1700 Naval Air Squadron | |
---|---|
Active | November 1944–1946 2017–present |
Country | United Kingdom |
Branch | Royal Navy |
Type | Non-flying squadron |
Role | Engineering, aviation and logistical support |
Part of | Fleet Air Arm |
Home station | RNAS Culdrose |
Motto(s) | Auxilio ad alta (Latin for 'Reaching the heights with help') |
Battle honours | Burma 1945 |
Website | Official website |
Commanders | |
Current commander | Lieutenant Commander Richard Turrell |
1700 Naval Air Squadron of the Fleet Air Arm of the Royal Navy was formed in November 1944 at RNAS Lee-on-Solent as an amphibian bomber reconnaissance squadron. [1] It was equipped with the Supermarine Sea Otter, and the squadron joined HMS Khedive in January 1945 bound for Sulur in India. On arrival the Sea Otters were augmented with Supermarine Walrus amphibian aircraft. [1]
The squadron's aircraft were distributed among the escort carriers of the Far East Fleet for air sea rescue and minesweeping duties. By April 1945 aircraft of the squadron were serving in HM Ships Stalker, Hunter , Khedive, Emperor, Ameer, Attacker and Shah. [1] July saw operations at Car Nicobar, and off Phuket Island. [2]
On 31 October 2017, the Maritime Aviation Support Force (MASF) at RNAS Culdrose was recommissioned as 1700 Naval Air Squadron. The unit provides personnel and naval aviation support to operations for ships and land bases globally. [3]
1700 Naval Air Squadron flew 2 different aircraft types:
Royal Naval Air Station Lee-on-Solent,, is a former Royal Naval Air Station located near Lee-on-the-Solent in Hampshire, approximately 4 miles (6.44 km) west of Portsmouth, on the coast of the Solent.
700 Naval Air Squadron is a Maritime Unmanned Air System squadron in the Royal Navy’s Fleet Air Arm. Known as 700X Naval Air Squadron, where the 'X' is used to designate 'experimental', it is currently the Royal Navy's Remotely-piloted air systems (RPAS) or 'drone' expert unit.
The Supermarine Sea Otter was an amphibious aircraft designed and built by the British aircraft manufacturer Supermarine. It was the final biplane flying boat to be designed by the company, and the last biplane to enter service with both the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force (RAF).
701 Naval Air Squadron was a Royal Navy Fleet Air Arm squadron, which last disbanded during September 1958 at RNAS Lee-on-Solent where it was a Helicopter Trials, Communications and Fleet Requirements Unit. It initially formed during July 1936 as a Catapult Flight operating out of Malta and routinely embarking in RN ships such as, HMS Barham, HMS Malaya, HMS Valiant and HMS Warspite. By autumn 1939 it was known as 701 Naval Air Squadron but disbanded in January 1940. It was active twice more during the Second World War, between May 1940 and June 1941 on special duties and then between October 1942 and August 1943 performing anti-submarine patrols. Reforming in April 1945 it was designated a Communications Unit, operating out of Heston until disbanding in 1947. It last reformed as a Fleet Requirements Unit at HMS Daedalus, Lee-on-Solent, during October 1957.
1701 Naval Air Squadron was a Naval Air Squadron of the Royal Navy's Fleet Air Arm (FAA). It was formed in February 1945 at HMS Daedalus, RNAS Lee-on-Solent, as an amphibian bomber reconnaissance squadron. It was equipped with Supermarine Sea Otter, and the squadron joined HMS Begum in April 1945 bound for the Far East. The squadron was intended to join the newly established Mobile Naval Air Bases for Air Sea Rescue duties. 'B' Flight joined MONAB IV at RNAS Ponam in the Admiralty Islands in May 1945 and embarked in HMS Reaper in October 1945. 'A' Flight joined MONAB VI at RNAS Maryborough, Queensland, Australia in June 1945. The flights re-grouped in the Autumn of 1945 at HMS Nabcatcher, RNAS Kai Tak, Hong Kong, where it disbanded during August 1946.
