794 Naval Air Squadron
794 Naval Air Squadron | |
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![]() 794 NAS badge | |
Active | 1 August 1940 - 30 June 1944 2 January 1945 - 26 March 1947[1] |
Country | ![]() |
Branch | ![]() |
Type | Fleet Air Arm Second Line Squadron |
Role |
|
Size | Latin for 'We suffer that others may learn')[2] |
Insignia | |
Squadron Badge | White, a lion rampant red armed and langued blue holding in his forepaws a target in military colours (1945)[2] |
Identification Markings | P2A+ & P8A+ Target Tugs (from August 1943) Y8A+ then BY8A+ (from December 1943) S1A+ (from January 1945) J1A+ Corsair, J2A+ Seafire, J3A+ Martlet & J4A+ Martinet (from August 1945) A4A+ & A5A+ (from 1946) 100-116/A (1947)[2][3] |
794 Naval Air Squadron (794 NAS) was a Naval Air Squadron of the Royal Navy's Fleet Air Arm which disbanded in March 1947. The squadron formed as an Air Target Towing Squadron, at HMS Heron, RNAS Yeovilton, during August 1940, although operated target tug aircraft out of the satellite, RNAS Haldon. In April 1943 it provided a detachment at RAF Warmwell as an air firing unit and three months later the squadron relocated to RNAS Angle and became the Naval Air Firing Unit. Further moves followed in quick succession, to HMS Goldcrest, RNAS Dale, in September, HMS Dipper, RNAS Henstridge, in November and HMS Heron II, RNAS Charlton Horethorne in December and by which time the squadron was designated No. 1 Naval Air Firing Unit, but disbanded in June 1944. The squadron reformed at HMS Vulture, RNAS St Merryn, in January 1945, as the School of Air Firing and later in the year was tasked to support the newly-formed Ground Attack School. It moved to HMS Gannet, RNAS Eglinton, during August, and at this point had three flights providing courses for aerial warfare, airstrike and aerial reconnaissance.
History of 794 NAS
Air Target Towing Unit (1940 - 1944)
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/4a/Hawker_Sea_Hurricane_Ib_%E2%80%98Z7015_7-L%E2%80%99_%28G-BKTH%29_%2826567600037%29.jpg/220px-Hawker_Sea_Hurricane_Ib_%E2%80%98Z7015_7-L%E2%80%99_%28G-BKTH%29_%2826567600037%29.jpg)
794 Naval Air Squadron formed on 1 August 1940, at
On 5 September 1943, RAF Dale was transferred to the
School of Air Firing (1945 - 1947)
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/db/Supermarine_Seafire_LF.IIIc_%E2%80%98PP972_-_11-5_-_N%E2%80%99_%28G-BUAR%29_%2819294303214%29.jpg/220px-Supermarine_Seafire_LF.IIIc_%E2%80%98PP972_-_11-5_-_N%E2%80%99_%28G-BUAR%29_%2819294303214%29.jpg)
794 Naval Air Squadron reformed on 2 January 1945 at
794 Naval Air Squadron moved to
Aircraft flown
The squadron has flown a number of different aircraft types, including:[3][2][7]
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/bb/Blackburn_Skua.png/220px-Blackburn_Skua.png)
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/06/IWM_ATP_12826D.jpg/220px-IWM_ATP_12826D.jpg)
- Blackburn Roc TT Target tug (August 1940 - January 1943)
- Blackburn Skua TT Target tug (September 1941 - July 1943)
- Boulton Paul Defiant TT Mk I Target tug (November 1942 - January 1944)
- Percival Proctor lA dual-control deck landing and radio trainer (April 1943)
- Miles Master I advanced trainer aircraft (April - June 1943)
- Supermarine Spitfire I fighter aircraft (April - November 1943)
- Miles Martinet TT.Mk I Target tug (May 1943 - June 1944, January 1945 - April 1946)
- Hawker Hurricane Mk.Ib fighter aircraft (August - September 1943)
- Hawker Hurricane Mk.IIb fighter aircraft (September - October 1943)
- Miles Master Il advanced trainer aircraft (September - November 1943)
- carrier-based reconnaissance/fighter aircraft (September 1943 - June 1944)
- Boulton Paul Defiant TT Mk III target tug (December 1943 - June 1944)
