History

851 Squadron was formed at HMAS Albatross

HMAS Albatross (air station)

HMAS Albatross, also known as Naval Air Station Nowra , is an airfield operated by the Royal Australian Navy , in support of the RAN's aviation branch, the Fleet Air Arm...

 as a land-based training and fleet support squadron on 3 August 1954. While the squadron was disbanded on 13 January 1958 it was re-formed as a training and transport unit on 2 September 1968. The squadron was disbanded for a second, and final, time on 31 August 1984.

Aircraft operated

• Fairey Firefly
  Fairey Firefly
  The Fairey Firefly was a British Second World War-era carrier-borne fighter aircraft and anti-submarine aircraft of the Fleet Air Arm ....
  
   (August 1954 – January 1958)
• C-47 Dakota (August 1954 – January 1958, September 1968–1973)
• Grumman Tracker (September 1968 – August 1984)
• Hawker-Siddeley 748
  Avro 748
  The Hawker Siddeley HS 748 is a medium-sized turboprop airliner originally designed by the British firm Avro in the late 1950s as a replacement for the now-aged DC-3s then in widespread service as feederliners. Avro concentrated on performance, notably for STOL operations, and found a dedicated...
  
  (1973 – August 1984)