810 Naval Air Squadron (810 NAS), often referred to as 810 Squadron, is an inactive Fleet Air Arm (FAA) naval air squadron belonging to the Royal Navy (RN) of the United Kingdom. It most recently operated the Westland Sea King HAS.6 anti-submarine warfare helicopter between October 1989 and July 2001, based at RNAS Culdrose, Cornwall and notably later during that period in the helicopter Operational Evaluation Unit (OEU) role.
It formed on 3 April 1933 with the amalgamation of the 12 Blackburn Dart aircraft from 463 and 44 Flight (Fleet Torpedo) Flights Royal Air Force to the Fleet Air Arm. The squadron engaged in combat during the Second World War, utilising the Fairey Swordfish and Fairey Barracuda. It subsequently flew the Fairey Firefly throughout the Korean War, which was later succeeded by the Hawker Sea Fury in the mid-fifties. During the Suez Crisis, the squadron operated with the Hawker Sea Hawk.
History
Pre war (1933-1939)
810 Naval Air Squadron was established at RAF Gosport, Hampshire, on 3 April 1933, through the merger of Nos. 463 and 464 (Fleet Torpedo) Flights.
Equipped with twelve Blackburn Dart biplane torpedo bomber aircraft 810 Squadron was assigned to the aircraft carrier in May 1933 and formed part of the Home Fleet. In September that year the Darts were replaced by Blackburn Ripon torpedo bombers, and these were in turn replaced by Blackburn Baffin torpedo bombers in July 1934, with the entire squadron operating Baffins by November that year. The Abyssinian crisis caused HMS Courageous and the squadron to be transferred to the Mediterranean from August 1935 to February 1936. The squadron received Blackburn Shark torpedo bombers in April 1937, and then Fairey Swordfish a torpedo bomber aircraft in September 1938. 810 Squadron was then transferred to the new aircraft carrier the following month, and had embarked by January.
The squadron was amongst those transferred to the Admiralty, when it took control of the FAA on 24 May 1939.
Second World War (1939-1945)
By the outbreak of war the squadron was embarked in , flying twelve Fairey Swordfish on anti-submarine patrols. They carried out an unsuccessful attack on on 14 September 1939, losing two of their aircraft to their own bombs. The squadron was involved in activities over Norway after the German invasion in April 1940, and carried out bombing raids on Vaernes aerodrome. They sailed with HMS Ark Royal to Gibraltar, and carried out attacks during the British attack on Mers-el-Kébir in July. The squadron made an abortive attack on the , and later attacked the .
The squadron was again in action in August and September, when they carried out bombing raids at Cagliari and Sardinia, and against the French fleet in the Battle of Dakar, when their aircraft made an unsuccessful attack on the . They then saw action in November at the Battle of Cape Spartivento, and the following year in February carried out bombing attacks on Tirso Dam, Sardinia and bombing attacks on Livorno and La Spezia in Italy.
HMS Ark Royal was ordered into the Atlantic in May 1941 to search for the , and the squadron was involved in the attack which crippled her, and led to her sinking. This was followed by a period in the Mediterranean to support Malta operations and to operate against enemy positions on Sardinia. They left HMS Ark Royal in September, before her sinking in November, and saw service with supporting convoy movements to Jamaica. In December 810 Squadron embarked in the name ship of her class and then transferred to sister ship to return to the UK.
In March 1942, the squadron was transferred to for missions in the Indian Ocean. Subsequently, they participated in the Battle of Madagascar in May, targeting both shipping and land installations at Diego Suarez, and successfully sinking the Vichy French submarine Le Heros. Disembarking to the RN Air Section Durban, at SAAF Station Stamford Hill, Durban, the squadron absorbed 829 Naval Air Squadron thereby increasing its strength. 810 returned to the UK in February 1943.
In April 1943, 810 squadron was re-equipped at RNAS Lee-on-Solent (HMS Daedalus), Hampshire, with twelve Fairey Barracuda Mk IIs, transforming into a Torpedo, Bomber, Reconnaissance (TBR) squadron. Following a period of work-up both ashore and aboard HMS Illustrious, operations commenced off the Norwegian coast in July, prior to their deployment to support the Salerno landings, Operation Avalanche. Upon returning to the United Kingdom, the squadron reassembled as a component of the 21st Naval TBR Wing in October, and subsequently embarked the next month for the Far East to join the Royal Navy's Eastern Fleet. Subsequent to the fleet's integration in March, a three-day operation referred to as Operation Initial was carried out in the Bay of Bengal to showcase military presence in the area and to support training for the Fleet. This was followed by another naval training exercise called Operation Diplomat.
Following this, the squadron and wing engaged in active operations from April to July 1944. Operation Cockpit, which took place from 16 April to 19, involved air strikes executed by the Fleet Air Arm and United States Navy aircraft. These strikes targeted the harbor infrastructure, oil storage tanks, shipping vessels, aircraft, and facilities at Lho Nga airfield in Sabang, located on the island of Pulau Weh at the northern tip of Sumatra. Operation Councillor took place from June 10 to June 13 as a strategic initiative in the Indian Ocean, aimed at redirecting Japanese attention from American military operations in the Marianas Islands. Operation Pedal took place from June 19 to June 21 and included an airstrike initiated from aircraft carriers aimed at Japanese facilities located in Port Blair and several locations throughout the Andaman Islands in the Bay of Bengal. Finally, Operation Crimson, which took place from July 22 to 27, involved a coordinated naval bombardment and aerial attacks aimed at Japanese airfields situated in the Indonesian cities of Sabang, Lhoknga, and Kutaraja on the island of Sumatra. Aircraft launched from carriers were instrumental in incapacitating the airfields and providing air support for the forces involved in the bombardment.
