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| 1701 Naval Air Squadron | |
|---|---|
 Supermarine Sea Otter; an example of the type used by 1701 NAS | |
| Active | 1945–1946 |
| Disbanded | 27 August 1946 |
| Country |  United Kingdom |
| Branch |  Royal Navy |
| Type | AmphibianBomberReconnaissanceSquadron |
| Role | Air Sea Rescue |
| Size | eight aircraft |
| Part of | Fleet Air Arm |
| Home station | SeeNaval air stations section for full list. |
| Insignia | |
| Identification Markings | P3A+ (RNAS Ponum) 340+ ('A' Flight November 1945)[1] |
| Aircraft flown | |
| Patrol | Supermarine Sea Otter |
| Trainer | Airspeed Oxford de Havilland Tiger Moth |
1701 Naval Air Squadron (1701 NAS) was aFleet Air Arm (FAA)naval air squadron of the United Kingdom’sRoyal Navy (RN). It was formed in February 1945 at HMSDaedalus, RNAS Lee-on-Solent, as an amphibian bomber reconnaissance squadron.[2] It was equipped with Supermarine Sea Otter, and the squadron joined HMSBegum in April 1945 bound for the Far East.[2] The squadron was intended to join the newly established Mobile Naval Air Bases forAir Sea Rescue duties. 'B' Flight joined MONAB IV (HMSNabaron) at RNAS Ponam in the Admiralty Islands in May 1945 and embarked in HMSReaper in October 1945. 'A' Flight joined MONAB VI (HMSNabstock) at RNAS Maryborough, Queensland, Australia in June 1945.[2] The flights re-grouped in the autumn of 1945 at HMSNabcatcher, RNAS Kai Tak, Hong Kong, where it disbanded during August 1946.
1701 Naval Air Squadron formed on 1 August 1945 as an Air Sea Rescue (ASR) squadron atRNAS Lee-on-Solent (HMSDaedalus),Hampshire, England.[3] It was initially equipped with sixSupermarine Sea Otter, anamphibiousmaritime patrol andair sea rescue aircraft, planned for operations in thePacific.[4] The squadron personnel consistedcommanding officerLieutenant(A) L.F. Plant,RNVR, sixpilots and six Telegraphist Air Gunners. In late March the initial six Supermarine Sea Otter were withdrawn and replaced with eight new ones, before the squadron travelled toRNAS Belfast (HMSGadwall),Belfast, Northern Ireland,[5] where it prepared for embarking on theRuler-classescort carrier,HMS Begum for passage to the Pacific for operations with theBritish Pacific Fleet.[1]
1701 Naval Air Squadron personnel and aircraft all embarked in HMSBegum on 17 April, and sailed from theClyde, viaGibraltar,Suez Canal,Colombo and arrived atManus Island in theAdmiralty Islands.[5] The squadron was divided into two flights of four aircraft; ‘B’ flight disembarked from HMSBegum on 28 May toRNAS Ponum (HMSNabaron), Ponam Island, a formerUnited States Navy airstrip transferred to the Royal Navy (RN) on loan,[6] which was home toMobile Naval Air Base No. IV (MONAB IV)[7] to which the Flight became attached to providing air sea rescue duties.[4]
On 15 June, ’A’ flight disembarked from HMSBegum toRNAS Maryborough (HMSNabstock),Maryborough, Queensland Australia, which was where Mobile Naval Air Base No. VI (MONAB VI) was situated.[8] Here the flight provided air sea rescue operations and also provided a detachment of two aircraft toRNAS Bankstown (HMSNabberley),Sydney,New South Wales, Australia.[9] On 1 November 'A' Flight left RNAS Maryborough for the final time, relocating to Transportable Aircraft Maintenance Yard No. 1 (TAMY 1) atRNAMY Archerfield (HMSNabsford),Brisbane, Queensland, Australia, to prepare for redeployment toHong Kong.[10]
Following thesurrender of Japan, RNAS Ponum, on Manus, was beginning to rundown to closure with everything preparing to move to Australia. On 3 October 1945 ‘B’ flight was embarked in theRuler-class escort carrierHMS Reaper for Hong Kong. On 4 November 'A' Flight left Australia for Hong Kong to rejoin the rest of the squadron, embarked in theAttacker-classescort carrierHMS Striker.[5] 'B' Flight disembarked from HMSReaper on 13 October and 'A' Flight disembarked from HMSStriker on 16 November, toRNAS Kai Tak (HMSNabcatcher), MONAB VIII, situated atKai Tak Airport, Hong Kong, with the HQ flight having been established on 1 November.[11] The airfield at Kai Tak was a joint Royal Navy /Royal Air Force (RAF) station, the RN (West) side of the station housed Mobile Naval Air Base No. VIII (MONAB VIII). Here the squadron reverted to second-line duties.[5]
Between 17 - 31 December it provided a detachment in theAttacker-class escort carrierHMS Chaser. In April the following year the squadron received anAirspeed Oxford, a twin-engine multi-roletraining aircraft, and this was joined by ade Havilland Tiger Mothbiplane trainer aircraft, in July.[1] 1701 Naval Air Squadron disbanded on 27 August 1946, its Supermarine Sea Otter aircraft were absorbed into721 Naval Air Squadron, the resident Fleet Requirements Unit, as an ASR flight.[5]
The squadron has operated a number of different aircraft types, including:[1]
1701 Naval Air Squadron operated from a singlenaval air station of the Royal Navy in the United Kingdom, many overseas and a number ofescort carriers:[1]
List ofcommanding officers of 1701 Naval Air Squadron with date of appointment:[4][1]
Note: Abbreviation (A) signifies Air Branch of the RN or RNVR.[12]