1790 Naval Air Squadron

Last updated

1790 Naval Air Squadron
Active1 January 1945 – 3 June 1946
CountryFlag of the United Kingdom.svg  United Kingdom
BranchNaval Ensign of the United Kingdom.svg  Royal Navy
TypeTwo-seat fighter squadron
Role Night fighter
Size Squadron
Part of Fleet Air Arm
Commanders
Notable
commanders
Lieutenant Commander(A) J.H Kneale, RNVR
Insignia
Identification Markings4A+ [1]
282-298 (later on) [2]
Aircraft flown
Fighter Fairey Firefly
Fairey Firefly on the deck of an aircraft carrier, an example of the type used by 1790 NAS The Firefly - Fleet Air Arm Fighter Aircraft. 8 and 9 February 1943, on the Clyde, on Board HMS Illustrious, the Fairey Firefly the Royal Navy's Latest Aircraft, Is a Two Seater Long Range Fighter, Designed For A14867.jpg
Fairey Firefly on the deck of an aircraft carrier, an example of the type used by 1790 NAS

1790 Naval Air Squadron (1790 NAS) was a Naval Air Squadron of the Royal Navy's Fleet Air Arm (FAA). It was formed on 1 January 1945 at RNAS Burscough as a night fighter squadron. [3] It was initially equipped with the Fairey Firefly I, replaced in May 1945 by the Firefly INF, which was fitted with a US-derived ASV radar. The squadron joined HMS Vindex on 24 June, bound for Australia, with the ship arriving at HMS Nabthorpe (the Mobile Naval Air Base at RAAF Station Schofields) 2 days before the war in the Far East ended. The squadron was disbanded on 3 June 1946 at Devonport. [3]

Contents

History

Night Fighter Squadron (1945 - 1946)

1790 Naval Air Squadron formed at RNAS Burscough (HMS Ringtail), Lancashire, England, on 1 January 1945, as a night fighter squadron. It was initially equipped with Fairey Firefly I, a carrier-borne fighter, anti-submarine and reconnaissance aircraft. These were replaced with the NF.Mk I night fighter variant during May, [1] which was fitted with radar in a centre-line container. [4]

Around the end of May / beginning of June the squadron was embarked in the Ruler-class escort carrier HMS Puncher for deck landing practice [2] and later it embarked in the Nairana-class escort carrier HMS Vindex for passage to Australia. It arrived in Australia two days before the end of the second world war, disembarking for RNAS Schofields (HMS Nabstock), New South Wales, on 13 August 1945, with V-J Day on 15 August. [5]

In January 1790 Naval Air Squadron embarked on the name ship of her class HMS Implacable, replacing the Fairey Firefly equipped 1771 Naval Air Squadron within the 8th Carrier Air Group. [2] It disembarked from the carrier on 28 March to RNAS Schofields remaining there for around one month, however, it was one of the last front-line units to depart the airbase along with 801 Naval Air Squadron when they both re-joined HMS Implacable for passage to the United Kingdom on 29 April. [5]

Upon arrival at Devonport, 1790 Naval Air Squadron disbanded on 3 June 1936. [2]

Aircraft flown

1790 Naval Air Squadron flew only one aircraft type, two variants: [2]

1790 Naval Air Squadron operated from a naval air stations of the Royal Navy in the United Kingdom, one in Australia and a number of Royal Navy aircraft carriers: [6]

Commanding Officers

List of commanding officers of 1790 Naval Air Squadron with date of appointment: [1] [2]

Related Research Articles

HMS Nabthorpe was a Royal Navy Mobile Naval Operating Air Base (MONAB) at the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) base RAAF Station Schofields at Schofields, New South Wales. HMS Nabthorpe was also known as MONAB III and Royal Naval Air Station (RNAS) Schofields.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">737 Naval Air Squadron</span> Royal Navy Fleet Air Arm Squadron

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">706 Naval Air Squadron</span> Royal Navy Fleet Air Arm Squadron

