818 Naval Air Squadron 818 Naval Air Squadron was a Royal Navy Fleet Air Arm carrier based squadron formed in August 1939 . It served on a number of the Navy ' s aircraft carrier s during the Second World War , serving in most of the theatres of the war , before decommissioning at the end of the war . History . Norway and the Mediterranean . 818 Squadron was formed as a torpedo reconnaissance squadron at Evanton in August 1939 . This was some two months earlier than had originally been planned , owing to the increased threat of war . The squadron was initially equipped with nine Fairey Swordfish Is , and then embarked on HMS " Ark Royal " at the navy ' s base at Scapa Flow . " Ark Royal " was then deployed to search for enemy shipping off Norway . 818 Squadron then transferred to HMS " Furious " in April 1940 , after the German invasion of Norway . On 11 April aircraft from the squadron attacked two German destroyers in Trondheim Fjord . The squadron then moved ashore , spending the period between May and June 1940 flying out of Thorney and RAF Carew Cheriton , working with RAF Coastal Command in the English Channel . They returned to " Ark Royal " in mid - June , and sailed with her to the Mediterranean . They were used in the Attack on Mers - el - Kébir , carrying out strikes against the Vichy - French battleship " Strasbourg " . They again saw action in attacks on Italian targets on Sicily , and in the Battle of Cape Spartivento , with attacks on the Italian battleship " Littorio " on 27 November 1940 . They were also involved in providing air cover for the Malta Convoys , and in February 1941 carried out attacks on targets at Livorno , Genoa , Pisa and La Spezia . Hunting the " Bismarck " . The breakout into the Atlantic of the German battleship " Bismarck " in May 1941 led to the " Ark Royal " being ordered into the Atlantic with the British fleet to hunt and sink the German ship . When the " Bismarck " was located , aircraft from 810 and 818 Naval Air Squadrons carried out attacks . Eventually a Swordfish of 818 Squadron , probably the one piloted by Sub - Lt . John Moffat , struck " Bismarck " ’ s aft with a torpedo , jamming her rudder in a turn to starboard . Unable to manoeuvre , the " Bismarck " swung around in a wide circle , allowing the ships of Force H to catch up and sink the " Bismarck " . The Mediterranean and Far East . The squadron later had their Swordfish replaced by nine Fairey Albacore Is , and they were embarked aboard HMS " Formidable " in February 1942 . " Formidable " then sailed to Ceylon to counter Japanese attacks , but by June a reduction in the threat of such attacks led to the squadron being disbanded . It was reformed at RNAS Lee - on - Solent in October 1942 and was equipped with Swordfish IIs . They sailed aboard HMS " Unicorn " in March 1943 to provide cover for convoys to Gibraltar . Six aircraft from the squadron were used that August for operations during the allied invasion of Sicily . The squadron then returned to the Far East aboard HMS " Unicorn " in November 1943 , where they were assigned to the Eastern Fleet . They went ashore at Ceylon , and were disbanded at Cochin in October 1944 . They were again reformed , this time at RNAS Rattray in May 1945 , and equipped with 18 Fairey Barracuda IIs , to operate as a torpedo bomber reconnaissance squadron . It had been planned that the squadron would join the 22nd Carrier Air Group in one of the new " Colossus " class aircraft carriers , but the end of the war with Japan in August 1945 meant that the squadron was again disbanded , on Victory over Japan Day , 15 August .