3rd Carrier Air Group

The 3rd Carrier Air Group (3rd CAG) was an aircraft carrier air group of the Royal Navy's Fleet Air Arm. It was formed in August 1945, based at HMS Nabbington, a Royal Navy, Mobile Naval Operating Air Base (MONAB), established at the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) base RAAF Nowra at Nowra, New South Wales, in Australia.^[1]

3rd Carrier Air Group
White Ensign
Active	2 August 1945 to 20 October 1945[1]
Country	United Kingdom
Branch	Royal Navy
Type	Carrier Air Group
Size	One Illustrious-class aircraft carrier plus support ships
Part of	Fleet Air Arm

Naval Air Squadrons

See also: List of Fleet Air Arm aircraft squadrons

The 3rd Carrier Air Group consisted of a number of squadrons of the Fleet Air Arm.^[2]

Squadron	From	To	Aircraft
854 Naval Air Squadron	Aug 1945	Oct 1945	Grumman TBF Avenger
1843 Naval Air Squadron	Aug 1945	Oct 1945	Vought F4U Corsair
1845 Naval Air Squadron	Aug 1946	Oct 1945	Vought F4U Corsair

History

1945

The 3rd Carrier Air Group was formed on the 2 August 1945, at HMS Nabbington, situated at Nowra, in Australia, as a spare carrier air group for the British Pacific Fleet. It was formed too late for service in the Second World War. The 3rd CAG contained 854 Naval Air Squadron, which operated the Grumman Avenger, an American torpedo bomber aircraft, 1843 Naval Air Squadron and 1845 Naval Air Squadron, which were both equipped with the Vought Corsair, an American fighter aircraft. The 3rd CAG was disbanded on 20 October 1945, at Nowra, and its personnel returned to the United Kingdom on board a merchant ship.^[1]

Air Group Commanders

List of commanding officers of 3rd Carrier Air Group with date of appointment:^[1]

• Commander N.S. Luaard (temp), from 2 August 1945
• Commander J.C.N. Shrubsole, RN, from 8 September 1945

See also

• List of Fleet Air Arm groups
• List of aircraft carriers of the Royal Navy
• List of aircraft of the Fleet Air Arm
• List of Fleet Air Arm aircraft in World War II

References

Citations

1. Wragg 2019, p. 203.
2. Ballance 2016, p. 306.

Bibliography

• Ballance, Theo (2016). The Squadrons and Units of the Fleet Air Arm. Air-Britain. ISBN 978-0-85130-489-2.
• Sturtivant, R; Ballance, T (1994). The Squadrons of The Fleet Air Arm. Tonbridge, Kent, UK: Air-Britain (Historians) Ltd. ISBN 0-85130-223-8.
• Wragg, David (2019). The Fleet Air Arm Handbook 1939-1945. Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, UK: The History Press. ISBN 978-0-7509-9303-6.