730 Naval Air Squadron
| 730 Naval Air Squadron | |
|---|---|
| Active | 17 April 1944 - 1 August 1945[1] |
| Country |  United Kingdom |
| Branch |  Royal Navy |
| Type | Fleet Air Arm Second Line Squadron |
| Role | Communications Squadron |
| Size | Squadron |
| Part of | Fleet Air Arm |
| Garrison/HQ | RNAS Abbotsinch RNAS Ayr |
730 Naval Air Squadron (730 NAS) was a Naval Air Squadron of the Royal Navy's Fleet Air Arm. It was active between 1944 and 1945 as a Communications Squadron.[2] The squadron was formed and operated out of RNAS Abbotsinch (HMS Sanderling) from April to November 1944, by that point in time it operated four types of aircraft. It moved to RNAS Ayr (HMS Wagtail) and while there gained two more aircraft types. For the first three months of 1945 a detachment operated out of RNAS Machrihanish (HMS Landrail), however, the squadron remained at RNAS Ayr until disbanding in August 1945.
History of 730 NAS[edit]
Communications Squadron (1944 - 1945)[edit]
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730 Naval Air Squadron was formed on the 17 April 1944 at RNAS Abbotsinch (HMS Sanderling)[3] located in Paisley, Renfrewshire, in Scotland, where the squadron operated Stinson Reliant, a single-engine four- to five-seat high-wing monoplane aircraft and Beech Expediter II, a twin-engined, low-wing, tailwheel light aircraft.
Later that year, in August, Beech Traveller aircraft were acquired, an American biplane with an atypical negative wing stagger and these were soon followed by Fairey Firefly, a carrier-borne fighter aircraft and anti-submarine aircraft, in the September. The squadron remained stationed at RNAS Abbotsinch for around seven months before moving to RNAS Ayr (HMS Wagtail) situated in Prestwick, South Ayrshire, in Scotland, on the 20 November 1944. From January 1945, Oxford, a twin-engine monoplane aircraft and Swordfish, a biplane torpedo bomber aircraft, were added and these were in use until the squadron was dissolved.
From the 1 January to the 8 March 1945, a detachment from 730 NAS, out of RNAS Ayr, operated from RNAS Machrihanish (HMS Landrail), located close to Campbeltown in Argyll and Bute, Scotland.[4]
On the 1 August 1945, 730 NAS disbanded at RNAS Ayr.[2]
Aircraft flown[edit]
The squadron has flown a number of different aircraft types, including:
- Stinson Reliant liaison and training aircraft (April 1944-August 1945)
- Beech Expediter II[5] trainer, transport and utility aircraft (April 1944-August 1945)
- Supermarine Walrus[6] amphibious maritime patrol aircraft (1944)
- Beech Traveller Mk. I[5] utility aircraft (August 1944-August 1945)
- Fairey Firefly F.I[7] fighter aircraft (September 1944-August 1945)
- Airspeed Oxford[8] training aircraft (January 1945-August 1945)
- Fairey Swordfish I[9] torpedo bomber (January 1945-August 1945)
[edit]
730 Naval Air Squadron operated from two naval air stations of the Royal Navy, both in Scotland:[2]
- Royal Naval Air Station ABBOTSINCH (HMS Sanderling) (17 April 1944 - 20 November 1944)
- Royal Naval Air Station AYR (HMS Wagtail (20 November 1944 - 1 August 1945)
- disbanded - (1 August 1945)
Commanding Officers[edit]
List of commanding officers of 730 Naval Air Squadron with month and year of appointment and end:[2]
- Lieutenant G. Windsor, RNVR (Apr 1944 - Dec 1944)
- Lieutenant C. White, RNVR (Dec 1944 - May 1945)
- Lieutenant J. C. Kennedy, RN (May 1945 - Aug 1945)
References[edit]
Citations[edit]
- ^ Sturtivant, Ballance 1994, p. 53.
- ^ a b c d "730 Naval Air Squadron". www.wings-aviation.ch. Retrieved 21 December 2022.
- ^ a b Thetford 1991, p. 404.
- ^ Thetford 1991, p. 325.
- ^ Thetford 1991, p. 177.
- ^ Thetford 1991, p. 397.
- ^ Thetford 1991, p. 149.
Bibliography[edit]
- 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.
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