825 Squadron's first assignment after commissioning was to board the aircraft carrier HMS Eagle for service on the China Station.

HMS Glorious replaced Eagle, and the squadron alternated its time between the carrier and the aerodrome at Hal Far.

They returned briefly to the UK in May 1937 to attend the Coronation Fleet Review, before retaking their station in the Mediterranean, and were transferred to Admiralty control on 24 May 1939.

[2][7] With the outbreak of the Second World War in September 1939, 825 Squadron embarked on HMS Glorious at Dekheila, Egypt and headed into the Indian Ocean and the Red Sea to search for enemy shipping.

Another series of attacks by Fairey Swordfish of 810 and 818 Naval Air Squadrons flying from HMS Ark Royal the following day succeeded in disabling Bismarck's steering gear.

It was re-formed with Fairey Swordfish at RNAS Lee-on-Solent in January 1942, and tasked with a torpedo bomber reconnaissance duties.

[8] Six of the squadron's aircraft flew off from RAF Manston to attack Scharnhorst and Gneisenau and the heavy cruiser Prinz Eugen in the English Channel, as they carried out Operation Cerberus.

[4][8] After regrouping at Lee-on-Solent in March 1942, the squadron sent three aircraft aboard HMS Avenger where they covered the Arctic convoys to Russia.

[8] They then embarked aboard HMS Furious in March 1943, covering convoys sailing to Iceland and making sweeps for enemy submarines off Norway.

They transferred to HMS Vindex with six Sea Hurricane IICs, and later another three Fulmar IIs to cover the Atlantic convoys.

[8] The commissioning of HMCS Warrior in January 1946 led to the transferral of the squadron to the Royal Canadian Navy.

[3] The squadron was recommissioned several times over the next decade, operating as an anti-submarine unit equipped with Fairey Gannets, and seeing service in the Korean War.

It delivers training to aircrew along with Air Engineers awaiting frontline qualification and is responsible for continuing Wildcat Tactical Development: identifying and understanding the significant potential of the aircraft.