Formed in January 1941
as a fighter squadron at St Merryn with 12 Fulmar IIs, the squadron
embarked on HMS Victorious in July 1941.
The squadron shot down 4
Me109s and Me110s during the attack on Petsamo in July, and lost 3
of its own aircraft. Subsequently being involved in North Russian
convoys and a strike against Bodo in Norway.
From July 1942 with HMS
Victorious in the Mediterranean, the squadron accounted for 2 enemy
aircraft, but lost 3 of its own during Operation Pedestal. The
squadron subsequently returned home for army cooperation training at
Sawbridgeworth.
In October 1943 the
squadron re-embarked on HMS Victorious and was involved in tactical
reconnaissance during the North African landings, and following
re-equipping with Seafire IIc’s to provide cover for the Salerno
landings.
The squadron joined the
4th Naval Fighter Wing at Andover and at the end of the year
embarked on HMS Stalker. In May 1944 the ship sailed for the
Mediterranean where squadron detachments landed in both North Africa
or became part of the Desert Air Force in Italy until July when
re-embarking on the ship.
In August 1944 the
squadron provided support to the landings in the South of France,
and subsequently carried out operations in the Aegean.
At the end of November
1944 the squadron transferred with its Seafire L.IIIs to HMS
Attacker enroute to Alexandria.
In March 1945 the
squadron joined HMS Stalker for the East Indies Fleet at Ceylon,
providing fighter cover for the re-occupation of Rangoon, then in
June operations in Malaya and Sumatra. The ship subsequently gave
cover for the reoccupation of Malaya after VJ-day.
Future
In September 2013, it was announced that 809 NAS was to be reformed
to become the first Fleet Air Arm squadron to be equipped with the F-35
Lightning II. The squadron will operate alongside 617 Sqn. of the RAF,
and will be stationed at RAF Marham when not deployed aboard one of
the Queen Elizabeth-class aircraft carriers. It will consist of both
Royal Navy and Royal Air Force personnel
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