777 Naval Air Squadron was originally planned to form on 15 December 1939, as a Reserve Fighter Pool squadron, at
RNAS Eastleigh (HMS Raven),
Hampshire, England and to have been equipped with
Blackburn Roc, a naval
fighter aircraft and
Blackburn Skua, a
dive bomber and fighter aircraft.
Fleet Requirements Unit (1941-1944) 777 Naval Air Squadron was formed at
RAF Hastings in
Sierra Leone, West Africa on 1 August 1941. This airfield was located south-east of the port city of
Freetown, and was sited about north-east of the village of
Hastings. Lodger facility for an R.N. Air Section on RAF station from 1 April 1940 had been granted. However, in March 1943, the control of the airfield was given over to the
Admiralty and it was commissioned HMS
Spurwing, and the airfield was also known as RNAS Hastings. Between 1942 and 1944, the squadron flew it's Supermarine Walrus amphibious aircraft on
search and rescue sorties as well as
anti-submarine patrols. During 1943, 777 Naval Air Squadron was involved with the air defence of Sierra Leone, a task which they fulfilled for most of the year. Sub-Lieutenant D.R. Bentley died on 9 June 1943. 777 Naval Air Squadron disbanded at RNAS Hastings (HMS
Spurwing), on 25 December 1944.
Carrier Trials Unit (1945-1946) The squadron was reformed on 23 May 1945 from 'B' Flight
778 Naval Air Squadron as a carrier trials unit for service aboard . It used a variety of aircraft including
Supermarine Seafire and
de Havilland Mosquito. It was initially equipped with eight aircraft, two each of
Fairey Albacore, a biplane torpedo bomber,
Fairey Barracuda, a torpedo and dive bomber,
Fairey Fulmar a reconnaissance and fighter aircraft and Supermarine Seafire, a
navalised version of the
Supermarine Spitfire fighter aircraft, but it also utilised various aircraft from 778 Naval Air Squadron. The squadrons role was to undertake trials on aircraft and
aircraft carrier equipment (778 NAS was tasked with individual aircraft trials). It initially used
RNAS Ayr (HMS Wagtail),
South Ayrshire, Scotland as an operational shore base, followed by
RNAS Ford (HMS Peregrine),
Sussex, England, and then
RNAS Gosport (HMS Siskin),
Hampshire, England. 777 Naval Air Squadron disbanded back into 778 Naval Air Squadron on 3 January 1946.
Fleet Air Arm Museum In April 2006,
Rear Admiral Fleet Air Arm allocated 777 Naval Air Squadron number to the aircraft collection at the
Fleet Air Arm Museum, at
RNAS Yeovilton (HMS Heron),
Somerset. == Aircraft operated ==