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generation carrier strike and air combat capability from the queen elizabeth class aircraft carriers maritime aviation is centred on the merlin hm2 providing anti submarine warfare and airborne surveillance and control and the wildcat hma2 providing maritime reconnaissance surveillance and attack capability from royal navy and allied ships the commando helicopter force operates merlin hc4 4a and wildcat ah1 helicopters in support of the united kingdom commando force providing tactical mobility reconnaissance and fire support for amphibious and littoral operations fleet air arm aircraft also undertake maritime security search and rescue humanitarian assistance and other operations in support of the royal navy and wider uk defence commitments following the creation of the royal air force raf in 1918 through the merger of the royal naval air service rnas and the british army s royal flying corps naval aviation became part of the new service the fleet air arm was established within the raf on 1 april 1924 comprising raf units responsible for naval aviation and the operation of aircraft embarked in royal navy ships under the inskip award administrative control of the fleet air arm was transferred from the raf to the admiralty on 24 may 1939 returning naval aviation to direct royal navy control during the second world war the fleet air arm operated carrier borne and land based aircraft in a wide range of roles including reconnaissance fighter defence anti submarine warfare strike and support of amphibious operations history edit beginnings edit main article royal naval air service british naval flying started in 1909 with the construction of an airship for naval duties 7 in 1911 the royal navy graduated its first aeroplane pilots at the royal aero club flying ground near eastchurch isle of sheppey under the tutelage of pioneer aviator george bertram cockburn 8 in may 1912 naval and army aviation were combined to become the royal flying corps rfc the naval wing of the rfc lasted until july 1914 when the royal navy reformed its air branch under the air department of the admiralty naming it the royal naval air service rnas 9 by the outbreak of the first world war in august 1914 the rnas had more aircraft under its control than the remaining rfc 10 page needed the roles of the rnas were fleet reconnaissance patrolling coasts for enemy ships and submarines attacking enemy coastal territory and defending britain from enemy air raids along with deployment along the western front in april 1918 the rnas which at this time had 67 000 officers and men 2 949 aircraft 103 airships and 126 coastal stations merged with the rfc to form the royal air force raf 11 fleet air arm edit on 1 april 1924 the fleet air arm of the royal air force was formed encompassing those raf units that normally embarked on aircraft carriers and fighting ships 12 the year was significant for british naval aviation as only weeks before the founding of the fleet air arm the royal navy had commissioned hms hermes the world s first ship to be designed and built as an aircraft carrier over the following months raf fleet air arm fairey iiid reconnaissance biplanes operated off hermes conducting flying trials on 24 may 1939 under the terms of the inskip award of 1937 administrative control of the fleet air arm was transferred from the royal air force to the admiralty restoring full naval control of ship borne aviation 13 14 at the onset of the second world war the fleet air arm consisted of 20 squadrons with 232 first line aircraft and 191 trainers 15 by the end of the war the strength of the fleet air arm had expanded to 59 aircraft carriers about 3 700 aircraft approximately 72 000 officers and men and 56 naval air stations 16 during the second world war the fleet air arm operated a wide range of aircraft including fighter aircraft torpedo bombers and reconnaissance aircraft during the norwegian campaign in april june 1940 fleet air arm aircraft from the aircraft carriers hms ark royal hms glorious and hms furious provided reconnaissance fighter defence and offensive air support while the carriers also enabled the raf s 263 squadron s gladiators and 46 squadron s hurricanes to be deployed to norway 17 the campaign demonstrated both the flexibility of carrier aviation in projecting air power and reinforcing land based forces and its limitations when british carriers operated within range of german land based air power the loss of hms glorious on 8 june while evacuating raf aircraft highlighted the vulnerability of carriers without adequate fighter protection 17 18 following the dunkirk evacuation and as the battle of britain began the fleet air arm was called upon to reinforce raf fighter command which was experiencing a shortage of fighter pilots fleet air arm personnel were employed either individually within raf fighter squadrons or through the deployment of complete fleet air arm squadrons under raf operational control among these were 