| 883 Naval Air Squadron | |
|---|---|
| Active | Royal Navy 10 October 1941 – 15 November 1942 18 September 1945 – 23 February 1946 Royal Canadian Navy 15 May 1947 - 1 May 1951 |
| Country |  United Kingdom Canada |
| Branch |  Royal Navy Royal Canadian Navy |
| Type | Single-seat fighter squadron |
| Role | Fleet fighter squadron |
| Part of | Fleet Air Arm |
| Home station | SeeNaval air stations section for full list. |
| Motto(s) | Ex nubibus vincemus (Latin for 'From the clouds we will conquer') (Royal Canadian Navy) |
| Engagements | World War II |
| Battle honours |
|
| Insignia | |
| Squadron badge (Royal Canadian Navy) | Barry wavy of eight white and blue; a lozenge black surmounted by an eagle volant white grasping in the claws a lightning flash fesswise[1] |
| Identification Markings (Royal Navy) | individual letters (Seafire) |
| Identification Markings (Royal Canadian Navy) | VG-AAA+ (Seafire &Sea Fury) |
| Aircraft flown | |
| Fighter | Hawker Sea Hurricane (RN) Supermarine Seafire (RN & RCN) Hawker Sea Fury (RCN) |
883 Naval Air Squadron (883 NAS) was anaval air squadron of theRoyal Navy'sFleet Air Arm. It was established in October 1941,[2] and disbanded in February 1946.[3]883 Squadron RCN formed in May 1947 as aRoyal Canadian Navy unit. It was redesignated as871 Naval Air Squadron on 1 May 1951.
883 Naval Air Squadron formed atRNAS Yeovilton (HMSHeron),Somerset, on 10 October 1941 as a Fleet Fighter squadron, led byRoyal Marines Captain W.H.C. Manson. It was equipped with sixHawker Sea Hurricane Mk Ib, anavalised version of the Hawker Hurricane single seatfighter aircraft.[4]
On 28 January 1942, the squadron moved to Scotland to operate as part ofNo. 14 Group RAF inFighter Command. It initially operated fromRAF Fraserburgh and then fromRAF Peterhead, both inAberdeenshire.[1]
The squadron relocated toRNAS Machrihanish (HMSLandrail),Argyll and Bute, on 11 May and was back under Fleet Air Arm control. On 16 June it embarked in thename ship ofher class,HMS Avenger. Theescort carrier was assigned toArctic convoy operations and the squadron usedRNAS Hatston (HMSSparrowhawk),Orkney, as a shore base.[4]
In September 1942 HMSAvenger was assigned toConvoy PQ18 which consisted fortyAlliedcargo ships sailing fromScotland andIceland toArkhangelsk in theSoviet Union. 883, along with802 Naval Air Squadron, shot down fiveLuftwaffe aircraft and damaged seventeen others.[1]
HMSAvenger was later entrusted with providingair cover forOperation Torch during early November. However, on 15 November she wastorpedoed and sunk with a heavy loss of life and 883 Naval Air Squadron ceased to exist.[4]
On 18 September 1945 883 Naval Air Squadron reformed atRNAS Arbroath (HMSCondor),Angus. It was equipped with sixteenSupermarine Seafire F Mk.III fighter aircraft, a navalised version of theSupermarine Spitfire.[1] The squadron was intended for the10th Carrier Air Group with theBritish Pacific Fleet, but by the time it formed it was no longer required followingV-J Day.[5]
The squadron then moved toRNAS Nutts Corner (HMSPintail),County Antrim, Northern Ireland, in November. Here it swapped its sixteen F Mk.III Supermarine Seafire aircraft for eighteen F Mk.XVs. The squadron was however meant for theRoyal Canadian Navy, but this was halted due to resource constraints. The squadron moved to RNAS Machrihanish (HMSLandrail) where it disbanded on 23 February 1946.[1]
883 Naval Air Squadron was established as a unit of theRoyal Canadian Navy atRCAF Station Dartmouth,Nova Scotia, on 15 May 1947. Initially, it was equipped with twelve Supermarine Seafire F Mk XV fighter aircraft, designated for fleet air defence aboardHMCS Warrior, as part of the18th Carrier Air Group. In September 1948, the squadron transitioned to eightHawker Sea Fury FB.11fighter-bomber aircraft and underwent a reorganisation in November, resulting in its transfer to the19th Carrier Air Group, with which it subsequently deployed onHMCS Magnificent. However, in a shift of policy, the squadron returned to the 18th Carrier Air Group in January 1951, but was redesignated as871 Naval Air Squadron on 1 May of the same year.[1]
The squadron has operated a number of different aircraft types, including:[1]
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Thebattle honours awarded to 883 Naval Air Squadron are:[4]
883 Naval Air Squadron operated from a number ofnaval air stations of the Royal Navy, and Royal Air Force stations in the UK, and aRoyal Navy escort carrier:[1]
1941 - 1942
1945 - 1946
883 Squadron RCN operated from a naval air station of the Royal Canadian Navy in Canada, a Royal Canadian Air Force station and a couple of airbases overseas, also a couple of Royal Canadian Navy aircraft carriers:[1]
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1947 - 1951
List ofcommanding officers of 883 Naval Air Squadron.[2]
Note: Abbreviation (A) signifies Air Branch of the RN or RNVR.[6]
List of commanding officers of 833 Squadron RCN:[1]