The squadron was formed at
Thorney Island in
Sussex,
England on 15 April 1941 under
Royal Air Force operational control. It was a long-range fighter squadron which formed part of
RAF Coastal Command, equipped with
Bristol Blenheim Mk.IVs. The squadron moved to
RAF Castletown,
Caithness, Scotland on 20 June and to
RAF Skitten on 27 July, before moving to
RAF Dyce, Aberdeen on 9 October 1941, from where it began operations, providing fighter cover for convoys and carrying out shipping reconnaissance missions. Tasked with coastal patrol and attack, the squadron flew the
Bristol Blenheim Mk.IV & later the
Beaufighter. From May 1944 to September 1944 they were based at
RAF Davidstow Moor in
Cornwall,
England. As part of the
RAF Dallachy strike wing of four Beaufighter-equipped squadrons, they took part in an attack on German ships on the Norwegian coast on 9 February 1945. The ships included a destroyer and "flak" ships as well as merchantmen. The ships were located in a fjord and German fighter aircraft scrambled in defence. As a result of the heavy losses to the Dallachy Wing the attack was subsequently called
"Black Friday". The squadron disbanded on 25 May 1945. The squadron was reformed on April 30, 1951, at
RCAF Station Greenwood as
404 Maritime Reconnaissance Squadron. On 17 July 1956, 404 Squadron was redesignated as a Maritime Patrol squadron, and when the
CP-140 Aurora came into service the title was changed again to
404 Maritime Patrol and Training Squadron. The current title is
404 Long Range Patrol and Training (LRP&T) Squadron. Currently, 404 Sqn serves as the Operational Training Unit (OTU) for Aircrew and Maintenance personnel who work on the CP140 Aurora. ==Aircraft operated==