(Image: Pembrokeshire Coast-o-graphs; RNAS Dale (HMS Goldcrest), Pembrokeshire)
Last month, we took you on an impromptu tour of the abandoned Cold War airfields of RAF Germany, followed by a selection of America’s deserted World War Two Air Force bases. This article, meanwhile, examines 11 of the UK’s former Fleet Air Arm stations, many of which, like their RAF counterparts, lie forgotten across the British countryside.
Part of the British Royal Navy from 1939, the Fleet Air Arm was responsible for defending Britain’s shoreline establishments and projecting military might overseas during the darkest days of World War Two. Although many of the service branch’s operations were conducted from aircraft carriers and support ships, the FAA also had its own bases on land; often shared with or near RAF positions. The Fleet Air Arm remains active today, though many of its former World War Two airfields lie quietly abandoned or repurposed across the United Kingdom. Here are just a few of them.
RNAS Crail (HMS Jackdaw), Fife, Scotland
(Images: Jim Bain; Anne; abandoned Fleet Air Arm base repurposed as Crail Raceway)
An imposing concrete edifice, the control tower of RNAS Crail (officially designated HMS Jackdaw) is one of the most noticeable buildings for miles around. Built on the site of a short-lived First World War Royal Flying Corp training facility, the base was a valuable asset in World War Two, after which it was repeatedly repurposed for different ends until right into the 1960s.
(Image: Neil Theasby; IWM; FAA Fairey Swordfish Mk Is await takeoff at RNAS Crail)
Among these, perhaps the most curious came in the 1950s and 1960s. After a stint as a harsh training school for boys known as HMS Bruce, it became an intermittent home of the British Army’s Black Watch. An infantry battalion of the Royal Regiment of Scotland, the Black Watch have something of a formidable reputation, bolstered by its proud combat history as well as being the last British unit to leave Hong Kong in 1997. In 1956, the former RNAS Crail also played home to a Russian language school helping with the Cold War effort.
(Images: Richard Webb; Bing Maps)
Since then though, the base has fallen on hard times. Today, you’re more likely to encounter a car boot sale than a romantic group of soldiers or airmen. The dilapidated buildings however still remain. In 2006, Scotland granted them Scheduled Status; thereby preserving the memory of RNAS Crail for generations to come.
RNAS Dunino (HMS Jackdaw II), Fife, Scotland
(Image: James Allan; abandoned control tower of RNAS Dunino)
The abandoned Fleet Air Arm base at Crail also had its own satellite airfield – RNAS Dunino – located several miles to the north west. Like its parent facility, the site has now been repurposed for other uses, mainly agricultural, but a number of period buildings survive in a reasonable state of repair. Unlike Crail, RNAS Dunino (aptly known as HMS Jackdaw II) had no concrete runways, operating from grass strips around which were located an assortment of blister hangars, support structures and a derelict control tower, the ruins of which can still be seen today.
(Images: Bing Maps; Richard Webb)
The short-lived facility first opened as an RAF airfield in April 1941 before transferring to Royal Navy control. Between April 1943 and January 1944 a variety of Fleet Air Arm units operated there, including the Fairey Barracudas of 827 Naval Air Squadron, the Supermarine Walrus amphibious biplanes of 737 NAS and the Swordfish torpedo bombers of 813 NAS. In the penultimate year of the war, the now-abandoned Fleet Air Arm base was struck off active duty and became a storage facility for redundant Navy warplanes awaiting disposal. In this guise, the Fife aerodrome was effectively an aircraft graveyard.
(Images: (top, bottom) James Allan; surviving blister hangar and skeletal remains of another)
The remnants of RNAS Dunino can still be discerned via Google Earth. In 2008, Secret Scotland took a closer look, revealing a rich wartime heritage silently haunting the farmland. It’s a vaguely incongruous sight today; a glimpse into more tumultuous times amid an otherwise peaceful corner of Scotland.
