754 Naval Air Squadron(754 NAS) was aNaval Air Squadronof the Royal Navy'sFleet Air Arm.It was active as anObserver Training Squadronfrom 1939 to 1944 as part of No. 2 Observer School, forming out of the School of Naval Co-operation RAF, in May 1939. It initially operated out of HMSDaedalus,RNAS Lee-on-Solent, Hampshire, however, after the Naval Air Station was attacked and bombed, it then moved to north to HMSCondor,RNAS Arbroath, Angus, Scotland, in September 1940. Here, it provided training for Observers and also Air Gunners and where four years later, in March 1944, it disbanded. The squadron then briefly reformed as aAir Gunner Training Squadron,as part of No. 1 Naval Air Gunners School, when744 Naval Air Squadronwas re-designated 754 Naval Air Squadron, in June 1944, at RN Air Section Yarmouth, Nova Scotia, Canada, until disbanding again, in March 1945.[2]
| 754 Naval Air Squadron | |
|---|---|
| Active | 24 May 1939 - 27 March 1944 1 June 1944 - 12 March 1945[1] |
| Country |  United Kingdom |
| Branch |  Royal Navy |
| Type | Fleet Air Arm Second Line Squadron |
| Role |
|
| Size | Squadron |
| Part of | Fleet Air Arm |
| Aircraft | SeeAircraft operatedsection for full list. |
| Commanders | |
| Notable commanders | Lieutenant CommanderEugene Esmonde,VC,DSO |
| Insignia | |
| Identification Markings | W5A+ A5A+later[2] single lettersSwordfish[3] |
History of 754 NAS
editObserver Training Squadron (1939 - 1944)
edit754 Naval Air Squadron formed out of the School of Naval Cooperation RAF to become part of No. 2 Observers School, atRNAS Lee-on-Solent (HMSDaedalus),inHampshire,on 24 May 1939.[2]It was initially equipped withFairey SeafoxI, a ship-bornereconnaissancefloatplane,Supermarine WalrusI, anamphibiousmaritime patrol aircraftandPercival Vega Gull,atrainerand communications aircraft. In February 1940, the squadron then acquired a number of variants ofPercival ProctorIA, II and IIA, a radio trainer and communications aircraft aircraft.[4]
On 16 August 1940 theLuftwaffeattacked the airbase and caused considerable damage. In the air raid a number of people were killed and several buildings severely damaged.[5]754 Naval Air Squadron then moved toRNAS Arbroath (HMSCondor),located nearArbroathin EastAngus, Scotland,on the 7 September 1940, gainingNorth American HarvardIIb, an advanced trainer andFairey Swordfishtorpedo bomber,[6]but only retaining the Percival Proctor aircraft. From June 1941 the squadron started operatingWestland LysanderIIIa, an army cooperation and liaison aircraft, for training duties and by November they were the only aircraft used. In February 1943 the torpedo bomberFairey AlbacoreI arrived, however, by December they were gone and the squadron was back to only operating the Westland Lysander aircraft. In January 1944Stinson ReliantI arrived, however, on the 27 March 1944, 754 Naval Air Squadron disbanded at RNAS Arbroath.[2]
Naval Air Gunnery School (1944 - 1945)
editIt then reformed as a Training Squadron when744 Naval Air Squadronwas re-designated 754 Naval Air Squadron on 1 June 1944 atRN Air Section Yarmouth,located inYarmouth County,Nova Scotia,Canada, and was part of theBritish Commonwealth Air Training Planuntil disbanding on 12 March 1945, when theNaval Air Gunner Schoolceased operations.[7]
Aircraft operated
edit754 Naval Air Squadron has operated a number of different aircraft types, including:[4][3]
- Fairey SeafoxI ship-borne reconnaissance seaplane (May 1939 - September 1940)
- Supermarine WalrusIamphibiousmaritime patrol aircraft(May 1939 - September 1940)
- Blackburn Rocfighter aircraft(April 1940 - June 1940)
- Percival Vega Gullmilitary trainer and communications aircraft (May 1939 - March 1940)
- Percival ProctorIA deck landing and radio trainer (February 1940 - November 1941)
- Percival Proctor IIA radio trainer aircraft (December 1940 - October 1941)
- Percival Proctor II radio trainer aircraft (May 1941 - November 1941)
- Westland LysanderMk.IIIAarmy co-operationandliaison aircraft(Jun 1941 - Mar 1944)
- Fairey AlbacoreItorpedo bomber(February 1943 - March 1944)
- Fairey SwordfishII torpedo bomber (June 1944 - March 1945)
Naval air stations
edit754 Naval Air Squadron operated from a number ofnaval air stations of the Royal Navy,in England, Scotland and overseas in Canada:[3]
1939 - 1944
- Royal Naval Air Station Lee-on-Solent (HMSDaedalus)(24 May 1939 - 7 September 1940)
- Royal Naval Air Station Arbroath (HMSCondor)(7 September 1940 - 27 March 1944)
- disbanded- (27 March 1944)
1944 - 1945
- R.N. Air Section Yarmouth(renumbered from 744 NAS 1 June 1944 - 12 March 1945)
- disbanded- (12 March 1945)
Commanding Officers
editList ofcommanding officersof 754 Naval Air Squadron with day, month and year of appointment:[2][3]
1939 - 1944
- Lieutenant CommanderE. Esmonde,VC,DSO,RN,from 24 May 1939
- Lieutenant Commander E.J.E. Burt, RN, from 31 May 1940
- Lieutenant Commander H.E.S. Pritchett,RNVR,from 10 January 1941
- Lieutenant Commander A.F.E. Payen, RNVR, from 22 April 1942
- Lieutenant Commander D.A. Horton, RNVR, from 2 May 1942
- Lieutenant Commander W.E. Davis, RNVR, from 15 October 1943
- disbanded- 27 March 1944
1944 - 1945
- Lieutenant(A) E.J. Trerise, RNVR, from 1 June 1944 (Lieutenant Commander from 1 Dec 1944)
- disbanded- 12 March 1945
References
editCitations
edit- ^Sturtivant & Ballance 1994,p. 74.
- ^abcdeWragg 2019,p. 124.
- ^abcdBallance, Howard & Sturtivant 2016,p. 57.
- ^"RNAS Lee-on-Solent (HMS Daedalus)".Liberation Route Europe.Retrieved28 February2024.
- ^"Arbroath".Royal Navy Royal Navy Research Archive - Fleet Air Arm Bases 1939 - present day.Retrieved28 February2024.
- ^"744 Naval Air Squadron".www.wings-aviation.ch.Retrieved12 January2023.
Bibliography
edit- Ballance, Theo; Howard, Lee; Sturtivant, Ray (2016).The Squadrons and Units of the Fleet Air Arm.Air Britain Historians Limited.ISBN978-0-85130-489-2.
- Sturtivant, R; Ballance, T (1994).The Squadrons of The Fleet Air Arm.Tonbridge,Kent,UK: Air-Britain (Historians) Ltd.ISBN0-85130-223-8.
- Wragg, David (2019).The Fleet Air Arm Handbook 1939-1945.Cheltenham,Gloucestershire,UK: The History Press.ISBN978-0-7509-9303-6.