732 Naval Air Squadron (732 NAS) was a Naval Air Squadron of the Royal Navy's Fleet Air Arm (FAA). It was initially formed in 1943 from a requirement for an Operational Training Unit for United States trained FAA pilots flying Vought Corsair fighter-bomber aircraft, at RN Air Section Brunswick, USNAS Brunswick, Maine, United States, and disbanded during 1944. In 1945 it was reformed for a brief period, as a Night Fighter Training Squadron, operating out of HMS Nighhawk, RNAS Drem, East Lothian, Scotland. Notably equipped with six Avro Anson 'flying classrooms', amongst other aircraft.
| 732 Naval Air Squadron | |
|---|---|
| Active | 23 November 1943 - 1 July 1944 15 May 1945 - 7 November 1945[1] |
| Country |  United Kingdom |
| Branch |  Royal Navy |
| Type | Fleet Air Arm Second Line Squadron |
| Role |
|
| Size | Squadron |
| Part of | Fleet Air Arm |
| Naval Air Stations | RNAS Brunswick RNAS Drem (HMS Nighthawk) |
| Commanders | |
| Notable commanders | Lieutenant Commander Mike Tritton, DSC, RNVR[2] |
| Insignia | |
| Identification Markings | 5A+ Corsair D2A+ Hellcat[3][4] |
| Aircraft flown | |
| Fighter | Vought Corsair Fairey Firefly Grumman Hellcat |
| Trainer | Avro Anson North American Harvard |
History of 732 NAS
editOperational Training Unit (1943 - 1944)
edit732 Naval Air Squadron was formed from the remnants of 1835 Naval Air Squadron, on the 23 November 1943, following the latter's disbandment on the same date, at RN Air Section Brunswick, at USNAS Brunswick, located 2 miles (3.2 km) southeast of Brunswick, Maine, United States.[5]
There was a requirement to form a Fleet Air Arm, second-line, Operational Training Unit (OTU) at Brunswick, specifically for the Vought Corsair, an American carrier-based fighter-bomber aircraft. The unit's main role was to provide training for FAA fighter pilots who had received their initial and advanced training at United States Navy airbases.[3] Having completed its purpose, 732 Naval Air Squadron disbanded at RN Air Section Brunswick, on 1 July 1944.[5]
Night Fighter Training Squadron (1945)
edit732 Naval Air Squadron reformed at RNAS Drem (HMS Nighthawk), just north of the village of Drem in East Lothian, Scotland, as a Night Fighter Training Squadron, on the 15 May 1945.[3] RNAS Drem was home to the Fleet Air Arm's, Naval Night Fighter School and Night Fighter Direction Centre. Here, the squadron operated six Avro Anson, a multi-role training aircraft, which were fitted out as classrooms, along with six North American Harvard advanced trainer aircraft, nine Grumman Hellcat fighter aircraft and a number of Fairey Firefly NF.Mk I, night fighter variant of the fighter and anti-submarine aircraft. Roughly six months later, on the 7 November 1945, the squadron disbanded whilst at RNAS Drem, becoming ‘B’ flight of 784 Naval Air Squadron, another Night Fighter Training Squadron.[6]
Aircraft flown
edit
732 Naval Air Squadron operated two marks of Corsair during 1944 as an OTU at Brunswick.[7] In 1945, at HMS Nighthawk, RNAS Drem, the squadron operated multiple types of other Fleet Air Arm aircraft:[6][4]
- Vought Corsair Mk.I carrier-based fighter bomber (November 1943-July 1944)
- Vought Corsair Mk.II carrier-based fighter bomber (November 1943-July 1944)
- Avro Anson Mk I twin-engine, multi-role aircraft (May - November 1945)
- North American Harvard III single-engined advanced trainer aircraft (May - November 1945)
- Grumman Hellcat N.F. Mk II carrier-based night fighter aircraft (May - November 1945)
- Fairey Firefly NF.Mk I carrier-borne night fighter and anti-submarine aircraft (1945)
Naval air stations
edit732 Naval Air Squadron operated from a couple of naval air stations of the Royal Navy, in the United States and Scotland:[4]
1943 - 1944
- Royal Naval Air Section Brunswick (23 November 1943 - 1 July 1944)[5]
- disbanded - (1 July 1944)
1945
- Royal Naval Air Station Drem (HMS Nighthawk) (15 May 1945 - 7 November 1945)[6]
- disbanded - (7 November 1945)
Commanding Officers
editList of Commanding Officers of 732 Naval Air Squadron with month and year of appointment and end:[3]
1943 - 1944
- Lieutenant Commander(A) M.S. Goodson, RNVR, from 23 November 1943
- Lieutenant Commander W.N. Waller, RN, from 31 January 1944
- disbanded - 1 July 1944
1945
- Lieutenant(A) M.B.W. Howell, RNVR, 15 May 1945
- Lieutenant Commander(A) A.M. Tritton, DSC, RNVR, from 1 August 1945
- disbanded - 7 November 1945
References
editCitations
edit- ^ Sturtivant & Ballance 1994, p. 54.
- ^ "Lieutenant-Commander Mike Tritton". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 18 April 2024.
- ^ a b c d Wragg 2019, p. 120.
- ^ a b c Ballance, Howard & Sturtivant 2016, p. 38.
- ^ a b c "Brunswick". Royal Navy Research Archive - Fleet Air Arm Bases 1939 - present day. Retrieved 17 April 2024.
- ^ a b c "Drem". Royal Navy Research Archive - Fleet Air Arm Bases 1939 - present day. Retrieved 17 April 2024.
- ^ Thetford 1991, p. 83.
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.
- Thetford, Owen (1991). British Naval Aircraft since 1912. London, UK: Putnam Aeronautical Books, an imprint of Conway Maritime Press Ltd. ISBN 0-85177-849-6.
- Wragg, David (2019). The Fleet Air Arm Handbook 1939-1945. Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, UK: The History Press. ISBN 978-0-7509-9303-6.