753 Naval Air Squadron

753 Naval Air Squadron
753 Naval Air Squadron
Active	24 May 1939 - 9 August 1946
Country	United Kingdom
Branch	Royal Navy
Type	Fleet Air Arm Second Line Squadron
Role	Observer Training Squadron
Size	Squadron
Part of	Fleet Air Arm
Commanders
Notable; commanders	Commander G.N.P. Stringer, OBE, DFC
Insignia
Identification Markings	W4A+; A4A+ to A7A+ (Feb 1943)
Aircraft flown
Attack	Blackburn Shark; Fairey Swordfish; Fairey Albacore; Fairey Barracuda
Fighter	Hawker Nimrod
Patrol	Fairey Seal

753 Naval Air Squadron (753 NAS) was a Naval Air Squadron of the Royal Navy's Fleet Air Arm. It was active as an Observer Training Squadron from 1939 to 1946 as part of No. 2 Observer School, forming out of the School of Naval Co-operation RAF, in May 1939. Initially at RNAS Lee-on-Solent (HMS Daedalus), the squadron moved to RNAS Arbroath (HMS Condor) just over one year later in August 1940,^[3] following a German bombing attack on the air station.^[2] It spent four years operating out of Arbroath, before relocating again, this time to RNAS Rattray (HMS Merganser), where the squadron disbanded in August 1946.^[3]

History of 753 NAS

Observer Training Squadron (1939 - 1946)

753 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 24 May 1939 as an Observer Training Squadron and being part of No.2 Observer School. It was initially equipped with Blackburn Shark Mk II, a biplane torpedo bomber and Fairey Seal spotter-reconnaissance aircraft. In the following December the squadron then acquired Fairey Swordfish I, another torpedo bomber.^[4]

753 Naval Air Squadron moved to RNAS Arbroath (HMS Condor), located near Arbroath in East Angus, Scotland, on 19 August 1940.^[5] Discarding the Fairey Seal, but keeping the Blackburn Shark Mk II and the Fairey Swordfish I during the move, the squadron then also operated Fairey Albacore Mk I, a biplane torpedo bomber, from August 1941, which was soon followed by de Havilland Tiger Moth in the December. In November 1943 Stinson Reliant I was received and was used by the squadron for almost one year, up until September 1944. Lastly, from December 1944, the squadron operated Fairey Barracuda Mk II up until disbandment.^[4]

On the 1 November 1945, 753 Naval Air Squadron left RNAS Arbroath and moved to RNAS Rattray (HMS Merganser), near Crimond, Aberdeenshire.^[5] The squadron remained at the base, operating Fairey Barracuda, until disbanding on 9 August 1946.^[4]

Aircraft operated

753 Naval Air Squadron has operated a small number of different aircraft types, including:^[4]^[6]

Blackburn Shark Mk II torpedo bomber (May 1939 - January 1942)
Fairey Seal spotter-reconnaissance aircraft (May 1939 - March 1941)
Hawker Nimrod fighter aircraft (September 1939 - May 1940)
Fairey Swordfish I torpedo bomber (August 1941 - June 1945)
Fairey Albacore Mk I torpedo bomber (August 1941 - December 1944)
Fairey Barracuda Mk II torpedo and dive bomber (December 1944 - August 1946)

Naval air stations

753 Naval Air Squadron operated from a number of naval air stations of the Royal Navy, in Scotland and England:^[2]

Royal Naval Air Station Lee-on-Solent (HMS Daedalus) (24 May 1939 - 23 August 1940)
Royal Naval Air Station Arbroath (HMS Condor) (23 August 1940 - 1 November 1945)
Royal Naval Air Station Rattray (HMS Merganser) (1 November 1945 - 10 August 1946)
disbanded (10 August 1946)

Commanding Officers

List of Commanding officers of 753 Naval Air Squadron with month and year of appointment and end:^[4]^[2]

Lieutenant Commander G.N.P. Stringer, , RN, from 24 May 1939
Captain A.C. Newson, RM, from 22 October 1940
Lieutenant Commander(A) L.A. Cubitt, RN, from 6 May 1941
Lieutenant Commander(A) A.C. Mills, RNVR, from 30 September 1941
Lieutenant Commander(A) F.R. Steggall, RNVR, from 15 July 1942
Lieutenant Commander(A) R.E. Stewart, RNVR, from 31 March 1944
Lieutenant Commander(A) A.J. Phillips, RN, from 12 August 1945
disbanded - 10 August 1946

References

Citations

^ Sturtivant & Ballance 1994, p. 73.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d Ballance 2016, p. 56.
^ ^a ^b Wragg 2019, p. 124.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e "753 Naval Air Squadron". www.wings-aviation.ch. Retrieved 22 January 2023.
^ ^a ^b "RNAS Arbroath". www.royalnavyresearcharchive.org.uk. Retrieved 23 January 2023.
^ Ballance 2016, p. 46.

Bibliography

Ballance, Theo (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.
Wragg, David (2019). The Fleet Air Arm Handbook 1939-1945. Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, UK: The History Press. ISBN 978-0-7509-9303-6.