RNAS Lee-on-Solent (HMS Daedalus), Hampshire, England
(Image: Geoff Collins; D-Day anniversary celebrations at RNAS Lee-on-Solent)
An icon of the Fleet Air Arm, RNAS Lee-on-Solent to the west of Portsmouth was once one of the biggest Royal Navy bases of them all. First constructed for seaplane use during the First World War, it soon ballooned into a vast training network, dedicated to whipping young personnel into shape.
(Image: Bing Maps; wartime runway layout at RNAS Lee-on-Solent)
(Image: David Blaikie; Hovercraft Museum at the abandoned Fleet Air Arm base)
At its height, the base was a vital British instrument for both war and deterrence. During the infamous Luftwaffe raids on Portsmouth the base was bombed, with one of its towers levelled in the resulting conflagration. Yet the base rose from the ashes. It’s estimated that nearly 100 Naval Air Squadrons were stationed there at some point in the following decades, accounting for an eye-watering number of personnel.
(Images: IWM (top, middle, bottom); HMS Daedalus during World War Two)
However, the glory days couldn’t last. RNAS Lee-on-Solent was finally decommissioned in the early 21st century, and gradually sold off piece by piece. As of 2014 it was still under development.
RNAS Ballyhalbert, County Down, Northern Ireland
(Image: Irishmanlost – see Facebook Page)
The history of RNAS Ballyhalbert takes us back to the dark days of World War Two. Constructed in 1940 to defend the region’s capital during the devastating Belfast Blitz, it spent the first years of its life on the front line between the RAF and the Luftwaffe.
(Images: Irishmanlost – see Facebook Page)
It wasn’t until the war had shifted gear that the Royal Navy established its own base there. Alternatively known as HMS Corncake – a name it ominously shared with a minesweeper sunk in 1943 – it operated until only 1946 before closing down entirely. Not that RNAS Ballyhalbert was ever anything less than busy. During its brief life it saw 17 different Naval Air Squadrons stationed there.
(Image: Bing Maps; abandoned Fleet Air Arm airfield RNAS Ballyhalbert)
Today, the abandoned Fleet Air Arm base is a strange mix of the derelict and the repurposed. While the red brick control tower and other structures have been left to crumble into glorious decay, other parts of the base have been taken over by a caravan park and a modern housing estate. As for the airfield itself, faint traces still remain. When seen from above, the distinctive cross shape of the runways is still remarkably clear.
RNAS Machrihanish (HMS Landrail), Argyll, Scotland
(Images: Steve Partridge; Patrick Mackie; abandoned nuclear storage facility & control tower)
From humble beginnings, it might be fair to say that RNAS Machrihanish had the most eventful life of any other air base in this article. First opened as a Naval Air Station way, way back in the midst of World War One, it went on to play a role in the Second World War, the Korean War and the Cold War.
(Image: IWM; Fairey Barracuda like those operated by 815 NAS at RNAS Machrihanish)
Yet at one point, it seemed like the base was destined to be a mere footnote. After first opening in 1916, it operated for only two years before shutting up shop again in 1918. By the time World War Two rolled round, the original airfield was so neglected that a new one had to be built. Initially known as HMS Landrail, the name was soon ditched in favour of RNAS Machrihanish; a guise it was to keep for the next few decades.
The reopened Fleet Air Arm station stood firm as wars came and went. In the 1950s, troops trained there for the deadly Korean War. In the Cold War, it held planes equipped with nuclear depth charges, ready to sabotage any Russian submarine attack. There was even a rumour that NASA designated the runway as a potential landing site for distressed Space Shuttles, although this, disappointingly, was never proven.
(Image: Bing Maps; the long runway at RNAS Machrihanish, lengthened during the Cold War)
Perhaps most compelling of all is a possible link between the former military base (now Campbeltown Airport) and a hypothesized American black project aircraft which supposedly remains top secret to this day. But again, there’s no hard evidence.
RNAS Dale (HMS Goldcrest), Pembrokeshire, Wales
(Image: Bing Maps; abandoned runways and dispersal pans of RNAS Dale)
Situated on the spectacular coastline of Pembrokeshire, six miles west of Milford Haven, RNAS Dale could have won awards for its surroundings. Not that any of the pilots stationed there likely had time to think about such things. Established in 1941, RNAS Dale had barely opened its metaphorical doors before it was catapulted headlong into the grinding war effort.
