773 Naval Air Squadron

As the waters around the Imperial fortress colony of Bermuda (the main base and Royal Naval Dockyard of the America and West Indies Station) became a working-up area for United States Navy (USN) and Royal Canadian Navy (RCN) vessels, as well as for lend-lease ex-USN vessels of the Royal Navy (RN), preparing to join the Battle of the Atlantic, Fleet Air Arm target tugs were based at Royal Naval Air Station Bermuda to assist in training anti-aircraft gunners afloat or ashore. 773 Fleet Requirements Unit was formed at Bermuda on the 3 June 1940, equipped with Blackburn Roc target tugs. These were normally meant to operate from carrier decks, and had retractable undercarriage. To operate from RNAS Bermuda, which was only able to handle flyingboats and floatplanes, they were fitted with floats. They towed targets for anti-aircraft gunnery practice by Allied vessels working-up at Bermuda, as well as by a USN anti-aircraft gunnery training centre operating on shore at Warwick Parish for the duration of the war.^[4] When the Kindley Air Force Base was the United States Army Air Force's Kindley Field (built under a 99-year free lease from the British Government on the understanding that it would be used jointly by the Royal Air Force establishment in Bermuda and Fleet Air Arm) became operational in 1943, the floats were removed from the Blackburn Roc aircraft, which thenceforth operated from the British end of the airfield as landplanes, being the first aircraft based there. 773 Fleet Requirements Unit disbanded on 25 April 1944.^[5][6][7]

773 Naval Air Squadron next reformed at RNAS Lee-on-Solent (HMS Daedalus), Hampshire, on 1 June 1945, as a Service Trials Unit. It was tasked with the development of pilotless aircraft using American electronic equipment, as controlled targets. Known as the Pilotless Aircraft Unit (PAU),^[3] it moved to RNAS Brawdy (HMS Goldcrest), Pembrokeshire, Wales, on 29 March 1946.^[8] The squadron operated three Miles Martinet, M.50 Queen Martinet variant, an unmanned radio-controlled target drone aircraft, Avro Anson I, a twin-engined, multi-role aircraft and de Havilland Mosquito B.25, a twin-engined, bomber variant of the multirole combat aircraft.

Aircrew initially flew the Queen Martinet before it was put under radio control, then monitored the systems. The aircraft was designed to meet Air Ministry Specification Q.10/43, from an operational requirement for a radio-controlled target drone. Other squadron aircraft operated as a shepherd aircraft, while the Martinet was operated via radio control. 773 Naval Air Squadron disbanded on the 30 September 1946.^[3]

773 Naval Air Squadron reformed out of 771 Naval Air Squadron, on 6 January 1949, as a Fleet Requirements Unit, at RNAS Lee-on-Solent (HMS Daedalus). It was tasked with supporting the needs of the Home Fleet during its Spring Cruise in the Western Mediterranean. On 27 January it embarked in the Colossus-class light fleet aircraft carrier, HMS Theseus, it disembarked its Miles Martinet target tug aircraft and Hawker Sea Fury fighter aircraft^[3] to R.N. Air Section Gibraltar, at RAF North Front, Gibraltar, on 5 February, operating for just over one month. From here it then embarked in the name ship of her class, HMS Implacable on 18 March,^[9] being disbanded and reabsorbed into 771 Naval Air Squadron on 31 March.^[3]

773 Naval Air Squadron next reformed, again out of 771 Naval Air Squadron at RNAS Lee-on-Solent (HMS Daedalus) as a Fleet Requirements Unit, on 4 January 1950 and much the same as the previous year, in support of the Home Fleet’s 1950 Spring Cruise. The squadron consisted five Miles Martinet target tug aircraft, six Supermarine Seafire, a navalised version of the Supermarine Spitfire fighter aircraft and two de Havilland Mosquito multirole combat aircraft.^[3] It moved to R.N. Air Section Gibraltar, from RNAS Lee-on-Solent, on 3 February 1950. The squadron again embarked in HMS Implacable until 31 March and also in the Colossus-class light fleet aircraft carrier, HMS Vengeance until 30 March, returning to RNAS Lee-on-Solent.^[9] It disbanded into 771 Naval Air Squadron, on return, on 31 March.^[3]

On 1 September 1950, 773 Naval Air Squadron reformed again for this purpose, as a Fleet Requirements Unit out of 771 Naval Air Squadron, at RNAS Lee-on-Solent (HMS Daedalus).^[3] It moved to R.N. Air Section Gibraltar, at RAF North Front, on 14 September until 27 November, then returned to RNAS Lee-on-Solent.^[9] It then spent January to March 1951 back at Gibraltar, returning to RNAS Lee-on-Solent at the start of March and disbanded on 31 March 1951, merging back into 771 Naval Air Squadron.^[3]

The squadron operated a variety of different aircraft and versions:^[3]

• Fairey Swordfish I/FP torpedo bomber (May 1940 - April 1944)
• Supermarine Walrus amphibious maritime patrol aircraft (May 1940 - September 1943)
• Fairey Seafox (August 1940 - September 1941)
• Blackburn Roc fighter aircraft (September 1941 - April 1944)
• Blackburn Roc FP fighter aircraft (December 1941 - July 1943)
• Avro Anson Mk XII multirole communications aircraft (September - November 1945)
• Avro Anson Mk I multirole trainer aircraft (1945-1946)
• de Havilland Mosquito B Mk.25 bomber (1945-1946)
• Miles M.50 Queen Martinet unmanned radio-controlled target drone (July - August 1946)
• Hawker Sea Fury FB.11 fighter aircraft (January - March 1949)
• Miles Martinet TT.Mk I target tug (January - March 1949), (January - March 1950), (September 1950 - February 1951)
• de Havilland Mosquito FB Mk.VI fighter bomber (January - March 1950)
• Supermarine Seafire F Mk XV fighter aircraft (January - March 1950)