736 Naval Air Squadron

736 Naval Air Squadron (736 NAS) was a Naval Air Squadron of the Royal Navy. She was recommissioned at RNAS Lossiemouth in June 1959. The squadron was equipped with Supermarine Scimitar F MK1 aircraft under the command of Lieutenant Commander J.D. Baker, to provide support for operational squadrons. As Scimitars started to be phased out of first line servicing, 736 Squadron was disbanded on 26 March 1965. 736 NAS reformed shortly afterwards with Blackburn Buccaneer Smk2s using aircraft and aircrews from the recently disbanded 700B Flight, the Buccaneer S2 Intensive Flying Trials Unit, in order to train aircrews for the aircraft. Still based at RNAS Lossiemouth, from 1967 onwards the unit shared a pool of aircraft with 803 NAS, the Buccaneer HQ and weapons trials unit. With the descision to transfer all the RN's Buccaneers to the RAF, 736 took on theextra task of training RAF crews as well. To cope with this several Smk1 Buccaneers were taken out of storage to increase the numbers of aircraft available and a number of RAF aircrew who had previously served exchange tours with FAA Buccaneer sqns were posted to 736 as instructors. After a few accidents due to engine problems the S1s were withdrawn from service in 1970 and in 1971 the RAF stood up their own OCU (237) to take over the training of both their own and the dwindling number of RN aircrews. 736 NAS was finally disbanded in early 1972