800 Naval Air Squadron

800 Naval Air Squadron
Blackburn Skuas of 800 Naval Air Squadron on the flight deck of HMS Ark Royal
Active	3 April 1933 – 5 December 1945 1946-1950 1951-54 1954-59 1959-64 1964-72 1982–2004 2006–2010
Country	United Kingdom
Branch	Royal Navy
Type	Carrier based squadron
Role	Offensive Support
Part of	Fleet Air Arm
Garrison/HQ	RAF Cottesmore
Motto(s)	Latin: Nunquam non paratus (Translation: "Never unprepared")
Anniversaries	none
Equipment	Harrier GR.7
Battle honours	Norway 1940–4 Mediterranean 1940–1 Spartivento 1940 Malta Convoys 1941–2 Norway 1940–4 'Bismarck' 1941 Diego Suarez 1942 North Africa 1942 South France 1944 Aegean 1944 Burma 1945 Malaya 1949 Falkland Islands 1982
Commanders
Notable commanders	Lt Cdr R D Lygo (1954–55), Lt Cdr A D Auld, DSC (1982–83)

800 Naval Air Squadron was a Royal Navy Fleet Air Arm carrier-based squadron formed on 3 April 1933 by amalgamating No's 402 and 404 (Fleet Fighter) Flights.

The squadron was first equipped with nine single-seat Hawker Nimrod fighter aircraft and three two-seat Hawker Ospreys to act as navigation leaders for the Nimrods. It served aboard HMS Courageous in the Home Fleet. In 1935–1936, the carrier and squadron operated in the Mediterranean. The squadron re-equipped with the Blackburn Skua in November 1938 and took these aboard HMS Ark Royal. The Skua was a dive bomber with a secondary fighter role to allow the destruction or driving-off of enemy reconnaissance aircraft.

In 1939, 800 Squadron was flying primarily Blackburn B-24 Skuas and a few Blackburn Rocs from Ark Royal. The Squadron was transferred to Admiralty control on 24 May 1939.

During the German invasion of Norway in 1940, whilst based at Royal Navy Air Station Hatston, Kirkwall, Orkney 800 and 803 Squadrons dive-bombed the German cruiser Königsberg at Bergen on 10 April 1940, 800 Squadron providing five Skuas to the force that sank the Königsberg. The squadron embarked on Ark Royal later that month, with the carrier providing air cover to the fleet and to Allied troops. 800 Squadron's Skua's claimed six Heinkel He 111 bombers shot down and a further as probably destroyed. On 13 June 1940, Ark Royal launched a dive bomber attack against the German Battleship Scharnhorst, under repair at Trondheim, with 800 Squadron losing four Skuas out of six, with the Squadron's Commanding Officer, Captain R.T. Partridge, RM was taken POW, while 803 Squadron lost four Skuas from nine. In July 1940, the squadron was involved in the attack on the French Fleet at Oran. Two SM.79 bombers were shot down off Sardinia.