| 899 Naval Air Squadron | |
|---|---|
 Squadron badge | |
| Active |
|
| Disbanded | 23 March 2005 |
| Country |  United Kingdom |
| Branch |  Royal Navy |
| Type | Single-seat fighter squadron |
| Role | Carrier-basedfighter squadron |
| Part of | Fleet Air Arm |
| Mottos | Strike and defend |
| Aircraft | SeeAircraft flown section for full list. |
| Engagements | World War II |
| Battle honours |
|
| Commanders | |
| Notable commanders | Lieutenant CommanderN.D. Ward, RN |
| Insignia | |
| Squadron Badge Description | Blue, a base barry wavy of eight white and blue a chief five clouds white overall a gauntlet proper winged gold (1943) |
| Identification Markings | 6A+ (Seafire) 2A+ (Seafire 1944) KA+ (Seafire onKhedive) CA+ (Seafire onChaser) 485-496 (Sea Hawk) 485-494 (Sea Vixen) 121-137 (Sea Vixen January 1965) 100-106 (Sea Harrier/Hunter) 710-722 (Sea Harrier/Hunter July 1981) |
| Fin Codes | J (Sea Hawk) VL (Sea Vixen) E (Sea Vixen January 1965) VL (Sea Harrier/Hunter) |
899 Naval Air Squadron (899 NAS), also referred to as 899 Squadron, was aFleet Air Arm (FAA)naval air squadron of the United Kingdom’sRoyal Navy (RN). It most recently operatedSea Harrier atRNAS Yeovilton, in Somerset, as the Sea Harrier Headquarters Squadron for training and type conversion, between March 1980 and March 2005.
899 Naval Air Squadron was first formed on 15 December 1942 atRNAS Hatston using crew from880 Naval Air Squadron and was equipped with theSupermarine Seafire IIC.[2][3] The squadron embarked on theaircraft carrierIndomitable in March that year, continuing to work up until the carrier sailed for theMediterranean Sea to take part in theAllied invasion of Sicily in July 1943.Indomitable formed part of the covering force protecting the landings from any intervention by Italian naval forces.Indomitable was damaged by German air attack on 16 July, and 899 Squadron disembarked atGibraltar on 29 July as the carrier returned to Britain for repair.[4] In August 1943, the squadron re-equipped with Seafire LIICs, which had better performance at low altitudes than its earlier aircraft, embarking on theescort carrierHunter to take part inOperation Avalanche, the Allied landings atSalerno, Italy which took place from 9 September.Hunter formed part of Task Force V, consisting of five small carriers[a] that were tasked with providing fighter cover over the beachhead until airfields could be captured and brought into use. The squadron's Seafires proved effective in disrupting attacks by German fighter-bombers, although no German aircraft were shot down. Once an airstrip had been built ashore atPaestum on, five of the squadron's Seafires were operated from the airstrip until relieved by RAFSpitfires and USAAFP-40s on 15 September. Operation of Seafires from small escort carriers resulted in a large number of landing accidents, with a particular problem being propellers being damaged by the propeller blades hitting theflight deck on landing, causingHunter's stock of spare propellers being exhausted. The squadron returned to Britain on 6 October 1943.[5]
The squadron remained shore based in Northern Ireland for several months, temporarily receiving Spitfires in December owing to a shortage of Seafires, before re-equipping with Seafire LIIIs in March 1944.[6][7] In April 1944 the squadron embarked on the escort carrierKhedive, and underwent an extensive programme of deck-landing and ground attack training. It disembarked toRAF Peterhead on 31 May, flying fighter patrols whileKhedive underwent a period of defect repair, before re-embarking on the carrier on 6 July.[6] On 15 JulyKhedive left for the Mediterranean to take part inOperation Dragoon, the Allied invasion of Southern France. The squadron helped to provide fighter cover for the invasion fleet and to carry out ground attack missions in support of the advancing Allied troops when the Dragoon landings started on 15 August. By the timeKhedive was released from operations in support of Dragoon, on 23 August, 899 Squadron's Seafires had carried out 201 operation sorties for the loss of four aircraft, dropping 24 500 lb and 44 250 lb bombs.[8][9] In September 1944,Khedive took part in Operation Outing, an offensive by the Royal Navy against German forces in the Aegean, with 899 Squadron flyingcombat air patrol and attack against surface targets inCrete andRhodes from 14 to 19 September.[10][11]
