730 Naval Air Squadron

730 Naval Air Squadron was a Fleet Air Arm naval air squadron of the United Kingdom’s Royal Navy. It was active between 1944 and 1945 as a Communications Squadron. The squadron was formed and operated out of RNAS Abbotsinch from April to November 1944, by that point in time it operated four types of aircraft. It moved to RNAS Ayr and while there gained two more aircraft types. For the first three months of 1945 a detachment operated out of RNAS Machrihanish, however, the squadron remained at RNAS Ayr until disbanding in August 1945.

History

Communications Squadron (1944–1945)

730 Naval Air Squadron was formed on the 17 April 1944 at RNAS Abbotsinch (HMS Sanderling) located in Paisley, Renfrewshire, in Scotland, where the squadron operated Stinson Reliant, a single-engine four-to-five seat high-wing monoplane liaison and training aircraft, and Beech Expediter II, a twin-engined, low-wing, tailwheel light aircraft, used for training, transport and utility work. Essentially the squadron came into existence by raising the Flag Officer Carrier Training flight to squadron status. It was tasked with transporting the Admiral, Commodore and senior staff around the naval air stations in Scotland.
Later that year, in August, Beech Traveller aircraft were acquired, an American biplane with an atypical negative wing stagger and these were soon followed by Fairey Firefly, a carrier-borne fighter and anti-submarine aircraft, in September. The squadron remained stationed at RNAS Abbotsinch for around seven months before moving to RNAS Ayr (HMS Wagtail) situated in Prestwick, South Ayrshire, in Scotland, on the 20 November 1944. From January 1945, Airspeed Oxford, a twin-engine monoplane aircraft and Fairey Swordfish, a biplane torpedo bomber aircraft, were added and these were in use until the squadron was disbanded.
From 1 January to 8 March 1945, a detachment from 730 Naval Air Squadron out of RNAS Ayr, operated from RNAS Machrihanish (HMS Landrail), located close to Campbeltown in Argyll and Bute, Scotland.
On the 1 August 1945, 730 Naval Air Squadron disbanded at RNAS Ayr.

Aircraft flown

The squadron has flown a number of different aircraft types, including:

Stinson Reliant liaison and training aircraft
Beech Expediter II trainer, transport and utility aircraft
Supermarine Walrus amphibious maritime patrol aircraft
Grumman Wildcat Mk V fighter aircraft
Grumman Wildcat Mk VI fighter aircraft
Fairey Fulmar Mk.II reconnaissance/fighter aircraft
Vought Corsair Mk II fighter-bomber
Percival Petrel communications aircraft
Beech Traveller Mk. I utility aircraft
Fairey Firefly F.I fighter aircraft
Supermarine Sea Otter amphibious air-sea rescue aircraft
Supermarine Seafire F Mk IIc fighter aircraft
Fairey Swordfish II torpedo bomber
Taylorcraft Auster I liaison aircraft
Airspeed Oxford training aircraft

Naval air stations

730 Naval Air Squadron operated from a number of naval air stations of the Royal Navy in Scotland:

Commanding officers

List of commanding officers of 730 Naval Air Squadron with date of appointment:

Lieutenant G. Windsor, RNVR, from 17 April 1944
Lieutenant C. White, RNVR, from 1 December 1944
Lieutenant J. C. Kennedy, RN, from 24 May 1945
disbanded - 1 August 1945