| 888 Naval Air Squadron | |
|---|---|
| Active | 1941-1943 1944-1945 |
| Country |  United Kingdom |
| Branch |  Royal Navy |
| Type | Single-seat fighter squadron |
| Role | Fleet fighter squadron |
| Part of | Fleet Air Arm |
888 Naval Air Squadron (888 NAS) was a Naval Air Squadron of the Royal Navy's Fleet Air Arm. [1]
The Fleet Air Arm (FAA) is the naval aviation component of the United Kingdom's Royal Navy (RN). The FAA is one of five RN fighting arms. As of 2023 it is a primarily helicopter force, though also operating the F-35 Lightning II carrier-based stealth fighter jointly with the Royal Air Force.
Royal Naval Air Station Lee-on-Solent,, is a former Royal Naval Air Station located near Lee-on-the-Solent in Hampshire, approximately 4 miles (6.44 km) west of Portsmouth, on the coast of the Solent.
Royal Naval Air Station Hatston, was a military airfield located one mile to the north west of Kirkwall, on the island of Mainland, Orkney, Scotland, built as a Royal Naval Air Station. It was located near the strategically vital naval base of Scapa Flow, which for most of the twentieth century formed the main base of the ships of the Home Fleet. The airbase was designed to provide accommodation for disembarked Front-Line squadrons and accommodation for disembarked Ship's Flight Aircraft and was home to the Home Fleet Fleet Requirements Unit, 771 Naval Air Squadron.
Royal Naval Air Station Burscough, was a Fleet Air Arm (FAA) naval air station which was 1.5 miles (2.4 km) southwest of Burscough, Lancashire. The Admiralty acquired 650 acres (2.6 km2) of land in December 1942 and the airfield was built with four narrow runways and several hangars, being commissioned on 1 September 1943.
1703 Naval Air Squadron was a Naval Air Squadron of the Royal Navy's Fleet Air Arm (FAA). It was formed in August 1945 at RNAS Lee-on-Solent for Air Sea Rescue duties in the Pacific. It was equipped with Supermarine Sea Otter. The Second World War ended in the same month that the squadron was formed, and it never deployed or saw action.
Colombo Racecourse is a historical harness racing course in the Cinnamon Gardens, Colombo. During the Second World War, it was used as a temporary airfield. In 2012, it was redeveloped as the Colombo Racecourse Sports Complex to become the first International Rugby Union ground in Sri Lanka to host all the national rugby union side's home matches.
877 Naval Air Squadron was a Naval Air Squadron of the Royal Navy's Fleet Air Arm. The squadron formed at Tanga, Tanganyika Territory in April 1943 as a Fleet Fighter unit for local defence duties, using RAF Hurricane IIBs. In July 1943 the squadron moved to Port Reitz, Mombasa with the intention to fly with long-range fuel tanks to the defence of Ceylon but this was cancelled and the squadron disbanded in December 1943.
889 Naval Air Squadron was a Naval Air Squadron of the Royal Navy's Fleet Air Arm.
734 Naval Air Squadron was a Fleet Air Arm (FAA) naval air squadron of the United Kingdom’s Royal Navy (RN). It was active between February 1944 and February 1946, formed as a naval Engine Handling Unit and operated solely with Armstrong Whitworth Whitley medium bomber aircraft. It formed at and initially operated out of HMS Kestrel, RNAS Worthy Down, and then subsequently relocated to HMS Godwit, RNAS Hinstock and the satellite RNAS Peplow, where it eventually disbanded.
791 Naval Air Squadron was a Fleet Air Arm (FAA) naval air squadron of the United Kingdom’s Royal Navy (RN) which last disbanded at Sembawang in June 1947. It formed as an Air Target Towing Unit, at HMS Condor, RNAS Arbroath, in Scotland, in October 1940. It operated various types of aircraft for target towing duties, used to support air gunnery training and practice. The squadron disbanded in December 1944, at Arbroath. It reformed at RNAS Trincomalee, in British Ceylon,, in November 1945, as a Fleet Requirements Unit. The squadron moved to RNAS Sembawang, in Singapore, in December 1945, ferried via the escort carrier, HMS Smiter. It also operated a Communications Flight and an Air-Sea Rescue Flight, as well as undertaking anti Mosquito spraying duties.
1771 Naval Air Squadron was a Naval Air Squadron of the Royal Navy's Fleet Air Arm which disbanded at HMS Nabbington, RNAS Nowra, near Sydney, in October 1945. Notably, the squadron was the first British & Commonwealth unit to fly over Japan in the Second World War. The squadron formed at HMS Heron, RNAS Yeovilton at the start of February 1944, as a Fighter Squadron and also operated from HMS Ringtail, RNAS Burscough, and HMS Landrail, RNAS Machrihanish, with deck landing training on the escort carriers HMS Trumpeter and HMS Ravager before embarking in the fleet carrier HMS Implacable in September. It was involved in sorties over Norway including reconnaisance of the German battleship Tirpitz and other anti-shipping strikes. The squadron remained in HMS Implacable and joined the British Pacific Fleet participating in attacks on the Caroline islands and the Japanese home islands, and becoming part of the 8th Carrier Air Group.
