761 Naval Air Squadron
761 Naval Air Squadron was a Fleet Air Arm naval air squadron of the United Kingdom’s Royal Navy. It was formed at HMS Heron, RNAS Yeovilton, as the Advanced Training Squadron of the Fleet Fighter School, in 1941. The squadron moved to HMS Dipper, RNAS Henstridge, in 1943, as part of the No. 2 Naval Air Fighter School. It remained at HMS Dipper and in this role, until January 1946, when the squadron disbanded.
History
Naval Air Fighter School (1941–1946)
761 Naval Air Squadron formed, on 1 August 1941, at RNAS Yeovilton (HMS Heron) near Yeovil, Somerset. It was formed out of 760 Naval Air Squadron's Fairey Fulmar, a carrier-based reconnaissance/fighter aircraft and tasked as the Advanced Training Squadron of the Fleet Fighter School, and it used RNAS Haldon (HMS Heron II) for air firing practice. During 1942, Blackburn Roc, a carrier-based turret fighter aircraft and Supermarine Spitfire I, a single-seat fighter aircraft, were received by the squadron.On 10 April 1943, 761 Naval Air Squadron relocated to RNAS Henstridge (HMS Dipper), situated near Henstridge, in Somerset, as part of No.2 Naval Air Fighter School. At this point, the squadron was equipped with a mix of eighteen Supermarine Spitfire and Supermarine Seafire, the latter a navalised Spitfire fighter aircraft, along with six Miles Master, an advanced trainer aircraft.
Utilising 'D' Flight, trainees went about real deck landing training on the,, and the aircraft carrier,,. Supermarine Seafire was the main aircraft operated by the squadron and by June 1944, sixty-eight Supermarine Seafire fighter aircraft were being used, consisting various marks.
761 Naval Air Squadron disbanded at RNAS Henstridge on 16 January 1946.
Aircraft operated
The squadron has operated a number of different aircraft types, including:- Fairey Fulmar Mk.I reconnaissance/fighter aircraft
- Fairey Fulmar Mk.II reconnaissance/fighter aircraft
- Blackburn Roc I fighter aircraft
- Supermarine Spitfire Mk I fighter aircraft
- Miles Master I advanced trainer
- Miles Master II advanced trainer
- Supermarine Seafire Mk Ib fighter aircraft
- Supermarine Spitfire Mk Va fighter aircraft
- Supermarine Spitfire Mk Vb fighter aircraft
- Supermarine Spitfire Mk Vb "hooked" fighter aircraft
- Supermarine Seafire Mk III fighter aircraft
- Supermarine Seafire F Mk IIc fighter aircraft
- North American Harvard III advanced trainer
- Supermarine Seafire F Mk XV fighter aircraft
- Supermarine Seafire F Mk XVII fighter aircraft
Naval air stations
761 Naval Air Squadron operated from a couple of naval air stations of the Royal Navy, in England:- Royal Naval Air Station Yeovilton (HMS Heron), Somerset,
- Royal Naval Air Station Henstridge (HMS Dipper), Somerset,
- * 'D' Flight DLT
- **
- **
- ** HMS Ravager
- disbanded -
Commanding officers
List of commanding officers of 761 Naval Air Squadron with date of appointment:- Lieutenant C.P. Campbell-Horsefall, RN, from 1 August 1941
- Captain R.C. Hay,, RM, from 1 January 1942
- Lieutenant R.B. Pearson, RN, from 21 July 1942
- Lieutenant W.C. Simpson, RNVR, from 12 September 1942
- Lieutenant A.C. Wallace, RN, from October 1942
- not identified, from November 1942
- Lieutenant Commander R.J. Cork,, RN, from 10 April 1943
- Lieutenant Commander R.H.P. Carver, DSC, RN, from 15 November 1943
- Lieutenant Commander S.G. Orr,, RNVR, from 20 September 1944
- Lieutenant Commander P.N. Charlton,, RN, from 27 April 1946
- disbanded - 16 January 1946