| 752 Naval Air Squadron | |
|---|---|
 Percival Proctor, an example of the type used by 752 NAS | |
| Active | 1939–1945 |
| Disbanded | 9 October 1945[1] |
| Country |  United Kingdom |
| Branch |  Royal Navy |
| Type | Fleet Air Arm Second Line Squadron |
| Role | Observer Training Squadron |
| Size | Squadron |
| Part of | Fleet Air Arm |
| Home station | SeeNaval air stations section for full list. |
| Insignia | |
| Identification Markings | W0-A+,W3A+,W3AA+ &W3AB+ (Proctor) W5A+,W5AA &W5BA (other aircraft)[2] A+,AA+ &BA+ (Reliant)[3] |
| Aircraft flown | |
| Attack | Fairey Albacore |
| Trainer | |
752 Naval Air Squadron (752 NAS) was aFleet Air Arm (FAA)naval air squadron of the United Kingdom’sRoyal Navy (RN). Formed in May 1939, at RNAS Ford (HMSPeregrine) as anObserver Training Squadron, it was active through to 1945 as part ofNo. 1 Observer School. Ford was attacked in August 1940 and the squadron moved to RNAS Lee-on-Solent (HMSDaedalus) for a one month stay. From November 1940, through to disbandment in October 1945, it operated atRNAS Piarco (HMSGoshawk), Trinidad.
752 Naval Air Squadron formed atRNAS Ford (HMSPeregrine), located atFord, inWest Sussex,England, on 24 May 1939 as anObserver Training Squadron, part of No. 1 Observer School and operatedPercival Proctor, a British radio trainer and communications aircraft, andFairey Albacore, a single-enginebiplanetorpedo bomber aircraft.[4]
On the 18 August 1940, a formation ofJunkers Ju 87, or Stuka, dive bombers, attacked RNAS Ford as part of a largeLuftwaffe forceattackingairfields aroundHampshire andSussex. 28personnel were killed and 75 wounded in theraid, which also destroyed 17aircraft, damaged 26 more and caused significantinfrastructure damage.[4]
The squadron remained at RNAS Ford for around one more month, before moving toRNAS Lee-on-Solent (HMSDaedalus), situated nearLee-on-the-Solent inHampshire, approximately 4 miles (6 km) west ofPortsmouth, on 30 September 1939.[4]
The squadron's function was the training ofobservers for the Fleet Air Arm. It remained part of the No. 1 Observer School, now operating out of RNAS Piarco (HMSGoshawk), an airfield located in the adjacent town ofPiarco, 30 km (19 mi) east ofDowntown Port of Spain, on the island ofTrinidad, after moving from RNAS Lee-on-Solent on 5 November 1940. Here, as part of the school, it worked alongside two more Observer Training Squadrons:749 Naval Air Squadron and750 Naval Air Squadron, along with an Air Towed Target Unit,793 Naval Air Squadron. As well as Percival Proctor and Fairey Albacore, the squadron also operatedde Havilland Tiger Moth, a Britishbiplane operated as a primarytrainer aircraft, here.[5]
In January 1941, theocean liner and arefrigerated cargo ship,SS Almeda Star, left Liverpool carrying within its passenger complement, 142 members of theFleet Air Arm to RNAS Piarco. They consisted of 21 officers and 121 ratings from749 Naval Air Squadron,750 Naval Air Squadron and 752 Naval Air Squadron.[6] On 17 January 1941Almeda Star was about 35 nautical miles (65 km) north ofRockall when theGerman submarine U-96, commanded byKptltHeinrich Lehmann-Willenbrock, torpedoed and sunk her. All 360 people aboard were lost.[6]
752 Naval Air Squadron operated from RNAS Piarco for the remainder of theSecond World War, eventually disbanding there on 9 October 1945.[5]
752 Naval Air Squadron operated a small number of different aircraft types, including:[3]
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752 Naval Air Squadron operated from a number ofnaval air stations of the Royal Navy, both in the UK and overseas:[3]
List ofcommanding officers of 752 Naval Air Squadron with date of appointment:[7][2]
Note: Abbreviation (A) signifies Air Branch of the RN or RNVR.[8]