(Images: Winkelbohrer; abandoned runway and wartime building)
Throughout the early 1940s, the base was a frenetic mixture of operational flying and fast-paced training. Squadrons came and went. Personnel passed through its gates. Planes took off and vanished out over the water, disappearing under iron grey skies. It must have been incredible to witness. Even after the war ended, the rigorous training programmes continued up until 1948.
(Images: Winkelbohrer; abandoned runway and perimeter track)
Eventually, though, things did wind down. The base closed, leaving only its distinctively shaped runway layout and extensive dispersal pans visible from the sky. Now owned by a private farmer, the former base was last in the news in 2010, when 2,500 people spontaneously descended for an illegal rave.
RNAS St Merryn (HMS Vulture), Cornwall, England
(Image: Bing Maps; the unusual wartime runway configuration of RNAS St Merryn)
A few miles north of bleak, windswept Bodmin Moor sits the remains of one of Cornwall’s most-important airfields. Like many on this list, it was opened for the first time during the Second World War. Yet RNAS St Merryn was no minor base. During its very short lifetime, it saw around fifty Naval Air Squadrons pass through its gates.
(Image: IWM; formation of rocket-armed Fairey Swordfish biplanes out of HMS Vulture)
Although the base was typically used for training new pilots, rather than flying operational missions, this didn’t exempt it from German attention. In 1941, the Luftwaffe dropped several high explosives down onto the airfield, crippling much of it. In general, the year was a bad one for Cornwall. Incendiary bombs rained down on Falmouth and docks were targeted mercilessly. Perhaps unsurprisingly, it took another year for operations at RNAS St Merryn to resume.
Unlike many of the abandoned Fleet Air Arm bases documented here, RNAS St Merryn still sees a decent amount of flying. Small aircraft sometimes take off from there, spiraling upwards in the shadow of the decaying control tower and unusual wartime runway configuration, which featured four concrete strips rather than the usual three.
RNAS Ludham (HMS Flycatcher), Norfolk, England
(Images: Evelyn Simak (top, middle, bottom); watch/control towers, blister hangar)
One of the most-important airbases for the recovery of damaged planes during World War Two, RNAS Ludham spent most of its short life as an RAF Fighter Command base, only finally transferring to the Royal Navy in 1944. Before this point, it’d been mainly used by Spitfires during the epic, bruising Battle of Britain, as a satellite of RAF Coltishall.
(Images: Evelyn Simak (top, middle, bottom); pilot dorm, pillbox and original watch office)
At one point, Spitfires were said to have been launched every day from the base for the past three years. Under the command of the Fleet Air Arm, though, it served a much smaller, though no-less important role. Originally intended as a base for US Air Force planes to poised to head out over the war-torn expanses of Europe, it instead became an emergency landing field; somewhere damaged and pain-wracked pilots could head for as they flew back from the burning continent.
(Images: Evelyn Simak; Bing Maps; remains of ‘newer’ control tower and runways)
After the war, the abandoned Fleet Air Arm base was used as a filming located for the 1954 movie Conflict of Wings. Fast forward to the present day, and RNAS Ludham is little more than a wreck in the wilds of Norfolk. Paths are overgrown, buildings decayed and rust everywhere. The control tower is understood to have been restored around 2000 before once again falling into ruin. Far from being desolate though, it seems almost peaceful. As if the pain from those dark times has been almost completely swept away.
RNAS Portland (HMS Osprey), Dorset, England
(Images: Chris Talbot; Simon Palmer; Bing; abandoned helicopter control tower & admin building)
Thanks to its position of strategic importance, RNAS Portland in Dorset had a rough time of it in both World Wars. Originally opened as HMS Sarepta in 1916, the base had to contend with both U-Boat attacks and then a belligerent Luftwaffe hopping over from France every evening. Perhaps unsurprisingly, this led to many major groups pulling out during the Second World War, fearful of the terrible damage a bombing raid might incur on the war effort.