1702 Naval Air Squadron was a Naval Air Squadron of the Royal Navy's Fleet Air Arm (FAA), which last disbanded during September 1946. It was formed in June 1945 at HMS Daedalus, RNAS Lee-on-Solent, as a Special Service squadron. It was equipped with the Supermarine Sea Otter, and by the end of the Second World War the squadron remained at Lee-on-Solent. It joined HMS Trouncer in September 1945 to search for mines in the Mediterranean. A detachment of three aircraft were aboard HMS Ocean when the squadron disbanded at Malta and this became the Ship's Flight.
1703 Naval Air Squadron was a Naval Air Squadron of the Royal Navy's Fleet Air Arm (FAA). It was formed in August 1945 at RNAS Lee-on-Solent for Air Sea Rescue duties in the Pacific. It was equipped with Supermarine Sea Otter. The Second World War ended in the same month that the squadron was formed, and it never deployed or saw action.
The first involvement Australia had with naval aviation was in 1911, when an Australian-born Royal Navy officer became one of the first four naval officers to receive pilot qualifications. During World War I, the Royal Australian Navy (RAN) experienced several forms of airborne operation, with HMAS Brisbane operating a seaplane, while HMA Ships Sydney and Australia were used for experiments with aircraft launch platforms. An aircraft embarked aboard Sydney was also involved in one of the first naval air battles. Several Australians also flew as part of the Royal Naval Air Service.
899 Naval Air Squadron was a squadron of the Fleet Air Arm of the United Kingdom.
737 Naval Air Squadron was a Naval Air Squadron of the Royal Navy's Fleet Air Arm. It was initially active during 1943 as an amphibious Bomber Reconnaissance Training Squadron. Reactivated in 1944 it operated as an ASV Training Unit until 1945. It was active again between 1949 and 1957. From 1959 it was the Anti-Submarine Warfare school at RNAS Portland. It operated Westland Wessex HAS.3 rescue helicopters from their land base at RNAS Portland, Dorset.
721 Naval Air Squadron was a Naval Air Squadron of the Royal Navy's Fleet Air Arm (FAA). 721 Naval Air Squadron formed at HMS Gadwall, RNAS Belfast, Northern Ireland, at the beginning of March 1945, as a Fleet Requirements Unit for the British Pacific Fleet. Initially equipped with Vultee Vengeance target tugs, it arrived at HMS Nabaron, RNAS Ponam, Admiralty Islands in May 1945, and commenced operations towing targets. The squadron moved to HMS Nabsford, RNAMY Archerfield, Brisbane, Australia, during October and then relocated to Hong Kong at the beginning of 1946, moving to HMS Nabcatcher, RNAS Kai Tak, where it eventually disbanded at the end of 1947.
730 Naval Air Squadron was a Naval Air Squadron of the Royal Navy's Fleet Air Arm. It was active between 1944 and 1945 as a Communications Squadron. The squadron was formed and operated out of RNAS Abbotsinch from April to November 1944, by that point in time it operated four types of aircraft. It moved to RNAS Ayr and while there gained two more aircraft types. For the first three months of 1945 a detachment operated out of RNAS Machrihanish, however, the squadron remained at RNAS Ayr until disbanding in August 1945.
733 Naval Air Squadron was a Naval Air Squadron of the Royal Navy's Fleet Air Arm. It was active between January 1944 and December 1947, entirely in Ceylon, as a Fleet Requirements Unit, based mainly at R.N. Air Section China Bay, which became HMS Bambara, RNAS Trincomalee, China Bay, Ceylon. The squadron initially formed at R.N. Air Section Minneriya, at RAF Minnerya, Ceylon, two weeks after an advance party arrived there, remaining for three months after formation before relocating.
740 Naval Air Squadron was a Naval Air Squadron of the Royal Navy's Fleet Air Arm. It was initially active between May and August in 1943, formed as an Observer Training Squadron at HMS Condor, RNAS Arbroath, Angus, Scotland. From December 1943 to September 1945 it was a Communications Squadron formed at and operated from HMS Landrail, at RNAS Machrihanish, Argyll and Bute, Scotland.
