775 Naval Air Squadron


775 Naval Air Squadron was a Fleet Air Arm naval air squadron of the United Kingdom’s Royal Navy which last disbanded in March 1946. 775 Naval Air Squadron formed at HMS Grebe, RNAS Dekheila, during November 1940, as a Fleet Requirements Unit in support of the Mediterranean Fleet, based at Alexandria, Egypt. Between October 1941 and March 1942 the squadron also included the RN Fighter Flight. It absorbed 728 Naval Air Squadron in July 1943 and moved to RN Air Section Gibraltar at the start of February 1944. The squadron returned to HMS Grebe, RNAS Dekheila during August 1945.

History

Fleet Requirements Unit (1940–1946)

775 Naval Air Squadron formed on 25 November 1940 as a Fleet Requirements Unit, for the Mediterranean Fleet at Alexandria, at RNAS Dekheila (HMS Grebe), Egypt, the unit also having a Torpedo Bomber Reconnaissance training Flight. It was initially equipped with four Blackburn Roc, a naval turret fighter aircraft but for target towing duties and marking, and in 1941 it received seven Fairey Swordfish, a biplane torpedo bomber, two Fairey Fulmar, a British carrier-based reconnaissance and fighter aircraft, two Gloster Sea Gladiator, a biplane fighter aircraft, and also Fairey Albacore, biplane torpedo bomber and de Havilland Queen Bee version of the Tiger Moth. From October 1941 the squadron also contained the RN Fighter Flight's Fairey Fulmar, until 13 March 1942, when this became 889 Naval Air Squadron.
A detachment operated at RAF St Jean, in Palestine, now Israel, in late 1942, and on 4 July 1943, the squadron absorbed 728 Naval Air Squadron. Boulton Paul Defiant TT Mk I, a two-seat night fighter aircraft converted to target tug, were acquired during 1943, and after moving to R.N. Air Section Gibraltar, which had lodger facilities at RAF North Front, Gibraltar, on 1 February 1944, Miles Martinet TT.Mk I, a dedicated target tug aircraft, were received. These aircraft were followed up with a few Bristol Beaufighter TF Mk.X, a British torpedo fighter aircraft, Hawker Hurricane Mk.I, a fighter aircraft and Supermarine Seafire Mk Ib and Mk IIc, a navalised version of the Supermarine Spitfire Mk Vc fighter aircraft, before the squadron relocated back to RNAS Dekheila on 5 August 1945. It immediately absorbed an existing Communications Squadron, however around six months later 775 Naval Air Squadron disbanded at RNAS Dekheila in March 1946 while its Communications Flight continued at R.N. Air Section Aboukir, a lodger at RAF Aboukir near Alexandria, Egypt, operating with Airspeed Oxford aircraft, until 15 May.

Aircraft operated

The squadron operated a variety of different aircraft and versions:

775 Comms Flight

Naval air stations

775 Naval Air Squadron operated from a number of naval air stations of the Royal Navy overseas:

775 Comms Flight

775 Naval Air Squadron Comms Flight operated from a number of naval air stations of the Royal Navy overseas:

Commanding officers

List of commanding officers of 774 Naval Air Squadron, with date of appointment:
  • Not identified, from 25 November 1940
  • Lieutenant A.H. Abrams, RN, from 27 July 1941
  • [Lieutenant commander (Royal Navy)| Lieutenant (navy)|Lieutenant Commander] H.L. McCulloch, RN, from 27 October 1941
  • Lieutenant Commander J.W.G. Wellham,, RN, from 29 November 1942
  • Lieutenant Commander J.M. Waddell, RNVR, from 8 December 1942
  • Lieutenant Commander J.L. Wordsworth, RNVR, from 24 March 1945
  • disbanded March 1946
Note: Abbreviation signifies Air Branch of the RN or RNVR.