806 Naval Air Squadron

806 Naval Air Squadron
Squadron badge
Active19401943; 19451947; 1948; 19531955; 19571960
Country United Kingdom
Branch Royal Navy
TypeSingle-seat fighter squadron
RoleCarrier-based fighter squadron
Part ofFleet Air Arm
Motto(s)Sursum in pugnam
(Latin for 'Up and into the fight')
AircraftSee Aircraft flown section for full list.
EngagementsWorld War II
DecorationsBoyd Trophy 1955
Battle honours
  • Norway 1940
  • Dunkirk 1940
  • Mediterranean 1940–1941
  • Libya 1940–1941
  • Malta Convoys 1941-42
  • Matapan 1941
  • Crete 1941
  • Diego Suarez 1942
Insignia
Squadron Badge DescriptionPer fess wavy red and barry wavy of six white and blue, issuant from base a dexter cubit arm pale armoured proper grasping a flash of lightning in bend gold (1945)
Identification Markings
  • L6A+ (Skua/Roc)
  • 6A+ (Fulmar/Sea Gladiator 1940-41)
  • single letters (Hurricane)
  • 6A+ (Fulmar November 1941)
  • 0A+ (Fulmar on Illustrious)
  • 8A+ (Martlet 1942)
  • 6A+ (Seafire)
  • 111-123 (Seafire August 1946)
  • 161-174 (Sea Hawk March 1953)
  • 175-190 (Sea Hawk January 1957)
Fin Carrier Codes
  • Y:R (Seafire August 1946)
  • C (Sea Hawk March 1953)
  • J:E:A (Sea Hawk January 1957)

806 Naval Air Squadron (806 NAS), sometimes alluded to as 806 Squadron, was a Fleet Air Arm (FAA) naval air squadron of the United Kingdom’s Royal Navy (RN). It was most recently active with the Hawker Sea Hawk between March 1953 and December 1960.


It existed on a number of occasions from February 1940 to December 1960 and saw active service in the Norwegian campaign, the Dunkirk evacuation and the Malta Convoys. During the early years of the Second World War it operated with a variety of fighter aircraft including Blackburn Skua, Blackburn Roc, Fairey Fulmar, Gloster Sea Gladiator, Hawker Hurricane and Grumman Martlet. It later flew Supermarine Seafire but the war ended before it saw action. It briefly flew Hawker Sea Fury, de Havilland Sea Hornet and de Havilland Sea Vampire in 1948.