849 Naval Air Squadron

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849 Naval Air Squadron
Primus video
Active	1943-1945, 1952-1978, 1984-
Country	UK
Branch	Royal Navy, Fleet Air Arm
Type	Carrier based squadron
Role	airborne early warning
Garrison/HQ	RNAS Culdrose
Anniversaries	none
Engagements	Normandy 1944, Palembang 1945, Okinawa 1945, Japan 1945.
Commanders
Notable commanders	L/C(A) K G Sharp RN

849 Naval Air Squadron of the Fleet Air Arm formed on 1 August 1943 at the Naval Air Station Quonset Point, Rhode Island with Avenger Is. It returned to the UK and provided anti-surface vessel and anti-submarine patrols during the D-Day operations. It disbanded on 31 October 1945 after service in the Far East, reforming at Brawdy on 7 July 1952 with the Skyraider AEW.1 as an Airborne Early Warning unit, from 778 Naval Air Squadron. Following the retirement of the Skyraiders around 1960, the unit flew a number of variants of the Fairey Gannet in the same role, disbanding again on 15 December 1978.

In November 1970 Bristol Belle, one of the first hot air balloons to fly in UK, was piloted by Lt Terry Adams, accompanied by Lt Howard Draper both of 849 Squadron B Flight (Gannets). This early morning launch carried mail into Malta whilst the Ark Royal was steaming off the southern coast of that island.

It reformed after the lessons of the 1982 South Atlantic campaign had been learned, on 8 November 1984 and the unit now operates the Westland Sea King Mk7 Airborne Surveillance and Control (ASaC) helicopter. The squadron has its headquarters at RNAS Culdrose in Cornwall and operates 9 aircraft. It is divided into three elements - two flights (A and B), or Aardvarks and Bees and the Operational Conversion Unit (OCU)(Previously known as HQ). Historically a Flight is assigned to each of the two active aircraft carriers in the Royal Navy but this system is currently changing. The squadron suffered heavy losses during the 2003 invasion of Iraq when two of its aircraft operating from HMS Ark Royal collided during low visibility conditions. Six squadron members and an American exchange officer were killed in the collision.

On 13 December 2006, after a short ceremony at RNAS Culdrose, A Flight became 854 Squadron and B Flight became 857 Squadron, taking the former's Sea King ASaC.7 with them.