880 Maritime Reconnaissance Squadron
The official lineage of the 880 Maritime Reconnaissance Squadron.
Squadron standard
Badge
Description
Or issuant from a base barry wavy of three Azure a demi opinicus Sable armed and langued Gules and holding in the dexter paw a maple leaf of the last.
Significance
The opinicus is a member of the menagerie of fabulous monsters used in heraldry. It resembles the griffin whose upper body is an eagle and the lower part a lion. The forelegs of the opinicus are, however, those of the lion while it has a short tail such as that of a bear or a camel. The design suggests that 880 has the strength of the lion combined with the aerial agility and power of the eagle as it rises from the sea on strong wings to defend and uphold the honour of Canada.
Motto
REPÉRER ET DÉTRUIRE (To seek out the foe and to destroy him)
Colours
Black and Gold
Battle honours
The Second World War
DIEGO SUAREZ, 1942; MALTA CONVOYS, 1942; NORTH AFRICA, 1942; SICILY, 1943; Salerno, 1943; NORWAY, 1944; JAPAN, 1945.
Lineage
- Authorized on the Royal Canadian Navy order of battle 24 January 1946 and incorporates the following units.
880 Squadron
- Authorized as '825 Squadron' on transfer from the 'Royal Naval Fleet Air Arm' 24 January 1946 (where it had been reformed 1 July 1945).Footnote 1
- Redesignated '825 Anti-Submarine Squadron' on 15 January 1951.Footnote 2
- Redesignated '880 Anti-Submarine Squadron' 1 May 1951.Footnote 3
- Amalgamated with '881 Squadron' 7 July 1959, retaining the senior designation.Footnote 4
- Redesignated '880 Maritime Surveillance Squadron' 9 June 1975.Footnote 5
- Redesignated '880 Maritime Reconnaissance Squadron' 3 March 1980.Footnote 7
- Reduced to nil strength between 9 March and 1 September 1990.Footnote 8
881 Squadron
- Authorized as '826 Squadron', 24 January 1946, on transfer from the Royal Naval Fleet Air Arm (where it had been reformed 15 August 1945).Footnote 9
- Disbanded 23 February 1946.Footnote 10
- Reformed 15 May 1947.Footnote 11
- Redesignated '881 Squadron', 1 May 1951.Footnote 12
- Amalgamated with 880 Squadron 7 July 1959, as above.
Prior to Unification, naval battle honours were assigned to ship's names and squadron numbers as if all were on an integrated Commonwealth order of battle composed of all the units of a single Queen's navy. Thus 880 Squadron of the Royal Canadian Navy inherited the battle honours won by the British 880 Squadron of the Royal Naval Fleet Air Arm.