1850 Naval Air Squadron

1850 Naval Air Squadron
1850 NAS badge
Active	1 August 1944 - 12 August 1946[1]
Country	United Kingdom
Branch	Royal Navy
Type	Single-seat fighter squadron
Role	Fighter squadron
Size	Eighteen aircraft
Part of	Fleet Air Arm
Home station	See Naval air stations section for full list.
Insignia
Squadron Badge Description	White, a wyvern ramping red armed and langued blue (1945)[2]
Identification Markings	1+ V16 single letters (December 1944) N5A+ (June 1945) 111-131 (October 1945) V8A+ (May 1946)
Tail Codes	A (October 1945)
Aircraft flown
Fighter	Vought Corsair

1850 Naval Air Squadron (1850 NAS) was a Naval Air Squadron of the Royal Navy's Fleet Air Arm. It formed in the United States at RN Air Section Brunswick as a fighter squadron in August 1944, with Vought Corsair aircraft before joining HMS Reaper to cross the Atlantic. On arrival in the UK it expanded its aircraft absorbing part of the disbanded 1849 Naval Air Squadron. After working up at HMS Gadwall, at RNAS Belfast, HMS Gannet, at RNAS Eglinton and HMS Wagtail, at RNAS Ayr, the squadron undertook deck landing training on HMS Venerable during February 1945, before joining her sister ship, HMS Vengeance. The ship sailed for the Far East to join the British Pacific Fleet and the squadron went ashore to HMS Valluru at Tambaram and HMS Garuda, at Coimbatore, in southern India in June for weapon training and dive bombing practice, becoming part of the 13th Carrier Air Group. With the end of the Second World War it returned to the UK and disbanded at HMS Siskin, at RNAS Gosport, in August 1946.

1850 Naval Air Squadron formed on 1 August 1944 in the United States at RN Air Section Brunswick, which was located at United States Naval Air Station (USNAS) Brunswick, Maine, as a Single Seat Fighter Squadron,^[3] under the command of Lieutenant Commander(A) M. Hordern, RN.^[4]

It was equipped with eighteen Vought Corsair aircraft, an American carrier-borne fighter-bomber. These were the Goodyear built FG-1D variant, designated Corsair Mk IV by the Fleet Air Arm.^[5] Aerodrome Dummy Deck Landings (ADDLs) were undertaken at the nearby Bar Harbor Naval Auxiliary Air Facility (NAAF), Bar Harbor, Maine. The squadron flew to RN Air Section Norfolk situated at USNAS Norfolk, to enable it to undertake Deck Landing Training (DLT) with the United States Navy's escort carrier USS Charger, before returning to RN Air Section Brunswick.^[6]

With working up completed the squadron left RN Air Section Brunswick and flew to RN Air Section Floyd Bennett Field, located at USNAS Floyd Bennett Field, Brooklyn, New York City, on 15 November.^[7] Leaving the aircraft behind the aircrew travelled to Naval Station Norfolk to embarked in the ruler-class escort carrier, HMS Reaper. She sailed to New York City, where she embarked the squadron aircraft and joined Convoy CU.48 for the Atlantic crossing to the United Kingdom on 24 November. On 6 December the squadron disembarked to Royal Naval Air Maintenance Yard Belfast (HMS Gadwall), Northern Ireland.^[6]

On arrival it absorbed part of the disbanded 1849 Naval Air Squadron which increased the aircraft strength of the squadron to twenty-four aircraft. While waiting for the new colossus-class aircraft carrier, HMS Vengeance, to enter service and in order to continue training, the squadron moved to RNAS Eglinton (HMS Gannet), Derry, on 27 December, then flew to Scotland on 13 January 1945 to RNAS Ayr (HMS Wagtail), Ayr.^[4]

It undertook deck landing training on the new light fleet colossus-class aircraft carrier, HMS Venerable, on 10 February, before eventually embarking in her sister ship, HMS Vengeance, on 25 for the British Pacific Fleet.^[2] The squadron disembarked to Royal Navy Aircraft Maintenance Yard Tambaram (HMS Valluru), Madras, and Royal Naval Aircraft Repair Yard Coimbatore (HMS Garuda), Coimbatore, in southern India, on 11 June ^[8] and undertook weapon training and dive bombing practice, before becoming part of the 13th Carrier Air Group.^[2]

The squadron was too late to take an active part in the Second World War. It returned to the United Kingdom, where it disbanded on arrival at RNAS Gosport (HMS Siskin), Gosport, Hampshire, on 12 August.^[9]

1850 Naval Air Squadron flew only one aircraft type:^[2]

• Vought Corsair Mk IV fighter bomber (August 1944 - August 1946)

1850 Naval Air Squadron operated from a number of naval air stations of the Royal Navy, in the United Kingdom, and overseas, and a couple of Royal Navy fleet carriers and an escort carrier:^[2]

• RN Air Section Brunswick (1 August - 15 November 1944)
  • RN Air Section Norfolk (Detachment DLT USS Charger October 1944)
• RN Air Section Floyd Bennett Field (15 - 23 November 1944)
• HMS Reaper (23 November - 6 December 1944)
• Royal Naval Air Maintenance Yard Belfast (HMS Gadwell) (6 - 27 December 1944)
• Royal Naval Air Station Eglinton (HMS Gannet) (27 December 1944 - 13 January 1945)
• Royal Naval Air Station Ayr (HMSWagtail) (13 - 20 January 1945)
• Royal Naval Air Station Eglinton (HMS Gannet) (20 January - 10 February 1945)
• HMS Venerable DLT (10 - 25 February 1945)
• HMS Vengeance (R71) (25 February - 19 March 1945)
• RN Air Section Hal Far (19 March - 23 April 1945)
• HMS Vengeance (23 April - 11 June 1945)
• Royal Naval Air Station Tambaram (HMS Valluru)/Royal Naval Air Station Coimbatore (HMS Garuda) (11 June - 1 July 1945)
• HMS Vengeance (1 - 22 July 1945)
• Royal Naval Air Station Jervis Bay (HMS Nabswick) (22 July 13 August 1945)
• HMS Vengeance (13 August - 10 October 1945)
  • Royal Naval Air Station Ponam (HMS Nabaron) (Detachment twelve aircraft (23 - 30 August 1945)
  • Royal Naval Air Station Kai Tak (HMS Nabcatcher) (Detachment four aircraft (3 - 10 October 1945)
• Royal Naval Air Station Kai Tak (HMS Nabcatcher) (10 October - 20 December 1945)
• HMS Vengeance (20 December 1945 - 12 January 1946)
• Royal Naval Air Station Schofields (HMS Nabstock) (12 January - 19 March 1946)
• HMS Vengeance (19 March - 5 April 1946)
• Royal Naval Air Station Katukurunda (HMS Ukussa) (5 April - 11 June 1946)
• HMS Vengeance (11 June - 15 July 1946)
• Royal Naval Air Station Katukurunda (HMS Ukussa) (15 - 17 July 1946)
• HMS Vengeance (18 July - 12 August 1946)
• disbanded UK (12 August 1946)

List of commanding officers of 1850 Naval Air Squadron with date of appointment:^[4][2]

• Lieutenant Commander(A) M. Hordern, RN, from 1 August 1944
• Lieutenant Commander W.N. Waller, RN, from 2 December 1945
• disbanded - 12 August 1946

• "A History of 1850 Naval Air Squadron". The Royal Navy Research Archive. 26 September 2021.

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