| 825 Naval Air Squadron | |
|---|---|
 Squadron badge | |
| Active | Royal Air Force 1934–1939 Royal Navy
|
| Country |  United Kingdom |
| Branch |  Royal Navy |
| Type | Flying squadron |
| Role | Wildcat HMA2 crew training |
| Part of | Fleet Air Arm |
| Home station | RNAS Yeovilton |
| Motto | Nihil Chopstat (Latin for 'Nothing Stops Us') |
| Aircraft | AgustaWestland Wildcat HMA2 |
| Website | Official website |
825 Naval Air Squadron is aRoyal NavyFleet Air Arm Naval Air Squadron which was re-commissioned on 10 October 2014 and currently flies theAgustaWestland Wildcat HMA2.[1]
It was a carrier-based squadron that was formed on 8 October 1934 from the aircraft and personnel of824 Naval Air Squadron.[2] It operated in most of the theatres of theSecond World War, carrying out a number of attacks on prominent German warships, including thebattleshipBismarck in the Atlantic and the pocket battleshipsScharnhorst andGneisenau andheavy cruiserPrinz Eugen during theirChannel Dash.[3][4][5][6] The squadron also saw action in later conflicts, including theKorean War and theFalklands War.
825 Squadron's first assignment after commissioning was to board the aircraft carrierHMS Eagle for service on theChina Station. This was short-lived, and by January 1935 both the squadron and the carrier were in theMediterranean.[7] The squadron was transferred toHal Far, Malta in March, whileEagle returned to Britain for a refit.HMS Glorious replacedEagle, and the squadron alternated its time between the carrier and the aerodrome at Hal Far. They returned briefly to the UK in May 1937 to attend the CoronationFleet Review, before retaking their station in the Mediterranean, and were transferred toAdmiralty control on 24 May 1939.[2][7]
With the outbreak of theSecond World War in September 1939, 825 Squadron embarked on HMSGlorious at Dekheila,Egypt and headed into the Indian Ocean and theRed Sea to search for enemy shipping. They carried out these duties throughout the rest of 1939, returning the Mediterranean in January 1940, where they again returned to Hal Far.[8] The squadron re-embarked onGlorious in March and sailed to Britain to defend Norway after theGerman invasion. On their arrival, they disembarked atRNAS Prestwick. With the sinking of HMSGlorious by theGerman battleshipsScharnhorst andGneisenau on 8 June 1940, the squadron was transferred to operate fromWorthy Down,Detling andThorney Island, covering allied forces in France and theLow Countries as the German forces advanced.[8] They were active in covering theDunkirk evacuation, during which they lost eight of their 12 aircraft; five were lost in a single bombing raid on 29 May 1940,[8] including its commanderJimmy Buckley who was awarded theDSC for his actions during this period.[9]
The depleted squadron was brought up to nine aircraft in July 1940 and embarked aboardHMS Furious. They then operated off the Norwegian coast in September, carrying out night attacks onTrondheim andTromsø. After the British withdrawal, the squadron remained aboardFurious, and by February 1941 was off theGold Coast.[8] They joinedHMS Victorious in May 1941, and took part in theHome Fleet's hunt for the battleshipBismarck. After sightingBismarck on 24 May, aircraft from the squadron carried out an attack on 25 May, scoring a single hit which slowed her. Another series of attacks byFairey Swordfish of810 and818 Naval Air Squadrons flying fromHMS Ark Royal the following day succeeded in disablingBismarck's steering gear. She was subsequently engaged by ships of the Home Fleet and sank on 27 May.[8]
The squadron embarked onArk Royal in June 1941 to provide cover for theMalta Convoys. Aircraft of 825 Squadron carried out raids on targets inPantellaria,Sardinia andSicily in September.[8] A number of the squadron's aircraft were lost in the sinking ofArk Royal on 14 October. The remainder flew toGibraltar, where the squadron was disbanded. It was re-formed with Fairey Swordfish atRNAS Lee-on-Solent in January 1942, and tasked with a torpedo bomber reconnaissance duties.[8] Six of the squadron's aircraft flew off fromRAF Manston to attackScharnhorst andGneisenau and theheavy cruiserPrinz Eugen in theEnglish Channel, as they carried outOperation Cerberus. The attacking aircraft failed to score any hits, and all six were lost.[8] The Commanding Officer—Eugene Esmonde—was posthumously awarded theVictoria Cross. Five of the aircrew survived, and were also decorated.[4][8]
