Single-seat fighter squadron (1944-1945) February 1944 saw the personnel for 1842 Naval Air Squadron gather at Royal Naval Air Establishment (RNAE) Townhill Camp (HMS
Waxwing),
Dunfermline,
Fife, Scotland, in preparation for their journey to the United States. It formed on 1 April 1944 in the United States at RN Air Section Brunswick, which was located at
United States Naval Air Station (USNAS) Brunswick,
Maine, as a Single-seat Fighter Squadron, under the command of Lieutenant Commander(A) A.McD. Garland, DSC, RNVR. It was equipped with eighteen
Vought Corsair aircraft, an American carrier-borne
fighter-bomber. These were the
Brewster built F3A-1 and F3A-1D variant, designated Corsair Mk III by the Fleet Air Arm. Following the initial familiarisation, the flight training encompassed
navigation drills,
low-altitude maneuvers,
formation flying,
Air combat manoeuvring and Aerodrome Dummy Deck Landing (ADDL) exercises. On 23 May, the squadron relocated to the
US Naval Auxiliary Airfield (USNAA) Bar Harbor,
Bar Harbor, Maine, for a week of both daytime and nighttime ADDL training, before returning to Brunswick on 31. The following day, the squadron pilots commenced their flights to the
aircraft carrier, , which was the nominated training carrier operating off the coast of Maine, to complete the necessary landings required for certification in carrier deck landings. On completion of working up at USNAS Brunswick the squadron flew to RN Air Section Norfolk, at
USNAS Norfolk, on 27 June. Upon the arrival of all the squadron aircraft, the RN Air Section made the necessary preparations for their embarkation onto the , . Upon the conclusion of loading, HMS
Rajah departed for
New York Harbor, where it joined the eastbound convoy TCU.30 on 2 July. This convoy primarily consisted of
troopships, accompanied by a limited number of
merchant vessels. HMS
Rajah reached
Liverpool, England, on 12 July, where it proceeded to unload supplies and the aircraft belonging to 1842 Naval Air Squadron. The squadron was initially stationed at
RNAS Stretton (HMS Blackcap),
Cheshire, England, where it transitioned from eighteen Mk. III Vought Corsair to eighteen Mk. II Vought Corsair, prior to its departure on the 21 for
RNAS Eglinton (HMS Gannet),
County Londonderry, Northern Ireland. These were the
Chance Vought manufactured F3A-1 and F3A-1D variant. This move was part of the squadron's preparation for further training in anticipation of joining the
Fleet Carrier, . On 7 August the squadron embarked in HMS
Formidable. Following a brief period of flight training, it reached
Scapa Flow on 11 August to make preparations for
Operation Goodwood. On 14 August,
1841 These were the
Goodyear built FG-1D variant, designated Corsair Mk IV by the Fleet Air Arm. In the months of April and May, the squadron took part in
Operation Iceberg, focusing on assaults against the
Sakishima Gunto archipelago located in the
East China Sea. On the 4 and 9 of May, HMS
Formidable came under
Kamikaze attack, leading to the loss of multiple aircraft. HMS
Formidable reached
Sydney, Australia, on 31 May, after which her squadrons were disembarked at
RNAS Jervis Bay (HMS Nabswick), the location of MONAB V,
New South Wales, returning on 22 June. On 28 June, the 6th Naval Fighter Wing was officially dissolved as the Admiralty transitioned to the United States model of
Carrier Air Groups. In this system, all squadrons assigned to a specific aircraft carrier were organised into a Carrier Air Group (CAG). The aircraft carrier HMS
Formidable was designated to
No. 2 CAG, which included 1841, 1842, and
848 Naval Air Squadrons. In the final weeks of the conflict, airstrikes were executed in the
Tokyo region, with two pilots fortunate enough to be rescued by the US Navy's submarine after they were compelled to ditch in
Owase Harbour, Japan, on 28 July. Following the
conclusion of the Second World War, the squadron abandoned its aircraft in Australia and its personnel boarded for their journey to the United Kingdom, where the squadron was officially disbanded upon arrival on 31 October 1945. == Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve Air Squadron ==