899 Naval Air Squadron (899 NAS) was a squadron of the Fleet Air Arm of the United Kingdom. It was most recently based at RNAS Yeovilton (HMS Heron) as the British Aerospace Sea Harrier FA2 training squadron until it was decommissioned in March 2005 prior to the stand-up of 800 Naval Air Squadron with the Harrier GR7 at RAF Cottesmore. History Second World War 899 Naval Air Squadron was first formed on 15 December 1942 at RNAS Hatston using crew from 880 Naval Air Squadron and was equipped with the Supermarine Seafire IIC. The squadron embarked on the aircraft carrier in March that year, continuing to work up until the carrier sailed for the Mediterranean Sea to take part in the Allied invasion of Sicily in July 1943. Indomitable formed part of the covering force protecting the landings from any intervention by Italian naval forces. Indomitable was damaged by German air attack on 16 July, and 899 Squadron disembarked at Gibraltar on 29 July as the carrier returned to Britain for repair. In August 1943, the squadron re-equipped with Seafire LIICs, which had better performance at low altitudes than its earlier aircraft, embarking on the escort carrier to take part in Operation Avalanche, the Allied landings at Salerno, Italy which took place from 9 September. Hunter formed part of Task Force V, consisting of five small carriers that were tasked with providing fighter cover over the beachhead until airfields could be captured and brought into use. The squadron's Seafires proved effective in disrupting attacks by German fighter-bombers, although no German aircraft were shot down. Once an airstrip had been built ashore at Paestum on, five of the squadron's Seafires were operated from the airstrip until relieved by RAF Spitfires and USAAF P-40s on 15 September. Operation of Seafires from small escort carriers resulted in a large number of landing accidents, with a particular problem being propellers being damaged by the propeller blades hitting the flight deck on landing, causing Hunters stock of spare propellers being exhausted. The squadron returned to Britain on 6 October 1943. The squadron remained shore based in Northern Ireland for several months, temporarily receiving Spitfires in December owing to a shortage of Seafires, before re-equipping with Seafire LIIIs in March 1944. In April 1944 the squadron embarked on the escort carrier , and underwent an extensive programme of deck-landing and ground attack training. It disembarked to