A Fairey III similar to ones used by the 718 NAS in 1936.
Active
Royal Air Force 15 July 1936 - 24 May 1939 Royal Navy 24 May 1939 - 21 January 1940 5 June 1944 - 1 November 1945 23 August 1946 - 17 March 1947 25 April 1955 - 31December 1955
718 Naval Air Squadron (718 NAS) was a Naval Air Squadron of the Royal Navy created on 15 July 1936 to serve as a Catapult Flight of the Fleet Air Arm. It was elevated to squadron status at the end of 1937, before being disbanded on 21 January 1940. It was re-formed on 5 June 1944 to operate as the Army Co-operation Naval Operational Training Unit before being disbanded again on 1 November 1945. On 23 August 1946 it was reformed for the third time to operate as a Seafire Conversion Squadron but was disbanded less than one year later, on 17 March 1947. On 25 April 1955, after almost a decade, the squadron was reformed once more to train RNVR on jet aircraft. Once this work was complete, it was disbanded for the final time on 31 December 1955.[1]
History
Initial formation
718 NAS originally came into being as a flight-sized unit following a renumbering of the No. 433 (Catapult) Flight and operated in the 8th Cruiser Squadron in the America and West Indies Station.
Not long after the war began, on 21 January 1940, the squadron was merged into No. 700 Squadron.
Four years later, on 5 June 1944, the unit was reformed to operate as an Army Co-operation Training Unit, with its base at RNAS Henstridge. It was equipped with nine Seafire IIIs and six Spitfire XIIIs. In its role as an Army Co-operation Training Unit the unit trained new pilots in a variety of tactical reconnaissance techniques so they could replace experienced pilots on already on deployment. They also operated an Air Combat course.
The following year the unit was operating in a new role as the School of Naval Air Reconnaissance, but was rebased, on 17 August 1945, to RNAS Ballyhalbert and had its role change again, this time to the No.4 Naval Air Fighting School. The unit received some North American Harvard training aircraft, and had its Spitfire XIIIs replaced by Vought F4U Corsairs. On 1 November 1945 the squadron was merged in 794 Naval Air Squadron.[1]