Fleet Air Arm Patch 820 Naval Air Squadron NAS Crest Anti Submarine Sea King

Fleet Air Arm FAA Patch Royal Navy 820 Naval Air Squadron NAS Sea King HAS 6 Anti Submarine Warfare ASW 1990 Enbroidered on twill cut edge 127mm by 96mm five inches by three and three quarter inches.

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Squadron History 1951-2013

820 Naval Air Squadron reformed in July 1951 with Fireflys and was embarked alternately aboard the carriers HMS Indomitable and HMS Theseus during 1952 and 1953 mainly on exercises in the Mediterranean. The Squadron re-equipped with Avenger AS4s in 1954 and Gannet AS1s in 1956 deploying aboard HMS Centaur and HMS Bulwark before disbanding on 2 December 1957.

The Squadron immediately reformed 2 December 1957 at HMS Vernon equipped with Whirlwind MK VII and deployed to HMS Hermes in May 1958 providing anti submarine and commando support remaining aboard HMS Hermes until October 1960 when the Squadron disbanded.

820 Squadron reactivated in September 1964 with Wessex HAS 1s providing anti submarine cover aboard HMS Eagle. The Squadron upgraded to Wessex HAS 3s in May 1969 and transferred to the Tiger class helicopter cruiser HMS Blake where the Squadron received Sea King HAS 1s in December 1972 and Sea King HAS 2s in January 1977 remaining  aboard until HMS Blake was decommissioned in 1979.

The Squadron received Sea King HAS 5s in March 1980 and was then assigned to HMS Invincible in April 1982 for the Falklands War flying over 4700 hours with HMS Invincible spending 166 consecutive days at sea setting a world record for continuous carrier operations while the Squadron received a Battle Honor for the operation. The squadron transferred to HMS Ark Royal in late 1985 and reequipped with Sea King HAS 6s in February 1990. In January 1993 the Squadron deployed aboard RFA Olwen and RFA Fort Grange to provide troop transport and resupply support for British forces in Bosnia as part of Operation Grapple and 820 Squadron returned to Bosnia in 1994 aboard HMS Ark Royal. With the decommissioning of HMS Ark Royal the Squadron joined HMS Illustrious and in 1996 was in the eastern Atlantic with a round the world  deployment in 1997.

While HMS Illustrious was in refit from 1998 the Squadron operated from RNAS Culdrose on anti submarine training exercises followed with periods embarked on ships of the Royal Fleet Auxiliary. 820 Squadron rejoined HMS Illustrious in 1999 and participated in relief operations in Mozambique and deployed aboard RFA Fort George for Operation Palliser in Sierra Leone.

The Squadron received Merlin HM 1s in September 2001 and further training periods followed aboard Royal Navy and Royal Fleet Auxiliary vessels as well as joining the Search and Rescue effort in October 2004 to aid the stricken Canadian submarine HMCS Chicoutimi which had been disabled
after suffering a fire and flooding off the west coast of Ireland.

This patch dates from 1990.