List of air stations of the Royal Navy

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    This is a list of Naval Air Stations of the Royal Navy. Naval Air Stations are land bases of the Fleet Air Arm, the branch of the Royal Navy responsible for the operation of naval aircraft.

    Current Naval Air Stations[]

    Currently RNAS means "Royal Naval Air Station" and, in common with the Royal Air Force, is always followed by a geographical place in which the air station is located. (Historically RNAS is the "Royal Naval Air Service")

    Former Naval Air Stations[]

    RNAS HMS RAF RN Years active Current county Country Notes
    Abbotsinch Sanderling Abbotsinch 1943–1963 Renfrewshire Scotland Lodger facilities 1939–43. Now Glasgow Airport
    n/a n/a Aldergrove 1939–40
    1977–1982    		 Co. Antrim Northern Ireland Naval units as lodgers on an RAF Base. Now Joint Helicopter Command Flying Station Aldergrove
    Angle Goldcrest Angle 1943 Pembrokeshire Wales Farmland
    Anglesey n/a Mona 1915–1918 Anglesey Wales Airship station
    Anthorn Nuthatch Anthorn 1944–58 Cumbria England Now Anthorn Radio Station
    Arbroath Condor n/a 1940–1971 Angus Scotland Now RM Condor
    n/a 1945–46 Queensland Australia MONAB VII
    Ayr Wagtail Heathfield
    Ayr    		 1944–46 South Ayrshire Scotland
    n/a Bacton 1915–19 Norfolk England
    Ballyhalbert Corncrake Ballyhalbert 1945 Co. Down Northern Ireland
    Ballykelly Sealion Ballykelly 1962–1971 Co. Londonderry Northern Ireland RAF station hosting Joint Ant-Submarine School from 1947, RN having lodger status. Joint RAF-RN station from 1962. Now Shackleton Barracks
    Nabberley n/a 1944–1946 New South Wales Australia MONAB II. Now Bankstown Airport
    Beccles Hornbill II Beccles −1945 Suffolk England Lodger facilities only.
    n/a n/a Benbecula Western Isles Scotland Lodger facilities only. Now Benbecula Airport and RRH Benbecula.
    n/a n/a Benson Oxfordshire England Lodger facilities only. Now RAF Benson
    n/a n/a Bircham Newton Norfolk England Lodger facilities only.
    Boaz Island HMS Malabar n/a ? Sandys Parish Bermuda
    n/a n/a Boscombe Down Wiltshire England Now MoD Boscombe Down
    Bramcote Gamecock Bramcote 1946–58 Warwickshire England Now Gamecock Barracks
    n/a n/a Bratton 1943–44 Shropshire England Provided training facilities for RNAS Hinstock during 1943/44
    Brawdy Goldcrest
    Goldcrest II    		 Brawdy 1946–1971 Pembrokeshire Wales Now Cawdor Barracks
    Bungay Europa II Bungay
    Flixton    		 1945–46 Suffolk England
    Burscough Ringtail n/a 1943–46 Lancashire England
    n/a n/a Bush Barn
    No. 44 SLG    		 1944–45 Oxfordshire England
    Calshot n/a Calshot 1913–22 Hampshire England
    Landrail
    Landrail II    		 n/a 1940–45 Argyll & Bute Scotland Located 1 mile SE of RAF Machrihanish, grass landing ground north of the B843.
    Capel n/a Folkestone 1915–19 Kent England
    n/a Cattewater
    Mount Batten    		 1917–18 Devon England
    Charlton Horethorne Heron II Charlton Horethorne 1943–45 Somerset England
    China Bay Bambara n/a Trincomalee Sri Lanka Now China Bay Airport
    n/a 1915–19 Greater London England Now William Girling Reservoir
    n/a Raven Christchurch ?-1945 Dorset England Lodger facilities with a Naval Air Section and the Naval Air Radio Installation Unit.
    n/a (Station in Reserve) n/a Cluntoe 1947-mid 1950s Co. Tyrone Northern Ireland Used occasionally.


