778 Naval Air Squadron
| 778 Naval Air Squadron | |
|---|---|
Squadron badge | |
| Active |
|
| Disbanded | 7 July 1952 |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Branch | Royal Navy |
| Type | Fleet Air Arm Second Line Squadron |
| Role |
|
| Size | Squadron |
| Part of | Fleet Air Arm |
| Home station | See Naval air stations section for full list. |
| Mottos | Ex quaestione veritas (Latin for 'From examination the truth emerges') |
| Aircraft | See Aircraft operated section for full list. |
| Commanders | |
| Notable commanders | Admiral Sir John Devereux Treacher, KCB |
| Insignia | |
| Squadron Badge Description | Blue, a pair of inside and outside callipers interlaced gold (1945) |
| Identification Markings | CO (from March 1943) AO (from August 1944 no individual letters) FDA+ (all types January 1946) 000-042 (1946) 001-029 (1947) 301-304 (Skyraider) |
| Shore Fin Codes | FD (1946) LP (1947) CW (Skyraider) |
778 Naval Air Squadron (778 NAS) was a Fleet Air Arm (FAA) naval air squadron of the United Kingdom’s Royal Navy (RN). During the Second World War the squadron was a Service Trials Unit (STU) initially based at HMS Daedalus, RNAS Lee-on-Solent, Hampshire, England before moving to HMS Condor, RNAS Arbroath, Angus, Scotland on 6 July 1940. The squadron tested all types of aircraft that could be used by the Royal Navy. Key to this was testing new types for deck landing on aircraft carriers. Such aircraft included various types of Supermarine Seafires, Grumman Hellcats, Grumman Martlets, Grumman Avengers, and Vought Corsairs. The squadron was reformed on 5 November 1951 with Douglas Skyraider AEW.1 but was disbanded on 7 July 1952 to form the basis of 849 Naval Air Squadron.