1851 Naval Air Squadron

1851 Naval Air Squadron
Active	1 September 1944 -13 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
Identification Markings	1V7+ R6A+ (July 1945) 111-133 (February 1946)
Tail Codes	B:T:Y (February 1946)
Aircraft flown
Fighter	Vought Corsair

A Fleet Air Arm Goodyear FG-1D Corsair

1851 Naval Air Squadron (1851 NAS) was a Fleet Air Arm (FAA) naval air squadron of the United Kingdom’s Royal Navy (RN), which last disbanded in 1946. It formed in the United States at RN Air Section Brunswick as a fighter squadron, in September 1944 and embarked on HMS Thane at the end of the year for transportation to the UK, arriving at Belfast. The squadron embarked in HMS Venerable in March 1945, it spent some time in the Mediterranean using HMS Falcon, RNAS Hal Far, as a shore station. Eventually reaching HMS Valluru, RNAMY Tambaram, in southern India in July, the squadron became part of the 15th Carrier Air Group, but too late to see action during the Second World War.

History

Single-seat fighter squadron (1944 - 1946)

1851 Naval Air Squadron formed on 1 September 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,^[2] under the command of Lieutenant Commander(A) D.J. McDonald, RN.^[3]

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.^[4] 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, Virginia, to enable it to undertake Deck Landing Training (DLT) with the US Navy's escort carrier the USS Charger, before returning to RN Air Section Brunswick.^[5]

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 23 December and then onto RN Air Section Norfolk on 28 December, for embarkation in the Ruler-class escort carrier, HMS Thane, for transportation to the United Kingdom.^[6]

All aircrew, equipment and aircraft were embarked in HMS Thane at Naval Station Norfolk and she sailed for New York City, departing on New Years Eve 1944 and arriving in New York Harbor the following day. She departed on 3 January 1945 as part of convoy CU 53, bound for Liverpool, England, but broke off for Belfast, Northern Ireland, arriving on 14 January and the squadron disembarked to Royal Naval Air Maintenance Yard Belfast (HMS Gadwall).^[5]

1851 Naval Air Squadron embarked in the colossus-class aircraft carrier, HMS Venerable on 6 March. It used RN Air Section Hal Far, Malta, from 20 March as an its shore base while operating in the Mediterranean. It later continued on to southern India, reaching Royal Naval Air Maintenance Yard Tambaran (HMS Valluru), Madras, on 7 July where the squadron became part of the 15th Carrier Air Group.^[3]

With the surrender of Japan and the end of the Second World War the squadron saw no action. It did have an operational detachment at Royal Naval Air Station Kai Tak (HMS Nabcatcher), Hong Kong. Squadron strength reduced in December 1945 and the following year the squadron transferred to the colossus-class aircraft carrier, HMS Vengeance. She sailed for the UK in July 1946, the lend-lease Vought Corsair aircraft were pushed over the side and into the sea. 1851 Naval Air Squadron disbanded on arrival to HMNB Devonport on 13 August.^[7]

Aircraft flown

1851 Naval Air Squadron flew only one aircraft type:^[7]

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

Naval air stations

1851 Naval Air Squadron operated from a few naval air stations of the Royal Navy, in the United Kingdom, a number overseas, a couple of Royal Navy fleet carriers and an escort carrier:^[7]

Naval Air Station Brunswick in 1944

HMS Venerable (R63) underway in 1945

• RN Air Section Brunswick (1 September - 23 December 1944)
  • RN Air Section Norfolk (Detachment DLT USS Charger 7 - 10 November 1944)
• RN Air Section Floyd Bennett Field (23 - 28 December 1944)
• HMS Thane (28 December 1944 - 14 January)
• Royal Naval Air Maintenance Yard Belfast (HMS Gadwall) (14 - 17 January 1945)
• Royal Naval Air Station Eglinton (HMS Gannet) (17 January - 6 March- 1945)
• HMS Venerable (6 - 20 March 1945)
• RN Air Section Hal Far (20 March - 16 April 1945)
• HMS Venerable (16 - 20 April 1945)
• RN Air Section Hal Far (20 April - 21 May 1945)
• HMS Venerable (21 May - 7 June 1945)
• Royal Naval Air Maintenance Yard Tambaram (HMS Vallura) (7 June - 3 July 1945)
• HMS Venerable (3 - 21 July 1945)
• Royal Naval Air Station Schofields (HMS Nabthorpe) (21 July - 13 August 1945)
• HMS Venerable (13 - 28 August 1945)
  • Royal Naval Air Station Kai Tak (HMS Nabcatcher) (Detachment eight aircraft 3 September - 18 October 1945)
• Royal Naval Air Station Trincomalee (HMS Bambara) (28 October - 13 December 1945)
• HMS Venerable (13 - 30 December 1945)
• Royal Naval Air Station Nowra (HMS Nabswick) (30 December 1945 - 24 January 1946)
• Royal Naval Air Station Schofields (HMS Nabthorpe) (24 January - 22 February 1946)
• HMS Venerable (22 February - 26 April 1946)
• Royal Naval Air Station Katukurunda (HMS Ukussa) (26 April - 28 May 1946)
• HMS Venerable (28 - 31 May 1946)
• Royal Naval Air Station Katukurunda (HMS Ukussa) (31 May - 11 June 1946)
• HMS Vengeance (11 - 15 June 1946)
• Royal Naval Air Station Katukurunda (HMS Ukussa) (15 June - 18 July 1946)
• HMS Vengeance (18 July - 13 August 1946)
• disbanded - United Kingdom (13 August 1946)

Commanding officers

List of commanding officers of 1851 Naval Air Squadron with date of appointment:^[3][7]

• Lieutenant Commander(A) D.J. McDonald, RN, from 1 September 1944
• Lieutenant(A) C. Malins, RNVR, (temp), from 12 February 1945
• Lieutenant Commander(A) D.J. McDonald, RN, from 29 April 1945 (KiFA 30 May 1945)
• Lieutenant(A) M.B. Gerrish, RNVR, (temp), from (30 May 1945)
• Lieutenant Commander(A) K. Stilliard, RNVR, from (29 from 1945)
• Lieutenant Commander(A) C.F. Hargreaves, RN, from 6 December 1945
• disbanded - 13 August 1946

Notes

1. Sturtivant & Ballance 1994, p. 359.
2. "Brunswick". Royal Navy Research Archive - Fleet Air Arm Bases 1939 - present day. Retrieved 17 September 2024.
3. Wragg 2019, p. 199.
4. Thetford 1991, pp. 80&83.
5. "A history of 1851 Naval Air Squadron". Royal Navy Research Archive - Royal Naval Air Squadrons 1938 - present day. Retrieved 17 September 2024.
6. "Floyd Bennett Field". Royal Navy Research Archive - Fleet Air Arm Bases 1939 - present day. Retrieved 17 September 2024.
7. Ballance, Howard & Sturtivant 2016, p. 299.

References

• 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.
• 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.

External links

• "A History of 1851 Naval Air Squadron". The Royal Navy Research Archive. 26 September 2021.