List of air stations of the Royal Navy

This is a list of naval air stations of the Royal Navy. Naval air stations are shore establishments of the Fleet Air Arm (FAA), the branch of the Royal Navy (RN) responsible for the operation of naval aircraft.

Historically, RNAS referred to the Royal Naval Air Service, which was the aviation branch of the Royal Navy. This merged in 1918 with the Royal Flying Corps, of the British Army, to form an independent service, the Royal Air Force (RAF). Currently the abbreviation RNAS stands for "Royal Naval Air Station", and in common with Royal Air Force station naming convention, is always followed by a geographical place in which the air station is located.

Between 1918 and 1939, the Royal Air Force had provided the Fleet Air Arm to the Royal Navy, and Royal Naval Air Stations were consequently operated by Royal Air force personnel.

On 24 May 1939, operation of the Fleet Air Arm was returned to full Admiralty control under the Inskip Award, with Royal Air Force personnel replaced by Royal Naval personnel, or transferring to the Royal Navy.

As Coastal Command remained part of the Royal Air Force, Royal Naval Air Stations, since 1939, have generally operated ship-borne types of aircraft when it has been necessary for them to be operated from land bases.

Current naval air stations

The current Fleet Air Arm front-line operations are centred on two main operating bases (MOBs), each with a nearby satellite airfield: (Bold denotes Royal Navy shore establishment, italics denotes other controlled airbase with Fleet Air Arm unit)

RNAS Culdrose (HMS Seahawk) – Culdrose, Helston, Cornwall, England - (maritime Merlin operations, Royal Naval School of Flight Deck Operations)
- RNAS Predannack (satellite airfield) – Mullion, Cornwall
RNAS Yeovilton (HMS Heron) – Yeovilton, Somerset, England - (Wildcat Maritime Force (MWF), Commando Helicopter Force (CHF), Joint Aviation Command, Wildcat Demo Team)
- RNAS Merryfield (satellite airfield) – Ilton, Somerset

Other airbases

Fleet Air Arm front-line operations are supported by other airbases with activity at:

HMS Gannet, which is a forward operating base of the Fleet Air Arm located at Glasgow Prestwick Airport, South Ayrshire in Scotland, used by detachments of Royal Navy Merlin HM2 helicopters which are deployed from RNAS Culdrose as and when required.^[1]
RAF Marham - Norfolk, England, the F-35B Lightning II main operating base and a Royal Air Force station, but home to the Royal Navy's Fleet Air Arm 809 Naval Air Squadron, which is part of Air Combat Force, under No. 1 Group RAF.^[2]

Similarly, second-line operations are also conducted from both RNAS Culdrose, with 750 Naval Air Squadron providing training for Royal Navy Observers and Royal Air Force Weapon Systems Officers (WSOs),^[3] and RNAS Yeovilton home to 727 Naval Air Squadron with flight assessment and training,^[4] but operations are also supported by other airbases:

Dedicated aircrew training for all three UK armed services sits with the UK Military Flying Training System (UKMFTS).^[5]
- RAF Barkston Heath - Lincolnshire, England, home to the Defence Elementary Flying Training School, which includes the Feet Air Arm’s 703 Naval Air Squadron as part of the UKMFTS, and which operates the Grob Prefect T1 in the elementary flying training role.^[6]
- RAF Shawbury - Shropshire, England. Home of the tri-service No. 1 Flying Training School, which includes the Fleet Air Arm’s 705 Naval Air Squadron, flying the Airbus Juno HT1. Elements of the Central Flying School (Helicopter) Squadron train helicopter flying instructors, and the Defence College of Air and Space Operations trains air traffic controllers for both the RAF and RN.^[7]

Several former airbases are operated by defence contractor QinetiQ in the test and evaluation role, with these locations owned by the Ministry of Defence (MoD).

The former Royal Air Force station at Boscombe Down in Wiltshire is the main facility, and this has a Fleet Air Arm presence.
- MOD Boscombe Down, Wiltshire, England - Test and evaluation airbase operated by QinetiQ on behalf of the MoD. The Fleet Air Arm's 744 Naval Air Squadron is part of the Air and Space Warfare Centre, but predominantly based out of MoD Boscombe Down, and forms part of the Air Test and Evaluation Centre (ATEC).^[8]^[9]

Map of stations within the UK

Map of the United Kingdom showing active naval air stations, including forward operating bases and satellite airfields, Ministry of Defence (MOD) airfields with a Royal Navy presence and Royal Air Force (RAF) stations with a Royal Navy presence.

