The Royal Navy during the Second World War A24215

765 Naval Air Squadron (765 NAS) was a

Naval Air Squadron A naval air squadron (NAS) is the title of naval aviation squadrons in some countries. Poland The Polish ''Morski Dywizjon Lotniczy'' #Naval Air Squadron# was formed in 1920 with two ''Escadrille''s# United Kingdom The squadrons of the Fleet Air ...

of the Royal Navy's

Fleet Air Arm The Fleet Air Arm (FAA) is one of the five fighting arms of the Royal Navy and is responsible for the delivery of naval air power both from land and at sea. The Fleet Air Arm operates the F-35 Lightning II for maritime strike, the AW159 Wil ...

. 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 Lieutenant commander (also hyphenated lieutenant-commander and abbreviated Lt Cdr, LtCdr. or LCDR) is a commissioned officer rank in many navies. The rank is superior to a lieutenant and subordinate to a commander. The corresponding rank i ...

Wilson was appointed as dual officer in charge of the

air base An air base (sometimes referred to as a military air base, military airfield, military airport, air station, naval air station, air force station, or air force base) is an aerodrome used as a military base by a military force for the operation ...

, and

Commanding officer The commanding officer (CO) or sometimes, if the incumbent is a general officer, commanding general (CG), is the officer in command of a military unit. The commanding officer has ultimate authority over the unit, and is usually given wide latitu ...

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. The squadron returned to RNAS Lee-on-Solent at the start of August 1944, it was equipped with Wellington aircraft, which were fitted with

radar Radar is a detection system that uses radio waves to determine the distance (''ranging''), angle, and radial velocity of objects relative to the site. It can be used to detect aircraft, ships, spacecraft, guided missiles, motor vehicles, w ...

and used to record the effectiveness of other radar units. It moved to RNAS Twatt in September, operating there until the November, when it flew to RAF Eastchurch and then onto RAF Hornchurch. The squadron provided naval co-operation in liaison with No. 567 Squadron, an anti-aircraft co-operation squadron of the

Royal Air Force The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's air and space force. It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by regrouping the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) and ...

; after the end of

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, the squadron moved to RAF Manston, in June 1945. 765 NAS's next move was to

Malta Malta ( , , ), officially the Republic of Malta ( mt, Repubblika ta' Malta ), is an island country in the Mediterranean Sea. It consists of an archipelago, between Italy and Libya, and is often considered a part of Southern Europe. It lies ...

, in the October, based at RNAS Hal Far, it provided

air transport Aviation includes the activities surrounding mechanical flight and the aircraft industry. ''Aircraft'' includes fixed-wing and rotary-wing types, morphable wings, wing-less lifting bodies, as well as lighter-than-air craft such as hot air ...

for

personnel Employment is a relationship between two parties regulating the provision of paid labour services. Usually based on a contract, one party, the employer, which might be a corporation, a not-for-profit organization, a co-operative, or any othe ...

, stationed within the

Mediterranean The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean Basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Western and Southern Europe and Anatolia, on the south by North Africa, and on the e ...

Rim, to return home, via Malta. It disbanded at Hal Far in April 1946. 765 Naval Air Squadron reformed for the third time, in May 1955, at RNAS Culdrose, as a Piston Engine Pilot Pool and it also provided refresher flying for Fleet Air Arm pilots. For almost two years, it trained over two hundred pilots, on either Firefly or Oxford aircraft, with the squadron disbanding, at Culdrose, in March 1957.

History of 765 NAS

Basic Seaplane Training and Pool Squadron (1939 - 1943)

765 Naval Air Squadron formed at

RNAS Lee-on-Solent (HMS Daedalus) Royal Naval Air Station Lee-on-Solent (HMS ''Daedalus'') was one of the primary shore airfields of the Fleet Air Arm. First established as a seaplane base in 1917 during the First World War, it later became the main training establishment and ad ...

, situated near

Lee-on-the-Solent Lee-on-the-Solent, often referred to as Lee-on-Solent, is a seaside district of the Borough of Gosport in Hampshire, England, about five miles (8 km) west of Portsmouth. The area is located on the coast of the Solent. It is primarily a resi ...

