766 Naval Air Squadron (766 NAS) was a Naval Air Squadron of the Royal Navy's Fleet Air Arm. It was to have initially formed in 1939 at RNAS Lee-on-Solent, as a Seaplane School, however, it formed at RNAS Machrihannish as a Night ALT (Attack Light Torpedo) Course, in 1942. It moved to RNAS Inskip, in 1943, to become part of No. 1 Naval Operational Training Unit. By 1944, it was operating over 30 swordfish aircraft, but, during the year, also acquired Firefly aircraft from 1772 NAS, and Sea Hurricane aircraft from 760 NAS. It moved to RNAS Rattray early in 1946, but later that year, moved to RNAS Lossiemouth where it received Seafire aircraft, along with being Part 1 of the Operational Flying School. By late 1951, Sea Fury trainer aircraft were also added to its varied list of types operated. In 1953, the squadron moved to RNAS Culdrose, where it disbanded in 1954.
In 1955, it reformed at RNAS Yeovilton, with Sea Venom aircraft from 890 NAS, to form an All Weather Fighter Pool. Yeovilton's runways were undergoing reconstruction in 1956, so the squadron relocated to RNAS Merryfield, which was a satellite station of Yeovilton. In October 1957, the squadron became the Naval All Weather Fighter School, a task previously performed by 238 Operational Conversion Unit, at RAF North Luffenham. The title changed to All Weather Fighter Training Squadron, in 1958, when it returned to Yeovilton. When the initial Sea Vixen aircraft arrived, they were designated as 766B NAS, until the remaining Sea Venom were finally withdrawn, in October 1960. Sea Vixen FAW.2 aircraft were added to the initial FAW.1 aircraft, in 1965. The squadron disbanded at Yeovilton, in December 1970, when its task ended and its aircraft were transferred to 890 NAS.
Aircraft had the code VL on tail and a 3-digit number assigned to each aircraft. VL-###
History of 766 NAS
Night Torpedo Course (1942–1943)
766 Naval Air Squadron formed, on 15 April 1942, at RNAS Machrihanish (HMS Landrail), situated close to Campbeltown, on the Kintyre peninsula, in Argyll and Bute, Scotland, as a Night Torpedo Course. The squadron was initially equipped with Swordfish and Albacore aircraft for this role. The course the squadron delivered was the Night ALT (Attack Light Torpedo) Course. In the August it added Fulmar aircraft to its inventory.
Operational Training Unit (1943–1946)
Around fifteen months after forming, 766 NAS moved to RNAS Inskip (HMS Nightjar), near Inskip, a small village in the Fylde area of Lancashire, England, to become part of No.1 Naval Operational Training Unit, on the 7 July 1943. By October of that year, the Albacore aircraft were withdrawn from squadron use, however, in the following January, in 1944, the squadron received Anson aircraft to work alongside the Swordfish and Fulmar, and by the middle of the year, it had thirty-one Swordfish on strength, which included three that were used by a Photographic Flight.
In the autumn of 1944, there were significant changes to the squadron's aircraft inventory. September 1944 saw the withdrawal of the Fulmar aircraft, however, during October, Firefly aircraft arrived, with the initial use of fourteen aircraft that had been given up by 1772 Naval Air Squadron. At the same time, the Albacore aircraft were withdrawn. November bought the arrival of Sea Hurricane aircraft, from the disbanding 760 Naval Air Squadron, at Inskip. 766 NAS remained at Inskip for roughly another twelve months, then moved to RNAS Rattray (HMS Merganser), located near Crimond in Aberdeenshire, Scotland, on 20 January 1946.
Operational Flying School (1946–1954)
It operated out of Rattray for seven months before relocating again, on the 4 August 1946, with the squadron moving to RNAS Lossiemouth (HMS Fulmar), located by the town of Lossiemouth in Moray, north-east Scotland and becoming Part I of the Operational Flying School course. Here the squadron was equipped with Seafire aircraft, from August, to operate alongside its existing Firefly. Around the middle of 1947, later variants of the Seafire arrived and by September, the earlier versions had been withdrawn.
Seafire and Firefly continued as the squadron's main aircraft for the next few years, however, in late 1951 Sea Fury aircraft arrived and within a few months, by November, the Seafire aircraft were withdrawn. In July 1952, the squadron gave up its Sea Fury aircraft and the main focus was on the Firefly. The following year, after around seven years at Lossiemouth, on the 3 October 1953, 766 NAS moved to RNAS Culdrose (HMS Seahawk), near Helston on the Lizard Peninsula of Cornwall, England, however, just over one year later, the squadron disbanded on the 25 November 1954.