Ulster Wildcats
Some 80 years ago this month, an invasion-striped Royal Navy Fleet Air Arm Grumman Wildcat V (Martlet) of No. 846 Naval Air Squadron, based at RAF Limavady airfield, Northern Ireland, on patrol, 26 June 1944.
846 Squadron had been stood up in April 1943 at U.S Naval Air Station Quonset Point, originally with a dozen Avengers.
It shipped out in June as the air group assigned to the Attacker-class jeep carrier HMS Tracker (D24), to which four Martlets were later added.
In April 1944, 846 NAS, together with aircraft from HMS Activity, bagged the German submarine U-288 east of Bear Island, during convoy JW 58.
On 10 June 1944, while part of the antisubmarine screen of the Western Approaches Command for the D-Day landings, Tracker collided with a River-class frigate of the Royal Canadian Navy, HMCS Teme, causing damage to both ships (hence the invasion stripes). Tracker continued operations despite stove-in bows until 12 June 1944, then spent the rest of the year in repair at Liverpool.
HMS Tracker with 846 squadron embarked for anti-submarine sweeps in support of the D-Day landings in June 1944.
Meanwhile, 846 NAS was sent to Northern Ireland to bolster defenses as part of 15 Group RAF Coastal Command.
Another shot of 846 NAS taken while on the Northern Ireland beat in the summer of 1944. IWM (A 24528)
This shore assignment was short-lived, as they soon shipped out on the Bogue-class escort carrier HMS Trumpeter (D09) for mining operations off Norway, and later a det from the unit was also sent out on sistership HMS Premier (D23).
Disbanded in 1945, 846 NAS was later reformed in 1960 as a helicopter unit (The Junglies) supporting the Royal Marines, a task it continues to perform with Merlin Mk4s.
Royal Marine Commandoes from 42 Commando hit MAMYOKO BEACH from Sea King helicopters of 846 Naval Air Squadron, in a demonstration of amphibious power during Operation Silkman in Freetown, Sierra Leone 13 Nov 2000. MOD image by Royal Navy PO Jim Gibson (Click to big up)