After regrouping at Lee-on-Solent in March 1942, the squadron sent three aircraft aboardHMS Avenger where they covered theArctic convoys toRussia.[8] They attacked sixU-boats, and shared credit with thedestroyerHMS Onslow for sinkingU-589. The squadron then operated underNo. 16 GroupRAF Coastal Command, flying out of Thorney Island and Exeter.[8]
They then embarked aboard HMSFurious in March 1943, covering convoys sailing toIceland and making sweeps for enemy submarines off Norway. They transferred toHMS Vindex with sixSea Hurricane IICs, and later another threeFulmar IIs to cover theAtlantic convoys. Aircraft from the squadron sankU-653 on 15 March 1944 andU-765 on 6 May 1944.[8] 825 Squadron was re-equipped with 12 Swordfish IIIs in August and sailed withVindex to cover the Arctic convoys. They sankU-354 on 22 August 1944, while the squadron's Sea Hurricanes damaged another and claimed another as a possible kill that same day.U-344 was sunk jointly with the Fleet on 24 August, andU-394 was sunk on 2 September.[8] The squadron transferred toHMS Campania in March 1945, where the Sea Hurricanes were replaced by eightWildcat VIs. They continued in the Arctic before returning to Britain. The Swordfish were then absorbed into815 Naval Air Squadron, followed by the Wildcats in May. 825 Squadron then ceased to exist.[8] 825 Squadron was reformed in July 1945 atRNAS Rattray as a Canadian-manned force. It was intended that it would consist of 12Barracuda IIs, and form part of the 19th Carrier Air Group aboard aColossus-class aircraft carrier. This did not happen immediately, and the squadron remained a Royal Navy one.[8]
The commissioning ofHMCSWarrior in January 1946 led to the transferral of the squadron to theRoyal Canadian Navy. It served with them until being renumbered 880 Squadron (RCN) in May 1951.[8][10] The 825 designation then returned to the Royal Navy, and the squadron reformed in June 1951 atRNAS Eglinton.[3] The squadron was recommissioned several times over the next decade, operating as ananti-submarine unit equipped withFairey Gannets, and seeing service in theKorean War.[3][11] During this period, they spent time operating offHMS Ocean. It then re-formed atRNAS Culdrose on 16 August 1960, equipped withWhirlwind HAS.7s. The squadron was deployed in theMiddle East during crises betweenIraq andKuwait in 1961. It then transferred most of its aircraft to 824 Squadron, returning to the UK aboardHMS Victorious. In late 1961 they took part in relief operations afterMombasa was hit by flooding.[12] They were again disbanded on 2 April 1962.[3]
The outbreak of theFalklands War in 1982 led to the re-forming of the squadron on 3 May 1982 equipped withSea King HAS.2/2As. The aircraft came from706 Naval Air Squadron, or were taken from other units or storage.[3] Eight Sea Kings sailed for the Falklands on 12 May, aboard theAtlantic Causeway, with another two sailing the following day aboardQueen Elizabeth 2. The squadron operated from Port San Carlos and then the Landing Site (LS) "Busby" at San Carlos Settlement where they were billeted with the local farmer. They returned to the UK in late July. They were disbanded at Culdrose on 17 September 1982.[3][13]
825 Naval Air Squadron is currently the Royal Navy’s Operational Conversion Unit for Wildcat[14] after being re-commissioned as the Royal Navy's first frontlineWildcat HMA2 Squadron on 10 October 2014, with the merger of700(W) Naval Air Squadron and702 Naval Air Squadron.[1] It operated the first four Wildcat Flights to convert and deploy to sea onType 45 destroyers andType 23 frigates. It delivers training to aircrew along with Air Engineers awaiting frontline qualification and is responsible for continuing Wildcat Tactical Development: identifying and understanding the significant potential of the aircraft.[15]
The squadron operated a variety of different aircraft and versions:[19]
825 Naval Air Squadron has received the followingbattle honours:[20]
