829 NAS
| 829 Naval Air Squadron | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Active | 1940–42 1943–1944 1964–1993 2004–present |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Branch | Royal Navy |
| Type | Ship-based squadron |
| Role | Anti-Submarine Warfare |
| Part of | Fleet Air Arm |
| Garrison/HQ | RNAS Culdrose |
| Motto(s) | They shall not escape |
| Engagements | Matapan 1941, Crete 1941, Mediterranean 1941, Diego Suarez 1942, Norway 1944, Falkland Islands 1982, Kuwait 1991 |
| Aircraft flown | |
| Helicopter | AgustaWestland Merlin HM.2 |
829 Naval Air Squadron is a squadron of the Royal Navy Fleet Air Arm. It operates the AgustaWestland Merlin HM.2 helicopter.
829 Naval Air Squadron first formed on 15 June 1940 as a torpedo and reconnaissance squadron at Royal Naval Air Station (RNAS) Ford, Sussex, UK, and equipped with nine Fairey Albacore torpedo bombers. In October, it began nightly bombing attacks from RNAS St. Eval, Cornwall, on German shipping and docks at Brest, France. During these attacks, the commanding officer of 829 NAS L/C OS Stevinson and crew was lost on 9 October 1940. In the next month, the squadron was assigned to the aircraft carrier HMS Formidable, which then sailed to escort the convoy WS-5A to West Africa and Cape Town. Part of the convoy came into contact with the German heavy cruiser Admiral Hipper, but the aircraft of 829 NAS failed to sight her. Leaving Cape Town in January 1941, HMS Formidable sailed for the Red Sea, where her aircraft carried out attacks on the Italian-held cities of Mogadishu and Massawa in February. After a passage through the Suez Canal, the squadron had to be partially re-equipped with Fairey Swordfish due to losses.
During the Battle of Matapan, late in March, one of the squadron's Albacores scored a hit on the Italian battleship Vittorio Veneto, where the squadron CO L/C LCB Ashburner was shot down and killed. Further activities in the Mediterranean involved an attack on an Italian airfield on Karpathos, the second largest of the Greek Dodecanese islands, at the end of May, after which the aircraft operated from Lod for some time, attacking Vichy French shipping during the Syria-Lebanon campaign. However, on 26 May 1941, HMS Formidable received serious damage while transporting aircraft to Malta, being hit by two German 1,000 kg (2,205 lb) bombs that put her out of action for six months. 829 NAS was stationed in June on Cyprus where all Albacores were left when the carrier sailed for repairs at Norfolk Naval Shipyard (U.S.) in July 1941. Six of the squadron's Swordfish provided anti-submarine patrols whilst the carrier was en route for repairs in the U.S., by way of Cape Town.
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