847 Squadron was integrated in June 1944, achieving a maximum strength of twenty-one aircraft, prior to disembarking at RNAS Wingfield (HMS Malagas), Cape Town, during the carrier's refitting process, however, the squadron returned to the UK aboard HMS Activiy.
The Barracuda Mk IIs remained operational at RNAS Burscough (HMS Ringtail), Lancashire, during the winter of 1944/45; however, they were subsequently substituted with radar-equipped Barracuda Mk IIIs at [RNAS Stretton (HMS Blackcap)|RNAS Stretton (HMS Blackcap)], Cheshire, in February 1945. 810 Squadron relocated to RAF Thorney Island, West Sussex, to test the new equipment during anti-shipping patrols in the English Channel alongside RAF Coastal Command. In April, it transitioned to the East Coast to conduct searches for midget submarines in the Schelde region, operating from RAF Beccles, Suffolk and remaining under RAF Coastal Command. Subsequently, it proceeded north to Scotland, where it was disbanded at RNAS Machrihanish (HMS Landrail), Argyll and Bute, on 22 August.,
Firefly (1947-1953)
The inaugural production Fairey Firefly FR.4 took to the skies on 25 May 1945, with the first squadron of the Royal Navy's Fleet Air Arm to receive the Firefly Mk.4 was 810. The addition of the two-speed, two-stage supercharged Rolls-Royce Griffon 74 improved high-altitude performance, increasing maximum speed by . This prompted the switch to a four-bladed Rotol airscrew and an extension of the fin's leading edge for enhanced stability. Two large fairings were also added beneath the wings: the port fairing held auxiliary fuel, while the starboard fairing contained the radar scanner.
In October 1947, 810 Squadron was reformed at RNAS Eglinton (HMS Gannet), County Londonderry, as a fighter squadron with twelve Firefly FR.4s for the 17th Carrier Air Group. The squadron deployed on for an exercise in May 1948, then spent three months at RNAS Donibristle (HMS Merlin), Fife, before rejoining in August for a cruise to South Africa, including an eight-day tour. In 1949, the squadron participated in cruises in the Mediterranean and Home waters, as well as Army exercises in Germany in October, before being disbanded at RNAS St Merryn (HMS Vulture), Cornwall.
The Firefly Mk.4 was succeeded in production by the Mk.5, which became the most widely produced variant of the later Fireflies. With this model, the Firefly started to be equipped with different tools for specialised roles, leading to the creation of subvariants such as the FR.5 for day-fighter-reconnaissance, the NF.5 for night-fighting, and the AS.5 for anti-submarine patrol. The distinctions among these Fireflies were primarily internal.
On the subsequent day, 810 was reformed into an anti-submarine squadron at the same station, operating with twelve Firefly AS.5s. This unit, which continued to be a component of the 17th CAG, transformed into a fully operational strike squadron. Two months later, it re-embarked to engage in the Korean War starting in October. Prior to its withdrawal in April 1951, the Air Group had executed a total of 3,446 sorties and was subsequently honored with the 1950 Boyd Trophy for its three operational patrols conducted from October to December.
The squadron was reformed at RNAS Arbroath (HMS Condor), Angus, on 29 June 1951 with twelve Firefly AS.5s and joined in July. After a brief period on in May and June, it returned to HMS Theseus in October and then back to HMS Ocean in December after its Korea mission. In April 1953, the squadron left for the Far East for a second six-month deployment in Korean waters, completing four operational patrols before the July armistice and three more afterward. The aircrews returned from Hong Kong in October, and the squadron was officially disbanded when the ship arrived in Plymouth on 17 December.
Sea Fury (1954-1955)
The Hawker Sea Fury marked the last use of a piston-engine fighter by the Fleet Air Arm in active squadrons, serving from 1947 until 1955. It was distinguished as the first British naval aircraft to incorporate power-folding wings in routine operations. The Sea Fury began its operational deployment in the late summer of 1947.
810 was subsequently re-formed into a fighter squadron, equipped with 12 Sea Fury FB.11s at RNAS Ford (HMS Peregrine), Sussex, on 1 March 1954, and deployed in July aboard the name ship of her class for operations in the Mediterranean. The aircraft returned to the UK from RNAS Hal Far (HMS Falcon), Malta, on 22 March 1955, leading to the disbandment of the squadron upon their arrival.
Sea Hawk (1955)
The Hawker Sea Hawk was first introduced to FAA squadrons in 1953, with the FGA 4 variant, which was specifically designed for close-support operations, making its first flight on 26 August 1954. The last production model for the Royal Navy was the FGA 6, and the final Sea Hawk for the FAA was delivered in early 1956.
On 4 July 1955, the squadron was re-established at RNAS Lossiemouth (HMS Fulmar), Moray, as a ground attack fighter unit, equipped with ten Sea Hawk FGA.4 aircraft. In January 1956, it embarked on the light fleet carrier and set sail for the Far East. Upon its return in May, the squadron was initially scheduled to disband; however, this was deferred due to the prevailing political circumstances in the Middle East. Consequently, it departed again in August aboard sister ship for the Mediterranean, where it took part in the Suez operations in November, conducting attacks on airfields and various other targets. Upon returning home, 810 Squadron disbanded at RNAS Lee-on-Solent (HMS Daedalus), Hampshire, on 18 December.
Gannet (1959-1960)