802 Naval Air Squadron
| 802 Naval Air Squadron | |
|---|---|
Squadron badge | |
| Active | Royal Air Force 3 April 1933–24 May 1939 Royal Navy 24 May 1939–April 1940 21 November 1940–21 December 1941 1 February–15 November 1942 1 May 1945–10 December 1945 10 January 1946–30 March 1947 18 May 1947–17 December 1952 2 February 1953–22 November 1955 6 February 1956–10 April 1959 |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Branch | Royal Navy |
| Type | Single-seat fighter squadron |
| Role | Carrier-based fighter squadron |
| Part of | Fleet Air Arm |
| Motto(s) | Prima Ferire (Latin for 'First to Strike') |
| Aircraft | See Aircraft flown section for full list. |
| Engagements | World War II |
| Decorations | Boyd Trophy 1952 |
| Battle honours |
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| Commanders | |
| Notable commanders | Lieutenant Peter Carmichael, RN, |
| Insignia | |
| Squadron Badge Description | In a blue field, Issuant from water, in base barry wavy white and blue, an arm embowed gold, the hand grasping an arrow white, winged gold |
| Identification Markings |
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| Fin Carrier Codes | |
802 Naval Air Squadron (802 NAS), colloquially called 802 Squadron, was a Fleet Air Arm (FAA) naval air squadron of the United Kingdom’s Royal Navy (RN). It most recently operated the Hawker Sea Hawk between 1956 and 1959, notably during the Suez crisis.
Established in April 1933, the squadron flew various biplane fighter aircraft and was initially deployed from HMS Glorious, but was ultimately lost when the carrier was sunk in June 1940. Reformed in November with Grumman Martlet, these aircraft were assigned to operate from HMS Audacity and HMS Argus during July and August 1941; the latter detachment, designated 802B Flight, was soon reassigned to HMS Victorious. The squadron regrouped aboard HMS Audacity, however, it faced its second loss at sea when HMS Audacity was sunk by U-741 in December 1941.
Reformed in February 1942 with Hawker Sea Hurricane, the squadron embarked in HMS Avenger in September for an Arctic convoy and later to offer air cover for a segment of the North African invasion force. However, the squadron was lost when the carrier was torpedoed by U-155 in November 1942. It did not reform until May 1945 and operated with Supermarine Seafire. During the Korean War of 1950 to 1953 the squadron flew Hawker Sea Fury where notably one of the squadron was credited with shooting down a MiG-15.