No. 206 Squadron RAF
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| No. 206 Squadron | ||
|---|---|---|
Squadron badge |
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| Information | ||
| Role | Not currently extant | |
| Aircraft Operated | Avro Shackleton, Nimrod MR1, Nimrod MR2 | |
| Home Station | RAF Kinloss | |
| Motto | Nihil nos effugit
Latin "Nothing Escapes Us" |
|
| History | ||
| Date Founded | 1 November 1916 (RNAS) | |
| Badge | A Calamari / Squid | |
| Notable Battle Honours | Western Front 1916-1918, Arras 1917, Channel and North Sea 1939-1945, Atlantic 1939 and 1941-1945, Fortress Europe 1940 and 1942, Biscay 1943-1944, Bismarck | |
No. 206 Squadron was a Royal Air Force unit employed, until 2005, in the maritime patrol role with the Nimrod MR2 at RAF Kinloss, Moray. It was announced in December 2004 that 206 Squadron would disband on 1 April 2005, with half of its crews being redistributed to Nos. 120 and 201 Squadrons, also stationed at Kinloss. This was a part of the UK Defence Review called Delivering Security in a Changing World; the Nimrod MR2 fleet was reduced from 21 to 16 as a consequence.
[edit] History
206 Squadron was founded on 1 November 1916 as No. 6 Squadron, Royal Naval Air Service, a fighter unit that was disbanded less than a year later. The squadron was reformed in 1917 as a bomber and reconnaissance unit. With the establishment of the RAF in 1918 the squadron was renumbered No. 206 Squadron, RAF. It was again disbanded in 1920.
The squadron was again reformed in 1936, as part of the new RAF Coastal Command, initially as a training squadron but later assigned to maritime patrols. It operated Lockheed Hudsons from RAF Bircham Newton in the early years of World War II, later re-equipping with the B-17 Flying Fortress II and B-24 Liberator VIII. A section was detached to West Africa for anti-submarine and convoy patrols as No. 200 Squadron RAF. Detachments also operated from bases such as RAF St Eval in Cornwall and RAF Aldergrove in County Antrim.
The squadron was disbanded in 1946. It was reformed in 1947 but again disbanded in 1949. Reformed again in 1952, the squadron moved to Kinloss in 1965 and was equipped with Nimrods in 1970. It continued to operate the Nimrod until disbanding in April 2005.