706 Naval Air Squadron was a Naval Air Squadron of the Royal Navy's Fleet Air Arm. Established as a fighter and torpedo-bomber training unit in Australia at the end of World War Two, it was briefly reformed as a helicopter squadron in the early 1950s, before becoming a helicopter training unit in 1962, and operating until 1998.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1791 Naval Air Squadron</span> Royal Navy Fleet Air Arm Squadron

1791 Naval Air Squadron was a Naval Air Squadron of the Royal Navy's Fleet Air Arm (FAA). It was formed on 15 March 1945 at HMS Daedalus, RNAS Lee-on-Solent as a Night Fighter squadron. It was equipped with Fairey Firefly NF.Mk I. The squadron joined HMS Puncher in June for deck landing practice but saw no action. Following V-J Day the squadron was disbanded on 23 September 1945 at HMS Ringtail, RNAS Burscough.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1792 Naval Air Squadron</span> Royal Navy Fleet Air Arm Squadron

1792 Naval Air Squadron was a Naval Air Squadron of the Royal Navy's Fleet Air Arm (FAA). It was formed in May 1945 at HMS Daedalus, RNAS Lee-on-Solent as a Night Fighter squadron. It was equipped with the Fairey Firefly NF.Mk I night fighter. The squadron joined HMS Ocean in December for service in the Mediterranean. On return to the UK the squadron was disbanded in April 1946.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">719 Naval Air Squadron</span> Royal Navy Fleet Air Arm Squadron

719 Naval Air Squadron was a Naval Air Squadron of the Royal Navy's Fleet Air Arm. It initially formed in 1944 as a Fighter Air Firing Training Squadron, at HMS Vulture, RNAS St Merryn, within the School of Air Combat, but at the start of 1945 it disbanded into 794 Naval Air Squadron. The squadron reformed in 1946 at HMS Owl, RNAS Fearn, as a Strike Training Squadron, before moving to HMS Gannet, RNAS Eglinton, where it became an Anti-submarine Training Squadron, disbanding there in 1949. The squadron reformed the following year at HMS Gannet as the Naval Air Anti-submarine School and remained there becoming the Naval Anti-Submarine Operational Flying School, eventually disbanding in 1959. However, in 1960, the squadron reformed, again at HMS Gannet, as the Joint Anti-submarine School Flight, this time operating helicopters. 719 Naval Air Squadron was granted first line status on 5 October 1961 and renumbered to 819 Naval Air Squadron.

735 Naval Air Squadron was a Naval Air Squadron of the Royal Navy's Fleet Air Arm. It was active from 1943 as an ASV Radar Training Unit. Forming at HMS Nightjar, at RNAS Inskip, Lancashire, in 1944 the squadron moved to HMS Ringtail, RNAS Burscough, also in Lancashire. Various flights from the squadron moved on to form other Naval Air Squadrons, with the squadron eventually disbanding in 1946.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">741 Naval Air Squadron</span> Royal Navy Fleet Air Arm Squadron

741 Naval Air Squadron was a Naval Air Squadron of the Royal Navy's Fleet Air Arm which last disbanded during November 1947. It was initially active, between March 1943 and March 1945 as an Observer Training Squadron at HMS Condor, RNAS Arbroath, Scotland, as part of the No. 2 Observer Training School. It reformed at HMS Vulture, RNAS St. Merryn, England, as an Operational Flying Training Unit in August 1946.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">772 Naval Air Squadron</span> Royal Navy Fleet Air Arm Squadron

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">776 Naval Air Squadron</span> Royal Navy Fleet Air Arm Squadron

776 Naval Air Squadron was a Naval Air Squadron of the Royal Navy's Fleet Air Arm which last disbanded at the end of October 1945. 776 Naval Air Squadron formed as a Fleet Requirements Unit at HMS Daedalus, RNAS Lee-on-Solent, at the start of 1941. It operated a detachment at RN Air Section Speke in 1941 and one at RAF Woodvale in 1942, with the squadron wholly moving to Speke in the October. 1943 saw further detachments and these were deployed at RAF Llanbedr, RAF Millom, RAF Usworth and RAF Waltham. In April 1945, the Woodvale detachment was reabsorbed into the squadron when it relocated there, the airbase now operated by the Admiralty and known as HMS Ringtail II. It moved to HMS Ringtail, RNAS, Burscough, at the start of October 1945.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">777 Naval Air Squadron</span> Royal Navy Fleet Air Arm Squadron

