| No. 179 Squadron RAF | |
|---|---|
| Active | 1 September 1942 – 30 September 1946 |
| Country |  United Kingdom |
| Branch |  Royal Air Force |
| Motto(s) | Latin: Delentum deleo (I destroy the destroyer) |
| Insignia | |
| Squadron Badge | A lantern in front of a harpoon |
| Squadron code | OZ (Nov 1944 – Sept 1946) |
No. 179 Squadron RAF was a Royal Air Force Squadron that was a maritime patrol/anti-submarine warfare unit in World War II.
No. 179 squadron equipped with 16 + 4 Wellington Mk.VIII Leigh Light aircraft was formed on the 1st of September 1942 at RAF Skitten in Caithness. The Squadron was initially to consist of a flight from No. 172 Squadron RAF which were on detachment to RAF Skitten and RAF Wick consisting of 8 aircraft, a flight commander, and 6 fully trained crews. Additionally 6 Armstrong Whitworth Whitley trained crews from No.3 Operational Training Unit, and 4 fully trained crews from No. 612 Squadron RAF would also join the squadron. No. 172 Squadron also transferred 50% of their servicing personnel to No. 179 Squadron. The aircraft required to make up the establishment were expected to arrive at Skitten during the months of September, October, and November 1942. It was then stationed at Gibraltar, before operating patrols from airfields in the United Kingdom including RAF Chivenor, RAF Benbecula, RAF Predannack and RAF St Eval in Cornwall.
In November 1944 the squadron converted to Warwick aircraft and in February 1946 one element of the squadron (179X) converted to Lancasters, while 179Y retained the Warwicks before it was renumbered No. 210 Squadron RAF. [1] No 179 squadron was finally disbanded on 30 September 1946.
179 Squadron was a successful anti-submarine unit, accounting for eleven U-boats destroyed during the Second World War. [2]
| From | To | Aircraft | Variant |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 1942 | Sep 1943 | Vickers Wellington | VIII |
| Aug 1943 | Nov 1944 | Vickers Wellington | XIV |
| Nov 1944 | May 1946 | Vickers Warwick | V |
| Feb 1946 | Sep 1946 | Avro Lancaster | ASR 3 |
No. 206 Squadron is a Test and Evaluation Squadron of the Royal Air Force. Until 2005 it was employed in the maritime patrol role with the Nimrod MR.2 at RAF Kinloss, Moray. It was announced in December 2004 that 206 Squadron would disband on 1 April 2005, with half of its crews being redistributed to Nos. 120 and 201 Squadrons, also stationed at Kinloss. This was a part of the UK Defence Review called Delivering Security in a Changing World; the Nimrod MR.2 fleet was reduced in number from 21 to 16 as a consequence.
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No. 247 Group was formed in October 1943 within RAF Coastal Command to control units operating from the Azores. It disbanded in March 1946.
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