After an 11-year absence, 829 Naval Air Squadron has officially re-formed, dedicated to serving the Type 23 frigate fleet.

Rear Admiral David Snelson, the Commander of British Naval forces during Operation Telic and now Chief-of-Staff (Warfare), was guest of honour at RNAS Culdrose for the recommissioning of 829.

The squadron, motto non effugient – they will not escape – is the fifth and final front-line Merlin squadron, parenting six flights for the Duke-class warships and providing headquarters, training and engineering support back at the Cornish airbase.

829 comprises eight aircraft and 130 personnel.

Each of the frigate’s flights consists of two pilots, an observer and an aircrewman, plus nine engineers and an aircraft controller.

Three flights were formed before the squadron itself, and have already operated with or been assigned to HM ships Lancaster, Monmouth and Westminster.

Lancaster’s Merlin has proved itself in a variety of environments, ranging from the harsh conditions of the Baltic and the Falklands to the tropics of West Africa.

Earlier last year HMS Monmouth’s flight deployed with the frigate to the Caribbean, where the Merlin was such a threat to drugs-runners that several well-used sea routes were abandoned by the smugglers.

Later this year the frigate, known as the Black Duke, will join NATO’s Standing Naval Force Mediterranean (SNFM) for a six-month deployment, and her flight will become the first Merlin HM Mk1 assigned to direct NATO tasking.

The remaining three flights will serve with frigates HMS Northumberland, Richmond and Somerset this year and in 2006.

“829 NAS has a long and proud history and once again it is the centre of excellence for aviation embarked upon small ships,” said Commanding Officer Lt Cdr Peter Munro-Lott.

“The Merlin has already proved that it is a very capable aircraft which can operate successfully from the decks of small and large ships.

“Our mission is to build on that success and generate Merlin flights to operate seamlessly with their parent ships across the globe.”

In previous incarnations, 829 has operated Fairey Swordfish and Barracudas, Whirlwind, Wasp, Wessex and finally Lynx helicopters, when 815 NAS took over all front-line Lynx flights.

Its battle honours include Matapan (an Albacore scored a hit on Italian battleship Vittorio Veneto), the Falklands 1982 and Kuwait.

On completion of the recommissioning ceremony the celebration cake was cut, in accordance with Navy tradition, by the wife of the CO, Mrs Elaine Munro-Lott, and the youngest member of the squadron, 21-year-old AEM James Higgins.