Hampshire Hampshire (, ; abbreviated to Hants) is a ceremonial county, ceremonial and non-metropolitan county, non-metropolitan counties of England, county in western South East England on the coast of the English Channel. Home to two major English citi ...

, on the 24 May 1939, as a Basic Seaplane Training and Pool Squadron. It was initially equipped with

Walrus The walrus (''Odobenus rosmarus'') is a large pinniped, flippered marine mammal with a discontinuous distribution about the North Pole in the Arctic Ocean and subarctic seas of the Northern Hemisphere. The walrus is the only living species in ...

amphibian aircraft An amphibious aircraft or amphibian is an aircraft (typically fixed-wing) that can take off and land on both solid ground and water, though amphibious helicopters do exist as well. Fixed-wing amphibious aircraft are seaplanes (flying boats a ...

and, Seafox and

Swordfish Swordfish (''Xiphias gladius''), also known as broadbills in some countries, are large, highly migratory predatory fish characterized by a long, flat, pointed bill. They are a popular sport fish of the billfish category, though elusive. Swordfis ...

Seaplane A seaplane is a powered fixed-wing aircraft capable of takeoff, taking off and water landing, landing (alighting) on water.Gunston, "The Cambridge Aerospace Dictionary", 2009. Seaplanes are usually divided into two categories based on their tec ...

aircraft. The squadron trained pilots in operating seaplane aircraft and provided a pilot reserve for Fleet Air Arm

catapult A catapult is a ballistic device used to launch a projectile a great distance without the aid of gunpowder or other propellants – particularly various types of ancient and medieval siege engines. A catapult uses the sudden release of stored p ...

squadrons. In February 1940, 765 NAS received two

Blackburn Roc The Blackburn Roc (company designation B-25) was a naval fighter aircraft designed and produced by the British aviation company Blackburn Aircraft. It took its name from the mythical bird of the tales of the Arabian Nights, the Roc. It was ope ...

aircraft, fitted with floats, for evaluation. On the 26 August 1940, the squadron moved to RNAS Sandbanks, located on the premises of the Royal Motor Yacht Club (RMYC) at

Sandbanks Sandbanks is an affluent neighbourhood of Poole, Dorset, on the south coast of England, situated on a narrow spit of around 1 km2 or 0.39 sq mi extending into the mouth of Poole Harbour. It is known for its high property prices and for it ...

Poole Harbour Poole Harbour is a large natural harbour in Dorset, southern England, with the town of Poole on its shores. The harbour is a drowned valley (ria) formed at the end of the last ice age and is the estuary of several rivers, the largest being th ...

Dorset Dorset ( ; archaically: Dorsetshire , ) is a county in South West England on the English Channel coast. The ceremonial county comprises the unitary authority areas of Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole and Dorset (unitary authority), Dors ...

, which had been requisitioned as a Seaplane base by the

Admiralty Admiralty most often refers to: *Admiralty, Hong Kong * Admiralty (United Kingdom), military department in command of the Royal Navy from 1707 to 1964 *The rank of admiral * Admiralty law Admiralty can also refer to: Buildings *Admiralty, Tr ...

, taking its collection of Walrus amphibious aircraft, and Swordfish, Seafox and Roc floatplane aircraft. Here it had a new role, providing the Seaplane Flying Training Course Part I, of the basic Seaplane training. In June 1941 both the Swordfish and Roc aircraft were withdrawn from squadron use; The Seafox aircraft were withdrawn one year later, in June 1942, however, at the same time,

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

built

Vought Kingfisher The Vought OS2U Kingfisher is an American catapult-launched observation floatplane. It was a compact mid-wing monoplane, with a large central float and small stabilizing floats. Performance was modest because of its low-powered engine. The OS2U ...

seaplane aircraft arrived. By mid 1943, the need for dedicated Seaplane Training squadrons had passed and on the 25 October 1943, 765 NAS disbanded.

