747 Naval Air Squadron (747 NAS) was a Naval Air Squadron of the Royal Navy's Fleet Air Arm which last disbanded in December 1945. 747 Naval Air Squadron was part of the Torpedo Bomber Reconnaissance Pool and formed at HMS Owl, RNAS Fearn, in March 1943, evolving into an Operational Training Unit. July saw the squadron move to HMS Nightjar, RNAS Inskip and became part of No. 1 Naval Operational Training Unit. It returned to HMS Owl in January 1944 and then to HMS Urley, RNAS Ronaldsway, in July. In November 1945 the squadron headquarters moved to HMS Jackdaw, RNAS Crail, leaving a Flight at HMS Urley.
| 747 Naval Air Squadron | |
|---|---|
| Active | 22 March 1943 – 20 December 1945[1] |
| Country |  United Kingdom |
| Branch |  Royal Navy |
| Type | Fleet Air Arm Second Line Squadron |
| Role |
|
| Size | Squadron |
| Part of | Fleet Air Arm |
| Aircraft | See Aircraft operated section for full list. |
| Commanders | |
| Notable commanders | Rear Admiral John Augustine Ievers CB, OBE[2] |
| Insignia | |
| Identification Markings | K2A+ (Barracuda December 1943) F2A+ (Barracuda January 1944) R2A+ to R7A+ (Barracuda July 1944)[3][4] |
History of 747 NAS
editTorpedo Bomber Reconnaissance Pool (1943)
edit747 Naval Air Squadron formed at RNAS Fearn (HMS Owl), in Scottish Highlands, on 22 March 1943 as a Torpedo Bomber Reconnaissance Pool squadron. It was initially equipped with three Fairey Swordfish, a biplane torpedo bomber, three Fairey Barracuda, a torpedo and dive bomber and a few Avro Anson multi-role training aircraft, fitted out as radar flying classrooms.[3]
Operational Training Unit (1943 - 1945)
editThe squadron evolved into an Operational Training Unit and on 9 July, it moved to RNAS Inskip (HMS Nightjar), in Lancashire and became part of No. 1 Naval Operational Training Unit. Here it added Fairey Albacore, a biplane torpedo bomber, to its strength.[4] It returned to RNAS Fearn (HMS Owl) with No. 1 OTU when the OTU moved there on 26 January 1944. The unit remained until the summer when it then relocated to RNAS Ronaldsway (HMS Urley) on the Isle of Man during July 1944.[3]
When the squadron headquarters moved to RNAS Crail (HMS Jackdaw), in Fife, Scotland, in November 1945, the Avro Anson equipped ’B’ Flight remained at RNAS Ronaldsway. 747 Naval Air Squadron disbanded on 20 December 1945.[4]
Aircraft operated
editThe squadron operated a variety of different aircraft and versions:[4]
- Fairey Barracuda Mk I torpedo and dive bomber (March - July 1943)
- Fairey Albacore torpedo bomber (March - September 1943)
- Fairey Swordfish I torpedo bomber (March 1943 - February 1944)
- Avro Anson Mk I multi-role training aircraft (March 1943 - December 1945)
- Fairey Barracuda Mk II torpedo and dive bomber (March 1943 - December 1945)
- Fairey Swordfish II torpedo bomber (June - July 1943)
- Supermarine Walrus I amphibious maritime patrol aircraft (July 1943 - April 1944)
- Fairey Barracuda Mk III torpedo and dive bomber (January - December 1945)
- Stinson Reliant I liaison and training aircraft (September - December 1945)
Naval air stations
edit747 Naval Air Squadron operated from a number of naval air stations of the Royal Navy, in Scotland, England and on the Isle of Man:[4]
- Royal Naval Air Station Fearn (HMS Owl) (22 March 1943 - 9 June 1943)
- Royal Naval Air Station Inskip (HMS Nightjar) (9 June 1943 - 26 January 1944)
- Royal Naval Air Station Fearn (HMS Owl) (26 January 1944 - 14 July 1944)
- Royal Naval Air Station Ronaldsway (HMS Urley) (14 July 1944 - 15 November 1944)
- Royal Naval Air Station Crail (HMS Jackdaw) (15 November 1945 - 20 December 1945)
- Royal Naval Air Station Ronaldsway (HMS Urley) ('B' Flight 15 November - 20 December 1945)
- disbanded (20 December 1945)
Commanding Officers
editList of Commanding Officers of 747 Naval Air Squadron with date, month and year of appointment:[3][5]
- Lieutenant Commander J.A. Ievers, RN, from 22 March 1943
- Lieutenant Commander(A) F.A. Swanton, DSC, RN, from 13 September 1943
- Lieutenant Commander(A) T.M. Bassett, RNZNVR, from 1 March 1944
- Lieutenant Commander(A) R.D. Kingdon, DSC, RNVR, from 6 November 1944
- Lieutenant Commander(A) J.E. Barker, RNVR, from 18 April 1945
- Lieutenant Commander(A) J.O. Sparke, RNVR, from 1 August 1945
- disbanded - 20 December 1945
References
editCitations
edit- ^ Sturtivant & Ballance 1994, p. 68.
- ^ "Royal Navy (RN) Officers 1939-1945 - I". unithistories.com World War II unit histories & officers. Retrieved 19 March 2024.
- ^ a b c d Wragg 2019, p. 123.
- ^ a b c d e Ballance, Howard & Sturtivant 2016, p. 51.
- ^ Ballance, Howard & Sturtivant 2016, p. 21.
Bibliography
edit- Ballance, Theo; Howard, Lee; Sturtivant, Ray (2016). The Squadrons and Units of the Fleet Air Arm. Air Britain Historians Limited. ISBN 978-0-85130-489-2.
- Sturtivant, R; Ballance, T (1994). The Squadrons of The Fleet Air Arm. Tonbridge, Kent, UK: Air-Britain (Historians) Ltd. ISBN 0-85130-223-8.
- Wragg, David (2019). The Fleet Air Arm Handbook 1939-1945. Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, UK: The History Press. ISBN 978-0-7509-9303-6.