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">783 Naval Air Squadron</span> Royal Navy Fleet Air Arm Squadron

783 Naval Air Squadron was a Naval Air Squadron of the Royal Navy's Fleet Air Arm which last disbanded in November 1949. 783 Naval Air Squadron was formed as an ASV Training Squadron at HMS Condor, RNAS Arbroath, Scotland, in January 1941. It operated a number of ‘flying classroom’ aircraft alongside other types. It operated in conjunction with the Naval Air Signals School (NASS) from March 1943. The squadron moved to HMS Daedalus, RNAS Lee-on-Solent, England, when the NASS moved south, also supporting the Flag Officer, Air, Home Communications Officer and from July 1948,it was part of the 51st Miscellaneous Air Group.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">784 Naval Air Squadron</span> Royal Navy Fleet Air Arm Squadron

784 Naval Air Squadron was a Naval Air Squadron of the Royal Navy's Fleet Air Arm which last disbanded in the autumn of 1946. 784 NAS was a Night Fighter Training Squadron which formed at HMS Daedalus, RNAS Lee-on-Solent, Hampshire, in June 1942, moving to HMS Nighthawk, RNAS Drem, East Lothian, in October 1942. Squadron Personnel were also detached to the Naval Air Radio Installation Unit at RAF Christchurch, in 1943 and in the same year, a number of crews were attached to RAF night fighter squadrons, with two officers gained Distinguished Flying Crosses. In 1944, three squadron Flights were attached for service to each of 813, 825 and 835 Naval Air Squadrons, embarked in the escort carriers HMS Campania, HMS Vindex, and HMS Nairana respectively, on convoy protection duties. At the beginning of 1946 the squadron moved to Wales, operating out of HMS Goldcrest II, RNAS Brawdy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">787 Naval Air Squadron</span> Royal Navy Fleet Air Arm Squadron

787 Naval Air Squadron was a Naval Air Squadron of the Royal Navy's Fleet Air Arm which disbanded in January 1956. It formed in March 1941, at HMS Heron, RNAS Yeovilton, out of 804 Naval Air Squadron as a Fleet Fighter Development Unit. Almost every type of fighter was received by the squadron for testing and evaluation for naval use. A move to RAF Duxford in June 1941 saw it become the Naval Air Fighting Development Unit, attached to the Royal Air Force's Air Fighting Development Unit. The squadron undertook rocket projectile test, continuous development of fighter tactics and even helping Torpedo Bomber Reconnaissance squadrons in evading fighter attack. Post Second World War it continued its trials task and also undertook Rebecca radar trials and ASH, US-built air-to-surface vessel radar trials.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">790 Naval Air Squadron</span> Royal Navy Fleet Air Arm Squadron

790 Naval Air Squadron was a Naval Air Squadron of the Royal Navy's Fleet Air Arm which disbanded in November 1949 at RNAS Culdrose. It initially formed during 1941 as an Air Target Towing Unit, at HMS Landrail, RNAS Macrihanish, in Scotland, from elements of two other Fleet Air Arm squadrons, however, this only lasted for three months and the unit was disbanded, absorbed into 772 Naval Air Squadron. It reformed the following year, in July 1942, tasked as a Fighter Direction Training Unit, at RNAS Charlton Horethorne. It provided support for the Fighter Direction School and had short spells at RAF Culmhead and RNAS Zeals, before reloacting to RNAS Dale in Pembrokeshire, next to the new purpose built Air Direction School, HMS Harrier or RNADC Kete, in 1945. The squadron moved to HMS Seahawk in Cornwall during December 1947.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">794 Naval Air Squadron</span> Royal Navy Fleet Air Arm Squadron

