811 Naval Air Squadron

811 Naval Air Squadron is a squadron of Britain's Fleet Air Arm.

The squadron was flying the Fairey Swordfish in 1939 from HMS Courageous (50). When that ship was lost the survivors were drafted to help form 815 Naval Air Squadron.

811 was reformed in July 1941 at Lee-on-Solent (HMS Daedalus). Initially equipped with the Vought-Sikorsky Chesapeake and intended for duty with an escort carrier on the Atlantic convoys. After three months it was decided that the Chesapeake was not up to the job and the squadron re-equipped with the Swordfish.

After a long period re-training, initially at RNAS Arbroath, then at RNAS Machrihanish (HMS Landrail) the squadron moved during August 1942 to RAF Bircham Newton for mine-laying and other anti-shipping operations off the coast of the Netherlands, Belgium and North-East France.

In December of that year there was another move, this time to RNAS Hatston, Orkney.

It eventually got afloat in HMS Biter (D97) in March 1943.