Travelling Recording Unit (1944 - 1945)

765 Naval Air Squadron reformed, on the 10 February 1944, at

RNAS Charlton Horethorne (HMS Heron II) RNAS Charlton Horethorne (HMS Heron II) is a former Royal Naval Air Station in the hamlet of Sigwells in Somerset, England. It opened in 1942, as a flying training base under the administrative care of HMS Heron. It closed in 1948 and has sinc ...

, situated in the hamlet of

Sigwells Sigwells is a hamlet located in an area rich in archaeology remains, overlooking Cadbury Castle in Somerset, England. It was the target of research by the South Cadbury Environs Project, which produced significant Early Bronze Age and Middle and ...

Somerset ( en, All The People of Somerset) , locator_map = , coordinates = , region = South West England , established_date = Ancient , established_by = , preceded_by = , origin = , lord_lieutenant_office =Lord Lieutenant of Somerset , lord_ ...

, England, as a Travelling Recording Unit. The squadron briefly moved to RNAS Lee-on-Solent (HMS Daedalus), on the 18 March 1944. One month later, on the 18 April 1944, it relocated to RNAS Worthy Down (HMS Kestrel), located north of

Winchester Winchester is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city in Hampshire, England. The city lies at the heart of the wider City of Winchester, a local government Districts of England, district, at the western end of the South Downs Nation ...

, Hampshire, England, then on the last day of May, it travelled to

RNAS Stretton (HMS Blackcap) Royal Naval Air Station Stretton (HMS ''Blackcap''), was an airfield in the village of Appleton Thorn, though named for the neighbouring village of Stretton, south of Warrington, in Cheshire, England. Although the main runway remains, the nort ...

, in the village of

Appleton Thorn Appleton Thorn is a village in the borough of Warrington in Cheshire, England. Appleton appeared in the Domesday survey as ''Epeltune'', meaning "the tun where the apples grew". Bawming the Thorn Each June, the village hosts the ceremony of " ...

, south of

Warrington Warrington () is a town and unparished area in the borough of the same name in the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England, on the banks of the River Mersey. It is east of Liverpool, and west of Manchester. The population in 2019 was estimat ...

, in Cheshire, England. However, at the beginning of August, the squadron returned to RNAS Lee-on-Solent. In the same month, the squadron was equipped with

Wellington Wellington ( mi, Te Whanganui-a-Tara or ) is the capital city of New Zealand. It is located at the south-western tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Remutaka Range. Wellington is the second-largest city in New Zealand by me ...

aircraft. It received three Wellington GR Mark XI, maritime reconnaissance aircraft. They were ex-

RAF Coastal Command RAF Coastal Command was a formation within the Royal Air Force (RAF). It was founded in 1936, when the RAF was restructured into Fighter, Bomber and Coastal Commands and played an important role during the Second World War. Maritime Aviation ...

and were fitted with

ASV Mark II radar Radar, Air-to-Surface Vessel, Mark II, or ASV Mk. II for short, was an airborne sea-surface search radar developed by the UK's Air Ministry immediately prior to the start of World War II. It was the first aircraft mounted radar of any sort to b ...

. A fourth Wellington aircraft arrived, a T Mark XVII training aircraft, in the following December and this was fitted with a nose-mounted Airborne Interception radar. The squadron primarily operated these aircraft to test the efficiency of radar units, however, as the Wellington was also capable of, and used for, long-range

aerial reconnaissance Aerial reconnaissance is reconnaissance for a military or strategic purpose that is conducted using reconnaissance aircraft. The role of reconnaissance can fulfil a variety of requirements including artillery spotting, the collection of ima ...

, experienced aerial photographers were assigned to the squadron. On the 30 September, 765 NAS moved to

RNAS Twatt (HMS Tern) RNAS Twatt (HMS Tern) is a former Royal Navy Air Station located near Twatt, Orkney, Scotland. Twatt was mainly used as a training airfield. On 30 March 1944 initial plans were to make Twatt the only airfield suitable to aid the disembarkation of ...

, located near Twatt,

Orkney Orkney (; sco, Orkney; on, Orkneyjar; nrn, Orknøjar), also known as the Orkney Islands, is an archipelago in the Northern Isles of Scotland, situated off the north coast of the island of Great Britain. Orkney is 10 miles (16 km) north ...

