1st Carrier Air Group
| 1st Carrier Air Group | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Active | 30 June 1945 - 8 September 1945 October 1947 - May 1951[1] |
| Country |  United Kingdom |
| Branch |  Royal Navy |
| Type | Carrier Air Group |
| Size | One Illustrious-class aircraft carrier plus support ships |
| Part of | Fleet Air Arm |
| Engagements | World War II |
| Commanders | |
| Notable commanders | Commander Stanley Gordon Orr, DSC & Two Bars, AFC, RN |
1st Carrier Air Group (1st CAG) was a Fleet Air Arm (FAA) carrier air group of the Royal Navy (RN). The formation of the group took place in June 1945, intended for deployment within the British Pacific Fleet. However, it was disbanded later that same year, specifically in September. The unit was assigned to the Illustrious-class aircraft carrier HMS Victorious.[2]
The Group was re-established in October 1947, embarking in the lead ship of her class, HMS Implacable. In late 1950, the group was reassigned to the Illustrious-class aircraft carrier HMS Indomitable. The 1st Carrier Air Group was disbanded for the second time in May 1951.[1]
Naval air squadrons
[edit]The 1st Carrier Air Group consisted of a number of squadrons of the Fleet Air Arm.[1]
| Squadron | Aircraft | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 849 Naval Air Squadron | Grumman Avenger | June 1945 | September 1945 |
| 1834 Naval Air Squadron | Vought Corsair | June 1945 | September 1945 |
| 1836 Naval Air Squadron | Vought Corsair | June 1945 | September 1945 |
| 801 Naval Air Squadron | de Havilland Sea Hornet | October 1947 | May 1951 |
| 813 Naval Air Squadron | Blackburn Firebrand | October 1947 | May 1951 |
History
[edit]The squadrons of the Fleet Air Arm, embarked in the Royal Navy’s Fleet and Light Fleet aircraft carriers, were organised into Air Groups in alignment with United States Navy policy following the conclusion of World War II in Europe. This reorganisation aimed to facilitate operations in the Pacific Theater against Japanese forces in 1945.[3]
1945
[edit]The 1st Carrier Air Group was formed on the 30 June 1945, for the Illustrious-class aircraft carrier, HMS Victorious, as part of the British Pacific Fleet.[2] During July and August 1945, the latter part of the Second World War, it saw active service over Japan.[3] The 1st Carrier Air Group consisted of 849 Naval Air Squadron, which operated the Grumman Avenger, an American torpedo bomber aircraft, along with 1834 and 1836 Naval Air Squadrons, which were both equipped with Vought Corsair, an American carrier-based fighter-bomber aircraft,[2] the latter two squadrons previously made up the Fleet Air Arm's 47th Naval Fighter Wing which was absorbed into the 1st Carrier Air Group on its formation.[4]
The group embarked in HMS Victorious in July 1945 for strikes against the Japanese mainland, near Tokyo, up until Victory over Japan Day. Notably, an 849 Naval Air Squadron Grumman Avenger from HMS Victorious, located and scored the first bomb hit on the Japanese escort carrier Kaiyo, at Beppu Bay, in Kyūshū, on 24 July 1945, which resulted in severe damage that kept the ship out of the remainder of the war.[5]
The 1st Carrier Air Group was disbanded on HMS Victorious upon the group's return to the United Kingdom, on the 8 September 1945.[2]
1947–1951
[edit]The 1st Carrier Air Group reformed in October 1947, for the name ship of her class, HMS Implacable. The 1st CAG was made up of 801 Naval Air Squadron, which operated the de Havilland Sea Hornet, twin engine, fighter aircraft, and 813 Naval Air Squadron, which was equipped with Blackburn Firebrand, a British single-engine strike fighter aircraft. On the 12 September 1950, the 1st CAG transferred to the Illustrious-class aircraft carrier, HMS Indomitable. The 1st Carrier Air Group disbanded on the 31 May 1951.[1]
Aircraft used
[edit]Aircraft used by the naval air squadrons that formed the 1st Carrier Air Group in 1945 and between 1947-51:
- Grumman Avenger, an American torpedo bomber
- Vought Corsair, an American fighter aircraft
- de Havilland Sea Hornet, a navalised version of the de Havilland Hornet for service on British aircraft carriers
- Blackburn Firebrand, a British single-engine strike fighter
Air group commanders
[edit]List of commanding officers of the 1st Carrier Air Group, with date of appointment:[2]
1945
1947–1951
- Lieutenant Commander D.B. Law, MBE, DSC, RN, from 3 November 1948[1]
- Lieutenant Commander S.G. Orr, DSC, AFC, RN, from 21 November 1949[1]
- disbandment - 31 May 1951
See also
[edit]- List of Fleet Air Arm groups
- List of aircraft carriers of the Royal Navy
- List of aircraft of the Fleet Air Arm
- List of Fleet Air Arm aircraft in World War II
References
[edit]Citations
[edit]- ^ a b c d e f Ballance 2016, p. 306.
- ^ a b c d e Wragg 2019, p. 203.
- ^ a b Ballance 2016, p. 305.
- ^ Wragg 2019, p. 202.
- ^ "849 Squadron". Fleet Air Arm Archive. 2000–2001. Archived from the original on 30 March 2009. Retrieved 1 December 2008.
Bibliography
[edit]- Ballance, Theo (2016). The Squadrons and Units of the Fleet Air Arm. Air-Britain. ISBN 978-0-85130-489-2.
- Sturtivant, R; Ballance, T (1994). The Squadrons of The Fleet Air Arm. Tonbridge, Kent, UK: Air-Britain (Historians) Ltd. ISBN 0-85130-223-8.
- Wragg, David (2019). The Fleet Air Arm Handbook 1939-1945. Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, UK: The History Press. ISBN 978-0-7509-9303-6.