List of Fleet Air Arm carrier air groups
Encyclopedia
This is a list of all the Royal Navy
Fleet Air Arm
carrier air groups
which have been formed:
During World War II
, the creation of 4th, 5th, 9th, 12th and 22nd Carrier Air Groups was planned. The surrender of Japan
rendered the new carrier air groups unnecessary, and they were never formed.
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...
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...
carrier air groups
Carrier air wing
A Carrier Air Wing is an operational naval aviation organization composed of several aircraft squadrons and detachments of various types of fixed wing and rotary wing aircraft...
which have been formed:
- 1st Carrier Air Group - formed on 30 June 1945. It was based on the aircraft carrier HMS VictoriousHMS Victorious (R38)HMS Victorious was the second Illustrious-class aircraft carrier ordered under the 1936 Naval Programme. She was laid down at the Vickers-Armstrong shipyard at Newcastle-Upon-Tyne in 1937 and launched two years later in 1939...
for service in the British Pacific FleetBritish Pacific FleetThe British Pacific Fleet was a British Commonwealth naval force which saw action against Japan during World War II. The fleet was composed of British Commonwealth naval vessels. The BPF formally came into being on 22 November 1944...
and contained 849 Naval Air Squadron flying the TBF AvengerTBF AvengerThe Grumman TBF Avenger was a torpedo bomber developed initially for the United States Navy and Marine Corps, and eventually used by several air or naval arms around the world....
, 1834 Naval Air Squadron and 1836 Naval Air Squadron flying the F4U CorsairF4U CorsairThe Vought F4U Corsair was a carrier-capable fighter aircraft that saw service primarily in World War II and the Korean War. Demand for the aircraft soon overwhelmed Vought's manufacturing capability, resulting in production by Goodyear and Brewster: Goodyear-built Corsairs were designated FG and...
. It was disbanded on 8 September 1945 when Victorious returned to the United KingdomUnited KingdomThe 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...
. - 2nd Carrier Air Group2nd Carrier Air GroupThe 2nd Carrier Air Group of the Fleet Air Arm was formed on 30 June 1945. It was based on the aircraft carrier HMS Formidable for service in the British Pacific Fleet and contained No. 848 NAS flying the TBF Avenger, No. 1841 NAS and No. 1842 NAS flying the F4U Corsair. It was disbanded on 31...
- formed on 30 June 1945. It was based on the aircraft carrier for service in the British Pacific FleetBritish Pacific FleetThe British Pacific Fleet was a British Commonwealth naval force which saw action against Japan during World War II. The fleet was composed of British Commonwealth naval vessels. The BPF formally came into being on 22 November 1944...
and contained No. 848 NAS flying the TBF Avenger, No. 1841 NAS and No. 1842 NAS flying the F4U Corsair. It was disbanded on 31 October 1945 when Formidable returned to the United Kingdom. - 3rd Carrier Air Group3rd Carrier Air GroupThe 3rd Carrier Air Group of the Fleet Air Arm was formed on 2 August 1945. It was a spare air group for the British Pacific Fleet based at Nowra. It was formed too late for service in the war, and it contained No. 854 NAS flying the TBF Avenger, No. 1843 NAS and No. 1845 NAS flying the F4U Corsair...
- formed on 2 August 1945. It was a spare air group for the British Pacific Fleet based at Nowra. It was formed too late for service in the war, and it contained No. 854 NAS flying the TBF Avenger, No. 1843 NAS and No. 1845 NAS flying the F4U Corsair. It was disbanded on 20 October 1945, and its personnel returned to the United Kingdom on board a merchant ship. - 7th Carrier Air Group7th Carrier Air GroupThe 7th Carrier Air Group was part of the Fleet Air Arm and was formed on 30 June 1945. It was based on the aircraft carrier HMS Indefatigable for service in the British Pacific Fleet and contained No. 820 NAS flying the TBF Avenger, No. 887 NAS and No. 894 NAS flying the Supermarine Seafire and...
- formed on 30 June 1945. It was based on the aircraft carrier for service in the British Pacific Fleet and contained No. 820 NAS flying the TBF Avenger, No. 887 NAS and No. 894 NAS flying the Supermarine Seafire and No. 1770 NAS flying the Fairey Firefly. It was disbanded in March 1946. - 8th Carrier Air Group8th Carrier Air GroupThe 8th Carrier Air Group of the Fleet Air Arm was formed on 30 June 1945. It was based on the aircraft carrier HMS Implacable for service in the British Pacific Fleet and contained No. 828 NAS flying the TBF Avenger, No. 801 NAS and No. 880 NAS flying the Supermarine Seafire and No. 1771 NAS...
