A friend sent this in a email today. Not quite what you were thinking
814 Naval Air Squadron (NAS) "Flying Tigers"was first formed in December 1938 as a Torpedo Reconnaissance Squadron equipped with 6 Swordfish aircraft. In January 1939, 814 NAS embarked in HMS Ark Royal transferring to HMS Hermes at the outbreak of war. HMS Hermes sailed for West Africa where, together with French ships, they were to search for the German battleship Graf Spee. In December 1940 HMS Hermes sailed for the Indian Ocean for convoy protection duties.
In April 1942, shortly after 814 had disembarked, HMS Hermes was sunk by Japanese aircraft off Ceylon. The Squadron disbanded for 18 months to be reformed in July 1944 with Barracudas and embarked in HMS Venerable for Far East patrols.
In the post war years the Squadron was successfully equipped with anti-submarine (ASW) variants of the Firefly, Avenger and Gannet. In 1951, 814 received the Boyd trophy for its high standard of operational efficiency with the Firefly onboard HMS Vengeance. 1960 saw the Squadron equipped with its first helicopter, the Whirlwind, to be later replaced with the Wessex Mk.1. In August 1967 the Wessex Mk.3 was introduced providing 814 with its first radar equipped ASW helicopter. During this period time was spent embarked in HMS Hermes and HMS Victorious patrolling east of Suez. In 1968 814 was awarded the Boyd trophy for the second time.
July 1970 saw the Squadron again disbanded to be reformed with 4 Mk.1 ASW Sea Kings in March 1973 at HMS Gannet. Tours with HMS Bulwark and HMS Hermes followed during which time 814 assisted with the evacuation of Cyprus. In 1974 the Squadron was awarded the Australia Shield for its high standard of operational readiness. The Mk.2 ASW Sea King was introduced in 1977 and 814 became the first Royal Navy squadron to be fitted with passive sonar equipment.
On 9 April 1976 the Squadron arrived at its present home, RNAS Culdrose in Cornwall. Here, once established, it conducted extensive passive sonar training and by the end of the year the Squadron numbers had increased to nine aircraft. At the time of the Falklands conflict 814 was being equipped with the Mk.5 ASW Sea King fitted with ESM and ECM equipment. In August 1982 the Squadron embarked in the newly commissioned HMS Illustrious for South Atlantic patrols. Further improvements to the sonics capability and an extensive communications update followed with the introduction of the Mk.6 ASW Sea King in October 1990. The Sea King HAS 6 saw duty with 814 onboard HMS Invincible during the Gulf, Bosnia and Kosovo conflicts until December 2000 when 814 again disbanded.
814 NAS reformed on 1 March 2001 equipped with the Mk.1 Merlin. This highly effective, multi-role platform is the very latest in ASW technology and is the most comprehensively equipped ASW helicopter in the World today. With the Merlin, 814 Naval Air Squadron will remain at the forefront of ASW operations well into the twenty-first century.
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