(Images: Chris Talbot; Nigel Mykura; no danger of low flying aircraft here)
After the end of World War Two, things finally turned around. A large helicopter facility was established there, leading to the base becoming one of the busiest on the south coast. After a period of relative prosperity, however, it nevertheless declined. In 1993, sections of the base began shutting down. By 1999, it was closed altogether. Today, it’s the site of local, business-led developments; a far cry from its proud Fleet Air Arm history.
RNAS Stretton (HMS Blackcap), Cheshire, England
(Image: Google Street View; RuthAS; abandoned main runway, Supermarine Seafires)
In early 1942, the RAF had a major problem. The Luftwaffe were bombing Britain indiscriminately, leaving thousands dead and vital infrastructure damaged. To combat this, they set up dozens of night-fighter stations across the country. Tiny airfields from where planes could intercept enemy bombers, they would help defend Britain’s cities from the reach of Hitler’s Third Reich. It was from this plan that RNAS Stretton sprang.
(Images: RuthAS (top, middle, bottom); aviation at RNAS Stretton)
Intended to provide cover for Liverpool and Manchester during raids, the airfield at Stretton near Warrington was originally constructed for the RAF to use. However, a shift in Luftwaffe priorities towards Russia meant the base was never put into operation as intended. Instead, it was transferred over to the Royal Navy’s FAA, who used it in conjunction with its aircraft carriers in the Irish Sea. Repairs were also carried out there. At its postwar peak, the base serviced a third of all Fleet Air Arm craft.
(Image: Bing Maps; remains of the abandoned Fleet Air Arm base HMS Blackcap)
Today, little remains of the technical site at RNAS Stretton (aka HMS Blackcap). After it closed in 1958, the base was left to rot and was then built over. It’s even been cut in half by the M56 motorway, separating the redeveloped areas of the base to the north from the abandoned main runway, which remains largely intact.
RNAS Hatston (HMS Sparrowhawk), Orkney, Scotland
(Images: IWM; Iain Smith; Fairey Swordfish taxiing in 1942, HMS Sparrowhawk memorial)
Although some form of base was operating there since at least the First World War, today RNAS Hatston, which was strategically located near the naval base at Scapa Flow, is associated primarily with one major achievement. In April 1940, two squadrons took off for the distant coast of Norway. Their goal: to sink the German light cruiser Königsberg.
(Images: Royal Navy; US Navy; flight of RNAS Hatston Grumman Avengers & Königsberg)
A heavily-armed ship, the Königsberg had been patrolling the seas since before the Reichstag Fire. Only days before the ship had been involved in the invasion of Norway, pounding the coastal defenses while aircraft strafed and whizzed overhead. Despite taking heavy damage, she was still afloat by April 10; at which point the Royal Navy’s Fleet Air Arm planes attacked. At 7:20am, the two squadrons swooped in, catching the Germans off-guard. In the short burst of fighting that followed, the Königsberg took five direct hits and two indirect. Almost immediately, the ship started to list. It was RNAS Hatston’s first – and only – major kill in the war.
(Images: Iain Smith; the abandoned Fleet Air Arm base near Kirkwall today)
When the war came to an end, the abandoned Fleet Air Arm base became Orkney’s main airport, until operations were transferred to a larger facility to the southeast of the town. That too, had opened during the Second World War, initially commissioned as RAF Grimsetter before falling under Royal Navy control as RNAS Kirkwall (HMS Robin).
(Images: Bing Maps; HMS Sparrowhawk’s abandoned runway)
Now, over 70 years later, the airfield is gone, lost beneath an industrial estate. With the exception of a fragment of runway which can be seen to motorists on Grainshore Road, little remains to mark this dramatic episode, an early triumph in the days when Britain’s fall still seemed almost inevitable.
Related – Google Earth reveals the Ghostly Images of Britain’s Wartime Airfields
The post 11 Abandoned Fleet Air Arm Bases of the United Kingdom appeared first on Urban Ghosts.