No. 10 Squadron RAAF
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| 10SQN | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Service | RAAF | ||
| FEG | Surveillance & Response Group | ||
| Parent Unit | 92 Wing | ||
| Motto | Strike First | ||
| Formed | July 1939 | ||
| Base | RAAF Base Edinburgh | ||
| Aircraft | P-3C Orion | ||
| Callsign | STRIKER | ||
No. 10 Squadron is a Royal Australian Air Force maritime patrol squadron based at RAAF Base Edinburgh. The Squadron was first formed in 1939 and has seen active service in World War II, East Timor, the War on Terrorism and the 2003 Gulf War.
Contents |
[edit] History
[edit] Second World War
No. 10 Squadron was formed on 1 July 1939 at RAAF Base Point Cook. Later that month aircrew and ground staff from the Squadron departed for Britain to be trained on the Short Sunderland aircraft which had been acquired to equip the Squadron. While it was intended that the aircrew would fly these aircraft to Australia after completing their training, following the outbreak of war the Australian government agreed to a British request that the Squadron remain in Britain. As a result, No. 10 Squadron was both the first RAAF squadron and the first British Commonwealth squadron to see active service in the Second World War. The Squadron was also the only RAAF squadron to see continuous active service throughout the war.
No. 10 Squadron's main tasks during the war were escorting convoys, conducting anti-submarine patrols and air sea rescue. Operating mainly from bases in southern Britain the Squadron flew missions as far afield as Oban in Scotland and Malta in the Mediterranean Sea.
No. 10 Squadron was one of the more successful Sunderland equipped squadrons in Coastal Command, sinking 6 U-Boats between February 1940 and May 1945. While the Squadron began preparations to deploy to the Pacific Theatre following the end of the war in Europe, these preparations were cut short by the Japanese surrender and the squadron was disbanded in Britain in October 1945.
[edit] Post 1945
No. 10 Squadron was re-formed at Townsville in March 1949 to increase the RAAF's reconnaissance capability. Operating modified Lincoln heavy bombers the Squadron conducted patrols over Northern Australia and the South Pacific. The squadron continued in this role after being re-equipped with Neptune aircraft in March 1962, though the longer range of the Neptune allowed the Squadron to operate over South East Asia and the Central Pacific.
In 1977 No. 10 Squadron was re-equipped with P-3C Orion aircraft and relocated to RAAF Base Edinburgh in South Australia. With the similarly equipped No. 11 Squadron No. 10 Squadron continues to operate in the maritime patrol and surveillance roles.
Since the 1980s No. 10 Squadron has contributed to the RAAF maritime patrol detachment based at Butterworth Air Base in Malaysia. More recently, the Squadron supported the Australian-led intervention into East Timor in 1999 and has contributed to the Australian maritime patrol detachment based in the Persian Gulf since 2001. In this role the Squadron has supported coalition operations in Afghanistan and Iraq.
[edit] Aircraft operated
- Short Sunderland (1939-1945)
- Avro Lincoln (1949-1962)
- Lockheed P2V-7S Neptune (1962-1977)
- Lockheed P-3C Orion (1977- )
No. 10 Squadron was also equipped with small numbers of Supermarine Seagull, Supermarine Southampton, de Havilland DH60 Moth floatplane, Consolidated Catalina and Supermarine Walrus aircraft for training purposes prior to receiving its Sunderland aircraft.
[edit] References
- Australian War Memorial 10 Squadron RAAF
- RAAF Museum RAAF 10 Squadron
- 10 Squadron Official Website
| Royal Australian Air Force flying squadrons | |
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| RAAF Units Under Australian Operational Control
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| RAAF Units Under RAF Operational Control During WWII
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| Joint RAAF-Netherlands East Indies Squadrons |