794 Naval Air Squadron was a Naval Air Squadron of the Royal Navy's Fleet Air Arm which disbanded in March 1947. The squadron formed as an Air Target Towing Squadron, at HMS Heron, RNAS Yeovilton, during August 1940, although operated target tug aircraft out of the satellite, RNAS Haldon. In April 1943 it provided a detachment at RAF Warmwell as an air firing unit and three months later the squadron relocated to RNAS Angle and became the Naval Air Firing Unit. Further moves followed in quick succession, to HMS Goldcrest, RNAS Dale, in September, HMS Dipper, RNAS Henstridge, in November and HMS Heron II, RNAS Charlton Horethorne in December and by which time the squadron was designated No. 1 Naval Air Firing Unit, but disbanded in June 1944. The squadron reformed at HMS Vulture, RNAS St Merryn, in January 1945, as the School of Air Firing and later in the year was tasked to support the newly-formed Ground Attack School. It moved to HMS Gannet, RNAS Eglinton, during August, and at this point had three flights providing courses for aerial warfare, airstrike and aerial reconnaissance.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">795 Naval Air Squadron</span> Royal Navy Fleet Air Arm Squadron

795 Naval Air Squadron was a Naval Air Squadron of the Royal Navy's Fleet Air Arm which last disbanded at RNAS Ford, in Sussex, during March 1947. Originally formed as the Eastern Fleet Fighter Pool at RNAS Tanga, in Tanganyika, in June 1942, it’s 'A' Flight's supported the invasion of Madagascar, from HMS Illustrious, before being detached at Majunga on anti-submarine patrols as part of the Royal Air Force’s No. 207 Group. The squadron later moved to RNAS Mackinnon Road, in Kenya, before disbanding during August 1943. It reformed as a Refresher Training Squadron at RNAS Eglinton, in Northern Ireland, in August 1946 as part of the Fleet Air Arm’s 52nd Training Air Group and later included a couple of deployments in HMS Implacable.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">798 Naval Air Squadron</span> Royal Navy Fleet Air Arm Squadron

798 Naval Air Squadron was a Naval Air Squadron of the Royal Navy's Fleet Air Arm which disbanded in March 1946. It formed at RNAS Lee-on-Solent, in October 1943, to provide advanced conversion courses, it initially operated with various single and twin-engined aircraft. Twin-engined aircraft broke away to become 762 Naval Air Squadron during March 1944. It had a detachment at RNAS Stretton for operational training for new Fairey Barracuda squadrons, but returned to HMS Daedalus at the beginning of August. The unit’s role changed slightly during 1945, providing refresher training, including Fleet Air Arm ex-Prisoners of War at RNAS Halesworth. The squadron moved to RNAS Hinstock, although operated out of its satellite RNAS Peplow, during November 1945.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1772 Naval Air Squadron</span> Royal Navy Fleet Air Arm Squadron

1772 Naval Air Squadron was a Naval Air Squadron of the Royal Navy's Fleet Air Arm (FAA), which last disbanded, at Portsmouth, in March 1946. The squadron formed at HMS Ringtail, RNAS Burscough as a Fighter Squadron during May 1944. It joined HMS Ruler for passage to Australia leaving January 1945 and disembarking at HMS Nabstock, RNAS Schofields, mid-March. The squadron embarked in HMS Indefatigable in July, joining the British Pacific Fleet for attacks againgst the Japanese home islands. After the end of the Second World War it dropped supplies on PoW camps.

References

  1. 1 2 3 Wragg 2019, p. 190.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Ballance, Howard & Sturtivant 2016, p. 279.
  3. 1 2 "1790 NAS at the Fleet Air Arm Archive website". Archived from the original on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 1 February 2010.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  4. Thetford 1991, p. 173.
  5. 1 2 "Schofields". Royal Navy Research Archive - Fleet Air Arm Bases 1939 - present day. Retrieved 7 May 2024.
  6. Ballance, Howard & Sturtivant 2016, p. 280.

Bibliography