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780 Naval Air Squadron

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780 Naval Air Squadron
Active2 October 1939 - 2 January 1945
28 March 1946 - 16 November 1949[1]
Country United Kingdom
Branch Royal Navy
TypeFleet Air Arm Second Line Squadron
Role
  • Conversion Course Unit
  • Naval Advanced Flying School
SizeSquadron
Part ofFleet Air Arm
AircraftSee Aircraft operated section for full list.
Insignia
Identification Markingsinitially individual numbers
L1A+ (1943)
BY1A+ (October 1943)
L1A+ (November 1944)
U1A+ to U3A+ (March 1946)
201-206 (Harvard 1947)
601-614 (Oxford 1947)[2][3]
Tail CodesCW (1947)[4]
North American Harvard, an example of the type used by 780 NAS

780 Naval Air Squadron (780 NAS) was a Naval Air Squadron of the Royal Navy's Fleet Air Arm which last disbanded at HMS Seahawk, RNAS Culdrose in November 1949. 780 Naval Air Squadron formed at HMS Raven, RNAS Eastleigh as a Conversion Course Unit, in October 1939, to train experienced civilian pilots in naval flying. It moved to HMS Daedalus, RNAS Lee-on-Solent, in October 1940, and later, its role had changed to converting pilots to Fairey Barracuda aircraft. It spent a year at RNAS Charlton Horethorne, before returning to HMS Daedalus and disbanded, early 1945. In March 1946, the squadron reformed at HMS Godwit, RNAS Hinstock, as the Naval Advanced Flying School, to give flying instructors' courses, and later provided Instrument Flying Training. In December, the squadron moved to HMS Jackdaw, RNAS Crail, then in March 1947 moved to HMS Merlin, RNAS Donibristle, and in May to HMS Seahawk as the first resident unit.

History of 780 NAS

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Conversion Course Unit (1939 - 1945)

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780 Naval Air Squadron formed at RNAS Eastleigh (HMS Raven), Hampshire, on 2 October 1939, as a Conversion Course Unit.[5] The squadron was tasked with training experienced civilian pilots in naval flying and it operated a variety of aircraft, including Hawker Hart Trainer, a two-seat dual-control trainer aircraft, Hawker Nimrod, a British biplane fighter aircraft, Blackburn Shark, a biplane torpedo bomber, de Havilland Gipsy Moth, a biplane trainer aircraft, de Havilland Tiger Moth, a biplane trainer aircraft, Percival Proctor, a radio trainer and communications aircraft, Fairey Swordfish, a biplane torpedo bomber and Percival Vega Gull, a military trainer and communications aircraft.[2] Essentially this was a mixture of obsolete and civil aircraft and the expectation was this task would be completed within a few months, however, other types of conversion was required.[6]

Fairey Barracuda Mk II

The squadron relocated to RNAS Lee-on-Solent (HMS Daedalus), in Hampshire, on 7 October 1940.[5] It used Hamble[7] as a relief landing ground[6] and by August 1943, its role had changed to converting pilots of Fairey Swordfish and another biplane torpedo bomber, Fairey Albacore, to the monoplane Fairey Barracuda torpedo and dive bomber, although this task soon passed to 798 Naval Air Squadron.[2] On 9 October 1943, 780 Naval Air Squadron moved to RNAS Charlton Horethorne (HMS Heron II).[8] With the upcoming invasion of occupied France there was a need to clear RNAS Lee-on-Solent and the area of training aircraft.[6] It moved back to RNAS Lee-on-Solent on 28 November 1944,[8] where it disbanded into 794 Naval Air Squadron,[6] on 2 January 1945.[2]

Naval Advanced Flying School (1946 - 1949)

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780 Naval Air Squadron reformed at RNAS Hinstock (HMS Godwit), in Shropshire, England, on 28 March 1946, as the Naval Advanced Flying School,[9] but operated out of its satellite station RNAS Peplow (HMS Godwit II), Shropshire.[10] It was equipped with a variety of aircraft and was set up to give flying instructors' courses.[6] It also received a number of Avro Lancaster, a four-engine heavy bomber, which were initially destined for 734 Naval Air Squadron at HMS Godwit,[11] used for multi-engine experience. 758 Naval Air Squadron disbanded and was absorbed in May as 'B' Flight, of 780 NAS, and Instrument Flying Training at this point had become the squadron’s focus. In December the squadron moved to Scotland, relocating to RNAS Crail (HMS Jackdaw), Fife, for a short stay before moving to RNAS Donibristle (HMS Merlin) in March 1947 and then in May to RNAS Culdrose (HMS Seahawk), Cornwall, as the initial unit there. On 16 November 1949, 780 Naval Air Squadron disbanded.[6]

Aircraft operated

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The squadron operated a number of different aircraft types, including:[4]

Hawker Hart Trainer
de Havilland Tiger Moth
Airspeed Oxford
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780 Naval Air Squadron operated from a number of naval air stations of the Royal Navy, in the United Kingdom:[4]

1939 - 1945

1946 - 1949

Commanding Officers

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List of commanding officers of 780 Naval Air Squadron with day, month and year of appointment:[2][4]

1939 - 1945

  • Lieutenant Commander H.S. Cooper, RN, from 2 October 1939
  • Lieutenant Commander(A) J. Goodyear, RNVR, from 7 October 1940
  • Lieutenant Commander(A) T.G. Stubley, RNVR, from 17 August 1942
  • disbanded - 2 January 1945


1946 - 1949

  • Lieutenant Commander D.C.E.F. Gibson, DSC, RN, from 28 March 1946
  • Lieutenant(A) W.E. Cotton, RN, from 17 December 1946
  • Lieutenant S.P. Luke, RN, from 2 October 1947
  • Lieutenant Commander G.R. Humphries, RN, from 5 January 1948
  • Lieutenant(A) R.B. Lunberg, RN, from 16 November 1948
  • Lieutenant(A) M.A. Birrell, RN, from 31 March 1949
  • disbanded - 16 November 1949

References

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Citations

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  1. ^ Sturtivant & Ballance 1994, p. 100.
  2. ^ a b c d e Wragg 2019, p. 135.
  3. ^ Ballance, Howard & Sturtivant 2016, p. 82-83.
  4. ^ a b c d Ballance, Howard & Sturtivant 2016, p. 83.
  5. ^ a b "Eastleigh". Royal Navy Research Archive - Fleet Air Arm Bases 1939 - present day. Retrieved 8 February 2024.
  6. ^ a b c d e f Ballance, Howard & Sturtivant 2016, p. 82.
  7. ^ "Hamble (Landplane) II - Airfields of Britain Conservation Trust". Airfields of Britain Conservation Trust. Retrieved 8 February 2024.
  8. ^ a b "Charlton Horethorne". Royal Navy Research Archive - Fleet Air Arm Bases 1939 - present day. Retrieved 8 February 2024.
  9. ^ "Hinstock". Royal Navy Research Archive - Fleet Air Arm Bases 1939 - present day. Retrieved 8 February 2024.
  10. ^ "Peplow". Royal Navy Research Archive - Fleet Air Arm Bases 1939 - present day. Retrieved 8 February 2024.
  11. ^ "The Avro Lancaster in Royal Navy service". Royal Navy Research Archive. Retrieved 8 February 2024.

Bibliography

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