HMS Gannet

HMS Seahawk

HMS Heron

Predannack Airfield

RNAS Merryfield

RAF Marham - 809 Naval Air Squadron

RAF Barkston Heath - 703 Naval Air Squadron

RAF Shawbury - 705 Naval Air Squadron

MoD Boscombe Down - 744 Naval Air Squadron

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Operational locations for the Fleet Air Arm within the United Kingdom. The colour of the location mark indicates the type of airbase or unit at each location (blue: Naval Air Station, orange: satellite airfield, yellow: Forward Operating Base, red: FAA Unit at RAF airbase, green: FAA Unit at MoD location)

Former naval air stations

When control of the Fleet Air Arm was transferred from the Royal Air Force, four of its existing airbases, in the United Kingdom, were also transferred to the Fleet Air Arm, these were: Donibristle, Lee-on-Solent, Ford, and Worthy Down. At that time when operating overseas, the Fleet Air Arm still needed to rely on lodger facilities at Royal Air Force stations abroad.

During the early period of the Second World War the Royal Navy worked to acquire its own airfields, both in the UK and near to strategic bases abroad. Some of these were purpose built and others were transferred over from the Royal Air Force.^[10]

These lists covers Fleet Air Arm establishments, located both on the British Isles and overseas. It includes Air Stations, Air Sections, Air Maintenance & Repair Yards, Lodger units at RAF bases, and training establishments. The bases are listed alphabetically, by geographical location.

Key to the types of establishments:

BCAS - British Commonwealth Air Station
MONAB - Mobile Naval Air Base
RAF - Royal Air Force
RAAF - Royal Australian Air Force
RCAF - Royal Canadian Air Force
RNAS - Royal Naval Air Station
RNAY - Royal Naval Air Yard
RNAMY - Royal Naval Aircraft Maintenance Yard
RNARY - Royal Naval Aircraft Repair Yard
RNADC - Royal Naval Aircraft Direction Centre
RNAE - Royal Naval Air Establishment
RNATE - Royal Naval Aircraft Training Establishment
RNTE - Royal Naval Training Establishment
SAAF - South African Air Force
TAMY - Transportable Aircraft Maintenance Yard
USAF - United States Air Force
USNAS - United States Naval Air Station
USNAF - United States Naval Air Facility

British Isles

This list is of former air stations of the Royal Navy within the British Isles, consisting of the islands of Great Britain, Ireland, the Isle of Man, the Inner and Outer Hebrides, the Northern Isles (Orkney and Shetland), and over six thousand smaller islands.^[11] The Channel Islands, off the north coast of France, are normally taken to be part of the British Isles.^[12] The list includes airbases wholly operated by the Admiralty and those where RN lodger units operated, sometimes under a RN Air Section.

