750 Naval Air Squadron


750 Naval Air Squadron is a Fleet Air Arm naval air squadron of the United Kingdom’s Royal Navy which provides training for both Royal Navy Observers and Royal Air Force Weapon Systems Officers in managing navigation, communication systems, and weapon control, to enable them to lead operations in Fleet Air Arm helicopters and Royal Air Force Intelligence, Surveillance, Target Acquisition, and Reconnaissance fixed-wing aircraft.
The Royal Navy Observer School grew out of HM Naval Seaplane Training School at RNAS Lee-on-Solent as a result of a series of changes of identity and parent unit. From 1918 until 1939 the Royal Air Force was responsible for naval aviation, including training and provision of aircrew to the Royal Navy. With the return of naval aviation to the Royal Navy on 24 May 1939, the Observer School was established as 750 Naval Air Squadron of the Fleet Air Arm. During World War II the squadron moved to Trinidad to continue training aircrew. It was temporarily disbanded in October 1945. The squadron reformed in 1952 and is currently based at RNAS Culdrose, where it trains approximately 30 Royal Navy observers every year.
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History

The School of Naval Cooperation

The Royal Navy established HM Naval Seaplane Training School on 30 July 1917 at Lee-on-Solent; the unit was responsible for the training of seaplane pilots and observers. When the Royal Naval Air Service and the Royal Flying Corps merged on 1 April 1918 to form the Royal Air Force, the school was renamed No. 209 Training Depot.
Throughout the early 1920s pilots and observers of seaplanes were trained at Lee-on-Solent under a variety of names; from 1921 the base was renamed the RAF Seaplane Training School, and from 1923, the RAF School of Naval Co-operation. Although the school now concentrated on observer training, from 1925 all naval aircrew were provided by the RAF, and training of naval officers as observers ceased. During this period the primary training aircraft was the Fairey IIID.
From 1932 Lee-on-Solent was provided with a full airfield and became the headquarters of the RAF's Coastal Command. Observer training continued apace and the airfield was home to a wide range of naval aircraft including Fairey Seals, Hawker Ospreys, Blackburn Sharks, Supermarine Walruses, and Fairey Swordfishes. Telegraphist air gunners were also trained at Lee-on-Solent in the years leading up to the Second World War.

No.1 Observer School (1939-1945)

750 Naval Air Squadron was formed at RNAS Ford on 24 May 1939 from the Royal Navy Observer School, but after Ford was bombed early in the war, it moved to RNAS Yeovilton. Changing title from a school to a squadron did not change its basic purpose, which was the training of observers for the Fleet Air Arm. The squadron initially flew Hawker Ospreys and Blackburn Sharks, but in November 1940 it moved to Piarco Savannah in Trinidad and at about the same time re-equipped with Fairey Albacores.
On 15 January 1941, 21 officers and 121 ratings from 749, 750 and 752 squadrons sailed from Liverpool on bound for Trinidad. Two days later sank Almeda Star in heavy seas north of Rockall. There were no survivors.
The squadron operated in Trinidad for the duration of World War II and was disbanded on 10 October 1945.

Royal Navy Observer School (1952-present)

The squadron reformed on 17 April 1952 at RNAS St Merryn (HMS Vulture), Cornwall, out of the Fairey Barracuda element of the Aircrewmans School, 796 Naval Air Squadron, to form 750 Naval Air Squadron, which was titled Observer School Part II. At first it was equipped with twelve Fairey Barracudas and four Avro Ansons, but in 1953 the Fairey Firefly T7 and Percival Sea Prince T1 aircraft were introduced, and in the same year the squadron moved, albeit within Cornwall, to RNAS Culdrose (HMS Seahawk). In 1955 the squadron changed its name to the Observer and Air Signal School. After discontinuing the training of air telegraphists, it changed again to the Observer School in May 1959.
The squadron moved to RNAS Hal Far (HMS Falcon), Malta in October 1959, and in 1965 it was transferred again, this time to RNAS Lossiemouth (HMS Fulmar) in Scotland. The last move came in 1972, back to RNAS Culdrose, still equipped with the Sea Prince T1. These were replaced by the Handley Page Jetstream T.2 in 1978
In April 1981, the squadron merged with the Observer School to form a unified entity. From April 1986, several Jetstream T.3 aircraft were integrated into the squadron, all of which were subsequently transferred to Heron Flight at RNAS Yeovilton by April 1993. In April 1998, 750 Naval Air Squadron took over the responsibilities of Yeovilton Station Flight, which was renamed 750 'Heron Flight'. This unit continued to operate the T.3s in a communications capacity as a detachment based at RNAS Yeovilton until its disbandment on 30 September 2008.

