814 Naval Air Squadron

814 Naval Air Squadron – better known throughout the Navy as the Flying Tigers (hence our striking badge) – flies from ships and air bases around the world shielding the Fleet from submarines. Earlier this year we took part in the biggest submarine hunt of the year in Sicily alongside our NATO allies. We also take it in turns with our sister squadron 820 to support the international effort against illegal activities on the high seas east of Suez – that’s piracy, people-trafficking, smuggling, drug-running and terrorism. We also deploy with Britain’s on-call aircraft carrier to practise our key role: submarine hunting, including heading to the Eastern Seaboard of the USA with HMS Ark Royal in the summer of 2010 for some serious ‘pinging’ – using sonar to track down boats lurking below the surface.

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COMMANDING OFFICER

Darran Goldsmith

RANK:
Commander

JOINED:
1985

SPECIALISATION:
Warfare (Observer)

PREVIOUS UNITS:
HMS Illustrious, Invincible and Ark Royal

Military experience

Cdr Goldsmith has been in the RN for 26 years and commanding 814 Squadron; the Flying Tigers, is his tenth and final flying tour.
Initially flying in Sea Kings and enjoying three years flying Seahawks in Australia before moving to the Merlin, he has operated from all three CVS and numerous other smaller decks.

One of the highlights of his career is the exceptional camaraderie of the Fleet Air Arm

LATEST NEWS

ABOUT THE UNIT

KEY STATISTICS

Number of miles flown to Sicily for recent exercises: 1400Miles

Number of submarines hunted off Sicily: 6

TAKE A LOOK

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UNITS IN TIME

814 Naval Air Squadron HISTORY

TRACK THE HISTORY OF SHIPS NAMED 814 Naval Air Squadron

Formation

We began life in December 1938 operating six legendary Fairey Swordfish torpedo bombers.
Outbreak of War

At the outbreak of war, 814 moved on to HMS Hermes – her limited endurance and poor stability did not suit European seas, so she was principally used for convoy protection in the South Atlantic and Indian Ocean.
North Africa

In July 1940 six of her 814 NAS Swordfish attacked the Vichy French ship Richelieu at Dakar. Against concentrated anti-aircraft fire the Swordfish only managed one hit, but the new 35,000-ton battleship was disabled for over a year.
Destruction of Hermes

In April 1942 while en route to the Indian Ocean in convoy from Trincomalee to the Maldives, Hermes was attacked and sunk by Japanese aircraft. Luckily, the Swordfish of 814 NAS had left her at the start of the month....
New Formation

The squadron formed up with Barracudas in the summer of 1944 to embark in HMS Venerable for the Far East. Post-war 814 adapted to a succession of Fireflys, Avengers and Gannets in the anti-submarine warfare role.
The Whilrwind Helicopter

In 1960 814 NAS welcomed its first rotary wing – the Whirlwind helicopter. From Whirlwind to Wessex, in 1967 the Wessex Mk3 brought the squadron its first radar-equipped ASW helicopter.
Reformation

A brief lull saw the squadron out of commission between 1970 and 1973, before bursting back onto the scene in 1973 at HMS Gannet with the new Sea Kings ASW Mk1.
A New Base

It was in April 1976 that the squadron settled in Cornwall’s RNAS Culdrose – where it has remained to this day; although its aircraft have been through both reincarnations and total transformations.
The New Mk 2 ASW Sea King

The new Mk 2 ASW Sea King arrived in 1977 – after the squadron had played a role in the evacuation of Cyprus – and in addition 814 was the first Naval squadron fitted with passive sonar equipment.
Decades of Conflict

814 operated the Mk5 and Mk6 incarnations through the last two decades of the 20th Century. The Mk6 flew from carrier HMS Invincible during the Gulf, Bosnia and Kosovo conflicts as the century drew to an end.
A New Millennium

And 814 marked the birth of the new millennium by disbanding in December 2000. But ten months later the Flying Tigers were back – the striped faces now borne (subtly) upon the body of the Merlin HM1.

1938
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1940
1942
1944
1960
1973
1976
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1980
2000

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23 June

RNAS Yeovilton Air Day 2012

Royal Naval Air Station Yeovilton Somerset 23 June 2012

The Royal Navy’s premier air show will be commemorating the 30^th anniversary of the Falklands Campaign. When the Task Force set out on its 8000 mile journey to retake the...

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814 Naval Air Squadron