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	County Antrim	Northern Ireland	Naval units as lodgers on an RAF Base. Now Aldergrove Flying Station
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
Ayr	Wagtail	Heathfield Ayr	1944–46	South Ayrshire	Scotland
Bacton	n/a	Bacton	1915–19	Norfolk	England
Ballyhalbert	Corncrake	Ballyhalbert	1945	County Down	Northern Ireland
Ballykelly	Sealion	Ballykelly	1962–1971	County 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
Beccles	Hornbill II	Beccles	1945-53	Suffolk	England	Lodger facilities from No.16 Group RAF. Transferred on loan to the Admiralty in July 1945
Belfast	Gadwall Gannet III	Sydenham	1943–1973	County Antrim	Northern Ireland	Lodger facilities at RAF Sydenham, transferred to Admiralty control June 1943.^[13] Now George Best Belfast City Airport
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.
n/a	n/a	Boscombe Down		Wiltshire	England	RN Air Section. Now MoD Boscombe Down
Bramcote	Gamecock	Bramcote	1946–58	Warwickshire	England	Transferred from No.4 Group RAF to the Admiralty on 1 December 1946. 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	Former USAAF airfield, transferred from the Air Ministry on loan in September 1945
Burscough	Ringtail	n/a	1943–46	Lancashire	England
Bush Barn	n/a	Bush Barn No. 44 SLG	1944–45	Oxfordshire	England	Transferred from Ministry of Aircraft Production on loan July 1944. On the books of Kestrel.
Calshot	n/a	Calshot	1913–22	Hampshire	England
Campbeltown	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
Cattewater	n/a	Cattewater Mount Batten	1917–18	Devon	England
Charlton Horethorne	Heron II	Charlton Horethorne	1942–45	Somerset	England	Originally lodger facility at RAF station. Transferred to Admiralty on loan July 1942.
Chingford	n/a	Chingford	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	County Tyrone	Northern Ireland	Used occasionally.
Covehithe	n/a	Covehithe	1915–19	Suffolk	England
Cowdray Park	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
RNAS Training Establishment, Cranwell	Daedalus Thunderbolt	Cranwell	1916–1918	Lincolnshire	England	Now Royal Air Force College
Culham	Hornbill	n/a	1944–1953	Oxfordshire	England	Now Culham Science Centre
Culmhead	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.
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 III		1944–54	Highland	Scotland	Never commissioned.
Drem	Nighthawk	Drem	1945–46	East Lothian	Scotland	Lodger facilities until 1945.
Dundee	Condor II	Dundee	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.
East Fortune	n/a	East Fortune	1915–18	East Lothian	Scotland	National Museum of Flight
East Haven	Peewit		1943–46	Angus	Scotland
Eastchurch	n/a	Eastchurch	1910–1918	Kent	England	Now HM Prison Standford Hill
Eastleigh	Raven	Eastleigh Southampton	1917–20, 1935–39, 1939–1947	Hampshire	England	Now Southampton Airport
Eglinton	Gannet	Eglinton	1943–1959 1960–63	County Londonderry	Northern Ireland	Now City of Derry Airport
Evanton	Fieldfare	Evanton Novar	1944–48	Highland	Scotland
Fairlop	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
Fishguard	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.
Goldhanger	n/a	Goldhanger	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
Halesworth	Sparrowhawk	Halesworth	1945–46	Suffolk	England	Lodger facilities until 1945
Hatston	Sparrowhawk Tern II		1939–1945	Orkney	Scotland
Heath Row	n/a	Heathrow	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
Hornsea Mere	n/a	Atwick	?-1918	East Yorkshire	England
Inskip	Nightjar	n/a	1943–46	Lancashire	England
Jersey	n/a	Helier	1940	Jersey	Channel Islands	Requisitioned by the Admiralty. RN Air Section, on the books of Kestrel. Jersey Airport
Kete	Harrier	n/a	1945–1961	Pembrokeshire	Wales
Kingsnorth	n/a	Kingsnorth	1914–25	Kent	England	WW1 airship station on Isle of Grain on south bank of R Thames
Kirkistown	Corncrake II	Kirkistown	1945–46	County Down	Northern Ireland	Lodger facilities only during WWII. Satellite airfield from July 1945.
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 Daedalus	Lee-on-Solent	1939–1995	Hampshire	England
n/a	n/a	Leuchars	?-1938 1972–78	Fife	Scotland	Lodger facilities only. Now Leuchars Station
Limavady	n/a	Limavady	1944 1945–?	County Londonderry	Northern Ireland	Lodger facilities during 1944. Naval charge from 1945.
Long Kesh	n/a	Long Kesh	1944–45	County Antrim	Northern Ireland	Lodger facilities only.
Lossiemouth	Fulmar	Lossiemouth	1946–1972	Moray	Scotland	Now RAF Lossiemouth. RN lodger status 1972–79.
Luce Bay	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	Buzzard - Support of disembarked squadrons, Daedalus II - Technical training of Air Apprentices and Air Fitters
Machrihanish	Landrail	Machrihanish	1941–46 1951–52	Argyll & Bute	Scotland	Now Campbeltown Airport
Macmerry	Nighthawk II	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	County Londonderry	Northern Ireland
Middle Wallop	Flycatcher	Middle Wallop	1945–46	Hampshire	England	Now Middle Wallop Flying Station
Milltown	Fulmar II	Milltown	1946–1972	Moray	Scotland
Milton Pembroke	n/a	Carew Cheriton Pembroke	1914–18	Pembrokeshire	Wales
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
Nutts Corner	Pintail	Nutts Corner	1945–46	County Antrim	Northern Ireland
n/a	n/a	Pembroke Dock	1940–41	Pembrokeshire	Wales	Lodger facilities only.
Peplow	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.
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
Rattray Head Rattray Crimond	Merganser		Oct 1944– Sept 1946	Aberdeenshire	Scotland
Redcar		Redcar	1915–1919	North Yorkshire	England
Roborough	Drake II	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
n/a	n/a	St Davids	1947–1961	Pembrokeshire	Wales	Used by Airworks Air Direction Training Unit
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
Skaebrae	Tern II	Skaebrae	1940–?	Orkney	Scotland	Lodger facilities only initially.
n/a	n/a	Skitten	1940–41	Highland	Scotland	Lodger facilities only.
South Denes	n/a	Great Yarmouth	1913–20	Norfolk	England	Base for both land and seaplanes that shot down three Zeppelins during WWI^[14]
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
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	n/a	1941–1957	Orkney	Scotland	Purpose built by the Admiralty, on books of Sparrowhawk, then independent Command Tern
Walmer	n/a	Walmer	1917–1918	Kent	England	Hawkshill Freedown (open land)
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

Weapons Ranges

List of former Royal Navy Fleet Air Arm air weapons ranges (AWR) within the United Kingdom,although FAA aircraft have used other weapons ranges in the UK and abroad, operated by other authorities:^[15]