- Supermarine Seafire L Mk IIc fighter aircraft (January - February 1945)
- Vought Corsair Mk III carrier-based fighter-bomber (January 1945 - February 1946)
- North American HarvardIII trainer aircraft (January 1945 - June 1946)
- Grumman MartletMk IV varrier-based fighter aircraft (January - October 1945)
- North American Harvard IIb trainer aircraft (May 1945 - January 1946)
- Grumman WildcatMk VI carrier-based fighter aircraft (October 1945 - January 1946)
- Vought Corsair Mk IV carrier-based fighter-bomber (December 1945 - February 1946)
- Supermarine Seafire L Mk III fighter aircraft (May 1946 - March 1947)
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/cd/HMS_Implacable_%28R-86%29_underway_in_1946._%2850269722363%29.jpg/220px-HMS_Implacable_%28R-86%29_underway_in_1946._%2850269722363%29.jpg)
794 Naval Air Squadron operated from a number of naval air stations of the Royal Navy in the UK and was embarked in a couple of Royal Navy fleet aircraft carriers:[3][2]
1940 - 1944
- Royal Naval Air Station YEOVILTON (HMS Heron)
- (satellite Royal Naval Air Station HALDON (HMS Heron II)) (1 August 1940 - 1 July 1943)
- RAF Warmwell Detachment (6 March - 7 July 1943)
- Royal Naval Air Station ANGLE (HMS Goldcrest) (1 July 1943 - 10 September 1943)
- Royal Naval Air Station DALE (HMS Goldcrest) (10 September 1943 - 22 November 1943)
- Royal Naval Air Station HENSTRIDGE (HMS Dipper)(22 November 1943 - 1 December 1943)
- Royal Naval Air Station CHARLTON HORETHORNE (HMS Heron II) (1 December 1943 - 30 June 1944)
- disbanded - 30 June 1944
1945 - 1946
- Royal Naval Air Station ST MERRYN (HMS Vulture) (2 January 1945 - 9 August 1945))
- Royal Naval Air Station EGLINTON (HMS Gannet)
- (satellite Royal Naval Air Station MAYDOWN (HMS Shrike)) (9 August 1945 - 13 January 1947)
- HMS Theseus Detachment (21 - 31 May 1946)
- HMS Implacable Detachment (13 August - 1 September 1946 / 22 - 31 October 1946)
- HMS Theseus Detachment (7 - 15 November 1946)
- HMS Implacable (13 January 1947 - 24 March 1947)
- Royal Naval Air Station EGLINTON (HMS Gannet) (24 March 1947 - 26 March 1947)
- disbanded - 26 March 1947
Commanding Officers
List of commanding officers of 794 Naval Air Squadron with day, month and year of appointment:[7][3][2]
1940 - 1944
- Lieutenant(A) R.W.H. Everett, RNVR, from 3 August 1940
- Lieutenant Commander(A) F.C. Muir, RNVR, from 22 July 1942
- Lieutenant(A) W.H. Stevens, RN, from 16 November 1942
- Lieutenant Commander(A) A.L. Hill, RNVR, from 10 April 1943
- Lieutenant Commander(A) T.L. Crookston, RN, from 6 January 1944
- disbanded - 30 June 1944
1945 - 1947
- Lieutenant Commander(A) J.L. Appleby, RN, from 2 January 1945
- Lieutenant Commander R.A. Bird, DSC, RN, from 3 July 1945 (KIFA 10 April 1946)
- Lieutenant Commander(A) G Dennison, RNVR, from 11 April 1946
- Lieutenant A.C. Lindsay, DSC, RN, from 1 August 1946
- Lieutenant R.M. Crosley, DSC & Bar, RN, from 13 November 1946
- disbanded - 26 March 1947
Notable people
References
Citations
- ^ Sturtivant, Ballance 1994, p. 118.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j Ballance, Howard & Sturtivant 2016, p. 95.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i Wragg 2019, p. 138.
- ^ "R.N.A.S. Haldon". Royal Navy Research Archive - Fleet Air Arm Bases 1939 - present day. Retrieved 11 January 2024.
- ^ "Angle Airfield, Angle (308209)". Coflein. RCAHMW. Retrieved 11 January 2024.
- ^ "R.N.A.S. Angle". Royal Navy Research Archive. Retrieved 11 January 2024.
- ^ "Argentinian WW2 FAA pilot Ronny Scott". www.fleetairarmoa.org. 30 August 2021. Retrieved 28 February 2024.
Bibliography
- 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. ISBN 0-85130-223-8.
- Wragg, David (2019). The Fleet Air Arm Handbook 1939-1945. ISBN 978-0-7509-9303-6.