804 and 808 naval air squadrons while other fleet air arm fighter pilots and observers served alongside raf personnel equipped with gloster sea gladiators 804 squadron undertook the defence of naval dockyards during the battle of britain 19 fairey swordfish i in november 1940 the fleet air arm demonstrated the offensive potential of carrier aviation in operation judgement the attack on the italian fleet at taranto on the night of 11 12 november 21 fairey swordfish of the fleet air arm operating from hms illustrious attacked the italian fleet at anchor sinking the battleship conte di cavour and heavily damaging littorio and duilio and a heavy cruiser the raid effectively halved the strength of the italian battle fleet and demonstrated for the first time in combat the ability of carrier borne aircraft to inflict decisive damage on a major fleet in harbour 20 at the battle of cape matapan in march 1941 fleet air arm aircraft from hms formidable played a decisive role in the destruction of the italian fleet a fairey albacore torpedo attack damaged and temporarily immobilised the italian battleship vittorio veneto enabling the british fleet to pursue the withdrawing italians while a subsequent strike torpedoed the heavy cruiser pola whose immobilisation led the italian command to detach zara fiume and destroyers to her assistance allowing the british battleships to intercept and destroy them in the subsequent night action 21 the fleet air arm also played a decisive role in the destruction of the german battleship bismarck in may 1941 820 naval air squadron operating fairey swordfish torpedo bombers from hms ark royal attacked bismarck on the evening of 26 may a torpedo hit the stern and jammed the battleship s rudders leaving her largely unable to manoeuvre and preventing her escape towards occupied france bismarck was intercepted and sunk by royal navy surface forces the following morning 22 23 on 30 july 1941 fleet air arm aircraft from the aircraft carriers hms victorious and hms furious attacked german shipping and installations at kirkenes and petsamo during operation ef in support of the soviet union following the german invasion of the ussr the raids achieved limited material results and at heavy cost with twelve fairey albacores and four fairey fulmars lost but the admiralty considered the attacks to have had a significant effect on german morale and dispositions demonstrating the fleet air arm s ability to project carrier based air power into the arctic while providing an immediate demonstration of british support for its new soviet ally 24 25 for the malta convoy operations of 1941 fleet air arm aircraft from hms ark royal provided fighter protection for the convoys while also reinforcing malta s air strength during operation substance in july its fairey fulmars engaged italian torpedo bombers attacking convoy gm 1 while six fairey swordfish were flown off to reinforce malta in operation halberd in september the carrier s fulmars again provided air defence while its aircraft conducted reconnaissance and attacks against the italian fleet 26 27 28 during the channel dash on 12 february 1942 six fairey swordfish of 825 naval air squadron of the fleet air arm attacked the german battlecruisers scharnhorst and gneisenau and heavy cruiser prinz eugen as they attempted to break through the english channel from brest to germany all six fairey swordfish were shot down by german fighters and anti aircraft fire with 13 of the 18 aircrew killed although some aircraft launched their torpedoes none struck the german ships lieutenant commander eugene esmonde who led the attack was posthumously awarded the victoria cross for his actions 29 during operation pedestal in august 1942 fleet air arm fighter aircraft from the aircraft carriers hms eagle hms indomitable and hms victorious provided vital carrier borne air defence against sustained german and italian attacks with hms indomitable s fighters alone destroying 28 enemy aircraft and probably destroying a further six 30 despite the loss of hms eagle the carrier fighters helped shield the surviving ships of the convoy enabling several merchant vessels including the oil tanker ss ohio to reach malta and deliver vital supplies 31 supermarine seafire mk iic of 885 naval air squadron on the flight deck of hms formidable in the mediterranean december 1942 operation torch took place in november 1942 and fleet air arm aircraft from carriers including hms furious hms formidable hms victorious and hms argus provided fighter cover reconnaissance and offensive air support for the allied landings in north africa attacking vichy french airfields and coastal defences the operation was also significant as the supermarine seafire s first combat deployment establishing the navalised fighter in operational service with the fleet air arm 32 33 in british home waters and the atlantic raf coastal command operated alongside the royal navy against axis submarines and shipping using long range patrol aircraft and flying boats