Name	Commissioned	RAF	RN Years active	Current county	Country	Notes
RNAS Banff	n/a	RAF Banff	1947-72	Aberdeenshire	Scotland	Used for simulated bombing by RNAS Lossiemouth units. Unmanned satellite to RNAS Lossiemouth.^[16] Part of the site is now Boyndie wind farm.^[17]
Royal Navy Aircraft Range Lilstock	n/a	n/a	- 2014	Somerset	England	Coastal range on Bridgwater Bay, controlled by RNAS Yeovilton. From 1995 the site was reclassified as a helicopter gunnery range only.^[18]
RNAS Tain	n/a	RAF Tain	1946–72	Highland	Scotland	Tain Air Weapons Range. Parented by RNAS Lossiemouth, transferred from RAF at the same time. Air-to-ground weapons range on coast next to Tain airfield.
RNAS Treligga	Vulture II	n/a	1940-55	Cornwall	England	Fleet Air Arm live firing range & emergency landing ground under control of RNAS St Merryn, then RNAS Culdrose from 1953.

Overseas

This list is of former air stations of the Royal Navy located outside of the British Isles. The list includes airbases wholly operated by the Admiralty and those where lodger facilities from the RAF were granted and operated under a RN Air Section.

RNAS	HMS	RAF	RN Years active	Current county	Country	Notes
Aboukir	Nile II	Aboukir	1935–42		Egypt	Lodger facilities for a RN Air Section on RAF Station
Addu Atoll	Haitian Maraga	Gan	1942-45		Maldives	Purpose built for the Admiralty. Now Gan International Airport
Andrakaka	Ironclad	Andrakaka	1942-43		Madagascar	Captured Vichy French airfield, RN Air Section
Archerfield	Nabsford Nabreekie	n/a	1945–46	Queensland	Australia	RNAMY Archerfield used for: TAMY I (Transportable Aircraft Maintenance Yard No. 1) MONAB VII
Argentia	Avalon III	n/a	1943–44	Newfoundland	Canada	Lodger facilities for RN Air Section at US Naval Air Station Argentia, now Naval Station Argentia
Bankstown	Nabberley	n/a	1944–46	New South Wales	Australia	MONAB II. Now Bankstown Airport
Bermuda	Malabar	n/a	1939-44	Sandys Parish	Bermuda	Operated from North Yard of Royal Naval Dockyard, Bermuda on Ireland Island until relocating to Boaz Island in 1940. Care-and-maintenance status by 1945. Disposed of with other Admiralty and War Office land in 1950s
Brunswick	Saker	n/a	1943-45	Maine	United States	U.S. Naval Air Station loaned to the Admiralty
Coimbatore	Garuda	n/a	1942–46	Cochin	British Indian Empire	Aircraft Repair Yard. Parent station to: RN Air Section Cochin, RN Air Station Sulur. Now Coimbatore International Airport
Colombo Racecourse	Bherunda	Colombo Racecourse	1943–45	Colombo	British Ceylon	Now Colombo Racecourse
Dartmouth	Seaborn	n/a	1940–46	Nova Scotia	Canada	Lodger facilities for an RN air section at an RCAF base only. Now CFB Shearwater
Dekheila	Grebe Nile II	LG-34/LG-235	1940–46		Egypt
Durban	Kongoni	n/a	1940-46	Durban	South Africa	R.N. Air Section Durban at S.A.A.F. Station, Stamford Hill
Fayid	Pheonix	Fayid	1941-46		Egypt	R.N. Aircraft Repair Yard. RAF station transferred to Admiralty control
Floyd Bennett Field	Saker	n/a	1942-		United States	Lodger facilities for an RN Air Section and disembarked squadrons from 1942.^[19]
Hal Far	Falcon	Hal Far	1929–50 1952–67		Malta
Hastings	Spurwing	Hastings	1943–44		British Sierra Leone	Lodger facilities until 1943
Hiswa	Rapax	Hiswa			Aden Protectorate	Lodger facility for an RN Air Section on RAF station. Transferred to the Admiralty for development as Royal Naval Air Station
Jervis Bay	Nabswick	n/a	1945–46	New South Wales	Australia	MONAB V
Kai Tak	Nabcatcher Flycatcher	Kai Tak	1938–40 1945-78	Kowloon Bay	Hong Kong	MONAB VIII. Lodger facilities 1948 - 1978
Kaldadarnes	Baldur II	Kaldadarnes	1943		Iceland	Lodger facilities for an RN Air Section
