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760 Naval Air Squadron

760 Naval Air Squadron (760 NAS) is a Naval Air Squadron of the Royal Navy's Fleet Air Arm. The squadron first formed in April 1940 as No.1 Fleet Fighter Pool with a variety of aircraft types before standardising in 1941 on the Hawker Sea Hurricane. In this role it disbanded in December 1942. In May 1944 760 NAS briefly reformed as an Anti-Submarine Operational Training Squadron before disbanding into 766 Naval Air Squadron in November. Reformed again as part of No.1 Naval Air Fighter School in April 1945 it converted fighter pilots to the Vought Corsair and then the Supermarine Seafire until 23 January 1946 when it disbanded.

760 Naval Air Squadron
760 NAS badge
Active1 April 1940 - 31 December 1942
1 May 1944 - 1 November 1944
10 April 1945 - 23 January 1946[1]
1989 onwards
CountryUnited Kingdom United Kingdom
Branch Royal Navy
TypeFleet Air Arm Second Line Squadron
Role
  • No.1 Fleet Fighter Pool
  • Anti-Submarine Operational Training Squadron
  • Naval Air Fighter School
  • Engineering Training Squadron
SizeSquadron
Part ofFleet Air Arm
AircraftSee Aircraft operated section for full list.
Insignia
Squadron BadgeBlue, upon a bar wavy white in base a griffin rampant gold armed and langued red (2006)[2]
Identification MarkingsW7A+ to W9A+ Sea Hurricanes
Y1A+ to Y7A+ Corsairs[3]
Hawker Sea Hurricane of the type used by 760 NAS

760 Squadron reformed in 1989 at the Air Engineering School at RNAS Lee-on-Solent (HMS Daedalus), providing air engineering training for officers and ratings using old airframes. The school moved to HMS Sultan at Gosport in 1995. It continues as the Engineering Training Squadron of the Royal Navy Air Engineering and Survival School, now equipped with retired Westland Sea King airframes.[4]

History of 760 NAS

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Fighter Pool Squadron (1940 - 1942)

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Hawker Sea Hurricanes

760 Naval Air Squadron was formed at RNAS Eastleigh (HMS Raven), in Hampshire, on 1 April 1940, as Fighter Pool No. 1. It was initially equipped with four Blackburn Skua, a carrier-based dive bomber and fighter aircraft, two Blackburn Roc, a naval turret fighter aircraft and one Gloster Sea Gladiator biplane fighter aircraft. Five months later, on 16 September 1940, the squadron relocated to RNAS Yeovilton (HMS Heron) near Yeovil, Somerset.[5] The squadron later acquired Miles Master, an advanced trainer aircraft, Fairey Fulmar, a carrier-based reconnaissance/fighter aircraft, Grumman Martlet, an American carrier based fighter aircraft, Brewster Buffalo, an American fighter aircraft, the British Hawker Hurricane fighter aircraft and Hawker Sea Hurricane fighter aircraft, a navalised Hawker Hurricane, from 1940 to 1941. 760 Naval Air Squadron disbanded at RNAS Yeovilton (HMS Heron) on 31 December 1942.[6]

Anti-Submarine Operational Training Squadron (1944)

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760 Naval Air Squadron reformed at RNAS Inskip (HMS Nightjar), near the village of Inskip, Lancashire, on 1 May 1944,[6] as an Anti-Submarine Operational Training Squadron.[4] The squadron was equipped solely with Hawker Sea Hurricane fighter aircraft. However, this role only lasted for six months and 760 NAS disbanded at RNAS Inskip on 1 November 1944.[6]

Naval Air Fighter School (1945 - 1946)

