762 Naval Air Squadron


762 Naval Air Squadron was a Fleet Air Arm naval air squadron of the United Kingdom’s Royal Navy. It formed at HMS Heron, RNAS Yeovilton, in March 1942 as an Advanced Flying Training School. Almost immediately the squadron relocated to HMS Vulture, RNAS St Merryn, but before the end of the year, it was back at HMS Heron. The squadron disbanded nine months later. It reformed in 1944 at HMS Daedalus, RNAS Lee-on-Solent, as a Twin Engine Conversion Unit, but immediately moved to HMS Goldcrest, RNAS Dale, where it operated a variety of multi engined aircraft. At the end of 1945 the squadron moved to HMS Sparrowhawk, RNAS Halesworth and HMS Peregrine, RNAS Ford in quick succession. Now known as the Heavy Twin Conversion Unit it spent nearly two and a half years at HMS Peregrine, before relocating to HMS Seahawk, RNAS Culdrose, where it eventually disbanded at the end of 1949.

History

Advanced Flying Training School (1942–1943)

762 Naval Air Squadron formed, on the 23 March 1942, at RNAS Yeovilton (HMS Heron) situated near Yeovil, Somerset, as an Advanced Flying Training School. It was initially equipped with Fairey Fulmar, a carrier-based reconnaissance and fighter aircraft and Miles Master, an advanced trainer aircraft.
Roughly three weeks later, on the 15 April 1942, the squadron relocated to RNAS St Merryn (HMS Vulture), located northeast of Newquay, Cornwall. It added Grumman Martlet, a carrier-based fighter aircraft, to its inventory in June 1942.
762 Naval Air Squadron remained at RNAS St Merryn for the next seven months, however, on the 8 September 1942, the squadron moved back to RNAS Yeovilton. Here it received Hawker Sea Hurricane, a navalised of the Hawker Hurricane fighter aircraft, for training and conversion. The squadron disbanded at RNAS Yeovilton on 9 June 1943.

Twin Engine Conversion Unit (1944–1949)

762 Naval Air Squadron reformed, on the 15 March 1944, at RNAS Lee-on-Solent (HMS Daedalus), situated near Lee-on-the-Solent, in Hampshire, approximately four miles west of Portsmouth, as the Twin Engine Conversion Unit. Two weeks later, on the 15 March 1944, 762 Naval Air Squadron moved to RNAS Dale (HMS Goldcrest), located west of Milford Haven, Pembrokeshire, Wales and here the squadron operated a variety of aircraft, using Bristol Beaufort Mk.I & T Mk. II, a British twin-engined torpedo bomber, Bristol Beaufighter Mark IIF, a British multirole combat aircraft, Bristol Blenheim Mk.IV, a light bomber and Airspeed Oxford, a twin-engined trainer aircraft. and from August, Vickers Wellington GR Mark XI a British twin-engined, long-range medium bomber.
762 Naval Air Squadron remained at RNAS Dale for just short of two years, moving to RNAS Halesworth (HMS Sparrowhawk), located north east of the town of Halesworth, Suffolk, England, on the 3 December 1945. However, six weeks later, the squadron was on the move again, this time relocating to RNAS Ford (HMS Peregrine), located at Ford, in West Sussex, England.
At this time the squadron was also operating de Havilland Mosquito, a multirole combat aircraft and de Havilland Sea Mosquito, a navalised Mosquito for Royal Navy use as a torpedo bomber, and it became known as the Heavy Twin Conversion Unit. It remained in this role and at RNAS Ford for around the next two and a half years,before moving to RNAS Culdrose (HMS Seahawk), near Helston on the Lizard Peninsula of Cornwall, on the 1 May 1948. 762 Naval Air Squadron disbanded, at RNAS Culdrose, on the 8 December 1949.

Aircraft operated

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

Naval air stations

762 Naval Air Squadron operated from a number of naval air stations of the Royal Navy, in Wales and England:
1942 - 1943
1944 - 1949

Commanding officers

List of Commanding officers of 762 Naval Air Squadron with date of appointment:
1942 - 1943
1944 - 1949
  • Lieutenant Commander S.J. Hawley, RNVR, from 14 March 1944
  • Lieutenant Commander T.R. Koeller, RNVR, from 7 March 1945
  • Lieutenant Commander J. Mills, RNVR, from 20 July 1945
  • Lieutenant Commander M. Johnstone,, RN, from 11 June 1948
  • Lieutenant A.L. Brown, RN, from 3 February 1949
  • disbanded - 8 December 1949
Note: Abbreviation signifies Air Branch of the RN or RNVR.