746 Naval Air Squadron (746 NAS) was a Fleet Air Arm (FAA) naval air squadron of the United Kingdom’s Royal Navy (RN) which disbanded in January 1946. It formed initially as the Naval Night Fighter Interception Unit, in November 1942 at HMS Daedalus, RNAS Lee-on-Solent. It moved to R. N. Air Section Ford in December to join the RAF Fighter Interception Unit. [4] The squadron came under the control of the Naval Fighter Direction Centre at HMS Heron, RNAS Yeovilton, in 1943 and was tasked with the development of tactics and analysis of the experiences of pilots from the carrier squadrons. It moved to RAF Wittering in May 1944, with a detachment at RAF Defford for radar development duties. In October the squadron returned to R. N. Air Section Ford and in January 1945, deployed 'A' flight to HMS Sparrowhawk, RNAS Hatston to provide ADDL, carrier deck landing training. 746 Naval Air Squadron became the Naval Night Fighter Development Squadron in May 1945, evaluating aircraft and their equipment, while detachments of pairs of aircraft were deployed aboard escort carriers after 'A' flight became an operational sub-unit.
History
Naval Night Fighter Interception Unit (1942–1945)
746 Naval Air Squadron formed at RNAS Lee-on-Solent (HMS Daedalus), situated near Lee-on-the-Solent in Hampshire, approximately four miles west of Portsmouth, on 23 November 1942 as a Night Fighter Interception Unit.[5] Almost immediately, on 1 December 1942, the squadron moved to R. N. Air Section Ford, as the Admiralty had lodger facilities at RAF Ford, located at Ford, in West Sussex, England.[6] The squadron was initially equipped with the Night Fighter variant of the Fairey Fulmar fighter aircraft, the NF Mk.II and its allocation of these aircraft also included the Target Tug variant.[3]
Initially the unit had been formed to work alongside the RAF Fighter Interception Unit, however, later on, 746 Naval Air Squadron operated the Fairey Firefly Night Fighter version, the Firefly NF Mk. II[3] and at this point it also started to work closely with the Naval Fighter Direction Centre at RNAS Yeovilton (HMS Heron) and tasked with developing naval night fighter tactics and use first hand experience from Naval Night Fighter Units.[7] Some of the squadron's pilots undertook operational sorties with the RAF Fighter Interception Unit, during October 1943.[3]
'A' Flight then participated in a number of separate aircraft carrier deployments, during the first four months of 1945.[5] From the 5 to the 12 January 1945, 'A' Flight from 746 NAS, was deployed on the Ruler-classescort carrier, HMS Smiter, operating with Fairey Firefly NF.II. 'A' Flight then spent two days, 25 and 26 January 1945, operating from the Attacker-classescort carrier, HMS Ravager, again with Fairey Firefly NF.II.[5] Between 17 January and 13 February the Flight embarked in the Ruler-class escort carrier, HMS Premier and 9 February embarked in another Ruler-class, HMS Searcher.[3]
'A' Flight spent a further week, from the 17 to the 23 February, deployed back to, HMS Premier, again operating the Firefly Night Fighter variant.[5] March saw an approximately a two week operation, aboard HMS Searcher, for 'A' Flight. As on previous deployments, the Night Fighter mark of Firefly was used, this took place from 14 to 30 of the month.[5] 'A' Flight returned to HMS Searcher on 5 April remaining on board, with the Firefly Night Fighter, until 13 April, including an overlap at the end of the deployment with a brief return to HMS Premier for two days, 12 and 13 April.[5]
Naval Night Fighter Development Squadron (1945–1946)
The squadron became known as the Naval Night Fighter Development Squadron in early 1945, tasked with evaluating aircraft and equipment and after 'A' Flight became an operational sub-unit, pairs of aircraft were deployed on escort carriers.[8] It received Grumman Hellcat N.F. Mk II, the night fighter version of the American carrier-based fighter aircraft, around this time and continued to work with the RAF Fighter Interception Development Squadron.[3] On 23 August 1945, 746 NAS moved from RNAS Ford to RAF West Raynham, located 2 miles (3.2 km) west of West Raynham, Norfolk, working with the Central Fighter Establishment at RAF Great Massingham. The squadron assisted in carrying out development and trials on radar interception, for use in Naval aircraft. It disbanded on 30 January 1946,[5] being absorbed by 787 Naval Air Squadron.[9]
Aircraft operated
The squadron has operated a number of different aircraft types, including:[3][5]
746 Naval Air Squadron deployed 'A' Flight to RNAS Hatston (HMS Sparrowhawk) to provide ADDL, and pre-embarkation exercises, before embarking pairs of aircraft in a number of Royal Navy escort carriers:[3]
Royal Naval Air Station Hatston (HMS Sparrowhawk) (5 January 1945 - 10 May 1945
Ballance, Theo; Howard, Lee; Sturtivant, Ray (2016). The Squadrons and Units of the Fleet Air Arm. Air Britain Historians Limited. ISBN978-0-85130-489-2.
Sturtivant, R; Ballance, T (1994). The Squadrons of The Fleet Air Arm. Tonbridge, Kent, UK: Air-Britain (Historians) Ltd. ISBN0-85130-223-8.
Thetford, Owen (1991). British Naval Aircraft since 1912. London, UK: Putnam Aeronautical Books, an imprint of Conway Maritime Press Ltd. ISBN0-85177-849-6.
