Unit Name: | 773 Naval Air Squadron |
Dates: | 3 June 1940 - 25 April 1944 1 June 1945 - 30 September 1946 6 January - 31 March 1949 4 January - 31 March 1950 1 September 1950 - 31 March 1951 |
Type: | Fleet Air Arm Second Line Squadron |
Role: |
|
Size: | Squadron |
Command Structure: | Fleet Air Arm |
Garrison: | See Naval air stations section for full list. |
Garrison Label: | Home station |
Equipment: | See Aircraft operated section for full list. |
Equipment Label: | Aircraft |
Identification Symbol: | R4A+ (all types 1940 - 1944) 103-106 (Sea Fury 1949) 510-515 (Seafire 1950) |
Identification Symbol Label: | Identification Markings |
773 Naval Air Squadron (773 NAS) was a Naval Air Squadron of the Royal Navy's Fleet Air Arm which was last active between September 1950 and March 1951. 773 Naval Air Squadron initially formed during June 1940, as a Fleet Requirements Unit in Bermuda, in support of ships on the North America and West Indies Station. It performed this role four almost four years and eventually disbanded, at Bermuda, in April 1944. The squadron reformed during June 1945 as a Service Trials Unit, at HMS Daedalus, RNAS Lee-on-Solent. Tasked with investigating pilotless aircraft as targets, it was known as the Pilotless Aircraft Unit (PAU). It moved to HMS Goldcrest II, RNAS Brawdy where it disbanded in September 1946. The squadron reformed at the start of 1949 as a Fleet Requirements Unit, out of 771 Naval Air Squadron, lasting around three months and repeated this at the start of 1950 and again at the end of 1950, into 1951.
As the waters around the Imperial fortress colony of Bermuda (the main base and Royal Naval Dockyard of the America and West Indies Station) became a working-up area for United States Navy (USN) and Royal Canadian Navy (RCN) vessels, as well as for lend-lease ex-USN vessels of the Royal Navy (RN), preparing to join the Battle of the Atlantic, Fleet Air Arm target tugs were based at Royal Naval Air Station Bermuda to assist in training anti-aircraft gunners afloat or ashore. 773 Fleet Requirements Unit was formed at Bermuda on the 3 June 1940, equipped with Blackburn Roc target tugs. These were normally meant to operate from carrier decks, and had retractable undercarriage. To operate from RNAS Bermuda, which was only able to handle flyingboats and floatplanes, they were fitted with floats. They towed targets for anti-aircraft gunnery practice by Allied vessels working-up at Bermuda, as well as by a USN anti-aircraft gunnery training centre operating on shore at Warwick Parish for the duration of the war.[1] When the Kindley Air Force Base was the United States Army Air Force's Kindley Field (built under a 99-year free lease from the British Government on the understanding that it would be used jointly by the Royal Air Force establishment in Bermuda and Fleet Air Arm) became operational in 1943, the floats were removed from the Blackburn Roc aircraft, which thenceforth operated from the British end of the airfield as landplanes, being the first aircraft based there. 773 Fleet Requirements Unit disbanded on 25 April 1944.[2] [3] [4]
773 Naval Air Squadron next reformed at RNAS Lee-on-Solent (HMS Daedalus), Hampshire, on 1 June 1945, as a Service Trials Unit. It was tasked with the development of pilotless aircraft using American electronic equipment, as controlled targets. Known as the Pilotless Aircraft Unit (PAU), it moved to RNAS Brawdy (HMS Goldcrest), Pembrokeshire, Wales, on 29 March 1946.[5] The squadron operated three Miles Martinet, M.50 Queen Martinet variant, an unmanned radio-controlled target drone aircraft, Avro Anson I, a twin-engined, multi-role aircraft and de Havilland Mosquito B.25, a twin-engined, bomber variant of the multirole combat aircraft.
Aircrew initially flew the Queen Martinet before it was put under radio control, then monitored the systems. The aircraft was designed to meet Air Ministry Specification Q.10/43, from an operational requirement for a radio-controlled target drone. Other squadron aircraft operated as a shepherd aircraft, while the Martinet was operated via radio control. 773 Naval Air Squadron disbanded on the 30 September 1946.
773 Naval Air Squadron reformed out of771 Naval Air Squadron, on 6 January 1949, as a Fleet Requirements Unit, at RNAS Lee-on-Solent (HMS Daedalus). It was tasked with supporting the needs of the Home Fleet during its Spring Cruise in the Western Mediterranean. On 27 January it embarked in the light fleet aircraft carrier,, it disembarked its Miles Martinet target tug aircraft and Hawker Sea Fury fighter aircraft to R.N. Air Section Gibraltar, at RAF North Front, Gibraltar, on 5 February, operating for just over one month. From here it then embarked in the name ship of her class, on 18 March,[6] being disbanded and reabsorbed into 771 Naval Air Squadron on 31 March.
773 Naval Air Squadron next reformed, again out of 771 Naval Air Squadron at RNAS Lee-on-Solent (HMS Daedalus) as a Fleet Requirements Unit, on 4 January 1950 and much the same as the previous year, in support of the Home Fleet’s 1950 Spring Cruise. The squadron consisted five Miles Martinet target tug aircraft, six Supermarine Seafire, a navalised version of the Supermarine Spitfire fighter aircraft and two de Havilland Mosquito multirole combat aircraft. It moved to R.N. Air Section Gibraltar, from RNAS Lee-on-Solent, on 3 February 1950. The squadron again embarked in HMS Implacable until 31 March and also in the Colossus-class light fleet aircraft carrier, until 30 March, returning to RNAS Lee-on-Solent.[6] It disbanded into 771 Naval Air Squadron, on retum, on 31 March.
On 1 September 1950, 773 Naval Air Squadron reformed again for this purpose, as a Fleet Requirements Unit out of 771 Naval Air Squadron, at RNAS Lee-on-Solent (HMS Daedalus). It moved to R.N. Air Section Gibraltar, at RAF North Front, on 14 September until 27 November, then returned to RNAS Lee-on-Solent.[6] It then spent January to March 1951 back at Gibraltar, returning to RNAS Lee-on-Solent at the start of March and disbanded on 31 March 1951, merging back into 771 Naval Air Squadron.
The squadron operated a variety of different aircraft and versions:
773 Naval Air Squadron operated from a number of naval air stations of the Royal Navy, both in the UK and overseas and a number of Royal Navy aircraft carriers:
1940 - 1944
1945 - 1946
1949
1950
1950 - 1951
List of commanding officers of 773 Naval Air Squadron with day, month and year of appointment:
1940 - 1944
1945 - 1946
1949
1950
1950 - 1951