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1834 Naval Air Squadron

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1834 Naval Air Squadron
Active1943-45
1953-55[1]
Country United Kingdom
Branch Royal Navy
TypeSingle-seat fighter squadron
RoleCarrier-based fighter squadron
Part ofFleet Air Arm
Aircraft flown
FighterVought Corsair

1834 Naval Air Squadron (1834 NAS) was a Fleet Air Arm (FAA) naval air squadron of the United Kingdom’s Royal Navy (RN).

History

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Single-seat fighter squadron (1943-1945)

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The personnel of 1834 Naval Air Squadron gathered at both HMS Merlin, the Royal Naval Air Station at Donibristle, Dunfermline[2] and HMS Waxwing, which served as the Fleet Air Arm Transit Camp, Royal Naval Air Establishment (RNAE) Townhill, Dunfermline, Fife,[3] on 15 June 1943 for passage to the USA.[4]

The squadron was formally established on 15 July at RNAS Quonset Point (HMS Saker II), which refers to the United States Naval Air Station Quonset Point situated in Rhode Island. The Admiralty obtained access to this facility beginning in October 1942.[5] The unit was established as a single-seat fighter squadron, led by Lieutenant Commander(A) A.M. Tritton, DSC, RNVR, and was originally equipped with a fleet of ten Vought Corsair aircraft.[6] The aircraft in question were the F4U-1 variants, constructed by Vought Chance, which were designated as the Corsair Mk I within the Fleet Air Arm.[7]

Following initial familiarisation, the flying training regimen encompassed navigation exercises, low-altitude maneuvers, formation flying, and combat tactics. Additionally, training included Aerodrome Dummy Deck Landing (ADDL) and night flying.[8] On 27 August, the squadron relocated to RN Air Section Brunswick at the US Naval Air Station Brunswick in Maine to further their training. Another critical skill that required extensive practice was carrier deck landing. Consequently, the squadron temporarily transferred to RN Air Section Norfolk at USNAS Norfolk on 14 October to engage in Deck Landing Training (DLT) aboard the training carrier USS Charger in Chesapeake Bay, before returning to Brunswick on the 17.[9]

On the 30, the squadron departed for the RN Air Section at USNAS Floyd Bennett Field to replace their Mk I aircraft with Mk II. Following this exchange, they boarded HMS Khedive, which then set sail for New York to join convoy UT.4a. This convoy departed from New York on Friday, November 5, with its destination set for the Clyde. UT.4a reached the Clyde on Monday, November 15, after which HMS Khedive continued to Liverpool the next day to unload its cargo.[8] Subsequently, the squadron flew to RNAS Maydown in Northern Ireland, arriving on the 22, before relocating to RNAS Stretton (HMS Blackcap), Cheshire.[6]

The squadron became part of the newly formed 47th Naval Fighter Wing (47 Wing), in conjunction with the 1836 Naval Air Squadron, under the leadership of Lieutenant Commander F.R.A. Turnbull, DSC, RN.[10] By 1 February 1944, it relocated to RNAS Machrihanish (HMS Landrail), Argyll and Bute, Scotland, to prepare for deck landing training on HMS Ravager, subsequently joining the aircraft carrier HMS Victorious on 12 February.[6] The squadron was later tasked with participating in several planned operations, including Operation Tungsten, a Fleet Air Arm mission aimed at the German battleship Tirpitz, which was stationed in a norwegian fjord.[4]

In June, HMS Victorious departed from the UK, destined for Ceylon. The carrier reached Ceylon the following month, at which point the Vought Corsair aircraft belonging to the squadron were disembarked to RNAS Colombo Racecourse (HMS Berhunda), Colombo, Ceylon, on 7 July.[11]

Operations were conducted against targets from July 1944 to January 1945. Operation Crimson involved assaults on airfields located near Sabang, Sumatra.[12] Operation Banquet comprised a sequence of assaults aimed at the Padang airfield, Emmehaven harbor, and the Indaroeng Cement Works located in Padang.[13] Operation Light represented a dual-faceted initiative designed to carry out air strikes against Japanese military forces located in Sigli, Northern Sumatra, while simultaneously engaging in aerial reconnaissance missions over the Nicobar Islands.[14] Operation Millet involved a series of naval bombardments and aerial strikes targeting Japanese facilities in the Nicobar Islands, conducted between 17 and 20 October.[15]