for maritime reconnaissance and anti submarine warfare and land based torpedo bombers and fighter bombers for offensive operations 34 35 during the battle of the atlantic the fleet air arm s role in anti submarine warfare expanded significantly in 1943 as increasing numbers of its aircraft operated from escort carriers and merchant aircraft carriers to provide air support for convoys faa aircraft extended the reach of convoy air patrols and equipped with airborne radar and anti submarine weapons detected and attacked u boats and supported surface escorts making an increasingly important contribution to the defence of allied maritime trade and the closing of the mid atlantic gap 36 37 grumman martlet on hms formidable fleet air arm seafires and martlets operated from the aircraft carriers hms indomitable and hms formidable in support of operation husky providing fighter cover for the invasion fleet and helping protect the landings from axis air and naval attack the operation demonstrated the growing importance of carrier aviation in major amphibious operations although the principal air support for forces ashore was provided by the mediterranean air command 38 39 fleet air arm supermarine seafires provided an essential element of fighter cover for the invasion fleet and beachhead during operation avalanche the allied landings at salerno in september 1943 five british carriers operated 109 seafires maintaining continuous patrols over the landing area while land based fighters from sicily were limited by range the seafires were particularly important during the first days of the assault when german air attacks were frequent and suitable airfields ashore had not yet been secured 40 41 in operation tungsten on 3 april 1944 fleet air arm aircraft from five aircraft carriers mounted a large scale carrier strike against the german battleship tirpitz in altafjord norway fairey barracudas escorted by vought corsairs grumman hellcats and grumman wildcat fighters achieved surprise and inflicted numerous bomb hits killing and wounding hundreds of crew and rendering tirpitz effectively unable to operate at sea for several months the operation demonstrated the fleet air arm s ability to deliver a concentrated carrier borne attack against a major german capital ship without requiring the home fleet s battleships to engage it directly 42 43 vought corsair on the deck of hms illustrious in january 1945 during operation meridian fleet air arm aircraft from the aircraft carriers hms indomitable hms indefatigable hms victorious and hms illustrious attacked the japanese oil refineries at palembang in sumatra the strikes demonstrated the fleet air arm s development into a powerful carrier strike force capable of projecting concentrated air power deep into enemy held territory against strategically important industrial targets severely disrupting japanese oil production and aviation fuel supplies 44 45 the fleet air arm s contribution to operation iceberg demonstrated the maturity of british carrier aviation as a sustained strike force operating as part of task force 57 british carriers repeatedly attacked japanese airfields in the sakishima islands to prevent them being used to stage attacks against the allied invasion of okinawa operating at considerable range from its forward bases the force maintained a continuous cycle of strikes and replenishment at sea with its carriers embarking more than 200 aircraft during the initial phase the operation demonstrated the fleet air arm s ability to project and sustain concentrated air power over an extended period as an integral component of a major fleet offensive 46 47 during the second world war the aircraft carrier moved to the centre of royal navy strategy and increasingly assumed the role of the capital ship while naval aviation became a core capability of the fleet 48 the fleet air arm s highest scoring fighter ace was commander stanley orr who was credited with 17 victories 49 the highest scoring royal marine fighter ace was commander ronald cuthbert hay with 13 victories 50 during the war 26 royal marine officers and four other ranks served as pilots with the fleet air arm 51 the fleet air arm began experimenting with helicopters during the final years of the second world war initially using the sikorsky r 4 known as the hoverfly to investigate the potential of rotary wing aircraft for naval operations r 4s were allocated to fleet air arm units from 1944 with 771 naval air squadron operating the type from 1945 as part of the navy s early helicopter trials 52 the experiments demonstrated the potential advantages of the helicopter for naval operations particularly its ability to operate without a runway and from the restricted deck space of a ship by 1947 the trials had demonstrated sufficient potential for the navy to establish a permanent helicopter organisation 705 naval air squadron was recommissioned at rnas lee on solent flying the sikorsky hoverfly and an ...
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