    Vairi    		 n/a 1942–46 Cochin India Now Sulur Air Force Station
    Colombo Racecourse Bherunda 1943–45 Colombo Sri Lanka Now Colombo Racecourse
    n/a 1915–19 Suffolk England
    n/a n/a 1941–45 West Sussex England Private airfield requisitioned for the storage of obsolescent naval aircraft.
    Crail Bruce
    Jackdaw    		 Crail 1940–1961 Fife Scotland
    Daedalus (Thunderbolt) Cranwell 1916–1918 Lincolnshire England Now Royal Air Force College
    Culham Hornbill n/a 1944–1953 Oxfordshire England Now Culham Science Centre
    n/a Culmhead
    Churchstanton    		 Somerset England Lodger facilities only. Now Culmhead Business Centre
    Dale Goldcrest Dale 1943–48 Pembrokeshire Wales Farmland/caravan sites
    n/a n/a Defford Worcestershire England RN Air Section attached to Telecommunications Flying Unit RAF.
    Grebe
    		 LG-34/LG-235 1940–46 Egypt
    n/a n/a 1940–46 Madagascar
    n/a n/a 1940–46 Canada Lodger facilities only. Now CFB Shearwater
    n/a n/a Detling 1940–41 Kent England Lodger facilities only.
    n/a n/a Docking 1942–44 Norfolk England Lodger facilities only.
    Donibristle Merlin Donibristle 1939–1959 Fife Scotland
    Dounreay Tern II 1944–54 Highland Scotland Never commissioned.
    Drem Nighthawk Drem 1945–46 East Lothian Scotland Lodger facilities until 1945.
    1941–44 Dundee City Scotland Seaplane base / repair depot.
    n/a n/a Dundonald 1944 South Ayrshire Scotland Lodger facilities only.
    Dunino Jackdaw II Dunino 1942–46 Fife Scotland
    n/a n/a Duxford 1941–43 Cambridgeshire England Lodger facilities only.
    n/a East Fortune 1915–18 East Lothian Scotland National Museum of Flight
    1943–46 Angus Scotland
    Eastchurch n/a Eastchurch 1910–1918 Kent England Now HM Prison Standford Hill
    n/a Raven Eastleigh
    Southampton    		 1935–39, 1939–1947 Hampshire England Now Southampton Airport
    Eglinton Gannet Eglinton 1943–1959
    1960–63    		 Co. Londonderry Northern Ireland Now City of Derry Airport
    Evanton Fieldfare Evanton
    Novar    		 1944–48 Highland Scotland
    n/a Fairlop 1916-18 Essex England Playing fields, to north of WW2 RAF Fairlop
    Fearn Owl Fearn 1942–46 Highland Scotland
    Felixstowe n/a Felixstowe 1913–19 Suffolk England See Seaplane Experimental Station
    n/a 1917–19 Pembrokeshire Wales
    Ford Peregrine Ford
    Ford Junction    		 1939–1958 West Sussex England Now HM Prison Ford
    n/a n/a Fraserburgh Aberdeenshire Scotland Lodger facilities only.
    Gan 1941–57 Addu Atoll Maldives Now Gan International Airport
    n/a 1915–16 Essex England Farmland
    Gosport Siskin Gosport 1940–56 Hampshire England
    Grimsetter Robin Grimsetter 1943–45 Orkney Scotland Now Kirkwall Airport
    Haldon Heron II Haldon 1941–43 Devon England
    Canada
    Saker    		 ? Nova Scotia Canada
    Sparrowhawk Halesworth 1945–46 Suffolk England Lodger facilities until 1945
    1943–44 Sierra Leone Lodger facilities until 1943
    Hatston Sparrowhawk
    Tern II    		 1939–1945 Orkney Scotland
    Heath Row n/a 1944–45 Greater London England Lodger facilities for a flight of 781 Naval Air Squadron only. Now Heathrow airport
    Henstridge Dipper n/a 1943–46
    1946–1954    		 Somerset England Henstridge Airfield, One of only 2 RNAS stations with 5 runways (Arbroath being the other), one of which had a dummy deck landing area with arrestor system for carrier training
    Hinstock Godwit Ollerton 1943–47 Shropshire England
    Aden
    Hornsea Mere n/a ?-1918 East Yorkshire England
    Inskip n/a 1943–46 Lancashire England
    n/a n/a 1940 Jersey Channel Islands
    n/a n/a 1945–46 Queensland Australia MONAB VI
    n/a 1945–46 New South Wales Australia MONAB V