On 22 November, HMS Victorious and her squadrons were transferred to the newly formed British Pacific Fleet (BPF).[16] Operation Lentil subsequently commenced, concentrating on targeting the oil refineries located in Pangkalan Brandan, Northern Sumatra.[15] Operation Meridian followed, focusing on the Japanese oil assets located in the Palembang area of southern Sumatra.[17] Operation Iceberg was subsequently initiated with the objective of neutralising six airfields situated in the Sakishima Gunto.[18]

On 30 June, the 47th Naval Fighter Wing was officially disbanded as the Admiralty transitioned to the United States model of Carrier Air Groups. In the revised organisational framework, all squadrons allocated to a carrier were consolidated into a Carrier Air Group (CAG). HMS Victorious was assigned the designation of 1st Carrier Air Group, comprising 1834, 1836, and 849 Naval Air Squadrons, under the command of Commander J.C.N. Shrubsole, RN.[19] The squadron was re-equipped with a new variant of the Vought Corsair, specifically the FG-1D model produced by Goodyear, which was designated as the Corsair Mk IV by the Fleet Air Arm.[20]

The squadron engaged in missions aimed at the Japanese mainland, focusing specifically on targets within the Tokyo area. After Victory over Japan Day, the carrier made its way to Australia. In the aftermath of the war, the squadron left its aircraft at RNAS Nowra (HMS Nabbington), Sydney, Australia, before the personnel made the journey back to the United Kingdom aboard the carrier, where it was officially disbanded upon arrival on 31 October 1945.[6]

Aircraft flown

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1834 Naval Air Squadron flew different variants of only one aircraft type during World War II:[4]

  • Vought Corsair Mk I (July - October 1943)
  • Vought Corsair Mk II (October 1943 - August 1945)
  • Vought Corsair Mk IV (April - August 1945)

References

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Citations

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  1. ^ Sturtivant & Ballance 1994, p. 348.
  2. ^ "Donibristle". Royal Navy Research Archive - Fleet Air Arm Bases 1939 - present day. Retrieved 8 March 2025.
  3. ^ "Townhill". Royal Navy Research Archive - Fleet Air Arm Bases 1939 - present day. Retrieved 3 March 2025.
  4. ^ a b c Ballance, Howard & Sturtivant 2016, p. 287.
  5. ^ "Quonset Point". Royal Navy Research Archive - Fleet Air Arm Bases 1939 - present day. Retrieved 3 March 2025.
  6. ^ a b c d Wragg 2019, p. 193.
  7. ^ Thetford 1991, pp. 80–81.
  8. ^ a b "A history of 1834 Naval Air Squadron". Royal Navy Research Archive - Royal Naval Air Squadrons 1938 - present day. Retrieved 8 March 2025.
  9. ^ "Brunswick". Royal Navy Research Archive - Fleet Air Arm Bases 1939 - present day. Retrieved 8 March 2025.
  10. ^ Wragg 2019, p. 202.
  11. ^ Wragg 2019, p. 194.
  12. ^ Hobbs 2011, p. 50.
  13. ^ Hobbs 2011, p. 52.
  14. ^ Hobbs 2011, p. 54.
  15. ^ a b Hobbs 2011, p. 57.
  16. ^ Hobbs 2011, p. 63.
  17. ^ Hobbs 2011, p. 74.
  18. ^ Hobbs 2011, p. 131.
  19. ^ Wragg 2019, pp. 202–203.
  20. ^ Thetford 1991, pp. 80&83.

Bibliography

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  • 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.
  • Hobbs, David (2011). The British Pacific Fleet: The Royal Navy's Most Powerful Strike Force. Seaforth Publishing. ISBN 978-1-5267-0283-8.
  • Sturtivant, R; Ballance, T (1994). The Squadrons of The Fleet Air Arm. Tonbridge, Kent, UK: Air-Britain (Historians) Ltd. ISBN 0-85130-223-8.
  • Thetford, Owen (1991). British Naval Aircraft since 1912. London, UK: Putnam Aeronautical Books, an imprint of Conway Maritime Press Ltd. ISBN 0-85177-849-6.
  • Wragg, David (2019). The Fleet Air Arm Handbook 1939-1945. Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, UK: The History Press. ISBN 978-0-7509-9303-6.
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