1850 Naval Air Squadron was a Fleet Air Arm (FAA) naval air squadron of the United Kingdom’s Royal Navy (RN). It formed in the United States at RN Air Section Brunswick as a fighter squadron in August 1944, with Vought Corsair aircraft before joining HMS Reaper to cross the Atlantic. On arrival in the UK it expanded its aircraft absorbing part of the disbanded 1849 Naval Air Squadron. After working up at HMS Gadwall, at RNAS Belfast, HMS Gannet, at RNAS Eglinton and HMS Wagtail, at RNAS Ayr, the squadron undertook deck landing training on HMS Venerable during February 1945, before joining her sister ship, HMS Vengeance. The ship sailed for the Far East to join the British Pacific Fleet and the squadron went ashore to HMS Valluru at Tambaram and HMS Garuda, at Coimbatore, in southern India in June for weapon training and dive bombing practice, becoming part of the 13th Carrier Air Group. With the end of the Second World War it returned to the UK and disbanded at HMS Siskin, at RNAS Gosport, in August 1946.
1852 Naval Air Squadron was a Fleet Air Arm (FAA) naval air squadron of the United Kingdom’s Royal Navy (RN). It formed at RN Air Section Brunswick, in the United States on 1 February 1945 as a fighter squadron, with eighteen Vought Corsair Mk IV fighter aircraft. Following deck landing training aboard the USS Charger, it embarked in HMS Patroller for the United Kingdom on 5 May. It disembarked to HMS Gadwall, RNAS Belfast, on 25 May, but due to V-J Day it disbanded on 29 August.
1853 Naval Air Squadron was a Fleet Air Arm (FAA) naval air squadron of the United Kingdom’s Royal Navy (RN). It formed at RN Air Section Brunswick, in the United States on 1 April 1945 as a fighter squadron, with eighteen Vought Corsair Mk IV fighter aircraft. Following deck landing training aboard USS Charger, it embarked in HMS Rajah for the United Kingdom on 24 July. It disembarked to HMS Landrail, RNAS Machrihanish, on 6 August, but due to V-J Day it disbanded there on 15 August.
1843 Naval Air Squadron was a Fleet Air Arm (FAA) naval air squadron of the United Kingdom’s Royal Navy (RN) between 1943 and 1945 and then a Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve Air Squadron from 1953 to 1957. It formed in the United States at RN Air Section Brunswick, in May 1944, as a fighter squadron. It arrived in the UK aboard HMS Trouncer in August. Based at HMS Gannet, RNAS Eglinton, Northern Ireland and training at HMS Wagtail, RNAS Ayr, Scotland, the squadron had deck landing training aboard HMS Patroller in December, before joining HMS Arbiter in February 1945, as part of the 10th Naval Fighter Wing. Sailing to Australia, the squadron became part of the 3rd Carrier Air Group, but saw no action before the war ended and disbanded in October 1945. It reformed as a Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve Air Branch anti-submarine squadron, in the Scottish Air Division, from 1953 and disbanded in 1957.
1845 Naval Air Squadron was a Fleet Air Arm (FAA) naval air squadron of the United Kingdom’s Royal Navy (RN). It formed at RN Air Section Brunswick, United States, in June 1944 as a fighter squadron, with eighteen Vought Corsair Mk III fighter aircraft. It embarked in HMS Puncher on 30 August, disembarking to HMS Gannet, RNAS Eglinton, Northern Ireland, on 18 September and joining the 10th Naval Fighter Wing. It re-equipped with twenty-four Vought Corsair Mk IV, and embarked HMS Slinger in December, sailing for the British Pacific Fleet, the squadron was disbanded in April 1945, and its aircraft and personnel absorbed into squadrons aboard the aircraft carriers HMS Formidable and HMS Victorious. On 1 June it reformed in Australia as a single seater fighter squadron at HMS Nabsford, RNAMY Archerfield, Queensland, and it shortly later became a spare squadron in the 3rd Carrier Air Group at HMS Nabbington, RNAS Nowra, New South Wales. With the end of the Second World War the squadron disbanded on 24 October.
1848 Naval Air Squadron was a Fleet Air Arm (FAA) naval air squadron of the United Kingdom’s Royal Navy (RN). It officially formed in the United States at RN Air Section Brunswick, in July 1944 as a fighter squadron. It was quipped with Vought Corsair fighter aircraft. The squadron embarked in HMS Ranee in October for the Atlantic crossing back to the United Kingdom. However, soon after arrival it disbanded at HMS Landrail, at RNAS Machrihanish, in November, its resources shared equally between 1843, 1845 and 1846 Naval Air Squadrons.
1849 Naval Air Squadron was a Fleet Air Arm (FAA) naval air squadron of the United Kingdom’s Royal Navy (RN). It formed in the United States at RN Air Section Brunswick as a fighter squadron at the start of 1944, equipped with Vought Corsair fighter aircraft. It embarked in HMS Reaper for transport to the UK in November. The squadron suffered from a high accident rate and disbanded on arrival in the UK, in December, with its aircraft and personnel dispersed between 1845 and 1850 Naval Air Squadrons.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)  | This United Kingdom navy-related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |