892 Naval Air Squadron
Encyclopedia
892 Naval Air Squadron (892 NAS) was a carrier-based fighter squadron of the British
Royal Navy
's Fleet Air Arm
. It was formed in 1943, flying Grumman Martlet
s, and was the only operational Fleet Air Arm squadron to fly the McDonnell Phantom FG.1
.
, equipped with six Grumman Martlet IV
fighters. It operated Martlets from escort aircraft carrier
s, flying from HMS Battler
and HMS Archer
, disbanding in August 1943 when it merged into 819 Naval Air Squadron
.
.jpg)
It reformed in April 1945 as a night fighter squadron, flying Grumman Hellcat II NFs off HMS Ocean
.
Post war, it operated de Havilland Sea Venom and de Havilland Sea Vixen
fighters, being the first operational fighter squadron to use the Sea Vixen. In 1968 the squadron operated the widely acclaimed Simon's Sircus
(sic) aerobatic team, led by Lt Cdr Simon Idiens.
892 Naval Air Squadron was reformed on 31 March 1969, and was the Royal Navy’s only operational Phantom FG.1 unit (both 700P and 767 NAS were training squadrons).
In 1964 the Royal Navy
had envisaged operating 143 Phantoms with a combined carrier fleet of HMS Ark Royal
, HMS Eagle
, and the new super-carrier CVA-01
. However, these plans were significantly curtailed when the government's 1966 Defence White Paper
cancelled the CVA-01 project in 1966, and, amid further defence cuts, only proceeded to refurbish Ark Royal and Eagle. As a result the number of Phantoms planned to be operated was cut to 134 and then to 110. Eventually only 48 examples were ordered, which was enough for two squadrons of 12 aircraft each for Ark Royal and Eagle, and with additional aircraft for a training squadron (767 NAS) and reserves. However as aircraft were beginning to be delivered during 1968 Eagle’s refit was cancelled and 20 aircraft were allocated to the RAF.
Against a backdrop of defence cuts 892 Squadron suspected that it would become the last fixed-wing squadron and poignantly adopted a large Ω
symbol on a white diamond placed on a red fin flash
as its squadron symbol.
Despite its (later to be proved unjustified) claim to being the last Royal Naval squadron to operate fixed wing fighters (Sea Harriers
began equipping the Fleet Air Arm
in April 1980), 892 gained world wide exposure when one of their Phantoms won the Daily Mail
's Transatlantic Air Race in May 1969. Lt Cdr Brian Davies, and Lt Cdr Peter Goddard set a record for flight time from New York to London of 4 hours 46 minutes and 57 seconds.
With HMS Ark Royal ready, Phantoms from 892 NAS were embarked and operations could begin, with additional aircraft from 767 using the carrier for practice. Shortly afterwards 767 NAS was disbanded with the personnel and equipment moving to the Phantom Training Flight (a Royal Navy unit), and based at RAF Leuchars
, Fife, Scotland in 1972. 892 was also to move base from RNAS Yeovilton
to RAF Leuchars in the same year.
Whilst disembarked from Ark Royal the squadron shared Fighter Ready Alert duties with both 23 Squadron
(English Electric Lightning
) and 43 Squadron
of the RAF, who themselves had been equipped with the F4K Phantoms that became surplus when it was decided not to employ another Navy Phantom squadron in Eagle.
Throughout the 1970s the unit was involved in a variety of NATO and Royal Navy exercises. However, the complex maintenance of the Phantom was to consistently plague the aircraft, despite great efforts by crew and maintainers. These efforts were depicted in the BBC
documentary Sailor
.
With HMS Ark Royal due to pay off in December 1978 it was confirmed that there was to be no future for 892 Squadron. On 27 November 1978 XT870/012 became the last aircraft to be catapulted from a British aircraft carrier. 892 NAS was disbanded on 15 December 1978 and its Phantom FG.1s were transferred to No. 111 Squadron RAF
at RAF Leuchars
.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
Royal Navy
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
's Fleet Air Arm
Fleet Air Arm
The Fleet Air Arm is the branch of the British Royal Navy responsible for the operation of naval aircraft. The Fleet Air Arm currently operates the AgustaWestland Merlin, Westland Sea King and Westland Lynx helicopters...
. It was formed in 1943, flying Grumman Martlet
F4F Wildcat
The Grumman F4F Wildcat was an American carrier-based fighter aircraft that began service with both the United States Navy and the British Royal Navy in 1940...
s, and was the only operational Fleet Air Arm squadron to fly the McDonnell Phantom FG.1
F-4 Phantom II
The McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II is a tandem two-seat, twin-engined, all-weather, long-range supersonic jet interceptor fighter/fighter-bomber originally developed for the United States Navy by McDonnell Aircraft. It first entered service in 1960 with the U.S. Navy. Proving highly adaptable,...
.
History
892 Naval Air Squadron was first formed in July 1942 at Norfolk, VirginiaNorfolk, Virginia
Norfolk is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. With a population of 242,803 as of the 2010 Census, it is Virginia's second-largest city behind neighboring Virginia Beach....
, equipped with six Grumman Martlet IV
F4F Wildcat
The Grumman F4F Wildcat was an American carrier-based fighter aircraft that began service with both the United States Navy and the British Royal Navy in 1940...
fighters. It operated Martlets from escort aircraft carrier
Escort aircraft carrier
The escort aircraft carrier or escort carrier, also called a "jeep carrier" or "baby flattop" in the USN or "Woolworth Carrier" by the Royal Navy, was a small and slow type of aircraft carrier used by the British Royal Navy , the Imperial Japanese Navy and Imperial Japanese Army Air Force, and the...
s, flying from HMS Battler
HMS Battler (D18)
USS Altamaha was an Attacker-class escort carrier that served during World War II as HMS Battler in the Royal Navy.-Pre-commission:...
and HMS Archer
HMS Archer (D78)
HMS Archer was a built by the United States in 1939–1940 and operated by the Royal Navy during World War II. She was built as the cargo ship Mormancland, but was converted to an escort carrier and renamed HMS Archer. Her transmission was a constant cause of problems which led to her being...
, disbanding in August 1943 when it merged into 819 Naval Air Squadron
819 Naval Air Squadron
819 Naval Air Squadron was a Royal Navy aircraft squadron before and during World War II. Along with No. 815 Squadron, it performed the successful night attack on the Italian fleet at Taranto on 11 November 1940...
.
HMS Ocean (R68)
HMS Ocean was a Royal Navy Colossus-class light fleet aircraft carrier of 13,190 tons built in Glasgow by Alexander Stephen and Sons. Her keel was laid in November 1942, and she was commissioned on 30 June 1945....
.
Post war, it operated de Havilland Sea Venom and de Havilland Sea Vixen
De Havilland Sea Vixen
The de Havilland DH.110 Sea Vixen was a twin boom 1950s–1960s British two-seat jet fighter of the Fleet Air Arm designed by de Havilland. Developed from an earlier first generation jet fighter, the Sea Vixen was a capable carrier-based fleet defence fighter that served into the 1970s...
fighters, being the first operational fighter squadron to use the Sea Vixen. In 1968 the squadron operated the widely acclaimed Simon's Sircus
Simon's Sircus
was an aerobatics display team comprising six Sea Vixen FAW2 aircraft from 892 Naval Air Squadron of the British Royal Navy's Fleet Air Arm. The team operated during the summer of 1968 and was named after 892 Squadron’s commanding officer at the time, Lt Cdr Simon Idiens RN.-History:Simon’s Sircus...
(sic) aerobatic team, led by Lt Cdr Simon Idiens.
892 Naval Air Squadron was reformed on 31 March 1969, and was the Royal Navy’s only operational Phantom FG.1 unit (both 700P and 767 NAS were training squadrons).