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760 Naval Air Squadron reformed on 10 April 1945 at RNAS Zeals (HMS Hummingbird), located north of the village of Zeals, in Wiltshire, as part of the Naval Air Fighter School. The squadron was initially equipped with North American Harvard, an American advanced trainer aircraft and Vought Corsair, an American fighter aircraft, and in August 1945, also operated the Grumman Hellcat, an American carrier-based fighter aircraft. On 12 September 1945, 760 NAS moved to RNAS Lee-on-Solent (HMS Daedalus), situated in Hampshire. Retaining only the North American Harvard, the squadron was then also equipped with Supermarine Seafire fighter aircraft, from October 1945.[6] The squadron moved again on 27 December 1945, it relocated to RNAS Henstridge (HMS Dipper), in Somerset and continued operating with Supermarine Seafire aircraft.[7] However, the move to RNAS Henstridge only lasted one month, with 760 Naval Air Squadron disbanding there on 23 January 1946.[6]

Engineering Training Squadron (1989 - )

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Sea King ZA131 at HMS Sultan

760 Naval Air Squadron reformed at RNAS Lee-on-Solent (HMS Daedalus) in 1989, within the Air Engineering School and utilised Westland Wessex helicopter airframes for training. Prior to RNAS Lee-on Solent closing, the squadron moved to the stone frigate HMS Sultan, in Gosport, Hampshire, in December 1995.[4] It is currently the Engineering Training Squadron, within the Royal Naval Air Engineering & Survival School (RNAESS),[8] equipped with Westland Sea King helicopter airframes for training purposes.[4]

Current role

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760 Engineering Training Squadron, is part of Royal Naval Air Engineering & Survival School (RNAESS), based at HMS Sultan, which is located at Gosport in Hampshire. The RNAESS forms part of the Defence School of Aeronautical Engineering, which provides training for aircraft engineering officers and tradesmen across the three British armed forces. The squadron is housed in the Stephenson Hangar at HMS Sultan, where its role is to train Air Engineering personnel in the supervision and administration of aircraft maintenance and line procedures.[8]

Aircraft operated

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The squadron has operated a number of different aircraft types, including:[6]

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764 Naval Air Squadron operated from a number of naval air stations of the Royal Navy and a Royal Navy shore establishment:[6]

1940 - 1942

1944

1945 - 1946

1989 - present

  • Royal Naval Air Station Lee-on-Solent (HMS Daedalus) (1989 - 1995)
  • HMS Sultan (1995–present)

Commanding Officers

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List of commanding officers of 760 Naval Air Squadron with date, month and year of appointment:[6][4]

1940 - 1942

  • Lieutenant J. Casson, RN, from 1 April 1940
  • Lieutenant Commander P.H. Havers, RN, from 23 May 1940
  • Lieutenant Commander G.N. Torry, RN, from 18 January 1941
  • Lieutenant K.V.V. Spurway, RN, from 1 August 1941
  • Lieutenant E.W.T. Taylour, RN, from 13 November 1941
  • Lieutenant O.J.R. Nicolls, RN, from 8 December 1941
  • Lieutenant(A) H.M. Cox, RNVR, from 3 April 1942
  • Lieutenant H.P. Allingham, RN, from 10 September 1942
  • disbanded - 31 December 1942

1944

  • Lieutenant Commander(A) J.D. Kellsal, RNVR, from 1 May 1944
  • disbanded - 1 November 1944

1945 - 1946

  • Lieutenant Commander(A) P.G. Burke, RNZVNR, from 21 April 1945
  • Lieutenant Commander(A) R. Tebble, RNVR, from 15September 1945
  • disbanded - 23 January 1946

References

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Citations

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  1. ^ Sturtivant & Ballance 1994, p. 78.
  2. ^ Ballance 2016, p. 61.
  3. ^ Wragg 2019, p. 126.
  4. ^ a b c d e Ballance 2016, p. 62.
  5. ^ "RNAS Eastleigh". www.royalnavyresearcharchive.org.uk. Retrieved 2 February 2023.
  6. ^ a b c d e f g h "760 Naval Air Squadron". www.wings-aviation.ch. Retrieved 3 February 2023.
  7. ^ "RNAS Henstridge". www.royalnavyresearcharchive.org.uk. Retrieved 4 February 2023.
  8. ^ a b "HMS Sultan". www.royalnavy.mod.uk. Retrieved 4 February 2023.

Bibliography

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