    Flycatcher    		 Kai Tak 1947–? Kowloon Bay Hong Kong MONAB VIII
    Ukussa Katukurunda Sri Lanka.[1] Now Katukurunda Airport
    Harrier n/a 1945–1961 Pembrokeshire Wales
    n/a 1942–44 Mombasa Kenya
    Kingsnorth n/a Kingsnorth 1914–25 Kent England WW1 airship station on Isle of Grain on south bank of R Thames
    Kirkistown 1945–46 Co. Down Northern Ireland Lodger facilities only during WWII. Satellite airfield from July 1945.
    Takoradi Oct–Dec 1943 Ghana Now Takoradi Airport
    n/a n/a Langham 1942–44 Norfolk England Lodger facilities only.
    Lawrenny Ferry Daedalus II n/a 1942–43 Pembrokeshire Wales Riverbank slipway
    Lee-on-Solent Ariel
    		 Lee-on-Solent 1939–1995 Hampshire England
    n/a n/a Leuchars ?-1938
    1972–78    		 Fife Scotland Lodger facilities only. Now Leuchars Station
    Saker n/a 1943–45 Maine United States Now Auburn/Lewiston Municipal Airport
    n/a Limavady 1944
    1945–?    		 Co. Londonderry Northern Ireland Lodger facilities during 1944. Naval charge from 1945.
    Long Kesh n/a Long Kesh 1944–45 Co. Antrim Northern Ireland Lodger facilities only.
    Lossiemouth Fulmar Lossiemouth 1946–1972 Moray Scotland Now RAF Lossiemouth. RN lodger status 1972–79.
    n/a West Freugh 1940–43 Dumfries and Galloway Scotland Lodger facilities only. Now MoD West Freugh
    Ludham Flycatcher Ludham 1944–? Norfolk England Farmland/private airstrip
    Lympne Buzzard
    Daedalus II    		 Lympne 1939–1940 Kent England
    Machrihanish Landrail Machrihanish 1941–46
    1951–52    		 Argyll & Bute Scotland Now MoD Machrihanish & Campbeltown Airport

    		n/a 1942–44 Taita-Taveta Kenya Now Mackinnon Road Airport
    Macmerry Macmerry 1945–46 East Lothian Scotland
    Manston Manston 1933–35
    WW2
    1974    		 Kent England Used by FAA squadron between 1933 and 1935. Lodger facilities during WW2 and used by 845 Naval Air Squadron briefly during early 1974. Now Manston Airport
    Maydown Shrike
    Gannet II    		 Maydown 1943–45 Co. Londonderry Northern Ireland
    Maharagama HMS Monara 1943–46 Maharagama Ceylon Royal Naval Air Ceylonese Training Establishment in Maharagama which was later taken over by the .[2]
    Middle Wallop Flycatcher Middle Wallop 1945–46 Hampshire England Now AAC Middle Wallop
    Milltown 1946–1972 Moray Scotland
    Milton
    Pembroke    		 n/a Carew Cheriton
    		 1914–18 Pembrokeshire Wales
    n/a 1942–46 Sri Lanka Lodger facilities only. Now Hingurakgoda Airport
    Narborough n/a Narborough Aug 1916-1916 Norfolk England Farmland to NE of RAF Marham
    n/a n/a North Coates 1940–41 Lincolnshire England
    Nabbington
    		 n/a Jan–Nov 1945
    1945–1946    		 New South Wales Australia MONAB I
    MONAB V. Now HMAS Albatross (air station)
    Nutts Corner 1945–46 Co. Antrim Northern Ireland

