810 Naval Air Squadron
| 810 Naval Air Squadron | |
|---|---|
| Active | 1933-1945 1947-49 1949-1953 1954-55 1955-56 1959-1960 1983-2001 |
| Country | UK |
| Branch | Royal Navy |
| Type | Carrier based squadron |
| Role | Offensive Support |
| Part of | Fleet Air Arm |
| Battle honours | Norway 1940 Mediterranean 1940-1 Spartivento 1940 Atlantic 1941 'Bismarck' 1941 Diego Suarez 1942 Salerno 1943 Korea 1951-3 |
810 Naval Air Squadron was a Royal Navy Fleet Air Arm carrier based squadron formed on 3 April 1933 with the amalgamation of the 12 Blackburn Dart aircraft from 463 and 44 Flight (Fleet Torpedo) Flights Royal Air Force to the Fleet Air Arm. The squadron saw action during the Second World War, the Suez Crisis and the Korean War.
810 Squadron was assigned to the aircraft carrier HMS Courageous in May 1933 and formed part of the Home Fleet. In September that year the Darts were replaced by Blackburn Ripons, and these were in turn replaced by Blackburn Baffins in July 1934, with the entire squadron operating Baffins by November that year. The Abyssinian crisis caused Courageous and the squadron to be transferred to the Mediterranean from August 1935 to February 1936. The squadron was upgraded to use Blackburn Sharks in April 1937, and then Fairey Swordfish in September 1938. 810 Squadron was then transferred to the new aircraft carrier HMS Ark Royal the following month, and had embarked by January. The squadron was amongst those transferred to Admiralty control on 24 May 1939.
By the outbreak of war the squadron was aboard Ark Royal, flying 12 Swordfish on anti-submarine patrols. They carried out an unsuccessful attack on U-30 on 14 September 1939, losing two of their aircraft to their own bombs. The squadron was involved in activities over Norway after the German invasion in April 1940, and carried out bombing raids on Vaernes aerodrome. They sailed with Ark Royal to Gibraltar, and carried out attacks during the British Attack on Mers-el-Kébir in July. The squadron made an abortive attack on the French battleship Strasbourg, and later attacked the French battleship Dunkerque.
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