Formed at Bankstown (YSBK) in Apr 1945 as a Royal Navy communications unit, it ran fixed wing services between Sydney and Melbourne and Sydney and Nowra & Jervis Bay. After a move to Schofields in Mar 1946, it was disbanded on 31 May 1946.  When it reformed at RANAS Nowra on 1 Jun 1955 as a RAN Squadron, it became an operational training unit with a mix of propellor and jet fixed wing aircraft. 724 Squadron, H Flight was formed on 30 Oct 1956 by including 723 Squadron's six Sycamores into the complement, to support a Royal Tour. In Feb 1957, the Sycamores returned to a re-formed 723 Squadron and when its Gannets left, it became an entirely jet fixed wing unit until 725 Squadron disbanded on 31 May 1961, when it inherited its mix of aircraft before it took on additional roles, including all weather anti-submarine training. It remained a training unit, adding various fixed wing types as front line uints were absorbed. In 1969 it was restyled VC-724. By 1972 it had become a weapons training and target towing unit, still at Nowra. On 30 Jun 1982 it handed over its Macchis to the RAAF and retired its last Skyhawk on 30 Jun 1984, when it disbanded. |