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The squadron disembarked fromKhedive atRNAS Long Kesh on 12 October 1944. After a further period of training, the squadron embarked on the escort carrierChaser for passage to join theBritish Pacific Fleet.[12] On arrival in Australia, 899 Squadron became a pool squadron based atHMS Nabthorpe, situated atRAAF Station Schofields nearSydney, with its aircraft and pilots gradually dispatched to reinforce Seafire squadrons embarked on the British Pacific Fleet's operational Fleet carriers.[3][13] From mid-May 1945, it was given the additional task of training pilots of theRoyal Australian Naval Volunteer Reserve to fly Seafires from aircraft carriers. As the Australian pilots were all experiencedRoyal Australian Air Force pilots who had volunteered to join the Navy, the training process was relatively trouble free, with most of the pilots trained joining the carriers of the British Pacific Fleet after the end of the year, and several going on to have long careers with Australia's ownFleet Air Arm.[14][15] It disbanded at Schofields on 27 September 1945.[15][16][b]
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On 7 November 1955, the squadron was recommissioned atRNAS Brawdy, equipped with 12Hawker Sea Hawk FGA.6 jet fighters. After a five-month work up programme, including carrier landing training aboardBulwark in January 1956, the squadron (together with897 NAS, embarked aboard the carrierEagle on 16 April 1956. The carrier then sailed to join theMediterranean Fleet.[7][17] The Egyptian nationalisation of theSuez Canal on 26 July 1956 caused theSuez Crisis, resulting inOperation Musketeer, the Anglo-French invasion of the Suez Canal zone.[18] On 1 November, 899 Squadron carried out rocket attacks on Inchas andCairo West airfields, continuing with ground attack missions until a ceasefire came into action on 7 September.[17][19] The squadron flew 165 sorties without suffering any losses, although several of its aircraft received minor damage.[17]Lieutenant Commander Arthur Bernard Bruce Clark, the commanding officer of 899 Squadron, was mentioned in despatches for his actions during the operation.[20][17] After covering the Anglo-French evacuation from Egypt in December 1956,Eagle returned to Britain, with 899 Squadron disembarking to RNAS Brawdy on 3 January 1957 and disbanding there on 5 January.[7][17]
899 NAS reformed on 1 February 1961 atRNAS Yeovilton with thede Havilland Sea Vixen FAW.1 all weather fighter, as the Vixen Headquarters Squadron, tasked with evaluating equipment and tactics and equipped with five Sea Vixens.[17][21] The unit participated in the 1961Farnborough Airshow in September that year,[22] and in the following year's show.[17]
In February 1964, the squadron began to convert to the Sea Vixen FAW.2, and after working out tactics and procedures for the new version, changed role to a fully operational squadron, with the squadron's strength increasing to 14 Sea Vixens.[17] It embarked on the newly reconstructedEagle in December that year,[7][23] as the carrier sailed for the Far East.[24]Eagle returned to Britain in May for a docking and maintenance period, with 899 re-embarking on 25 August 1965, asEagle again left for the Far East. On 12 November 1965,Rhodesia (nowZimbabwe) made aUnilateral Declaration of Independence, andEagle was ordered to stand by off the coast ofZambia in order to defend Zambia if hostilities with Rhodesia broke out.Eagle was relieved from this duty in December. In March 1966,Eagle relieved the carrierArk Royal in providing air support to theBeira Patrol blockade aimed at enforcing a UN oil embargo against Rhodesia, remaining at sea for a record 72 days.[25][26]