- formed on 30 June 1945. It was based on the aircraft carrier for service in the British Pacific Fleet and contained No. 828 NAS flying the TBF Avenger, No. 801 NAS and No. 880 NAS flying the Supermarine Seafire and No. 1771 NAS flying the Fairey Firefly. It was disbanded in April 1946, but some of its squadrons disbanded earlier. - 11th Carrier Air Group - formed on 30 June 1945. It was based on the aircraft carrier for service in the British Pacific Fleet and contained No. 857 NAS flying the TBF Avenger, No. 1839 NAS and No. 1844 NAS flying the F6F Hellcat. It was disbanded on 30 November 1945.
- 13th Carrier Air Group - formed on 30 June 1945. It was based on the aircraft carrier for service in the British Pacific Fleet and contained No. 812 NAS flying the Fairey Barracuda and No. 1850 NAS flying the F4U Corsair. It was disbanded in August 1946.
- 14th Carrier Air Group was formed on 30 June 1945. It was based on the aircraft carrier HMS Colossus for service in the British Pacific FleetBritish Pacific FleetThe British Pacific Fleet was a British Commonwealth naval force which saw action against Japan during World War II. The fleet was composed of British Commonwealth naval vessels. The BPF formally came into being on 22 November 1944...
and contained No. 827 NAS flying the Fairey BarracudaFairey BarracudaThe Fairey Barracuda was a British carrier-borne torpedo- and dive bomber used during the Second World War, the first of its type used by the Royal Navy's Fleet Air Arm to be fabricated entirely from metal. It was introduced as a replacement for the Fairey Swordfish and Fairey Albacore biplanes...
and No. 1846 NAS flying the F4U CorsairF4U CorsairThe Vought F4U Corsair was a carrier-capable fighter aircraft that saw service primarily in World War II and the Korean War. Demand for the aircraft soon overwhelmed Vought's manufacturing capability, resulting in production by Goodyear and Brewster: Goodyear-built Corsairs were designated FG and...
. It was disbanded on 23 July 1946. - 15th Carrier Air Group15th Carrier Air GroupThe 15th Carrier Air Group of the Fleet Air Arm was formed on 30 June 1945. It was based on the aircraft carrier HMS Venerable for service in the British Pacific Fleet and contained 814 NAS flying the Fairey Barracuda and No. 1851 NAS flying the F4U Corsair. It was disbanded in 1947....
- formed on 30 June 1945. It was based on the aircraft carrier for service in the British Pacific Fleet and contained 814 NAS flying the Fairey Barracuda and No. 1851 NAS flying the F4U Corsair. It was disbanded in 1947. - 16th Carrier Air Group - formed on 30 June 1945. It was based on the aircraft carrier HMS GloryHMS Glory (R62)HMS Glory was a Colossus-class aircraft carrier of the Royal Navy laid down on 8 November 1942 by Stephens at Govan. She was launched on 27 November 1943 by Lady Cynthia Brookes, wife of the Prime Minister of Northern Ireland...
for service in the British Pacific FleetBritish Pacific FleetThe British Pacific Fleet was a British Commonwealth naval force which saw action against Japan during World War II. The fleet was composed of British Commonwealth naval vessels. The BPF formally came into being on 22 November 1944...
and contained No. 837 NAS flying the Fairey BarracudaFairey BarracudaThe Fairey Barracuda was a British carrier-borne torpedo- and dive bomber used during the Second World War, the first of its type used by the Royal Navy's Fleet Air Arm to be fabricated entirely from metal. It was introduced as a replacement for the Fairey Swordfish and Fairey Albacore biplanes...
and No. 1831 NAS flying the F4U CorsairF4U CorsairThe Vought F4U Corsair was a carrier-capable fighter aircraft that saw service primarily in World War II and the Korean War. Demand for the aircraft soon overwhelmed Vought's manufacturing capability, resulting in production by Goodyear and Brewster: Goodyear-built Corsairs were designated FG and...
. It was disbanded in 1947.
During World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, the creation of 4th, 5th, 9th, 12th and 22nd Carrier Air Groups was planned. The surrender of Japan
Surrender of Japan
The surrender of Japan in 1945 brought hostilities of World War II to a close. By the end of July 1945, the Imperial Japanese Navy was incapable of conducting operations and an Allied invasion of Japan was imminent...
rendered the new carrier air groups unnecessary, and they were never formed.