892 Naval Air Squadron
| 892 Naval Air Squadron | |
|---|---|
Badge of 892 NAS
|
|
| Active | 1942-1943 1945-1968 1969-1978 |
| Country | UK |
| Branch | Royal Navy, Fleet Air Arm |
| Type | Carrier based squadron |
| Role | fighter squadron |
| Garrison/HQ | RNAS Yeovilton, RAF Leuchars |
| Motto(s) | "Strike Unseen" |
892 Naval Air Squadron (892 NAS) was a carrier-based fighter squadron of the British Royal Navy's Fleet Air Arm. It was formed in 1943, flying Grumman Martlets, and was the only operational Fleet Air Arm squadron to fly the McDonnell Douglas Phantom FG.1.
892 Naval Air Squadron was first formed in July 1942 at Norfolk, Virginia, equipped with six Grumman Martlet IV fighters. It operated Martlets from escort aircraft carriers, flying from HMS Battler and HMS Archer, disbanding in August 1943 when it merged into 819 Naval Air Squadron.
It reformed in April 1945 as a night fighter squadron, flying Grumman Hellcat II NFs off HMS Ocean.
Post war, it operated de Havilland Sea Venom and de Havilland Sea Vixen fighters, being the first operational fighter squadron to use the Sea Vixen. In 1968 the squadron operated the widely acclaimed Simon's Sircus (sic) aerobatic team, led by Lt Cdr Simon Idiens.
892 Naval Air Squadron was reformed on 31 March 1969, and was the Royal Navy’s only operational Phantom FG.1 unit (both 700P and 767 NAS were training squadrons).
In 1964 the Royal Navy had envisaged operating 143 Phantoms with a combined carrier fleet of HMS Ark Royal, HMS Eagle, and the new super-carrier CVA-01. However, these plans were significantly curtailed when the government's 1966 Defence White Paper cancelled the CVA-01 project in 1966, and, amid further defence cuts, only proceeded to refurbish Ark Royal and Eagle. As a result, the number of Phantoms planned to be operated was cut to 134 and then to 110. Eventually only 48 examples were ordered, which was enough for two squadrons of 12 aircraft each for Ark Royal and Eagle, and with additional aircraft for a training squadron (767 NAS) and reserves. However, as aircraft were beginning to be delivered during 1968 Eagle’s refit was cancelled and 20 aircraft were allocated to the RAF.
...
Wikipedia