Fighter Air Firing Training Squadron (1944 - 1945) edit

719 Naval Air Squadron formed at RNAS St Merryn (HMS Vulture), located 7.35 miles (11.83 km) northeast of Newquay, Cornwall, as a Fighter Air Firing Training Squadron, on the 15 June 1944, as part of the School of Naval Air Warfare. It was equipped with a variety of Fleet Air Arm aircraft including, Vought F4U Corsair III, an American carrier-based fighter-bomber, Miles Master II, a British two-seat monoplane advanced trainer, Supermarine Seafire Ib & IIc, a navalised version of the Supermarine Spitfire fighter aircraft, of which the squadron operated the Vb variant and Grumman F4F Wildcat IV, an American carrier-based fighter aircraft.^[3]

The squadron provided weapon training and air firing exercises as part of a Naval Air Firing course, however, six months after forming, on the 2 January 1945, the squadron disbanded into 794 Naval Air Squadron at RNAS St Merryn (HMS Vulture).^[4]

Strike Training Squadron / Anti-submarine Training Squadron (1946 - 1949) edit

719 Naval Air Squadron reformed at RNAS Fearn (HMS Owl), located 5.4 miles (8.7 km) southeast of Tain, Scottish Highlands, as a Strike Training Squadron on 1 March 1946. It was initially equipped solely with Fairey Barracuda, a British carrier-borne torpedo and dive bomber aircraft. Two months later the squadron relocated to RNAS Eglinton (HMS Gannet), located 1.3 miles (2.1 km) north east of Eglinton, County Londonderry, Northern Ireland, on 14 May 1946, here, along with 718 Naval Air Squadron, it formed the 51st Training Air Group,^[4] which itself was disbanded on 13 November 1946.

The squadron started to be equipped with Fairey Firefly FR.1, the "fighter/reconnaissance" variant, of the carrier-borne fighter aircraft and anti-submarine aircraft. However, from 24 to 31 October 1946, the squadron operated from the aircraft carrier and lead ship of her class, HMS Implacable (R86), using its Fairey Barracuda III aircraft. 719 NAS became an Anti-submarine Training Squadron, where it bought together aircrew, trained them and passed onto 744 Naval Air Squadron for more advanced training and it continued in this role until the 27 December 1949, when it disbanded at RNAS Eglinton (HMS Gannet).^[4]

Naval Air Anti-submarine School (1950 - 1959) edit

719 Naval Air Squadron reformed at RNAS Eglinton (HMS Gannet), on the 14 June 1950, as the Naval Air Anti-submarine School. Along with 737 Naval Air Squadron, the squadron formed the 53rd Training Air Group. 719 NAS was initially equipped with Firefly AS.5 aircraft and in then in 1951, it received Firefly AS.6 aircraft. Whilst the 53rd Training Air Group disbanded on 31 January 1952, the squadrons remained operational at Eglinton.

In March 1953 Firefly T.7 aircraft were received and the AS.5 and AS.6 were withdrawn throughout the following three months. During 1955 the squadron started operating the anti-submarine variant Fairey Gannet AS.1, carrier-borne aircraft, which were followed later by T.2 and these eventually replaced the Fairey Firefly aircraft. In 1957, 737 Naval Air Squadron disbanded but was absorbed into 719 NAS and the squadron became titled the Naval Anti-Submarine Operational Flying School. The squadron disbanded at RNAS Eglinton (HMS Gannet) on the 17 March 1959.^[4]

Joint Anti-Submarine School Flight (1960 - 1961) edit

719 Naval Air Squadron reformed on the 17 May 1960, at RNAS Eglinton (HMS Gannet), as the Joint Anti-submarine School Flight. It was equipped with three Westland Whirlwind HAS.7 helicopters. From 4 to 14 October 1960, it operated its Whirlwind helicopters off the Centaur-class aircraft carrier, HMS Hermes during its deployment in the North Sea. 719 Naval Air Squadron was granted first line status on the 5 October 1961 and renumbered to 819 Naval Air Squadron.^[4]

The squadron operated a variety of different aircraft and versions:^[1]

• Vought Corsair III
• Miles Master II
• Supermarine Seafire IIb & IIc
• Supermarine Spitfire Vb & Vb/hooked
• Grumman Martlet IV
• Fairey Barracuda III
• North American Harvard IIb
• Avro Anson I
• Fairey Firefly FR.1, AS.5, AS.6 & T.7
• Fairey Gannet AS.1 & T.2
• Westland Whirlwind HAS.7

719 Naval Air Squadron operated from a number of naval air stations of the Royal Navy, in the UK and two Royal Navy aircraft carriers^[4]

• Royal Naval Air Station ST MERRYN (HMS Vulture) (15 June 1944 - 2 January 1945)
• Royal Naval Air Station FEARN (HMS Owl) (1 March 1946 - 14 May 1946)
• Royal Naval Air Station EGLINTON (HMS Gannet) (14 May 1946 - 24 October 1946)
  • HMS Implacable (R86) (24 October 1946 - 31 October 1946)
• Royal Naval Air Station EGLINTON (HMS Gannet) (31 October 1946 - 27 December 1949)
• Royal Naval Air Station EGLINTON (HMS Gannet) (14 June 1950 - 17 March 1959)
• Royal Naval Air Station EGLINTON (HMS Gannet) (17 May 1960 - 4 October 1960)
  • HMS Hermes (R12) (4 October 1960 - 14 October 1960)
• Royal Naval Air Station EGLINTON (HMS Gannet) (14 October 1960 - 5 October 1961) (became 819 Naval Air Squadron)

List of commanding officers of 719 Naval Air Squadron with month and year of appointment and end:^[4]

Citations edit

Bibliography edit

• 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.