719 Naval Air Squadron

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, Corsair III, Master II, Seafire Ib & IIc, Spitfire Vb and Wildcat IV.[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 NAS at St Merryn.[4]

A lin up of Fleet Air Arm Barracudas, examples of the type used by 719 NAS

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

Fairey Firefly AS5, Royal Navy, an example of the type used by 719 NAS

719 Naval Air Squadron reformed at RNAS Eglinton, on the 14 June 1950, as the Naval Air Anti-submarine School. Along with 737 NAS, 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In March 1953 Firefly T.7 aircraft were received and the AS.5 and AS.6 were withdrawn throughout the following three months.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 Gannet AS.1, carrier-borne aircraft, which were followed later by T.2 and these eventually replaced the Firefly aircraft. In 1957, 737 NAS disbanded but was absorbed into 719 NAS and the squadron became titled the Naval Anti-Submarine Operational Flying School. The squadron disbanded at Eglinton on the 17 March 1959.[4]

Westland Whirlwind HAS.7 XL878 PO-514 771 NAS, an example of the type used by 719 NAS

719 Naval Air Squadron reformed on the 17 May 1960, at RNAS Eglinton, as the Joint Anti-submarine School Flight. It was equipped with three Whirlwind HAS.7 helicopters. From the 4 to the 14 October 1960, it operated it's Whirlwind helicopters off the Centaur-class aircraft carrier, HMS Hermes (R12) during its deployment in the North Sea. 719 NAS was granted first line status on the 5 October 1961 and renumbered to 819 Naval Air Squadron.[4]

• 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.