In 1967, with the disintegration of theProtectorate of South Arabia, HMSEagle deployed to theGulf of Aden. Throughout November 1967, 899 NAS flew reconnaissance flights overAden with RAFHawker Hunters ofNo. 43 Squadron.[27] The squadron continually maintained a patrol of four Vixens over Aden to cover the withdrawal of British forces.[25] On 29 November, four Sea Vixens of 899 NAS were the last British military aircraft to leave Aden,[27] with one carrying theUnion Jack back to HMSEagle.[28]
899 NAS was decommissioned on 23 January 1972.[16]
899 NAS was recommissioned on 31 March 1980 with theBritish Aerospace Sea Harrier FRS.1, taking over from700A Flight, the Sea Harrier Intensive Training Unit.[3] It was the Sea Harrier Headquarters Squadron, converting pilots onto the Sea Harrier (they would first receive instruction on how to flySTOVL aircraft with the RAF's233 Operational Conversion Unit where they would fly two seatHarrier T4 trainers), as well as carrying out continuing trials of the Sea Harrier.[29] From August 1981, the squadron also receivedHawker Hunter T.8M, fitted with the Sea Harrier'sFerranti Blue Fox radar.[30][31]
In April 1982, Argentina invaded theFalkland Islands, resulting in theFalklands War. While 899 Squadron did not take part directly in the war, most of its personnel and aircraft joined800 NAS (HMSHermes) and801 NAS (HMSInvincible) for service in the South Atlantic. From May 1982, the squadron recommenced training activities, using Sea Harriers borrowed from theAeroplane and Armament Experimental Establishment to train pilots for809 Naval Air Squadron, specially formed for the Falklands War. In early July, the squadron received 8 RAF Harrier GR.3s on loan to help train the air wing for the new carrierIllustrious, until the return ofHermes on 21 July provided sufficient Sea Harriers for the squadron to return to normal.[3][32] In September 1983, it received its own two-seaters, three Harrier T4Ns, which were supplemented in 1987 by ex-RAF T4As, with the squadron taking full responsibility for the entire training task for Sea Harrier pilots in 1989.[30][33]
In June 1993 anOperational Evaluation Unit (OEU) for theBritish Aerospace Sea Harrier FA.2 was set up within the squadron, although the OEU operated out ofBoscombe Down rather than Yeovilton, with the main squadron receiving FA.2s from September that year and beginning conversion training on the new mark in March 1994,[34] continuing its role as the HarrierOperational Conversion Unit.[35] In September 1994, four OEU Sea Harriers deployed aboardInvincible, as the carrier cruised in theAdriatic Sea as part ofOperation Deny Flight, theNATO enforcement of a UNno-fly zone overBosnia and Herzegovina during theBosnian War. The OEU's four Sea Harriers operated with the six Sea Harrier FRS.1s of800 Squadron during the deployment, with two FA.2s being fired on byS-75 Dvinasurface-to-air missiles on 22 November.[36][28] From 1995, the squadron received Harrier T.8 two seat trainers, a conversion of existing Harrier T.4s to better replicate the Sea Harrier FA.2's avionics.[37]
On 23 March 2005, 899 NAS was disbanded at RNAS Yeovilton, seeing two flypasts – one of the squadron's remaining aircraft (two FA2s and two T8s) and the other composed of former 899 aircraft (Sea Hawk, Sea Vixen and Hunter).[38]
The squadron has flown a number of different aircraft types, including:[39][16][40]
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Thebattle honours awarded to 899 Naval Air Squadron are:
899 Naval Air Squadron operated from a number ofnaval air stations of the Royal Navy and Royal Air Force stations, in the UK and overseas, and also a number ofRoyal Navy fleet carriers andescort carriers and other airbases overseas:[46]
1942 - 1945
List ofcommanding officers of 899 Naval Air Squadron:[47][40]
1942 - 1945
1955 - 1957
1961 - 1972
1980 - 2005
Note: Abbreviation (A) signifies Air Branch of the RN or RNVR.[48]