845 Naval Air Squadron is a squadron of the Royal Navy's Fleet Air Arm. Part of the Commando Helicopter Force, it is a specialist amphibious unit operating the AgustaWestland Commando Merlin HC4 helicopter and provides troop transport and load lifting support to 3 Commando Brigade Royal Marines. In 2012, the squadron celebrated 50 years since it was awarded "commando" status. The squadron is based at RNAS Yeovilton in Somerset. Role The primary role of the squadron is to support the Royal Marines in amphibious assaults and wartime environments. It conducts medium-lift frontline operations in a variety of environments including desert, arctic, jungle and maritime. The squadron mainly conducts troop carrying, load-lifting, and maritime interdiction missions but can also perform CASEVAC and deployed SAR duties. They are the spearhead of the Commando Helicopter Force, held at high-readiness, and are a key part of the Royal Navy's expeditionary wartime capability. History Beginnings 845 NAS formed on 1 January 1943, at USNAS Quonset Point, as a Torpedo Bomber Reconnaissance Squadron (TBRS) flying the new Grumman Avenger, designed as a much needed replacement for the ageing Fairey Swordfish. The squadron took part in its first active service by dive bombing an oil refinery at Surabaya, Java, in May 1944. For the following year, the squadron saw action over Malaya, Ceylon, and Sumatra before being disbanded in 1945. 845 reformed on 15 March 1955, at Gosport to be an Anti Submarine unit flying the newly proved Westland Whirlwind HAS.22's, with which it saw service on several ships in the Mediterranean and Indonesia. Its job was to prove the new sonar technology and the navigational reliability of the Whirlwind. After returning to the UK, the squadron was disbanded briefly in October, before being reformed on 14 November 1955. In April 1956, the squadron deployed on and to partake in the fleet review and various training exercises. Much training was conducted with the Royal Marines in the vicinity of Malta and put them in great stead for the approaching Suez Crisis. Although politically a failure, militarily, and particularly for the Navy, the Suez episode was a huge success. 845 NAS were involved in landing 515 Marines and 89 tons of equipment in history's 'first vertical assault'. Several aircraft were damaged from small arms fire, with one ditching on the way back to Theseus. Thankfully, all survived. The lessons of the Suez Crisis were not lost on the