Royal Norwegian Navy Air Service

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A Northrop N3P-B, 22 'GS-F', of No. 330 (Norwegian) Squadron based at Akureyri, Iceland, in flight over the North Atlantic Ocean.

Royal Norwegian Navy Air Service (Marinens Flyvevesen) was established in 1. June 1912 when the first flight whith the HNoMS Start took place with Hans Dons as pilot. The Air Service's estblishment was based very much on pride. On 19. April 1912 newspapers had reported that a Swedish pilot was planning to fly over Moss and Horten. Horten was the site for the main base of the Norwegian Navy. Three officers of the Norwegian submarine HNoMS Kobben (A-1) decided that it would be a shame if they were not able to beat him to it.

Later in the same year the Maurice Farman biplanes Njaal and Gange Rolf were purchased.

In 1915 the Navy established its own plane factory and a pilot school.

The main flight base was established in Horten and other bases were established in Kristiansand in 1918, Bergen in 1919 and in Tromsø shortly before the invasion in 1940.

In 1940 most of the planes were outdated and the 1 100 transport and figher planes the Luftwaffe brought with them soon gained air superiority. The armed resistance in Norway was abandoned 9. June 1940. But the fight would continue abroad. Only aircraft of the Norwegian Naval Airforce had the range to fly all the way from their last remaining bases in Northern Norway to the UK. Included amongst the Norwegian aircraft that reached the British Isles were a number of German made Heinkel He 115 seaplane bombers, some bought before the war and two captured from the Germans during the Norwegian campaign. A captured Arado Ar 196 originating from the German heavy cruiser Admiral Hipper was also flown to Britain for testing.

The Army and Navy air forces established themselves in Britain under the command of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Norwegian air and ground crews operated as part of the British Royal Air Force, in both wholly Norwegian squadrons and also in other squadrons. The first exile air unit was the 330 Squadron of Northrop torpedo bomber sea planes established in the fall of 1940 and operationg from Iceland. The second maritime squadron was the 333 squadron established in 1943 in Woodhaven, Scotland equipped with Catalina sea planes and Mosquito fighter-bombers. Both planes and running costs were financed by the exiled Norwegian government.

The Royal Norwegian Navy Air Service seased to exist on 10. November 1944 when the Royal Norwegian Air Force was established.

In honour of the achievements of the RNoAF Squadrons of the WWII The Royal Nowegian Air Force has maintained the RAF squadron names. Thus Norway still has the squadrons 330th and 333rd, now flying Sea King and Orion.