
823 Naval Air Squadron was a Fleet Air Arm aircraft squadron before and during World War II.
823 squadron was formed on 3 April 1933 by a merger of No's 441 and 448 (Fleet Spotter Reconnaissance) Flights aboard HMS Glorious, a cruiser converted to an aircraft carrier in the 1920s. The new squadron was equipped with Fairey IIIFs and served in the Mediterranean. Following a ship refit the squadron split its aircraft between HMS Courageous and Glorious when they sailed to the Mediterranean in August 1935 in response to the Abyssinian crisis. The squadron, now re-equipped with Fairey Swordfish, was transferred to Admiralty control in 1940.
In the early part of the war, the squadron sailed aboard HMS Glorious into the Red Sea and Indian Ocean to attack enemy shipping, returning to the Mediterranean in Jan 1940. They operated from Hal Far, Malta until March 1940, until they were needed to take part in the defence of Norway. There HMS Glorious was sunk by the German battleships Gneisenau and Scharnhorst on 8 June 1940, and half of the squadron (5 aircraft) lost. The remainder flew from RNAS Hatston with 821 Squadron on 21 June 1940 to attack Scharnhorst, with little or no success. On 24 July 1940 they attacked enemy destroyers and shipping off Norway but were disbanded at Hatston in December 1940.
In November 1941 the squadron was reformed at Crail airfield in Fife, Scotland as a torpedo bomber reconnaissance (TBR) Swordfish squadron, subsequently sailing on HMS Furious in August 1942 with 9 Albacores for convoy duties. In September 1942 the squadron was attached to No 16 Group, Coastal Command at RAF Manston and RAF Tangmere for anti-submarine patrols in the English Channel.
In June 1943 the squadron was re-equipped with Fairey Barracuda IIs at Lee-on-Solent and joined the 11th TBR Wing in southern India. They were finally disbanded in July 1944 at Katukurunda Airport after being merged with 822 squadron.
| From | To | Aircraft | Version | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 1933 | Dec 1934 | Fairey IIIF | Based aboard HMS Glorious | |
| Dec 1934 | Dec 1936 | Fairey Seal | Based aboard HMS Glorious | |
| Nov 1936 | April 1942 | Fairey Swordfish | I | |
| April 1942 | May 1943 | Fairey Albacore | I | |
| June 1943 | July 1944 | Fairey Barracuda | II |
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 by the Royal Air Force (RAF), as well as several overseas operators, including the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) and the Royal Netherlands Navy. It was initially operated primarily as a fleet attack aircraft. During its later years, the Swordfish was increasingly used as an anti-submarine and training platform. The type was in frontline service throughout the Second World War.
HMS Glorious was the second of the three Courageous-class battlecruisers built for the Royal Navy during the First World War. Designed to support the Baltic Project championed by the First Sea Lord, Lord Fisher, they were relatively lightly armed and armoured. Glorious was completed in late 1916 and spent the war patrolling the North Sea. She participated in the Second Battle of Heligoland Bight in November 1917 and was present when the German High Seas Fleet surrendered a year later.
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