In 1964 the Royal Navy
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
had envisaged operating 143 Phantoms with a combined carrier fleet of HMS Ark Royal
HMS Ark Royal (R09)
HMS Ark Royal was an Audacious-class aircraft carrier of the Royal Navy and, when she was decommissioned in 1978, was the Royal Navy's last remaining conventional catapult and arrested-landing aircraft carrier...
, HMS Eagle
HMS Eagle (R05)
HMS Eagle was an aircraft carrier of the Royal Navy, in service 1951-1972. With her sister ship , she is one of the two largest British aircraft carriers yet built....
, and the new super-carrier CVA-01
CVA-01
The CVA-01 aircraft carrier was to be a class of at least two fleet carriers that would have replaced the Royal Navy's existing aircraft carriers, most of which had been designed prior to or during World War II....
. However, these plans were significantly curtailed when the government's 1966 Defence White Paper
1966 Defence White Paper
The 1966 Defence White Paper was a major review of the United Kingdom's defence policy brought about by the Labour Party government under the Prime Minister Harold Wilson. The main author was the then Secretary of State for Defence, Denis Healey...
cancelled the CVA-01 project in 1966, and, amid further defence cuts, only proceeded to refurbish Ark Royal and Eagle. As a result the number of Phantoms planned to be operated was cut to 134 and then to 110. Eventually only 48 examples were ordered, which was enough for two squadrons of 12 aircraft each for Ark Royal and Eagle, and with additional aircraft for a training squadron (767 NAS) and reserves. However as aircraft were beginning to be delivered during 1968 Eagle’s refit was cancelled and 20 aircraft were allocated to the RAF.
Omega
Omega is the 24th and last letter of the Greek alphabet. In the Greek numeric system, it has a value of 800. The word literally means "great O" , as opposed to omicron, which means "little O"...
symbol on a white diamond placed on a red fin flash
Fin flash
A fin flash is part of the national markings of the military aircraft of a number of countries.In addition to the insignia displayed on the wings and fuselage, usually in the form of roundels, an additional marking known as a fin flash may also be displayed on the fin. A fin flash often takes the...
as its squadron symbol.
Despite its (later to be proved unjustified) claim to being the last Royal Naval squadron to operate fixed wing fighters (Sea Harriers
BAE Sea Harrier
The British Aerospace Sea Harrier is a naval VTOL/STOVL jet fighter, reconnaissance and attack aircraft, a development of the Hawker Siddeley Harrier. It first entered service with the Royal Navy in April 1980 as the Sea Harrier FRS1 and became informally known as the "Shar"...
began equipping the Fleet Air Arm
Fleet Air Arm
The Fleet Air Arm is the branch of the British Royal Navy responsible for the operation of naval aircraft. The Fleet Air Arm currently operates the AgustaWestland Merlin, Westland Sea King and Westland Lynx helicopters...
in April 1980), 892 gained world wide exposure when one of their Phantoms won the Daily Mail
Daily Mail
The Daily Mail is a British daily middle-market tabloid newspaper owned by the Daily Mail and General Trust. First published in 1896 by Lord Northcliffe, it is the United Kingdom's second biggest-selling daily newspaper after The Sun. Its sister paper The Mail on Sunday was launched in 1982...
's Transatlantic Air Race in May 1969. Lt Cdr Brian Davies, and Lt Cdr Peter Goddard set a record for flight time from New York to London of 4 hours 46 minutes and 57 seconds.
RAF Leuchars
RAF Leuchars is the most northerly air defence station in the United Kingdom. It is located in Leuchars, Fife, on the east coast of Scotland, near to the university town of St Andrews.-Operations:...
, Fife, Scotland in 1972. 892 was also to move base from RNAS Yeovilton
RNAS Yeovilton
Royal Naval Air Station Yeovilton, or RNAS Yeovilton, is an airfield of the Royal Navy, sited in South West England a few miles north of Yeovil in Somerset...
to RAF Leuchars in the same year.
