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| |  814 squadron
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One of the Navy's highly skilled and technically sophisticated submarine warfare squadrons has been designated as the first UK sqn to be equipped with the AgustaWesland Merlin  Originally formed on 1 Dec 1938 as a torpedo reconnaisance unit. After service in WWII, it disbanded and reformed several times with various fixed wing aircraft until it retired its Gannet AS.4s when it disbanded on 30 Sep 1959 at RNAS Culdrose. Its association with rotary wing flying began at RNAS Culdrose as an anti-submarine unit on 1 Apr 1960 with 8 Whirlwind HAS.7s. After various exercises it departed for the Far East on HMS Hermes (R12), returning in Apr 1961 and disbanding Sep 1961. It reformed as the third FAA front line Wessex HAS.1 unit in Nov 1961. After further service in the Indian Ocean and the Far East where it was deployed to Sembawang between Dec 1962 and Mar 1965 then Aug 1966 and Apr 1967, it returned to the UK in Jun 1967, to prepare for the introduction of the Wessex HAS.3. It was the first front line unit to form with 6 HAS.3 from the 700(H) Squadron, complement, in Aug 1967. Returning to the Far East, it had a further spell at Sembawang between Aug 1968 and Jan 1969, retaining Culdrose as its UK home base. When HMS Hermes went in to refit as a Commando Assault Carrier, the unit disbanded again in Jul 1970 at RNAS Culdrose. Reformed on 30 Mar 1973 at HMS Gannet with a small number of Sea King HAS.1s, with which it undertook critical passive sonar trials during 1975. The Sea King HAS.2 was introduced in Nov 1977 and the unit was the first to have its airframes fitted with the Jezebel sonar equipment. It moved to Culdrose in Apr 1976 and conducted intensive passive sonar training. By the end of 1976, the unit had received nine airframes, followed by the replacement of some with HAS.2A conversions. When the Falklands conflict broke out, the unit was being equipped with the Sea King HAS.5. In Aug 1982, it embarked on HMS Illustrious (R06) for South Atlantic operations. Further improvements in capability followed when the Sea King HAS.6 was introduced in Oct 1992. 814 Squadron was disbanded after service in the Gulf, Bosnia and Kosovo, at RNAS Culdrose in Dec 2000. 814 Squadron reformed again on 1 Mar 2001 with the Merlin HM.1 at RNAS Culdrose. |
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