Observers and Weapon Systems Officer training

Formerly flying the T.2 and T.3 versions of the Handley Page Jetstream, 750 Naval Air Squadron is tasked with providing Basic Flying Training for the Fleet Air Arm's observers. After undergoing initial training at Britannia Royal Naval College, trainee aircrew officers join for a seven-month period of training in all aspects of airborne navigation, airmanship and other tactical skills. This is conducted in classrooms as well as in the air and in a computer-controlled simulator. Upon completion of this course they will be ready for advanced flying training and will be streamed for their eventual specialisation.
On completion of flying training RN observers serve in AgustaWestland Wildcat HMA2 or AgustaWestland Merlin HM2 helicopters. These aircraft help extend the eyes and ears of the fleet at sea and are integral to the ASuW and ASW capabilities of the RN
In 2011, the Jetstream aircraft were replaced with Avenger T1 aircraft, modified Beechcraft King Air 350ERs, consisting of a pilot, a qualified instructor, and a trainee, but capable of accommodating up to eight individuals in a communications capacity, as part of the UK Military Flying Training System. The Squadron operates four commercially owned but military-registered aircraft, employing a mixture of military and civilian personnel to achieve the instructional task.
RN Observers undergo a comprehensive Basic Flying Training program lasting six months, during which they engage in various phases of training. These phases include Reversionary Navigation, which does not utilise GPS or Inertial Navigation Systems, as well as System Navigation, also conducted without GPS. Trainees are instructed using a UK and Continental Navigation Trainer, and they participate in Sensor Operations that encompass maritime activities, including landing profiles on vessels and search and rescue missions. Additionally, the program incorporates Multi Task training, focusing on dynamic airborne re-tasking in response to emerging events, with a strong emphasis on developing leadership skills.
The WSO Lead-In Course for the RAF spans a duration of three months. Although it shares some similarities with the Basic Flying Training course, its emphasis diverges significantly, as Weapon Systems Officers do not operate from naval vessels but instead function as integral members of larger teams in both terrestrial and maritime contexts. During the course, trainee WSOs engage in various phases, including Navigation, Maritime, ISTAR, and Final Air Tests, all with a strong focus on Mission Command. Individuals then advance to the subsequent phase of their training within the Operational Conversion Units for either the Boeing Poseidon MRA1 or the RC-135W Rivet Joint ISTAR aircraft.

Aircraft flown

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

Naval air stations

750 Naval Air Squadron has operated from various naval air stations of the Royal Navy, throughout the United Kingdom and one overseas:
1939 - 1945
1952 - present

Commanding officers

List of commanding officers of 750 Naval Air Squadron with date of appointment:
1939 - 1945
  • Commander J.H.F. Burroughs, RN, from 24 May 1939
  • Lieutenant Commander C.A. Kingsley-Rowe, RN, from 1 February 1940
  • Lieutenant Commander T.G. Stubley, RNVR, from 30 September 1940
  • Lieutenant Commander E.K. Lee, RNVR, from 1 December 1941
  • Lieutenant Commander F.E. Darlow, RNVR, from 1 June 1943
  • Lieutenant Commander J.H. Crook, RNVR, from 6 December 1943
  • Lieutenant Commander H. Whitaker, RNVR, from 15 March 1945
  • Lieutenant Commander F.B. Gardner, RNVR, from 1 August 1945
  • disbanded - 10 October 1945
1952 - present
  • Lieutenant S.E. Adams, RN, from 1 February 1952
  • Lieutenant Commander P.H. Fradd, RN, from 17 April 1952
  • Lieutenant Commander E.F Pritchard, RN, from 19 January 1953
  • Lieutenant Commander P.A. Jordan, RN, from 10 February 1954
  • Lieutenant Commander J.C.N. Shrubsole, RN, from 15 March 1954
  • Lieutenant Commander H.P. Allingham, RN, from 29 June 1956
  • Lieutenant Commander M.F. Bowen, RN, from 14 January 1958
  • Lieutenant Commander A.T.J. Diboll, RN, from 10 September 1958
  • Lieutenant Commander E.T. Genge, RN, from 7 October 1958
  • Lieutenant Commander P. Cane, RN, from 22 October 1960
  • Lieutenant Commander A.C. Whitton, RN, from 19 October 1962
  • Lieutenant Commander K. Sindair,, RN, from 11 November 1964
  • Lieutenant Commander C.R. Mellor, RN, from 16 July 1966
  • Lieutenant Commander J.S. Humphreys, MBE, RN, from 16 August 1968
  • Lieutenant Commander N.C. Arkinson, RN, from 16 June 1970
  • Lieutenant Commander C.K. Manning, RN, from 1 September 1972
  • Lieutenant Commander J.H. Eagle, RN, from 29 March 1974
  • Lieutenant Commander L.A. Wilkinson, RN, from 20 December 1974
  • Lieutenant Commander N.L.C. Featherstone, RN, from 8 November 1976
  • Lieutenant Commander P.M. Burgess, RN, from 15 July 1979
  • Lieutenant Commander R.E. Just, RN, from 10 April 1981
  • Lieutenant Commander C.R.W. Griffin, RN, from 23 June 1982
  • Lieutenant Commander J.D.O. MacDonald, RN, from 20 August 1984
  • Lieutenant Commander A. Rees, RN, from 6 March 1986
  • Lieutenant Commander D.L.W. Sim, RN, from 7 October 1988
  • Lieutenant Commander R.D. Boag, RN, from 22 March 1990
  • Lieutenant Commander I.V. Munday, RN from 10 March 1991
  • Lieutenant Commander J.E. Ward, RN, from 23 March 1993
  • Lieutenant Commander K.W. Terrill, RN, from 26 July 1995
  • Lieutenant Commander S.P. Lacey, RN, from 28 August 1998
  • Lieutenant Commander S. Powell, RN, from 28 July 2000
  • Lieutenant Commander D.L. Carr, RN, from 4 January 2003
  • Lieutenant Commander C.J. Daniell, RN, from 24 March 2005
  • Lieutenant Commander B.J.S. Wheaton, RN, from 2 January 2007
  • Lieutenant Commander N.P.B. Armstrong, RN, from 3 June 2009
  • Lieutenant Commander C.J.H. Barber, RN, from 23 November 2011
  • Lieutenant Commander C.D. Whitson-Fay, RN, from 1 April 2014
  • Lieutenant Commander C. Newby, RN, from 29 July 2016
  • Lieutenant Commander B. Crewdson, RN
  • Lieutenant Commander D. Breward, RN, from 22 November 2022
  • Lieutenant Commander P. Clark, RN, from 6 December 2024
Note: Abbreviation signifies Air Branch of the RN or RNVR.