883 Naval Air Squadron
| 883 Naval Air Squadron | |
|---|---|
| Active | 10 October 1941 – 15 November 1942 18 September 1945 – 23 February 1946 |
| Country |  United Kingdom |
| Branch |  Royal Navy |
| Type | Single-seat fighter squadron |
| Role | Fleet fighter squadron |
| Part of | Fleet Air Arm |
| Home station | See Naval air stations section for full list. |
| Engagements | World War II |
| Battle honours |
|
| Insignia | |
| Identification Markings | individual letters (Seafire) |
| Aircraft flown | |
| Fighter | Hawker Sea Hurricane Supermarine Seafire |
883 Naval Air Squadron (883 NAS) was a naval air squadron of the Royal Navy's Fleet Air Arm. It was established in October 1941,[1] and disbanded in February 1946.[2]
History
[edit]Fleet fighter squadron (1941 - 1943)
[edit]883 Naval Air Squadron formed at RNAS Yeovilton (HMS Heron), Somerset, on 10 October 1941 as a Fleet Fighter squadron, led by Royal Marines Captain W.H.C. Manson. It was equipped with six Hawker Sea Hurricane Mk Ib, a navalised version of the Hawker Hurricane single seat fighter aircraft.[3]
On 28 January 1942, the squadron moved to Scotland to operate as part of No. 14 Group RAF in Fighter Command. It initially operated from RAF Fraserburgh and then from RAF Peterhead, both in Aberdeenshire.[4]
The squadron relocated to RNAS Machrihanish (HMS Landrail), Argyll and Bute, on 11 May and was back under Fleet Air Arm control. On 16 June it embarked in the name ship of her class, HMS Avenger. The escort carrier was assigned to Arctic convoy operations and the squadron used RNAS Hatston (HMS Sparrowhawk), Orkney, as a shore base.[3]
In September 1942 HMS Avenger was assigned to Convoy PQ18 which consisted forty Allied cargo ships sailing from Scotland and Iceland to Arkhangelsk in the Soviet Union. 883, along with 802 Naval Air Squadron, shot down five Luftwaffe aircraft and damaged seventeen others.[4]
HMS Avenger was later entrusted with providing air cover for Operation Torch during early November. However, on 15 November she was torpedoed and sunk with a heavy loss of life and 883 Naval Air Squadron ceased to exist.[3]
Fleet fighter squadron (1945 - 1946)
[edit]On 18 September 1945 883 Naval Air Squadron reformed at RNAS Arbroath (HMS Condor), Angus. It was equipped with sixteen Supermarine Seafire F Mk.III fighter aircraft, a navalised version of the Supermarine Spitfire.[4] The squadron was intended for the 10th Carrier Air Group with the British Pacific Fleet, but by the time it formed it was no longer required following V-J Day.[5]
The squadron then moved to RNAS Nutts Corner (HMS Pintail), 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 the Royal Canadian Navy, but this was halted due to resource constraints. The squadron moved to RNAS Machrihanish (HMS Landrail) where it disbanded on 23 February 1946.[4]
Aircraft operated
[edit]The squadron has operated a number of different aircraft types, including:[4]
_(19294303214).jpg)
- Hawker Sea Hurricane Mk Ib fighter aircraft (October 1941 - September 1942)
- Hawker Sea Hurricane Mk IIb fighter aircraft (September - November 1942)
- Supermarine Seafire F Mk.III fighter aircraft (September - December 1945)
- Supermarine Seafire F Mk.XV fighter aircraft (November 1945 - February 1946)
Battle honours
[edit]The battle honours awarded to 883 Naval Air Squadron are:[3]
- Arctic 1942
- North Africa 1942
Naval air stations and aircraft carriers
[edit]883 Naval Air Squadron operated from a number of naval air stations of the Royal Navy, and Royal Air Force stations in the UK, and a Royal Navy escort carrier:[4]
1941 - 1942
- Royal Naval Air Station Yeovilton (HMS Heron) (10 October - 5 December 1941)
- Royal Naval Air Station St Merryn (HMS Vulture) (5 - 19 December 1941)
- Royal Naval Air Station Yeovilton (HMS Heron) (19 December 1941 - 28 January 1942)
- Royal Air Force Fraserburgh (14 Gp) (28 January - 15 February 1942)
- Royal Air Force Peterhead (14 Gp) (15 February - 11 May 1942)
- Royal Naval Air Station Machrihanish (HMS Landrail) (11 May - 16 June 1942)
- HMS Avenger (16 June - 27 August 1942)
- Royal Naval Air Station Hatston (HMS Sparrowhawk) (27 August - 3 September 1942)
- HMS Avenger (3 - 25 September 1942)
- Royal Naval Air Station Hatston (HMS Sparrowhawk) (25 September - 16 October 1942)
- HMS Avenger (16 October - 15 November 1942)
- ship sunk (15 November 1942)
1945 - 1946
- Royal Naval Air Station Arbroath (HMS Condor) (18 September - 7 November 1945)
- Royal Naval Air Station Nutts Corner (HMS Pintail) (7 November 1945 - 21 February 1946)
- Royal Naval Air Station Machrihanish (HMS Landrail) (21 - 23 February 1946)
- disbanded (23 February 1946)
Commanding officers
[edit]List of commanding officers of 883 Naval Air Squadron.[1]
- Captain W.H.C. Manson, RM, from 10 October 1941
- Lieutenant(A) P.W.V. Massey, DSC, RN, from 10 April 1942
- disbanded 15 November 1942
- Lieutenant Commander(A) T.J.A. King-Joyce, RN, from 18 September 1945
- disbanded 23 February 1946
References
[edit]Citations
[edit]- ^ a b "883 NAS Fleet Air Arm". wings-aviation.ch. Retrieved 6 September 2024.
- ^ RCN Squadrons[dead link]
- ^ a b c d Wragg 2019, p. 181.
- ^ a b c d e f Ballance, Howard & Sturtivant 2016, p. 254.
- ^ Ballance, Howard & Sturtivant 2016, p. 306.
Bibliography
[edit]- Ballance, Theo; Howard, Lee; Sturtivant, Ray (2016). The Squadrons and Units of the Fleet Air Arm. Air Britain Historians Limited. ISBN 978-0-85130-489-2.
- Wragg, David (2019). The Fleet Air Arm Handbook 1939-1945. Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, UK: The History Press. ISBN 978-0-7509-9303-6.