786 Naval Air Squadron
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| 786 Naval Air Squadron | |
|---|---|
 Fairey Barracuda Mk II an example of the type used by 786 NAS | |
| Active | 1940–1945 |
| Disbanded | 21 December 1945[1] |
| Country |  United Kingdom |
| Branch |  Royal Navy |
| Type | Fleet Air Arm Second Line Squadron |
| Role | Torpedo Bomber Reconnaissance Squadron |
| Size | Squadron |
| Part of | Fleet Air Arm |
| Home station | RNAS Crail (HMS Jackdaw) |
| Insignia | |
| Identification Markings | initially individual letters[2] C1A+ to C7A+ (1943 - 1945)[3] |
| Aircraft flown | |
| Attack | |
| Trainer | Avro Anson |
786 Naval Air Squadron (786 NAS) was a Fleet Air Arm (FAA) naval air squadron of the United Kingdom’s Royal Navy (RN) which last disbanded in late 1945, absorbed by 785 Naval Air Squadron. 786 NAS formed at HMS Jackdaw, RNAS Crail, in November 1940, as a Torpedo Bomber Reconnaissance squadron. It operated a few different types of torpedo bomber aircraft, initially equipped with Fairey Albacore and shortly afterwards joined by Fairey Swordfish, these aircraft were replaced by Fairey Barracuda at the end of 1942.
Torpedo Bomber Reconnaissance Squadron (1940–1945)
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786 Naval Air Squadron formed as a Torpedo Bomber Reconnaissance squadron at RNAS Crail (HMS Jackdaw), in Fife, Scotland, on 4 November 1940,[2] out of the naval element of the Torpedo Training Unit RAF, from RAF Abbotsinch, in Renfrewshire.[3] It was initially equipped with nine Fairey Albacore, a British biplane torpedo bomber, which was later augmented with Fairey Swordfish, also a British biplane torpedo bomber. In December 1942 the squadron started to receive Fairey Barracuda, a British carrier-borne torpedo and dive bomber, and over the next month these replaced the Fairey Swordfish and Fairey Albacore aircraft.[2] At the end of summer during 1944 the squadron received a number of Avro Anson, a multirole aircraft, which were fitted out as air-to-surface-vessel (ASV) radar ‘classroom’ trainer aircraft. 786 Naval Air Squadron disbanded into 785 Naval Air Squadron at RNAS Crail (HMS Jackdaw), on 21 December 1945.[3]
Aircraft operated
The squadron operated a number of different aircraft types, including:[3]
- Fairey Albacore torpedo bomber (November 1940 - December 1942)
- Fairey Swordfish I torpedo bomber (May 1941 - December 1942)
- Fairey Swordfish II torpedo bomber (May 1942 - January 1943)
- Fairey Barracuda Mk I torpedo and dive bomber (December 1942 - December 1943)
- Fairey Barracuda Mk II torpedo and dive bomber (December 1943 - December 1945)
- Avro Anson Mk I multirole aircraft (August 1944 - December 1945)