745 Naval Air Squadron
| 745 Naval Air Squadron | |
|---|---|
| Active | 1 March 1943 – 30 March 1945 23 April 1956 – 1 November 1957[1] |
| Country |  United Kingdom |
| Branch |  Royal Navy |
| Type | Fleet Air Arm Second Line Squadron |
| Role |
|
| Size | Squadron |
| Part of | Fleet Air Arm |
| Insignia | |
| Identification Markings | letter/number combinations (Swordfish) 795-798 (Avenger)[2][3] |
| Tail Codes | GN (Avenger)[3] |
| Aircraft flown | |
| Attack | Fairey Swordfish |
| Electronic warfare | Grumman Avenger |
745 Naval Air Squadron (745 NAS) was a Naval Air Squadron of the Royal Navy's Fleet Air Arm. It was initially active from 1943 to 1945 as a Telegraphist Air Gunner Training squadron, part of No.2 Telegraphist Air Gunner School based at R.N. Air Section Yarmouth, Nova Scotia, Canada.[4] It reformed in April 1956 at HMS Gannet, RNAS Eglinton, Northern Ireland, as a Radar Jamming Trials Unit. It operated with four modified Grumman Avenger aircraft, undertaking a trials evaluation of the 'Orange Harvest' radar warning receiver equipment, disbanding in November 1957.
History of 745 NAS
[edit]Telegraphist Air Gunner Training Squadron (1943 - 1945)
[edit]745 Naval Air Squadron assembled at RNAS Lee-on-Solent (HMS Daedalus), on 10 February 1943, for passage to Canada, which then formed as a Telegraphist Air Gunner Training Squadron on the 1 March 1943,[2] at R.N. Air Section Yarmouth, Nova Scotia, Canada, where the Admiralty had lodger facilities for an RN air section at Royal Canadian Air Force base Yarmouth. It was part of No. 2 Telegraphist Air Gunner School,[4] within the Royal Navy No. 1 Naval Air Gunnery School (NAGS), which was under the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan.[5] It was equipped with the biplane torpedo bomber aircraft Fairey Swordfish, specifically the mark II and IV variants. 745 Naval Air Squadron disbanded on 30 March 1945.[3]
Radar Jamming Trials Unit (1956 - 1957)
[edit]745 Naval Air Squadron reformed on 23 April 1956 at RNAS Eglinton (HMS Gannet), County Londonderry, Northern Ireland, as a radar jamming trials unit, out of 'X' Flight of 744 Naval Air Squadron.[3] It was equipped with four Grumman Avenger AS5, an anti-submarine strike version of the American torpedo bomber[6] and these aircraft were modified for tactical evaluation of the 'Orange Harvest' equipment. Occasionally the squadron deployed aircraft to RAF St Mawgan, Cornwall, England, for trials alongside the Air-Sea Warfare Development Unit RAF (ASWDU).[3]
In May 1957 the Squadron moved temporarily to RAF Ballykelly, County Londonderry, to enable the runways at RNAS Eglinton to be resurfaced. Autumn 1957 saw 745 Naval Air Squadron return to RNAS Eglinton and it also conducted trials aboard the Centaur-class aircraft carriers HMS Albion and HMS Bulwark. The squadron disbanded on 1 November 1957.[3]
Aircraft operated
[edit]The squadron has operated a couple of different aircraft types, including:[3]
- Fairey Swordfish II torpedo bomber (March 1943 - March 1945)
- Fairey Swordfish IV torpedo bomber (January - March 1945)
- Grumman Avenger AS.5 anti-submarine strike aircraft (May 1956 - October 1957)
Naval air stations
[edit]745 Naval Air Squadron operated from a number of naval air station of the Royal Navy, in the United Kingdom and one in Canada:[2][3]
1943 - 1945
- R.N. Air Section Yarmouth (1 March 1943 - 30 March 1945)
- disbanded - (30 March 1945)
1956 - 1957
- Royal Naval Air Station Eglinton (HMS Gannet) (23 April 1956 - 2 May 1957)
- Royal Air Force Ballykelly (2 May 1957 - 22 September 1957)
- Royal Naval Air Station Culdrose (HMS Seahawk) (Detachment 6 - 16 May 1957)
- Royal Naval Air Station Ford (HMS Peregrine) (Detachment four aircraft 20 August - 3 September 1957)
- HMS Albion (Detachment two aircraft 3 - 29 September 1957)
- Royal Naval Air Station Eglinton (HMS Gannet) (22 September - 1 November 1957)
- HMS Bulwark (Detachment two aircraft 11 - 18 October 1957)
- disbanded - (1 November 1957)
Commanding Officers
[edit]List of Commanding Officers of 745 Naval Air Squadron with date, month and year of appointment:[3]
1943 - 1945
- Lieutenant Commander(A) R.H. Ovey. RNVR, from 1 March 1943
- Lieutenant Commander(A) F.A.H. Harley, RN, from 6 November 1944
- disbanded - 30 March 1945
1956 - 1957
- Lieutenant Commander M.F. Bowen, RN, from 16 April 1956
- disbanded - 1 November 1957
References
[edit]Citations
[edit]- ^ Sturtivant, Ballance 1994, p. 67.
- ^ a b c Wragg 2019, p. 122.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i Ballance, Howard & Sturtivant 2016, p. 50.
- ^ "A School of Swordfish". www.vintage wings.ca. Retrieved 2 January 2023.
- ^ Thetford 1991, p. 228.
Bibliography
[edit]- Ballance, Theo; Howard, Lee; Sturtivant, Ray (2016). The Squadrons and Units of the Fleet Air Arm. Air Britain Historians Limited. ISBN 978-0-85130-489-2.
- Sturtivant, R; Ballance, T (1994). The Squadrons of The Fleet Air Arm. Tonbridge, Kent, UK: Air-Britain (Historians) Ltd. ISBN 0-85130-223-8.
- Thetford, Owen (1991). British Naval Aircraft since 1912. London, UK: Putnam Aeronautical Books, an imprint of Conway Maritime Press Ltd. ISBN 0-85177-849-6.
- Wragg, David (2019). The Fleet Air Arm Handbook 1939-1945. Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, UK: The History Press. ISBN 978-0-7509-9303-6.