1849 Naval Air Squadron (1849 NAS) was a Naval Air Squadron of the Royal Navy's Fleet Air Arm. It formed in the United States at RN Air Section Brunswick as a fighter squadron at the start of 1944, equipped with Vought Corsair fighter aircraft. It embarked in HMS Reaper for transport to the UK in November. The squadron suffered from a high accident rate and disbanded on arrival in the UK, in December, with its aircraft and personnel dispersed between 1845 and 1850 Naval Air Squadrons.
| 1849 Naval Air Squadron | |
|---|---|
| Active | 1 August - 6 December 1944[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 | 1+ V11 individual letters |
| Aircraft flown | |
| Fighter | Vought Corsair |
History
editSingle-seat fighter squadron (1944)
edit1849 Naval Air Squadron formed on 1 August 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) P.C.S. Chilton, RN.[3]
It was equipped with eighteen Vought Corsair aircraft, an American carrier-borne fighter-bomber. These were the Brewster built F4U-1 variant, designated Corsair Mk III by the Fleet Air Arm.[4] Training involved formation flying, air combat and navigation. Aerodrome Dummy Deck Landings (ADDLs) were undertaken at the nearby Bar Harbor Naval Auxiliary Air Facility (NAAF), Bar Harbor, Maine. 1849 Naval Air Squadron was the last Fleet Air Arm squadron to be equipped with the Mk III variant of Vought Corsair, but these were replaced on 24 October[5] with the Goodyear built FG-1D variant, designated Vought Corsair Mk IV by the Fleet Air Arm.[4]
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 15 November.[6] Leaving the aircraft behind the aircrew travelled to Naval Station Norfolk to embarked in the ruler-class escort carrier, HMS Reaper. She sailed to New York City, where she embarked the squadron aircraft and joined Convoy CU.48 for the Atlantic crossing to the United Kingdom on 24 November. On 6 December the squadron disembarked to Royal Naval Air Maintenance Yard Belfast (HMS Gadwall).[5]
With the large amount of losses from air accidents it was decided 1849 Naval Air Squadron would be disbanded on arrival in the United Kingdom. The aircraft and personnel were distributed between 1845 and 1850 Naval Air Squadrons. 1849 Naval Air Squadron disbanded on 6 December 1944.[3]
Aircraft flown
edit1849 Naval Air Squadron flew two variants of only one aircraft type:[7]
- Vought Corsair Mk III fighter bomber (August - October 1944)
- Vought Corsair Mk IV fighter bomber (October - December 1944)
Naval air stations
edit1849 Naval Air Squadron operated from a number of naval air stations of the Royal Navy overseas, and a Royal Navy escort carrier:[7]
- RN Air Section Brunswick (1 August - 7 October 1944)
- RN Air Section Norfolk (Detachment DLT USS Charger 2 October 1944)
- RN Air Section Floyd Bennett Field (7 - 10 October 1944)
- RN Air Section Brunswick (10 - 23 October 1944)
- RN Air Section Norfolk (23 - 24 October 1944)
- RN Air Section Brunswick (24 October - 15 November 1944)
- RN Air Section Floyd Bennett Field (15 - 17 November 1944)
- RN Air Section Norfolk (17 - 22 November 1944)
- HMS Reaper (22 November - 6 December 1944)
- disbanded - UK (6 December 1944)
Commanding officers
editList of commanding officers of 1849 Naval Air Squadron with date of appointment:[8][7]
- Lieutenant Commander(A) P.C.S. Chilton, RN, from 1 August 1944
- disbanded - 12 December 1946
References
editCitations
edit- ^ Sturtivant & Ballance 1994, p. 358.
- ^ "Brunswick". Royal Navy Research Archive - Fleet Air Arm Bases 1939 - present day. Retrieved 19 September 2024.
- ^ a b Wragg 2019, p. 198.
- ^ a b Thetford 1991, pp. 81&83.
- ^ a b "A history of 1849 Naval Air Squadron". Royal Navy Research Archive - Royal Naval Air Squadrons 1938 - present day. Retrieved 20 September 2024.
- ^ "Floyd Bennett Field". Royal Navy Research Archive - Fleet Air Arm Bases 1939 - present day. Retrieved 21 September 2024.
- ^ a b c Ballance, Howard & Sturtivant 2016, p. 297.
- ^ Wragg 2019, p. 199.
Bibliography
edit- 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
edit- "A History of 1849 Naval Air Squadron". The Royal Navy Research Archive. 26 September 2021.