    Buzzard    		 n/a 1941–43 Kingston Jamaica Now Norman Manley International Airport
    n/a n/a Pembroke Dock 1940–41 Pembrokeshire Wales Lodger facilities only.
    Godwit II Peplow 1945–49 Shropshire England
    n/a n/a Perranporth 1944 Cornwall England Lodger facilities only.
    n/a n/a Peterhead 1942–44 Aberdeenshire Scotland Lodger facilities only.

    Goshawk    		 n/a 1940–46 Trinidad Now Piarco International Airport
    n/a Port Reitz ? Mombasa Kenya Lodger facilities only.
    n/a Apr–Nov 1945 Admiralty Islands Papua New Guinea MONAB IV
    Portland Osprey Portland 1959–1999 Dorset England Also previously HMS Sarepta
    Prestwick Gannet Prestwick 1971–2016 South Ayrshire Scotland Now Glasgow Prestwick Airport
    Pulham n/a Pulham 1915-1918 Norfolk England Airship station
    n/a 1942–45 Puttalam District Sri Lanka
    n/a 1942–1943 Rhode Island United States Now Quonset Point Air National Guard Station
    Nile Apr 1939–
    Jun 1946    		 Alexandria Egypt

    Rattray
    		 Merganser Oct 1944–
    Sept 1946    		 Aberdeenshire Scotland
    Redcar Redcar 1915–1919 North Yorkshire England
    Roborough Roborough 1939–1942
    Postwar    		 Devon England Now Plymouth City Airport
    Ronaldsway Urley Ronaldsway 1944–46 Isle of Man
    Sandbanks Daedalus n/a 1940–43 Dorset England
    Nabthorpe
    		 n/a Feb–Nov 1945
    Nov 1945– ?    		 New South Wales Australia MONAB III
    MONAB VI. Now , up for sale.
    n/a n/a St Davids 1947–1961 Pembrokeshire Wales
    n/a n/a St Mawgan
    Trebelzue    		 1954–56 Cornwall England Used by 744 Naval Air Squadron
    St Merryn Curlew
    Vulure    		 1940–1956 Cornwall England
    Sembawang Simbang
    		 Sembawang Singapore MONAB IX
    n/a Sri Lanka Lodger facilities only. Now Sigiriya Airport
    Tern II Skaebrae 1940–? Orkney Scotland Lodger facilities only initially.
    n/a n/a Skitten 1940–41 Highland Scotland Lodger facilities only.
    Speke n/a Speke 1942–45 Merseyside England Lodger facilities only initially, housed a RN Air Section. Now Liverpool John Lennon Airport
    Stornoway Mentor II Stornoway 1940–41
    1943–44    		 Western Isles Scotland Seaplanes operated from Stornoway harbour 1940–41. Subsequently, lodger facilities available at RAF Stornoway airfield.
    Stretton Blackcap n/a 1942–1958 Cheshire England
    Sullom Voe n/a Sullom Voe 1940–41 Shetland Scotland Lodger unit on an RAF seaplane base.
    n/a n/a Sumburgh 1941–42 Shetland Scotland Lodger facilities only. Now Sumburgh Airport
    Sydenham Gadwall
    		 Sydenham 1943–1973 Co. Antrim Northern Ireland Also known as RNAS Belfast. Now George Best Belfast City Airport
    n/a n/a Tain 1942–44 Highland Scotland Lodger facilities only.
    Tambaram 1944–45 Madras India Now Tambaram Air Force Station
    n/a 1942–44 Tanzania Now Tanga Airport
    n/a Falcon Hal Far 1929–50
    1952–67    		 Malta
    n/a Goldfinch
    St Angelo    		 Ta Kali 1945–53 Malta
    Tangmere n/a Tangmere 1942–50 West Sussex England Lodger facilities only initially, the Naval Air Fighting Development Unit was present at some point.
    Thorney Island n/a Thorney Island 1940–48 West Sussex England Lodger facilities only initially, used by the Naval Air Sea Warfare Development Unit at some point. Now Baker Barracks
    Tresco n/a Tresco 1917–19 Isles of Scilly, Cornwall England
    n/a n/a Turnhouse 1942–44 City of Edinburgh Scotland Lodger facilities only. Now Edinburgh Airport
    Twatt Tern 1941–1957 Orkney Scotland