742 Naval Air Squadron was a Naval Air Squadron of the Royal Navy's Fleet Air Arm which disbanded during August 1946. It was active initially from the end of 1943 as a Communications Squadron operating in Sri Lanka and India. It later became a Royal Navy Air Transport Squadron, covering the same geography.
765 Naval Air Squadron was a Naval Air Squadron of the Royal Navy's Fleet Air Arm. It formed at RNAS Lee-on-Solent, in May 1939, as a Seaplane School and Pool squadron. The squadron moved to RNAS Sandbanks, in August 1940, where it undertook the Seaplane Flying Training Course Part I. Lieutenant Commander J.B. Wilson was appointed as dual officer in charge of the air base, and Commanding officer of 765 NAS. By the middle of 1943, dedicated Seaplane Training schools ended and the squadron disbanded in the October. 765 NAS reformed at RNAS Charlton Horethorne, in early February 1944, as a Travelling Recording Unit. The squadron moved to RNAS Lee-on-Solent in March, before moving to RNAS Worthy Down on one month later during April, then in May it moved to RNAS Stretton, were it remained during June.
772 Naval Air Squadron was a Naval Air Squadron of the Royal Navy's Fleet Air Arm which last disbanded during September 1995. 772 Naval Air Squadron formed as a Fleet Requirements Unit out of 'Y' Flight from 771 Naval Air Squadron at RNAS Lee-on-Solent in September 1939. While the headquarters remained there, floatplanes were operated out of RNAS Portland, however, mid 1940 saw the whole squadron move north to RNAS Campbeltown and roughly twelve months afterwards the short distance to RNAS Machrihanish. The unit moved to RNAS Ayr in July 1944 and became the Fleet Requirements Unit School. In January 1946 the squadron moved to RNAS Burscough in Lancashire, before moving to RNAS Anthorn in Cumberland, in May. It became the Northern Fleet Requirements Unit upon moving to RNAS Arbroath, in June 1947, but disbanded into 771 Naval Air Squadron in October. 772 Naval Air Squadron reformed as a Helicopter Support Squadron at RNAS Portland in September 1974. In September 1977 the squadron took over responsibility for a number of Ships' Flights of Royal Fleet Auxiliary ships. The squadron was used to reform 848 Naval Air Squadron for the Falklands Task Force in 1982, with the Ships' Flights absorbed into 847 Naval Air Squadron. In August 1982 it took on the Anti-Submarine Warfare Flight from 737 Naval Air Squadron and between 1983 - 1985 a Search and Rescue Flight operated out of RNAS Lee-on-Solent.
777 Naval Air Squadron was a Naval Air Squadron of the Royal Navy's Fleet Air Arm, which formed as a Fleet Requirements Unit in West Africa during the Second World War. Throughout most of 1943, the squadron was responsible for the air defence of Sierra Leone. It disbanded at HMS Spurwing, RNAS Hastings, Sierra Leone, during December 1944. The squadron reformed in May 1945, from 'B' Flight of 778 Naval Air Squadron, as a Carrier Trials Unit operating aboard HMS Pretoria Castle, and using shore bases at HMS Siskin, RNAS Gosport, and HMS Peregrine, RNAS Ford in England, and HMS Wagtail, RNAS Ayr, in Scotland. 777 Naval Air Squadron number was assigned to the aircraft collection at the Fleet Air Arm Museum in April 2006.
Royal Naval Air Station Twatt, is a former military airfield, located near Twatt, Orkney, Scotland, of the Royal Navy. It was built by the Admiralty and was commissioned on 1 April 1941. On 1 January 1942 it became an independent command as HMS Tern. The airbase was designed to provide accommodation for disembarked Front-Line squadrons and accommodation for disembarked Ship's Flight Aircraft and was home to the Home Fleet Fleet Requirements Unit, 771 Naval Air Squadron.
HMS Nabaron was a Royal Navy (RN) Mobile Operational Naval Air Base (MONAB) which was situated at the United States Navy (USN) airfield NAS Ponam Airfield on Ponam Island, Admiralty Islands in Papua New Guinea, which had been transferred to RN on loan. HMS Nabaron was also known as MONAB IV and Royal Naval Air Station Ponam.