, Scotland. It remained on Orkney for ten days, before relocating to

RAF Hornchurch Royal Air Force Hornchurch or RAF Hornchurch is a former Royal Air Force sector station in the parish of Hornchurch, Essex (now the London Borough of Havering in Greater London), located to the southeast of Romford. The airfield was known as Sut ...

, located in the parish of

Hornchurch Hornchurch is a suburban town in East London, England, and part of the London Borough of Havering. It is located east-northeast of Charing Cross. It comprises a number of shopping streets and a large residential area. It historically formed ...

, southeast of Romford, Essex, via

RAF Eastchurch Royal Air Force Eastchurch or more simply RAF Eastchurch (formerly RNAS Eastchurch) is a former Royal Air Force station near Eastchurch village, on the Isle of Sheppey, Kent, England. The history of aviation at Eastchurch stretches back to the fi ...

, on the

Isle of Sheppey The Isle of Sheppey is an island off the northern coast of Kent, England, neighbouring the Thames Estuary, centred from central London. It has an area of . The island forms part of the local government district of Swale. ''Sheppey'' is derived ...

Kent Kent is a county in South East England and one of the home counties. It borders Greater London to the north-west, Surrey to the west and East Sussex to the south-west, and Essex to the north across the estuary of the River Thames; it faces ...

, England, arriving at Hornchurch on the 14 November, where the role of the squadron was to provide naval co-operation in liaison with

No. 567 Squadron RAF No. 567 Squadron was an anti-aircraft co-operation squadron of the Royal Air Force, formed during World War II and active between December 1943 and June 1946 in the defence of south-east England. History No. 567 Squadron was formed on 1 December ...

, an anti-aircraft co-operation unit. However, seven months later, 765 NAS moved to

RAF Manston Royal Air Force Manston or more simply RAF Manston is a former Royal Air Force station located in the north-east of Kent, at on the Isle of Thanet from 1916 until 1996. The site was split between a commercial airport Kent International Airpor ...

, located in the north-east of

, on the

Isle of Thanet The Isle of Thanet () is a peninsula forming the easternmost part of Kent, England. While in the past it was separated from the mainland by the Wantsum Channel, it is no longer an island. Archaeological remains testify to its settlement in anc ...

, on the 14 June 1945.

Transport Squadron (1945 - 1946)

In August, 765 NAS was repurposed as a Transport Squadron. It operated three Wellington B Mark X aircraft, however, these were equipped with troop transport type seating. On the 6 October 1945, the squadron moved to RNAS Hal Far (HMS Falcon), which was located at the southern extreme of Malta. It provided air transport for personnel, to and from different parts of the

Mediterranean Basin In biogeography, the Mediterranean Basin (; also known as the Mediterranean Region or sometimes Mediterranea) is the region of lands around the Mediterranean Sea that have mostly a Mediterranean climate, with mild to cool, rainy winters and w ...

, but primarily bringing them back to Malta for onward travel home. 765 NAS continued in this role until disbanding at Hal Far on the 23 April 1946.

Piston Engine Pilot Pool (1955 - 1957)

765 Naval Air Squadron reformed at

RNAS Culdrose (HMS Seahawk) Royal Naval Air Station Culdrose (RNAS Culdrose, also known as HMS ''Seahawk''; ICAO: EGDR) is a Royal Navy airbase near Helston on the Lizard Peninsula of Cornwall UK, and is one of the largest helicopter bases in Europe. Its main role is ser ...

, near

Helston Helston ( kw, Hellys) is a town and civil parish in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. It is situated at the northern end of the Lizard Peninsula approximately east of Penzance and south-west of Falmouth.Ordnance Survey: Landranger map shee ...

on the

Lizard Peninsula The Lizard ( kw, An Lysardh) is a peninsula in southern Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. The most southerly point of the British mainland is near Lizard Point at SW 701115; Lizard village, also known as The Lizard, is the most southerl ...

Cornwall Cornwall (; kw, Kernow ) is a historic county and ceremonial county in South West England. It is recognised as one of the Celtic nations, and is the homeland of the Cornish people. Cornwall is bordered to the north and west by the Atlantic ...