    		n/a 1944 Kenya Never commissioned
    n/a 1917–1918 Kent England Hawkshill Freedown (open land)
    n/a 1942–46 Western Cape South Africa Now SAS Wingfield
    Woodvale Ringtail II Woodvale 1942–45
    1945–46    		 Merseyside England Lodger facilities only initially, satellite airfield postwar.
    Worthy Down Kestrel
    Ariel    		 Worthy Down 1938–39
    1939–1950
    1952–1960    		 Hampshire England Lodger facilities only pre WWII. Now Worthy Down Camp
    Zeals Hummingbird Zeals 1945–46 Wiltshire England

    Former Naval Air Stations by ship name (HMS xxx)[]

    HMS means Her Majesty's Ship (or His Majesty's Ship if before February 1952).

    Some smaller and some very early Naval Air Stations in the list above were not commissioned as HM Ship(s). Those below were commissioned and, therefore, have a ship's name. Royal Navy shore bases and naval air stations have traditionally been named in the same manner as seagoing ships.

    Officers were appointed to HMS xxx rather than to RNAS xxx and, similarly, ratings' Service Certificates will show only the name of the ship when drafted to a Naval Air Station. Thus, this list may help when researching family history records.[citation needed]

    HMS Nearest Town County Country Current use
    HMS Ariel South Wonston Hampshire England
    HMS Ariel Lee-on-the-Solent Hampshire England
    HMS Blackcap Stretton Cheshire England
    HMS Buzzard Lympne Kent England Industrial estate
    HMS Buzzard Palisadoes Kingston Jamaica
    HMS Condor Arbroath Angus Scotland RM Condor
    HMS Corncrake Ballyhalbert Co. Down Northern Ireland Housing
    HMS Curlew St Merryn Cornwall England Farmland
    HMS Daedalus II Lympne Kent England Industrial Estate
    HMS Daedalus II Sandbanks Dorset England in Poole Harbour
    HMS Daedalus II Pembrokeshire Wales Riverbank slipway
    HMS Daedalus III Lee-on-the-Solent Hampshire England Lee-on-Solent Airfield
    HMS Europa II Bungay Suffolk England Farmland
    HMS Falcon Ħal Far Malta Industrial Estate
    HMS Fieldfare Evanton Ross and Cromarty Scotland Industrial Estate
    HMS Flycatcher RAF Ludham Norfolk England Farmland/private airstrip
    HMS Flycatcher Middle Wallop Hampshire England AAC Middle Wallop
    HMS Flycatcher Kai Tak Kowloon Bay Hong Kong Kai Tak Development
    HMS Fulmar Lossiemouth Morayshire Scotland RAF Lossiemouth
    HMS Gadwall Sydenham Belfast Northern Ireland Sydenham Airport 1938-1941, RAF Belfast 1941-1943 and 1973-1978, Belfast City Airport (George Best Belfast City Airport) 1978-present
    HMS Gamecock Bramcote Warwickshire England Gamecock Barracks
    HMS Gannet Eglinton Co. Londonderry Northern Ireland City of Derry Airport
    HMS Gannet Prestwick South Ayrshire Scotland Glasgow Prestwick Airport
    HMS Gannet II Maydown Co. Londonderry Northern Ireland Industry
    HMS Gannet III Sydenham Belfast Northern Ireland George Best Belfast City Airport
    HMS Godwit Ollerton Shropshire England
    HMS Goldcrest Pembrokeshire Wales Farmland
    HMS Goldfinch Ta' Qali Malta Park
    HMS Grebe Alexandria Egypt
