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1853 Naval Air Squadron
1853 Naval Air Squadron
Active	1 April - 15 August 1945
Country	United Kingdom
Branch	Royal Navy
Type	Single-seat fighter squadron
Role	Fighter squadron
Size	Eighteen aircraft
Part of	Fleet Air Arm
Home station	See Naval air stations section for full list.
Commanders
Notable; commanders	Leutnant zur See J.R. Schuiling, RNethN
Insignia
Identification Markings	1V11+; single letters (May 1945)
Aircraft flown
Fighter	Vought Corsair

1853 Naval Air Squadron (1853 NAS) was a Fleet Air Arm (FAA) naval air squadron of the United Kingdom’s Royal Navy (RN). It formed at RN Air Section Brunswick, in the United States on 1 April 1945 as a fighter squadron, with eighteen Vought Corsair Mk IV fighter aircraft. Following deck landing training aboard USS Charger, it embarked in HMS Rajah for the United Kingdom on 24 July. It disembarked to HMS Landrail, RNAS Machrihanish, on 6 August, but due to V-J Day it disbanded there on 15 August.

History

Single-seat fighter squadron (1945)

1853 Naval Air Squadron formed on 1 April 1945 in the United States at RN Air Section Brunswick, which was located at United States Naval Air Station (USNAS) Brunswick, Maine, as a Single Seat Fighter Squadron, under the command of Leutnant zur See J. R. Schuiling, RNethN.^[2]^[3]

It was equipped with eighteen Vought Corsair aircraft, an American carrier-borne fighter-bomber. These were the Goodyear built FG-1D, called Corsair Mk IV by the Fleet Air Arm.^[4] The squadron moved to RN Air Section Norfolk situated USNAS Norfolk, Norfolk, Virginia to enable it to undertake deck landing training with the United States Navy's escort carrier, the USS Charger, before returning to RN Air Section Brunswick.^[5] It then returned to RN Air Section Norfolk via RN Air Section Floyd Bennett Field, located at USNAS Floyd Bennett Field, Brooklyn, New York City, arriving on 14 July for embarkation in the Ruler-class escort carrier, HMS Rajah, for transport to the United Kingdom, departing on 24 July.^[6]

The squadron disembarked to RNAS Machrihanish (HMS Landrail), Argyll and Bute, Scotland on 6 August.^[3] It was planned to form part of the 4th Carrier Air Group for the lead ship of her class of aircraft carrier, HMS Illustrious, the plans were cancelled due to V-J Day and the squadron disbanded at RNAS Machrihanish on 15 August 1945.^[5]

Aircraft flown

1853 Naval Air Squadron flew only one aircraft type:^[5]

Vought Corsair Mk IV fighter bomber (April - August 1945)

Naval air stations

1853 Naval Air Squadron operated from a naval air stations of the Royal Navy, in the United Kingdom, a number overseas, and a Royal Navy escort carrier:^[5]

RN Air Section Brunswick (1 April – 14 July 1945)
- RN Air Section Norfolk (Detachment DLT USS Charger 6–15 June 1945)
RN Air Section Norfolk (14–24 July 1945)
HMS Rajah (24 July – 6 August 1945)
Royal Naval Air Station Machrihanish (HMS Landrail) (6–15 August 1945)
disbanded (15 August 1945)

Commanding officers

List of commanding officers of 1853 Naval Air Squadron with date of appointment:^[3]

Leutnant zur See J.R. Schuiling, RNethN, from 1 April 1945
disbanded - 16 August 1945

References

Citations

^ Sturtivant & Ballance 1994, p. 360.
^ "Brunswick". Royal Navy Research Archive - Fleet Air Arm Bases 1939 - present day. Retrieved 16 September 2024.
^ ^a ^b ^c Wragg 2019, p. 199.
^ Thetford 1991, p. 80.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d Ballance, Howard & Sturtivant 2016, p. 300.
^ "Norfolk". Royal Navy Research Archive - Fleet Air Arm Bases 1939 - present day. Retrieved 16 September 2024.

Bibliography

Ballance, Theo; Howard, Lee; Sturtivant, Ray (2016). The Squadrons and Units of the Fleet Air Arm. Haywards Heath: Air Britain Historians Ltd. ISBN 978-0-85130-489-2.
Sturtivant, R; Ballance, T (1994). The Squadrons of The Fleet Air Arm. Tonbridge: Air Britain (Historians) Ltd. ISBN 0-85130-223-8.
Thetford, Owen (1991). British Naval Aircraft since 1912. London: Putnam Aeronautical Books (Conway Maritime Press Ltd). ISBN 0-85177-849-6.
Wragg, David (2019). The Fleet Air Arm Handbook 1939–1945. Cheltenham: The History Press. ISBN 978-0-7509-9303-6.