Endurance key to the squadron that has spent 80 years protecting Britain’s sea assets
THIS month (May 8-26) has seen members of the RAF taking part in Formidable Shield, a major exercise part of which took place over north Scotland and in the surrounding waters, involving the armed forces of 13 NATO allies with 20 ships, 35 aircraft and 4,000 military personnel involved.
Among the squadrons operating alongside their colleagues from across the globe was No. 120, better known as CXX Squadron, the first operator of the Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft, MPA, from RAF Lossiemouth, a unit whose association with anti-submarine aircraft dates back to WW2.
The squadron itself was formed more than a century ago, its roots founded 300 miles south of its current home, established on January 1, 1918 as a Royal Flying Corps (RFC) day bomber unit in Northumberland, the plan for the new unit to operate Airco DH.9s (de Havilland). However, the war ended with CXX still waiting for their DH.9s to arrive, spending a couple of years flying communication and mail flights in Western Europe until it was disbanded in October 1919 – the unit carried post between the UK, France and Germany between February and August 1919, operating the world’s first regular international mail service.
It would be 22 years before CXX was reformed, its new home RAF Nutts Corner in Country Antrim, Northern Ireland, forming part of Coastal Command, operating Consolidated Liberators against the threat of the North Atlantic U-boats. The squadron also flew the long-range Liberators from RAF Aldergrove in Northern Ireland and later out of RAF Reykjavik in Iceland, forming a strong association with the country (a bond tested to the extreme in the early 1970s, see below).
(Liberator Mk.IIIs of 120 Squadron at RAF Aldergrove in 1943)
The Liberators of CXX could fly for up to 16 hours, with their endurance immediately seeing convoy losses in the north Atlantic reduce. In April 1943, the growing threat of German U-boats to Allied shipping bringing food and supplies to the UK and its WW2 allies saw the squadron move in its entirety to Reykjavik to counter the problem, the squadron proving highly successful in its anti-submarine role: the unit was credited with destroying 14 U-boats in sole missions, along with co-opting in a further three more sinkings, also damaging eight other submarines – CXX had the highest kill total in Coastal Command.
Their final recorded sinking of a U-boat occurred on April 19, 1945: U-1017 was operating off the north west coast of Ireland when a Liberator from 120 spotted wake and smoke from the vessel. An attack was carried out using four depth charges and a Fido homing torpedo, successfully destroying the submarine just two weeks after it left Trondheim in Norway on its first operational patrol.
At the end of the war, the squadron was disbanded at RAF Ballykelly in Northern Ireland, reformed 16 months later at RAF Leuchars in Scotland when No. 160 Squadron was renumbered. A number of Liberators were retained for around a year but the squadron was re-equipped with Lancasters, a detachment moving to Palestine in November 1947 for three-months.
In 1951, CXX was re-equipped with Avro Shackletons, moving to RAF Kinloss in April 1959, continuing in its maritime patrol role until February 1971, by which time the squadron had begun to be re-equipped with Nimrods.
The early 1970s also saw the squadron’s long-time association with Iceland tested to its limits during the Second Cod War, CXX flying sorties as part of the defence of British fishing vessels, following Iceland’s unilateral decision to extend its fishing limits; the defence of what they considered their waters included the Coast Guard deploying net cutters on non-Icelandic craft, including British fishing boats. The Nimrods of No. 120 Squadron flew over the contested waters notifying British frigates and trawlers of Icelandic patrol positions.
The Falklands War in 1982 saw personnel from CXX heading to Wideawake on Ascension Island, the Nimrods helping escort the British Task Force and also providing crucial communications support during Operation Black Buck, the Vulcans infamous bombing raids on Port Stanley airfield. A year after the end of the conflict in the south Atlantic, a crew from No. 120 made the first direct Falklands Island to the UK flight, covering the 7689 nautical miles in 18 hours and 15 minutes.
(Nimrod MR.2 XV243 of 120 Squadron in 1993)
The Nimrods of the squadron were again in action during Operation Granby, deployed to Oman to provide support during the first Gulf War in the early 1990, with further missions undertaken during Operation Sharp Guard, the blockade of the former republic of Yugoslavia. A return to the Gulf came in 2003, the unit participating in Operation Telic, the squadron disbanding on May 26, 2011, a year after the Nimrods were withdrawn from service.
After a seven-year hiatus, No. CXX reformed on April 1, 2018, the first squadron to operate the P-8A Poseidons out of Lossiemouth, the maritime and patrol aircraft developed by Boeing. The first operation carried out by the squadron in their new aircraft in August 2020 was to shadow Russian warship, Vasily Bykov, in the North Sea.
Work at Lossiemouth to house the fleet of Poseidon aircraft was completed in November 2020, with nine of the aircraft operated by CXX and No. 201 Squadrons; the multi-role maritime patrol aircraft is equipped with sensors and weapon systems for anti-submarine warfare, as well as assisting in its surveillance and search and rescue work.
In June 2021, one of CXX’s Poseidon’s, ZP804, was officially named Spirit of Reykjavik, in honour of the role played by the Icelandic location in the Battle of the Atlantic, a ceremony at Lossiemouth to mark the occasion seeing the Icelandic ambassador to the UK attend in person.
(ZZ804 flanked by the RAF Red Arrows- 📸 MOD)
The naming of the Poseidon came 70 years after King George VI awarded No. CXX Squadron its Standard, approving the addition of an Icelandic Falcon, standing on a globe, to the official squadron badge, highlighting the links between the squadron and Reykjavik. The Standard was awarded despite the squadron not having accrued the required 25 years of service, becoming one of only to achieve the honour, the other being No. 617 (Dambusters) Squadron.