    HMS Heron II Charlton Horethorne Somerset England Farmland
    HMS Heron II Haldon Hills Devon England
    HMS Hornbill Culham, Abingdon Oxfordshire England Fusion research facility
    HMS Hornbill II Beccles Suffolk England Various
    HMS Hummingbird Zeals Wiltshire England Farmland
    HMS Icarus Scapa Flow Orkney Scotland ?
    HMS Jackdaw II Kingsbarns Fife Scotland
    Kilindini Mombasa County Kenya
    Mackinnon Road Taita-Taveta County Kenya
    Moi International Airport Mombasa County Kenya Moi International Airport
    HMS Kestrel South Wonston Hampshire England Worthy Down Camp
    HMS Landrail Machrihanish Argyllshire Scotland Campbeltown Airport
    HMS Malabar Boaz Island Sandys Parish Bermuda Housing
    HMS Merganser Rattray Aberdeenshire Scotland Long range radio station
    HMS Mentor II Stornoway Outer Hebrides Scotland Stornoway Airport
    HMS Merlin Donibristle Fife Scotland Dalgety Bay
    Ponam Island Papua New Guinea
    HMS Nabberley Bankstown Australia Bankstown Airport
    HMS Nabbington Nowra Australia HMAS Albatross
    Kowloon Bay Kowloon Peninsula Hong Kong
    Middle Wallop Hampshire England
    Pinkenba Brisbane Australia
    Sembawang Singapore
    Maryborough Queensland Australia
    Jervis Bay New South Wales Australia
    HMS Nabthorpe Schofields New South Wales Australia RAAF Station Schofields
    HMS Nighthawk Drem East Lothian Scotland Farmland/industry/RAF Drem Museum
    Inskip Lancashire England Farmland/industry
    HMS Nuthatch Anthorn Cumbria England Anthorn Radio Station
    HMS Osprey Portland Dorset England Coastguard base
    HMS Owl Fearn Ross and Cromarty Scotland
    East Haven Angus Scotland
    HMS Peregrine Ford West Sussex England
    Crumlin Co. Antrim Northern Ireland
    HMS Raven Eastleigh Hampshire England Southampton International Airport
    HMS Ringtail Burscough/Ormskirk Lancashire England
    HMS Robin Kirkwall Orkney Scotland Kirkwall Airport
    HMS Sanderling Abbotsinch Renfrewshire Scotland Glasgow Airport
    HMS Sarepta Portland Dorset England
    Halifax Nova Scotia Canada CFB Shearwater
    HMS Sealion Ballykelly Co. Londonderry Northern Ireland Shackleton Barracks
    HMS Shrike Maydown Co. Londonderry Northern Ireland Industry
    HMS Simbang Sembawang Singapore Sembawang Air Base
    HMS Siskin Gosport Hampshire England HMS Sultan
    HMS Sparrowhawk Kirkwall Orkney Scotland Industrial Estate
    Hastings Western Area Sierra Leone
    HMS Tern Twatt Orkney Scotland
    HMS Ukussa Kalutara Western Province Sri Lanka Katukurunda Airport
    HMS Urley Ronaldsway Isle of Man Isle of Man Airport
    HMS Vulture St Merryn Cornwall England Farmland
    HMS Vulture II Treligga Cornwall England Farmland
    HMS Wagtail Heathfield South Ayrshire Scotland Housing estate

    See also[]

    References[]

    1. ^ Fleet Air Arm Officers' Association, FAAOA
    2. ^ "H.M.S. MONARA". royalnavyresearcharchive.org.uk. Retrieved 20 November 2020.

    "FAA Bases home page". Retrieved 21 March 2016.

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