1770 Naval Air Squadron

1770 Naval Air Squadron
1770 NAS badge
Active10 September 1943 - 30 September 1945[1]
Country United Kingdom
Branch Royal Navy
TypeTwo-seat fighter squadron
RoleFighter Squadron
Sizetwelve aircraft
Part ofFleet Air Arm
Home stationSee Naval air stations section for full list.
Motto(s)Videre est vincere
(Latin for 'To see is to conquer')
EngagementsWorld War II
Battle honours
  • Norway 1944
  • East Indies
  • Palembang 1945
  • Okinawa 1945
Commanders
Notable
commanders		Major V.B.G. Cheesman, DSO, MBE, DSC, RM[2]
Insignia
Squadron Badge DescriptionBlue, issuant from a base barry wavy of four white and blue a trident gold on the centre tine a firefly lambent proper (1943)[3]
Identification Markingssingle letters
5A+
4A+
270-281 (March 1945)
single letters (August 1945)
Tail CodeS (March 1945)
Aircraft flown
FighterFairey Firefly
A Fairey Firefly of 1770 Naval Air Squadron awaiting the signal to take off from the flight deck of HMS Indefatigable

1770 Naval Air Squadron (1770 NAS) was a Naval Air Squadron of the Royal Navy's Fleet Air Arm. It formed at RNAS Yeovilton (HMS Heron), on 10 September 1943, as a two-seat Fighter Squadron and embarked on HMS Indefatigable in May 1944. It took part in several attacks on the German Battleship Tirpitzand other operations in Norwegian waters before sailing for the Far East. In 1945, as part of the British Pacific Fleet, the squadron took part in attacks on Sumatra, Sakishima Gunto and Formosa. It disembarked to Australia in June 1945 and then disbanded on 30 September 1945 at RNAS Maryborough (HMS Nabstock), Queensland, Australia.

History

Two-seater Fighter Squadron (1943 - 1945)

1770 Naval Air Squadron formed at RNAS Yeovilton (HMS Heron), Somerset, on 10 September 1943 as a two-seater fighter squadron, led by Lieutenant Commander(A) I.P. Godfrey, RNVR. It was equipped with twelve Fairey Firefly I, a carrier-borne fighter, anti-submarine and reconnaissance aircraft.[3]

During the middle of December the squadron flew north to the Orkney Islands. Initially based at RNAS Grimsetter (HMS Robin), near Kirkwall, Mainland. Major V.B.G. Cheesman, DSO, MBE, DSC, RM took command and it then moved the short distance to RNAS Hatston (HMS Sparrowhawk), in the middle of February 1944.[4]

The squadron embarked in the newly completed Implacable-class aircraft carrier, HMS Indefatigable, in May 1944. It took part in operations against the German battleship Tirpitz in July, as part of Operation Mascot, where it attacked German auxiliary vessels and shore-based gun positions.[3]

More sorties were later conducted off Norway, along with another attack on the Tirpitz, before Indefatigable sailed along with the squadron for the Far East, and subsequently joined the British Pacific Fleet.[4]

During April 1945, the squadron was part of the attacks on the Japanese-held oil refineries situated at Palembang on the Dutch East Indies island of Sumatra. It also operated over the Sakishima Islands between March and May 1945, and later against Formosa, the main island of Taiwan.[3]

A Fairey Firefly of 1770 Naval Air Squadron, hook down, empty rocket rails, return from air strike on a Japanese oil refinery

1770 Naval Air Squadron disembarked to RNAS Schofields (HMS Nabthorne), New South Wales, Australia, in June, where it became part of the 7th Carrier Air Group, but it disbanded, shortly after the Second World War ended, on 30 September 1945.[4]

Aircraft flown

1770 Naval Air Squadron flew only one aircraft type:[3]

  • Fairey Firefly I fighter and anti-submarine aircraft (September 1943 - September 1945)

Battle honours

The battle honours awarded to 1771 Naval Air Squadron are:[4]

1770 Naval Air Squadron operated from a number of naval air stations of the Royal Navy, in the United Kingdom, a number overseas, and a Royal Navy fleet carrier:[4][3]

A Fairey Firefly of 1770 Naval Air Squadron, on board HMS Indefatigable, on the aircraft's return from an air strike on a Japanese oil refinery, on Sumatra

Commanding officers

List of commanding officers of 1770 Naval Air Squadron with date of appointment.[4][3]

References

Citations

  1. ^ Sturtivant, Ballance 1994, p. 338.
  2. ^ Max Arthur (17 June 1999). "Obituary: Major V. B. G. Cheesman". Independent. Retrieved 15 September 2024.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g Ballance, Howard & Sturtivant 2016, p. 277.
  4. ^ a b c d e f Wragg 2019, p. 190.

Bibliography