1791 Naval Air Squadron

1791 Naval Air Squadron
1791 Naval Air Squadron
Active	15 March 1945 – 23 September 1945
Country	United Kingdom
Branch	Royal Navy
Type	Two-seat fighter squadron
Role	Night fighter
Size	Squadron
Part of	Fleet Air Arm
Home station	See Naval air stations section for full list.
Commanders
Notable; commanders	Lieutenant commander(A) H.J. Hunter, RCNVR
Insignia
Squadron Badge Description	A Red Indian's head. (Wartime unofficial)
Identification Markings	single letters
Aircraft flown
Fighter	Fairey Firefly

Fairey Firefly I, an example of the type used by 1791 NAS

1791 Naval Air Squadron (1791 NAS) was a Naval Air Squadron of the Royal Navy's Fleet Air Arm (FAA). It was formed on 15 March 1945 at HMS Daedalus, RNAS Lee-on-Solent as a Night Fighter squadron. It was equipped with Fairey Firefly NF.Mk I. The squadron joined HMS Puncher in June for deck landing practice but saw no action. Following V-J Day the squadron was disbanded on 23 September 1945 at HMS Ringtail, RNAS Burscough.^[2]

History

Night Fighter Squadron (1945)

1792 Naval Air Squadron formed at RNAS Lee-on-Solent (HMS Daedalus), on 15 March 1945, as a night fighter squadron. It was equipped with Fairey Firefly NF.Mk I, a night fighter variant of the carrier-borne fighter, anti-submarine and reconnaissance aircraft,^[3] which was fitted with radar in a centre-line container.^[4]

It moved to RNAS Inskip (HMS Nightjar), Lancashire, on 19 April and from 11 June the squadron embarked in the Ruler-class escort carrier HMS Puncher, for deck landing training, for a couple of days.^[1] The squadron disembarked to RNAS Drem (HMS Nighthawk), East Lothian, Scotland, where the Naval Night Fighter School and Night Fighter Direction Centre were based. It remained in Scotland for two months before returning to Lancashire, this time going to RNAS Burscough (HMS Ringtail) on 18 August.^[5]

With the surrender of Japan there was no longer a requirement for the squadron to join the British Pacific Fleet and 1791 Naval Air Squadron disbanded at RNAS Burscough on 23 September.^[3]

Aircraft flown

1791 Naval Air Squadron flew only one aircraft type, two variants:^[1]

Fairey Firefly NF.Mk I night fighter (March - September 1945)
Fairey Firefly I fighter and anti-submarine aircraft (May - September 1945)

Naval air stations

1791 Naval Air Squadron operated from a number of naval air stations of the Royal Navy in the United Kingdom:^[1]

Royal Naval Air Station Lee-on-Solent (HMS Daedalus) (15 March - 19 April 1945)
Royal Naval Air Station Inskip (HMS Nightjar) (19 April - 11 June 1945)
- HMS Puncher (Detachment six aircraft DLT 11 - 13 June 1945)
Royal Naval Air Station Drem (HMS Nighthawk) (18 June - 18 August 1945)
Royal Naval Air Station Burscough (HMS Ringtail) (18 August - 23 September 1945)
disbanded - (23 September 1945)

Commanding officers

List of commanding officers of 1791 Naval Air Squadron with date of appointment:^[3]

Lieutenant Commander(A) H.J. Hunter, RCNVR, from 15 March 1945
disbanded - 23 September 1945

References

Citations

^ ^a ^b ^c ^d Ballance, Howard & Sturtivant 2016, p. 280.
^ Sturtivant, Ray (1994). The Squadrons of the Fleet Air Arm. Air-Britain. p. 340. ISBN 0-85130-223-8.
^ ^a ^b ^c Wragg 2019, p. 190.
^ Thetford 1991, p. 173.
^ "Drem". Royal Navy Research Archive - Fleet Air Arm Bases 1939 - present day. Retrieved 7 May 2024.

Bibliography

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.
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.