Fleet Air Arm Patch 899 Naval Air Squadron NAS Crest d Sea Vixen

Fleet Air Arm FAA Patch Royal Navy 899 Naval Air Squadron NAS Sea Vixen FAW2 Crest 1960s RNAS Yeovilton HMS Eagle Embroidered applique on wool cut edge paper back 123mm by 93mm four and seven eighth inches by three and three sixteenth inches Free shipping

FAA 899 NAS Naval Air Squadron Patch Royal Navy Sea Vixen

Badge Winged Gauntlet on sea and clouds

Motto Strike And Defend

Squadron History FAA 899 NAS Naval Air Squadron

WWII Seafire IIC Seafire LIIC Seafire LIII

899 Naval Air Squadron was activated at RNAS Hatston on 15 December 1942 equipped with the Supermarine Seafire IIC with core using crew from 880 NAS.

The Squadron embarked on HMS Indomitable in March 1943 sailing to the Mediterranean in July 1943 for air defense operations in support of the invasion of Sicily. The aircraft carrier suffered damage on 16 July 1943 during a German air attack and returned to Britain transferring 899 Squadron to Gibraltar on 29 July 1943.

899 NAS reequipped with Seafire LIIC aircraft in August 1943 and embarked on HMS Hunter. The Squadron undertook air defense operations in support of the Operation Avalanche landings at Salerno Italy commencing on 9 September 1943. The Squadron moved five aircraft ashore to a new airstrip constructed at Paestum until returning to HMS Hunter when relieved by RAF and USAAF fighters on 15 September 1943. At the end of the operation on 18 September 1943. HMS Hunter returned to the UK for repairs disembarking 899 Naval Air Squadron at RNAS Ballyhalbert Northern Ireland The Squadron quickly moved to RNAS Belfast NI were it was increased to twenty six aircraft adding ex RAF Spitfire VB fighter aircraft to its fleet due to a shortage of Seafire aircraft.

899 NAS reequipped with Seafire LIII fighter aircraft in March 1944. The Squadron joined HMS Khedive in April 1944 for trails and to train for ground attack and deck take off and landings. At the end of the trails 899 NAS moved to RAF Peterhead on 31 May 1944 while HMS Khedive proceeded through defects repair. At RAF Peterhead the Squadron undertook air defense missions in the area. 899 Naval Air Squadron rejoined HMS Khedive on 6 July 1944 leaving for the Mediterranean on 15 July 1944 to support the Operation Dragoon landings in the South of France. With the commencement of the operation on 15 August 1944 the Squadron provided air defense cover for the landing ships and ground attack missions. HMS Khedive was released from the operation on 23 August 1944 by which time 899 NAS had undertaken 201 combat missions with the loss of four aircraft.

HMS Khedive moved to the Aegean in early September 1944 joining Operation Outing anti shipping attacks on German Forces in the area. 899 Squadron provided fleet air defense and attacked ground and surface water targets on and around Crete and Rhodes from 14 to 19 September 1944. HMS Khedive returned to the UK and 899 NAS disembarked to RAF Long Kesh Northern Ireland on 12 October 1944.

899 Naval Air Squadron embarked on HMS Chaser to join the British Pacific Fleet for operations against the Japanese in February 1945. The Squadron took twenty four Seafire LIII and transferred several pilots to 887 NAS and 894 NAS on HMS Indefatigable due to a shortage of Seafire pilots.

HMS Chaser arrived in Australia in April 1945 and the Squadron moved to RAAF Schofields Sydney NSW. 899 NAS dispatched its aircraft and pilots gradually to reinforce Seafire Squadrons embarked on BPFs aircraft carriers. From mid May the Squadron was tasked as an Operational Training Unit to train RAAF Spitfire pilots and RANVR pilots in maritime operations and to carry out deck take off and landing with Seafire aircraft with most of the trained RAAF pilots joining BPF carriers. 899 Naval Air Squadron was inactivated at RAAF Schofields on 27 September 1945.

Seahawk FGA6

899 Naval Air Squadron was reactivated at RNAS Brawdy on 7 November 1955 equipped with Seahawk FGA6 jet aircraft tasked with maritime strike and deployed aboard HMS Eagle on 16 April 1956 to the Mediterranean and Egypt and carried out combat missions during Operation Musketeer during the Suez Crisis. The Squadron returned to RNAS Brawdy on 3 January 1957 and inactivated on 5 January 1957 having undertaken 165 combat ground attack missions and achieved over 4000 hours flying time and over 2000 deck landings.

Sea Vixen Mk 1 Sea Vixen FAW2

899 NAS was reactivated on 1 February 1961 at RNAS Yeovilton equipped with Sea Vixen Mk 1 fighter aircraft as the fourth Sea Vixen Squadron becoming the Sea Vixen Headquarters Squadron responsible for evaluating tactics and equipment including conducting flight refuelling trials with buddy packs during 1961 and 1962 and deployed to HMS Victorious in August 1963. The Squadron converted to Sea Vixen FAW2 in February 1964 and in June 1964 regained front line status becoming the Sea Vixen FAW2 Intensive Flying Trials Unit IFTU and embarked on HMS Eagle for the Far East in December 1964 returning in May 1965.

The Squadron embarked aboard HMS Eagle for the Far East on 25 August 1965 and with the Rhodesian UDI crisis November 1965 the Squadron provided air cover for the Biera Patrol blockade remaining at sea for a record seventy two days. In 1967 the Squadron aboard HMS Eagle provided air cover for the British withdrawal from Aden with one of the Squadrons Sea Vixens the last aircraft to leave Aden carrying the British flag back to HMS Eagle. The Squadron remained part of HMS Eagles air group rotating to RNAS Yeovilton when not embarked until it was disbanded 23 January 1972 at RNAS Yeovilton following the governments decision that Britain no longer needed aircraft carriers.

Sea Harrier Harrier T4N Hunter T8M

899 Naval Air Squadron was reactivated in 1980 at RNAS Yeovilton equipped with Sea Harrier and Harrier T4N trainer VSTOL aircraft on the redesignation of 700A Squadron to provide Sea Harrier pilot training. The Squadron received a Hunter T8M with Sea Harrier cockpit layout in 1981 to provide instrument radar training not available with the Harrier T4N trainer. In 1982 the Squadron provided five pilots each to 800 and 801 Squadrons and provided the core of short lived 809 Squadron when it commissioned in April 1982 for Operation Corporate to recapture the Falkland Islands.

Sea Harrier FA2

The Squadron returned to strength in August 1982 and received another Hunter T8M in 1983 and established its Sea Harrier FA2 OEU Operational Evaluation Unit at Boscombe Down in June 1993 and began training pilots to fly and engineers to maintain the Sea Harrier FA2. FA2 OEU relocated to Yeovilton in January 1994 with the Squadron completing conversion to the FA2 and reassigning its Hunter T8Ms to FRADU.

The Squadron sent four OEU Sea Harrier FA2s to join 800 NAS on HMS Invincible in the Adriatic in October and November 1994 for combat operations in support of British and United Nations ground forces in Bosnia Herzegovina. The Squadron upgraded its T4N trainers to Harrier T8 in May 1995. Sea Harrier FA2 OEU Operational Evaluation Unit evaluated AMRAAM ISF system with testing at Roosevelt Roads USNAS Puerto Rico in 1996. 899 NAS continued to train pilots and engineering personnel for the front line squadrons 800 NAS and 801 NAS until its inactivation at RNAS Yeovilton on 31 March 2005.

 

This FAA 899 NAS Naval Air Squadron Patch Royal Navy Sea Vixen patch dates from the 1960s.