Katukurunda	Ukussa	Katukurunda	1942-46	Katukurunda	British Ceylon.^[20]	Transferred from the Royal Air Force in 1942 and returned in 1946. Now Katukurunda Airport
Kilindini	Kipanga	n/a	1942–44	Mombasa	Kenya
Komenda	Wara	Takoradi	Oct–Dec 1943		Gold Coast	Now Takoradi Airport
Lewiston	Saker	n/a	1943–45	Maine	United States	Now Auburn/Lewiston Municipal Airport
Mackinnon Road	Tana Kipanga II	n/a	1942–44	Taita-Taveta	Kenya	Now Mackinnon Road Airport
Maharagama	Monara	n/a	1943–46	Maharagama	British Ceylon	Royal Naval Air Ceylonese Training Establishment in Maharagama which was later taken over by the National Teachers' Training College.^[21]
Maryborough	Nabstock	n/a	1945–46	Queensland	Australia	MONAB VI
Minnerya	n/a	Minnerya	1942–46		British Ceylon	Lodger facilities only. Now Hingurakgoda Airport
Nairobi	Korongo	n/a	1942-44	Nairobi	Kenya	R.N. Aircraft Repair Yard. Reserve aircraft storage
Norfolk	Saker	n/a			United States	Lodger facilities at a US Naval Station Norfolk Chambers Field for FAA squadrons and an Air Section.^[22]
Nowra	Nabbington Nabswick	n/a	Jan–Nov 1945 1945–1946	New South Wales	Australia	MONAB I MONAB V. Now HMAS Albatross (air station)
Palisadoes	Malabar III Buzzard	n/a	1941–43	Kingston	Jamaica	Now Norman Manley International Airport
Piarco	Malabar II Goshawk	n/a	1940–46		Trinidad and Tobago	Now Piarco International Airport
Ponam	Nabaron	n/a	Apr–Nov 1945	Admiralty Islands	Papua New Guinea	MONAB IV. Former United States Navy airstrip transferred to the RN on loan
Port Reitz	Kipanga	Port Reitz	1942-44	Mombasa	Kenya	Lodger facilities for an RN Air Section at an RAF station. Now Moi International Airport
Puttalam	Rajaliya	n/a	1942–45	Puttalam District	British Ceylon	Now SLAF Palavi (Sri Lanka Air Force Palavi).^[23]
Quonset Point	Asbury	n/a	1942–43	Rhode Island	United States	Now Quonset Point Air National Guard Station
Ras el-Tin Point	Nile		Apr 1939– Jun 1946	Alexandria	Egypt
Schofields	Nabthorpe Nabstock	n/a	Feb–Nov 1945 Nov 1945–June 1946	New South Wales	Australia	MONAB III MONAB VI. Now HMAS Nirimba, up for sale.
Sembawang	Simbang Nabrock	Sembawang	1939-71		Singapore	MONAB IX. Now Sembawang Air Base
Sigiriya	n/a	Sigiriya			British Ceylon	Lodger facilities only. Now Sigiriya Airport
Squantum	Saker	n/a	1943-44	Norfolk County, Massachusetts	United States	US Naval Air Station Squantum loaned to the Admiralty.^[24]
Sulur	Vairi	n/a	1944-46		British Indian Empire	Now Sulur Air Force Station
Tafaraouri	Cormorant II	n/a	1943-44		Algeria	Lodger facility for an RN Air Section on Twelfth Air Force fighter station. Later Lodger rights for one squadron.^[25] Now Oran Tafraoui Airport
Takali	Goldfinch St Angelo	Ta Kali	1945–53		Malta	1943 RN Lodger unit, 1944 Transferred to RN on temporary loan in February, 1945 Full control transferred to Admiralty in April
Tambaram	Valluru	Tambaram	1944–45	Madras	British Indian Empire	Now Tambaram Air Force Station
Tanga	Kilele	n/a	1942–44		Tanganyika	Now Tanga Airport
Trincomalee	Bambara	China Bay	1940-50	Trincomalee	British Ceylon	Lodger facility for RN Air Section from August 1940. Station transferred to the Admiralty on 15 November 1944 and renamed RNAS Trincomalee. Now China Bay Airport
Vizagapatam	n/a	Vizagapatam	1944-45		British Indian Empire	Lodger facilities for an RN Fleet Requirements Unit. Now Visakhapatnam Airport
Voi	Tana Kipanga II	n/a	1944		Kenya	Never commissioned
Wingfield	Malagas	n/a	1942–46	Western Cape	South Africa	Now SAS Wingfield
Yarmouth	Canada Seaborn	n/a	1943-45	Nova Scotia	Canada	Lodger facilities for an RN air section at an RCAF base only. RCAF Station Yarmouth