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

, on the 14 February 1955, as a Piston Engine Pilot Pool. The squadron was initially equipped with

Firefly The Lampyridae are a family of elateroid beetles with more than 2,000 described species, many of which are light-emitting. They are soft-bodied beetles commonly called fireflies, lightning bugs, or glowworms for their conspicuous production ...

aircraft, specifically the T.Mk 2 and T.Mk 7 variants and also provided refresher flying for FAA pilots. In May 1955, the squadron added

Oxford Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...

II, to its aircraft inventory. In February 1957, Sea Balliol T.Mk 21 and Sea Devon C Mk 20, were also used, however, the squadron only lasted around one month more, with 765 NAS disbanding at Culdrose on the 25 March 1957. During its two years of existence, it converted 244 pilots to either Firefly or Oxford aircraft.

Aircraft flown

The squadron has flown a number of different aircraft types, including: * Fairey Seafox I (May 1939 - June 1942) * Fairey Swordfish I ''version equipped with floats'' (May 1939 - June 1941) * Supermarine Walrus I (May 1939 - October 1942) *

''equipped with floats'' (February 1940 - June 1941) * Vought Kingfisher I (July 1942 - October 1943) * Vickers Wellington GR Mark XI (August 1944 - October 1945) * Vickers Wellington T Mark XVII (December 1944 - October 1945) * Vickers Wellington B Mark X (July 1945 - April 1946) * Fairey Firefly T.Mk 2 (February 1955 - March 1957) * Fairey Firefly T.Mk 7 (February 1955 - November 1956) * Airspeed Oxford II (May 1955 - February 1957) * Boulton Paul Sea Balliol T.Mk 21 (February 1957 - March 1957) * de Havilland Sea Devon C Mk 20 (February 1957 - March 1957)

Naval Air Stations / Royal Air Force Stations

765 Naval Air Squadron operated from a number of naval air stations of the Royal Navy, in Scotland and England and a number of

Royal Air Force stations The Royal Air Force (RAF) operates several stations throughout the United Kingdom and overseas. This includes front-line and training air bases, support, administrative and training stations with no flying activity, unmanned airfields used fo ...

in England:

Commanding Officers

List of

commanding officers The commanding officer (CO) or sometimes, if the incumbent is a general officer, commanding general (CG), is the officer in command of a military unit. The commanding officer has ultimate authority over the unit, and is usually given wide latitud ...

of 765 Naval Air Squadron with month and year of appointment and end: 1939 - 1943 * Lt-Cdr H.C. Ranald, RN (May 1939-Apr 1940) *Lt-Cdr ( A) H. L. McCulloch, RN (Apr 1940-Jul 1940) *Lt-Cdr (A) J.B. Wilson, RN (Jul 1940-Apr 1941) *Lt-Cdr G.R. Brown, RN (Apr 1941-Aug 1942) * Lt J.L.W.M. Allison, RN (Aug 1942-Jan 1943) *Lt-Cdr (A) L.D. Goldsmith,

RNVR The Royal Naval Reserve (RNR) is one of the two volunteer reserve forces of the Royal Navy in the United Kingdom. Together with the Royal Marines Reserve, they form the Maritime Reserve. The present RNR was formed by merging the original Ro ...

(Jan 1943-Oct 1943) 1944 - 1946 *Lt (A) D.H. Coates, RNVR (Feb 1944-Aug 1945) *Lt (A) S.C. Abel, RNVR (Aug 1945-Feb 1946) *Lt (A) H.E. Rumble, RNVR (Feb 1946-Apr 1946) 1955 - 1957 *Lt-Cdr J.I. Baker, RN (Feb 1955-Dec 1955) *Lt-Cdr D. W. Winterton, RN (Dec 1955-Mar 1957) *Lt-Cdr W.H. Gunner, RN (Mar 1957-Mar 1957)

Notes

References

* * * * 700 series Fleet Air Arm squadrons Military units and formations established in 1939 Air squadrons of the Royal Navy in World War II {{UK-navy-stub