#1779 809 NAS, F-35B Lightning print
Description
Squadron Prints Lithograph No. 1779 - ZM147 '013', 809 Naval Air Squadron, RAF Marham.
809 NAS was formed on 15th January 1941 at RNAS St Merryn with twelve Fairy Fulmars and embarked in HMS VICTORIOUS during July that year. 809 NAS then took part in Operation EF, attacking German and Finnish merchant shipping who were supporting Operation BARBAROSSA as well as the German occupation of Norway prior to undertaking escort duties to the North Russian convoys. 809 NAS, still onboard HMS VICTORIOUS, sailed to the Mediterranean in July 1942 supporting several important operations including Operation PEDESTAL; providing supplies to the besieged island of Malta and Operation TORCH; the Allied invasion of Vichy occupied North Africa. 809 NAS were re-equipped with the Supermarine Seafire IIc in March 1943 before taking part in Operation AVALANCHE; the Allied landings near the Italian port of Salerno. From May to July 1944, the squadron embarked in HMS STALKER flying missions over both North Africa and Italy before supporting Operation DRAGOON; the Allied invasion of southern France. The final days of the war saw the squadron providing cover for the re-occupation of several British territories including Rangoon in Burma, British Malaya, Sumatra and after VJ day, Malaya. Following World War II, the squadron would go on to fly the de Havilland Sea Hornet NF.21. It was briefly seconded to the RAF before flying the de Havilland Sea Venom during the Suez Crisis after which the squadron disbanded in 1959. In January 1963 the squadron re-formed as a trials and training unit flying the Blackburn Buccaneer S.1 before briefly disbanding in April 1965 only to be reactivated a year later, operating the Buccaneer S.2. In a show of force in 1972, 809 NAS assisted with the deterrence of a Guatemalan invasion of the then British Honduras, via a long-range recce mission flown from HMS ARK ROYAL. The squadron would once again be disbanded in December 1978. The Argentinian invasion of the Falkland Islands in 1982 saw 809 NAS being called upon to add to the fleet of Sea Harriers already en route to the South Atlantic. Within weeks of being given the order to reform the squadron produced eight Sea Harriers and were ready to deploy to the British Task Force. 809 NAS embarked on the requisitioned merchant ship ATLANTIC CONVEYER for the journey from Ascension Island to the South Atlantic before being split between HMS ILLUSTRIOUS and HMS HERMES for the remainder of the conflict. After the conflict, 809 NAS would return to the Falkland Islands onboard HMS ILLUSTRIOUS providing air defence cover to the islands while repairs were being carried out at Port Stanley Airport after which, 809 NAS returned to the UK and was once again disbanded in December 1982. 41 years to the month later 809 NAS was officially re-commissioned in December 2023 where to this day the squadron continues its post-war tradition of working alongside the RAF, with members of both services flying and maintaining the Lockheed Martin F-35B Lightning.