Mobile Naval Air Base

The Mobile Operational Naval Air Base (MONAB) were designed to have all the capabilities of an air station or an aircraft carrier, to support the Fleet Air Arm, and that could be deployed anywhere around the world. There were eleven commissioned units, ten MONABs and one Transportable Aircraft Maintenance Yard (TAMY), ten of these saw active service for the British Pacific Fleet:^[26]

Unit name	Ship's name	Commissioned	Paid Off	Located
MONAB I	HMS Nabbington	28 October 1944	15 November 1945	Nowra, Australia
MONAB II	HMS Nabberley	18 November 1944	31 March 1946	Bankstown, Australia
MONAB III	HMS Nabthorpe	4 December 1944	15 November 1945	Schofields, New South Wales, Australia
MONAB IV	HMS Nabaron	1 January 1945	10 November 1945	Ponam, Manus Island, Admiralty Islands
MONAB V	HMS Nabswick	1 Feb 1945	18 Mar 1946	Jervis Bay, Australia
MONAB VI	HMS Nabstock	1 Apr 1945	9 Jun 1946	Maryborough, Queensland, Australia
MONAB VII	HMS Nabreekie	1 Jun 1945	5 Nov 1945	Meeandah, Brisbane, Australia
MONAB VIII	HMS Nabcatcher	1 Jul 1945	1 Apr 1947	Kai Tak, Hong Kong
MONAB IX	HMS Nabrock	1 Aug 1945	15 Dec 1945	Sembawang, Singapore
MONAB X	HMS Nabhurst	1 Sep1945	12 Oct 1945	Middle Wallop, Hampshire, England
TAMY I	HMS Nabsford	1 Feb 1945	31 Mar 1946	Brisbane, Queensland, Australia

Former naval air stations by ship name (HMS xxx)

HMS means His Majesty's Ship (or Her Majesty's Ship).

