711 Naval Air Squadron

711 Naval Air Squadron 711 (Catapult) Flight FAA
A Grumman Avenger of 711 NAS in flight
Active	Royal Air Force 15 July 1936 - 24 May 1939 Royal Navy 24 May 1939 - 21 January 1940 9 September 1944 - 11 December 1945
Country	United Kingdom
Branch	Royal Navy
Type	Fleet Air Arm Second Line Squadron
Role	Catapult Flight Torpedo Bomber Reconnaissance Training Squadron
Size	Squadron
Part of	Fleet Air Arm
Home station	RNAS Crail
Insignia
Identification Markings	067-071 (Osprey & Walrus) UM-UX (Walrus 1936) 067-071 (Walrus 1937) F9A+ (Walrus from May 1939) C5A+ & C6A+ (Barracuda) C1A+ (Avenger) C6A+ (Avenger)
Aircraft flown
Attack	Fairey Barracuda Grumman Avenger
Bomber	Hawker Osprey
Patrol	Supermarine Walrus
Trainer	Avro Anson

711 Naval Air Squadron (711 NAS) was a Naval Air Squadron of the Royal Navy's Fleet Air Arm which disbanded in December 1945. It was first formed from 447 (Catapult) Flight in 1936 and operated out of the Island of Malta, providing flights for the Royal Navy’s 1st Cruiser Squadron. By the beginning of World War II it had become a Squadron and was based in Egypt, but disbanded in 1940 when the Fleet Air Arm centralised the operations of the 700 series "Catapult" flights attached to catapult units. It reformed in September 1944 to provide torpedo bomber reconnaissance (TBR) training. Based at HMS Jackdaw in Fife, Scotland, it was operational for just over one year before it was absorbed by 785 Naval Air Squadron.

History of 711 NAS

Catapult Flight

711 Naval Air Squadron originally formed as 711 (Catapult) Flight, out of 447 (Catapult) Flight in 1936. It was based at RAF Kalafrana, Malta, and tasked with supporting ships of the Mediterranean Fleet, specifically the 1st Cruiser Squadron. It was equipped initially with Hawker Osprey, a navalised version of the Hawker Hart biplane light bomber aircraft, which were embarked in the County-class heavy cruisers of the Royal Navy. The Flight had achieved Squadron status by the beginning of World War Two and had replaced the Hawker Osprey with Supermarine Walrus, a British single-engine amphibious biplane and had moved to Aboukir, in Egypt. It was absorbed into 700 Naval Air Squadron in 1940.

Ships Flights

711 (Catapult) Flight operated a number of ships’ flights between 1936 and 1940 whilst based out of Malta, including HMS Devonshire between 1936 and 1940, HMS London between 1936 and 1938, HMS Shropshire between 1936 and 1940 and HMS Sussex between 1936 and 1939.

Torpedo Bomber Reconnaissance Training Squadron

711 Naval Air Squadron reformed on 9 September 1944, as a torpedo bomber reconnaissance (TBR) training squadron, based at RNAS Crail (HMS Jackdaw), in Fife, Scotland and operating with Fairey Barracuda, which was a British carrier-borne torpedo and dive bomber. During August 1945 some of the Fairey Barracuda aircraft were replaced with Grumman TBF Avenger, an American torpedo bomber operated by the Fleet Air Arm. This part of the squadron was an Avenger Operational Training Unit. In December 1945, 711 Naval Air Squadron disbanded at HMS Jackdaw. The need for the type of training the squadron provided had decreased with the end of the Second World War and the remainder of the squadron became ‘C’ Flight of 785 Naval Air Squadron.

Aircraft flown

711 Naval Air Squadron operated a number of different aircraft types:

• Hawker Osprey III/FP spotter and reconnaissance aircraft (July - December 1936)
• Supermarine Walrus amphibious maritime patrol aircraft (October 1936 - January 1940)
• Fairey Barracuda Mk II torpedo and dive bomber (September 1944 - December 1945)
• Avro Anson Mk I/ASV trainer aircraft (January - August 1945)
• Grumman Avenger Mk II torpedo bomber (August - December 1945)
• Grumman Avenger Mk I torpedo bomber (September - December 1945)

Naval air stations

711 Naval Air Squadron operated from a naval air station of the Royal Navy in the UK and a number of airbases overseas:

• Royal Air Force Kalafrana (15 July 1936 - 18 August 1939)
• Royal Air Force Aboukir (19 August 1939 - 21 January 1940)
• disbanded - 21 January 1940
• Royal Naval Air Station Crail (HMS Jackdaw) (9 September 1944 - 11 December 1945)
• became 785 Naval Air Squadron 'C' Flight (11 December 1945)

Commanding Officers

List of commanding officers of 711 Naval Air Squadron with month and year of appointment:

• Lieutenant Commander A.A. Murray, RN, (Squadron Leader RAF), from 15 July 1936
• Lieutenant A.C.R. Duvall, RN, (Flight Lieutenant RAF), from 28 September 1936
• Lieutenant Commander J.E. Fenton, RN, (Flight Lieutenant RAF), from 2 November 1936
• Lieutenant R.J.H. Stephens, RN, (Flight Lieutenant RAF), from 28 June 1937
• Lieutenant P.A. Booth, RN, (Flight Lieutenant RAF), from 16 October 1937 (KIFA 30 November 1937)
• Flight Lieutenant E.H.D. Stokes, RAF, 1 December 1937
• Lieutenant Commander O.S. Stevinson, RN, (Squadron Leader RAF), from 17 January 1938
• Lieutenant Commander A.H.T. Fleming, RN, from 24 May 1939
• disbanded - 21 January 1940
• Lieutenant Commander (A) J.B. Curgenven-Robinson, DSC, RNVR, from 9 September 1944
• Lieutenant Commander (A) D.M. Judd, DSC, RNVR, from 30 July 1945
• disbanded - 11 December 1945

References

Bibliography

• Ballance, Theo; Howard, Lee; Sturtivant, Ray (2016). The Squadrons and Units of the Fleet Air Arm. Air Britain Historians Limited. ISBN 978-0-85130-489-2.
• Sturtivant, R; Ballance, T (1994). The Squadrons of The Fleet Air Arm. Tonbridge, Kent, UK: Air-Britain (Historians) Ltd. ISBN 0-85130-223-8.
• Wragg, David (2019). The Fleet Air Arm Handbook 1939-1945. Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, UK: The History Press. ISBN 978-0-7509-9303-6.