871 Naval Air Squadron (871 NAS), also known as VF 871, was a squadron of the Royal Canadian Navy (RCN). It was established in May 1951,[1] and was disbanded in March 1959.[2]
| 871 Naval Air Squadron VF 871 | |
|---|---|
 797 NAS badge | |
| Active | 1 May 1951 – 16 March 1959 |
| Country |  Canada |
| Branch |  Royal Canadian Navy |
| Type | Single-seat fighter squadron |
| Role | Fighter squadron |
| Part of | Fleet Air Arm |
| Home station | See Naval air stations section for full list. |
| Motto(s) | Pugnandum surgimus (Latin for 'We rise to fight') |
| Insignia | |
| Squadron badge description | Azure, a base barry wavy of four argent and azure over all a winged centaur argent reguardent and arresting holding in the position to shoot to the sinister a bow and arrow gules the latter flighted and barbed argent and bow stringed of the same a quiver gules filled with arrows and issuing from the dexter side of the centaur being suspended by a strap or from the sinister shoulder the centaur winged maned and unguled or (1954) |
| Identification Markings | VG-AAA+, 140+ (Sea Fury June 1952) 100-120, later in range 295-510 (Banshee) |
History
editFighter squadron (1951-1959)
edit871 Naval Air Squadron was established within the numbering system of the Commonwealth Navies as a Royal Canadian Navy unit, resulting from the renumbering of 883 Naval Air Squadron at HMCS Shearwater, Halifax, Nova Scotia, on 1 May 1951. Initially equipped with ten Hawker Sea Fury FB. 11 fighter aircraft, it served as part of the 30th Carrier Air Group on Majestic-class light aircraft carrier, HMCS Magnificent, primarily tasked with fleet air defense.[3]
In November 1952, the squadron adopted an American-style designation, becoming VF 871. Following a re-equipment phase in August 1956, it transitioned to eight McDonnell F2H Banshee jet fighter aircraft. By 1958, these aircraft were upgraded to carry AIM-9 Sidewinder air-to-air missiles, and that same year, the squadron was deployed aboard the Majestic-class aircraft carrier, HMCS Bonaventure. Ultimately, VF 871 was integrated into VF 870 at RCAF Station Dartmouth on 16 March 1959.[3]
Aircraft operated
editThe squadron has operated a couple of different aircraft types:
- Hawker Sea Fury FB.11 fighter-bomber (May 1951 - August 1956)
- McDonnell F2H Banshee jet fighter aircraft (August 1956 - March 1959)
Naval air stations and aircraft carriers
edit871 Naval Air Squadron, VF 871, operated from a naval air stations of the Royal Canadian Navy in Canada and also a couple of Royal Canadian Navy light aircraft carriers:[3]
- HMCS Shearwater (ex-883 Sqn) (1 May - August 1951)
- HMCS Magnificent (August - October 1951)
- HMCS Shearwater (October 1951 - 2 June 1952)
- HMCS Magnificent (2 June - 9 October 1952)
- HMCS Shearwater (9 October - November 1952)
- HMCS Magnificent (November - 2 December 1952)
- HMCS Shearwater (2 December 1952 - February 1953)
- RCAF Station Rivers (February - March 1953)
- HMCS Shearwater (March - 30 May 1953)
- HMCS Magnificent (30 May - July 1953)
- HMCS Shearwater (July - 17 August 1953)
- HMCS Magnificent (17 August - September 1953)
- HMCS Shearwater (September 1953 - 2 July 1954)
- HMCS Magnificent (2 July - September 1954)
- HMCS Shearwater (September 1954 - 4 April 1955)
- HMCS Magnificent (4 April - 7 June 1955)
- HMCS Shearwater (7 June - September 1955)
- HMCS Magnificent (September - 7 December 1955)
- HMCS Shearwater (7 December 1955 - 15 February 1958)
- HMCS Bonaventure (15 February - 29 April 1958)
- Key West (29 April - 15 June 1958)
- HMCS Shearwater (15 June - 13 October 1958)
- RCAF Station Rivers (CJATC) (13 October - 10 November 1958)
- HMCS Shearwater (10 November - 15 January 1959)
- HMCS Bonaventure (15 January - 27 February 1959)
- HMCS Shearwater (27 February - 16 March 1959)
- absorbed into VF 870 (16 March 1959)
Commanding officers
editList of commanding officers of 871 Naval Air Squadron, VF 871:[4]
- Lieutenant(N) W.D. Munro, RCN, from 1 May 1951
- Lieutenant-commander D.H.P. Ryan, RCN, from November 1951
- Lieutenant(N) R. Heath, RCN, from July 1952
- Lieutenant-commander M. Wasteneys, RCN, from 23 March 1953
- Lieutenant-commander J.W. Logan, RCN, from 2 July 1954
- Lieutenant-commander R.A.R. Laidler, CD, RCN, from 13 January 1956
- Lieutenant-commander J.J. Harvie, CD, RCN, from 22 July 1957
- absorbed into VF 870 16 March 1959
References
editCitations
edit- ^ 871 NAS Fleet Air Arm
- ^ VF-871 Naval Air Squadron Badge
- ^ a b c Ballance, Howard & Sturtivant 2016, p. 246.
- ^ "871 NAS Fleet Air Arm". wings-aviation.ch. Retrieved 15 November 2024.
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.