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	Solent Airport Daedalus
HMS Ariel	Winchester	Hampshire	England
HMS Asbury	Quonset Point	Rhode Island	United States	Quonset Point Air National Guard Station
HMS Bambara	Trincomalee		Ceylon	China Bay Airport
HMS Berhunda	Colombo		Ceylon	Colombo Racecourse
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	County Down	Northern Ireland	Housing
HMS Corncrake II	Portavogie	County Down	Northern Ireland	Kirkistown Circuit
HMS Curlew	St Merryn	Cornwall	England	Farmland
HMS Daedalus	Lee-on-the-Solent	Hampshire	England	Solent Airport Daedalus
HMS Daedalus II	Lympne	Kent	England	Industrial Estate
HMS Daedalus II	Sandbanks	Dorset	England	in Poole Harbour
HMS Daedalus II	Lawrenny	Pembrokeshire	Wales	Riverbank slipway
HMS Dipper	Templecombe	Dorset	England
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	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 Fulmar II	Elgin	Morayshire	Scotland	Milltown airfield
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 Garuda	Coimbatore		India
HMS Godwit	Ollerton	Shropshire	England
HMS Godwit	Peplow	Shropshire	England
HMS Godwit II	Weston-under-Lizard	Shropshire	England	Ground in Weston Park
HMS Goldcrest	Angle	Pembrokeshire	Wales	Farmland
HMS Goldcrest	Brawdy	Pembrokeshire	Wales	Cawdor Barracks
HMS Goldcrest	Dale	Pembrokeshire	Wales
HMS Goldcrest II	Brawdy	Pembrokeshire	Wales	Cawdor Barracks
HMS Goldfinch	Ta' Qali		Malta	Park
HMS Goshawk	Piarco		Trinidad	Piarco International Airport
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	Crail	Fife	Scotland
HMS Jackdaw II	Kingsbarns	Fife	Scotland
HMS Kalugu	Cochin		India
HMS Kestrel	South Wonston	Hampshire	England	Worthy Down Camp
HMS Kilele	Tanga		Tanzania
HMS Kipanga	Kilindini	Mombasa County	Kenya
HMS Kipanga II	Mackinnon Road	Taita-Taveta County	Kenya
HMS Kipanga II	Moi International Airport	Mombasa County	Kenya	Moi International Airport
HMS Kongoni	Durban		South Africa
HMS Korongo	Nairobi		Kenya
HMS Landrail	Machrihanish	Argyllshire	Scotland	Campbeltown Airport
HMS Landrail II	Campbeltown	Argyllshire	Scotland
HMS Malabar	Boaz Island	Sandys Parish	Bermuda	All shore personnel at Bermuda, including RNAS, belonged to the stone frigate HMS Malabar. Operated from North Yard of Royal Naval Dockyard, Bermuda on Ireland Island until relocating to Boaz Island in 1940. Care-and-maintenance status by 1945. Disposed of with other Admiralty and War Office land in 1950s. Housing.
HMS Malagas	Cape Town	Western Cape	South Africa	Wingfield Aerodrome
HMS Mentor II	Stornoway	Outer Hebrides	Scotland	Stornoway Airport
HMS Merganser	Rattray	Aberdeenshire	Scotland	Long range radio station
HMS Merlin	Donibristle	Fife	Scotland	Dalgety Bay
HMS Nabaron	Ponam Island		Papua New Guinea
HMS Nabberley	Bankstown		Australia	Bankstown Airport
HMS Nabbington	Nowra		Australia	HMAS Albatross
HMS Nabcatcher	Kowloon Bay	Kowloon Peninsula	Hong Kong
HMS Nabhurst	Middle Wallop	Hampshire	England
HMS Nabreekie	Pinkenba	Brisbane	Australia
HMS Nabrock	Sembawang		Singapore
HMS Nabsford	Brisbane	Queensland	Australia	Archerfield Airport
HMS Nabstock	Maryborough	Queensland	Australia
HMS Nabswick	Jervis Bay	New South Wales	Australia	Jervis Bay Airfield
HMS Nabthorpe	Schofields	New South Wales	Australia	RAAF Station Schofields
HMS Nighthawk	Drem	East Lothian	Scotland	Farmland/industry/RAF Drem Museum
HMS Nighthawk II	Haddington	East Lothian	Scotland	Farmland/industry
HMS Nightjar	Inskip	Lancashire	England	Farmland/industry
HMS Nile II	Alexandria		Egypt	Farmland
HMS Nuthatch	Anthorn	Cumbria	England	Anthorn Radio Station
HMS Osprey	Portland	Dorset	England	Coastguard base
HMS Owl	Fearn	Ross and Cromarty	Scotland
HMS Peewit	East Haven	Angus	Scotland
HMS Peregrine	Ford	West Sussex	England
HMS Pheonix	Fayed	Ismailia Governorate	Egypt
HMS Pintail	Crumlin	Co. Antrim	Northern Ireland
HMS Rajaliya	Puttalam	North Western Province	Ceylon
HMS Rapax	Hiswa		Aden Protectorate
HMS Raven	Eastleigh	Hampshire	England	Southampton International Airport
HMS Ringtail	Burscough/Ormskirk	Lancashire	England
HMS Ringtail II	Woodvale	Merseyside	England
HMS Robin	Kirkwall	Orkney	Scotland	Kirkwall Airport
HMS Sanderling	Abbotsinch	Renfrewshire	Scotland	Glasgow Airport
HMS Saker II	Quonset Point	Rhode Island	United States	Quonset Point Air National Guard Station
HMS Sambur	Plaine Magnien		Mauritius	Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam International Airport
HMS Sarepta	Portland	Dorset	England
HMS Seaborn	Halifax	Nova Scotia	Canada	CFB Shearwater
HMS Sealion	Ballykelly	Co. Londonderry	Northern Ireland	Shackleton Barracks
HMS Seruwa	Ratmalana	Western Province	Sri Lanka	Ratmalana Airport
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
HMS Sparrowhawk	Halesworth	Suffolk	England	agricultural use
HMS Spurwing	Hastings	Western Area	Sierra Leone
HMS Tern	Twatt	Orkney	Scotland
HMS Tern II	Kirkwall	Orkney	Scotland	Industrial Estate
HMS Tern III	Dounreay	Caithness	Scotland	Vulcan Naval Reactor Test Establishment
HMS Ukussa	Kalutara	Western Province	Ceylon	Katukurunda Airport
HMS Urley	Ronaldsway		Isle of Man	Isle of Man Airport
HMS Vairi	Coimbatore	Tamil Nadu	India	Sulur Air Force Station
HMS Valluru	Madras	Madras State	India	Tambaram Air Force Station
HMS Vulture	St Merryn	Cornwall	England	Farmland
HMS Vulture II	Treligga	Cornwall	England	Farmland
HMS Wagtail	Heathfield	South Ayrshire	Scotland	Housing estate
HMS Wara	Sekondi-Takoradi		Ghana	Takoradi Airport