Whilst disembarked from Ark Royal the squadron shared Fighter Ready Alert duties with both 23 Squadron
No. 23 Squadron RAF
No. 23 Squadron was a squadron of the Royal Air Force. Until October 2009, it operated the Boeing Sentry AEW1 Airborne Warning And Control System aircraft from RAF Waddington, Lincolnshire.-First World War:...
(English Electric Lightning
English Electric Lightning
The English Electric Lightning is a supersonic jet fighter aircraft of the Cold War era, noted for its great speed and unpainted natural metal exterior finish. It is the only all-British Mach 2 fighter aircraft. The aircraft was renowned for its capabilities as an interceptor; Royal Air Force ...
) and 43 Squadron
No. 43 Squadron RAF
No. 43 Squadron was a Royal Air Force aircraft squadron originally formed in 1916 as part of the Royal Flying Corps. It last operated the Panavia Tornado F3 from RAF Leuchars, Scotland in the air defence role until disbanded in July 2009.-In World War I:...
of the RAF, who themselves had been equipped with the F4K Phantoms that became surplus when it was decided not to employ another Navy Phantom squadron in Eagle.
Throughout the 1970s the unit was involved in a variety of NATO and Royal Navy exercises. However, the complex maintenance of the Phantom was to consistently plague the aircraft, despite great efforts by crew and maintainers. These efforts were depicted in the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
documentary Sailor
Sailor (TV series)
Sailor was a major BBC television documentary series, first shown in the late 1970s, about life on board the fourth HMS Ark Royal, a British aircraft carrier. It followed the ship on a five and a half month deployment to North America in 1976....
.
With HMS Ark Royal due to pay off in December 1978 it was confirmed that there was to be no future for 892 Squadron. On 27 November 1978 XT870/012 became the last aircraft to be catapulted from a British aircraft carrier. 892 NAS was disbanded on 15 December 1978 and its Phantom FG.1s were transferred to No. 111 Squadron RAF
No. 111 Squadron RAF
No. 111 Squadron of the Royal Air Force operated the Panavia Tornado F3 from RAF Leuchars, Scotland until March 2011, when the squadron was disbanded, ending the Tornado F3's RAF service.-In World War I:...
at RAF Leuchars
RAF Leuchars
RAF Leuchars is the most northerly air defence station in the United Kingdom. It is located in Leuchars, Fife, on the east coast of Scotland, near to the university town of St Andrews.-Operations:...
.
Aircraft flown
Aircraft flown by 892 Naval Air Squadron include:- Grumman Martlet IVF4F WildcatThe Grumman F4F Wildcat was an American carrier-based fighter aircraft that began service with both the United States Navy and the British Royal Navy in 1940...
- Grumman Hellcat II NFF6F HellcatThe Grumman F6F Hellcat was a carrier-based fighter aircraft developed to replace the earlier F4F Wildcat in United States Navy service. Although the F6F resembled the Wildcat, it was a completely new design powered by a 2,000 hp Pratt & Whitney R-2800. Some tagged it as the "Wildcat's big...
- de Havilland Sea Venom
- de Havilland Sea VixenDe Havilland Sea VixenThe de Havilland DH.110 Sea Vixen was a twin boom 1950s–1960s British two-seat jet fighter of the Fleet Air Arm designed by de Havilland. Developed from an earlier first generation jet fighter, the Sea Vixen was a capable carrier-based fleet defence fighter that served into the 1970s...
- MacDonnell Phantom FG.1F-4 Phantom IIThe McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II is a tandem two-seat, twin-engined, all-weather, long-range supersonic jet interceptor fighter/fighter-bomber originally developed for the United States Navy by McDonnell Aircraft. It first entered service in 1960 with the U.S. Navy. Proving highly adaptable,...