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Aviation History
1953
1953 - 1284.PDF
440 FLIGHT, 25 September 1953 The Commanding Officer, Lt-Cdr. C. £. Price, brings his Wyvern S4 alongside the Meteor 7 to be photographed. WYVERN SQUADRON . from the North African airfields at Algiers, Bone and Taparoni. The long spell of duty in tropical and sub-tropical seas came to an end, and the squadron was next re-formed at Donibristle for convoy escort work over the Atlantic and Arctic Oceans. It was embarked in H.M.S. Campania in April, 1944, and had on strength 12 Swordfish, four Wildcats and three Fulmar night- fighters, the last-named type being used against night shadowers on the convoys to Russia. It is said that the array of aerials sported by these Fulmars had to be seen to be believed. Two successful Atlantic convoy escorts were followed by a Russian convoy in September and a covering operation for one of the Norwegian coastal attacks which were then taking place. Six days before Christmas the Wildcats shot down two German air craft and the Swordfish sunk four submarines. This, as the squadron diary of the time relates, was most gratifying to the unit even if the Russians didn't believe it. In January, 1945, six Swordfish were embarked for anti submarine duties in a Norwegian coastal sweep and for this COMMANDING OFFICERS Jan., Mar., Sept. June, Nov., Aug., Oct., Dec, Sept., Jan., 1937 1938 , 1938 1941 1941 1942 1942 1943 1944 1945 Lt-Cdr. S/L. E. Lt-Cdr. Lt-Cdr. Lt-Cdr. Lt-Cdr. Lt-Cdr. Lt-Cdr. Lt-Cdr. Lt-Cdr. C. R. V. Pugh G. Forbes N. Kennedy D. H. Ellis A. V. Lyle C. Hutchinson A. H. Abrams J. R. Parrish C. A. Allen S. G. Cooke Sept., May, Dec, Aug., Mar., Sept. Oct., Mar., Feb.. Mar.. July 1945 1947 1947 1948 1949 1950 1950 1951 1952 1953 1953 Lt-Cdr. Lt-Cdr Lt-Cdr. Lt-Cdr. Lt-Cdr. Lt-Cdr. Lt-Cdr. Lt-Cdr. Lt-Cdr. Lt-Cdr. Lt-Cdr. R. Lee-White F. W. Turney C. R. J. Coxon C. K. Robarts J. M. Henry R. S. Abbott J. S. Barnes L. W. A. Barrington A. D. Corkhil! S. S. Laurie C. E. Price operation the fighter strength was built up to eight Wildcats. February was spent in shepherding yet another Russia convoy, and during a short rest at Macrihanish in the following month the last of the Fulmars was flown ashore and the night-fighter flight disbanded. The squadron's final operation of the war was carried out from H.M.S. Vindex. This was No. 813's fourth Russia convoy, an assignment which was completed only two days before V.E. Day. So ended a difficult and thankless task. The winter weather conditions between North Cape and Spitz- bergen had been appalling. Owing to the short days of pallid half-light most of the flying was done in the dark. Two-hour trips in open cockpits had to be endured, with landings on heav ing, ice-covered decks at the end; then the crews had to be lifted from their cockpits and taken below for warmth and to stand-by for the next patrol. Four days after V.E. Day No. 813 Squadron was disbanded. It was re-formed in September, 1945, at Ford, with 15 Mk 4 Black burn Firebrands. This was the first time that the unit had been in England since its original formation eight years earlier. Peacetime history has followed the familiar pattern of Home Fleet squadrons. The unit has been embarked in both Implac able and Indomitable and has taken its part in innumerable exer cises, air days and fly-pasts. Visits have been made to Stockholm and to La Linea, Spain. The Firebrands gave place to the West- land Wyverns in May of this year. The crews certainly seem happy enough with their new equipment and the Armstrong Siddeley Python turboprops (3,670 s.h.p. plus 1,180 lb thrust)— a far cry from the 690 h.p. of the Swordfish.
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