References

Citations

^ "Flying Tigers practise lifesaving exercises". Royal Navy. 25 September 2019. Retrieved 13 May 2024.
^ "Return of the Immortals sees second F-35 Lightning Squadron join the frontline". Royal Air Force. 8 December 2023. Retrieved 13 May 2024.
^ "750 Naval Air Squadron train the RAF". royal navy. Royal Navy. 18 March 2019. Retrieved 16 May 2024.
^ "727 Naval Air Squadron". royal navy. Royal Navy. Retrieved 16 May 2024.
^ "Ascent Flight Training". Ascent. Retrieved 16 May 2024.
^ "Perfect Prefect as Lucas makes RN history in new training aircraft". Royal Navy. Retrieved 16 May 2024.
^ "RAF Shawbury". RAF.MoD.uk. Royal Air Force. Retrieved 16 May 2024.
^ "Air Test & Evaluation Centre (ATEC) support to CSG-21 Capability". Qinetiq. Retrieved 16 May 2024.
^ "744 Naval Air Squadron". royalnavy.mod.uk. Royal Navy. Retrieved 16 May 2024.
^ "Air Stations - Air Sections - Air Yards - Air Establishments - Lodger Units". Royal Navy Research Archive - Fleet Air Arm Bases 1939 - present day. Retrieved 21 November 2023.
^ "British Isles". Britannica Online. 12 May 2023. Retrieved 26 May 2023.
^ Oxford English Dictionary: "British Isles: a geographical term for the islands comprising Great Britain and Ireland with all their offshore islands including the Isle of Man and the Channel Islands."
^ "Belfast". Royal Navy Research Archive - Fleet Air Arm Bases 1939 - present day. Retrieved 12 May 2024.
^ "Great Yarmouth Air Station in the First World War". Blue Plaques .co.uk. Retrieved 5 January 2025.
^ Ballance, Howard & Sturtivant 2016, p. 424.
^ "Banff". Royal Navy Research Archive - Fleet Air Arm Bases 1939 - present day. Retrieved 24 May 2024.
^ "Banff (Boyndie)". Airfields of Britain Conservation Trust. Retrieved 24 May 2024.
^ "Why is there a giant concrete arrow on…". burnhamandhighbridgenews.co.uk. 9 January 2021. Retrieved 24 May 2024.
^ "Floyd Bennett Field". Royal Navy Research Archive - Fleet Air Arm Bases 1939 - present day. Retrieved 13 May 2024.
^ Fleet Air Arm Officers' Association, FAAOA
^ "H.M.S. MONARA". royalnavyresearcharchive.org.uk. Retrieved 20 November 2020.
^ "Norfolk". Royal Navy Research Archive - Fleet Air Arm Bases 1939 - present day. Retrieved 13 May 2024.
^ "Sri Lanka Air Force Palavi". AirForce.lk. Sri Lanka Air Force. Archived from the original on 26 January 2016.
^ "Squantum". Royal Navy Research Archive - Fleet Air Arm Bases 1939 - present day. Retrieved 13 May 2024.
^ "Tafaraouri". Royal Navy Research Archive - Fleet Air Arm Bases 1939 - present day. Retrieved 13 May 2024.
^ "The MONAB Story". Royal Navy Research Archive - The MONAB Story. Retrieved 12 May 2024.

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

Bibliography

Ballance, Theo; Howard, Lee; Sturtivant, Ray (2016). The Squadrons and Units of the Fleet Air Arm. Air Britain Historians Limited. ISBN 978-0-85130-489-2.

[1] "Flying Tigers practise lifesaving exercises". Royal Navy. 25 September 2019. Retrieved 13 May 2024.

[2] "Return of the Immortals sees second F-35 Lightning Squadron join the frontline". Royal Air Force. 8 December 2023. Retrieved 13 May 2024.

[3] "750 Naval Air Squadron train the RAF". royal navy. Royal Navy. 18 March 2019. Retrieved 16 May 2024.

[4] "727 Naval Air Squadron". royal navy. Royal Navy. Retrieved 16 May 2024.

[5] "Ascent Flight Training". Ascent. Retrieved 16 May 2024.

[6] "Perfect Prefect as Lucas makes RN history in new training aircraft". Royal Navy. Retrieved 16 May 2024.

[7] "RAF Shawbury". RAF.MoD.uk. Royal Air Force. Retrieved 16 May 2024.

[8] "Air Test & Evaluation Centre (ATEC) support to CSG-21 Capability". Qinetiq. Retrieved 16 May 2024.

[9] "744 Naval Air Squadron". royalnavy.mod.uk. Royal Navy. Retrieved 16 May 2024.

[RNRA-10] "Air Stations - Air Sections - Air Yards - Air Establishments - Lodger Units". Royal Navy Research Archive - Fleet Air Arm Bases 1939 - present day. Retrieved 21 November 2023.

[ReferenceB-11] "British Isles". Britannica Online. 12 May 2023. Retrieved 26 May 2023.

[12] Oxford English Dictionary: "British Isles: a geographical term for the islands comprising Great Britain and Ireland with all their offshore islands including the Isle of Man and the Channel Islands."

[RNAS-Belfast-13] "Belfast". Royal Navy Research Archive - Fleet Air Arm Bases 1939 - present day. Retrieved 12 May 2024.

[14] "Great Yarmouth Air Station in the First World War". Blue Plaques .co.uk. Retrieved 5 January 2025.

[FOOTNOTEBallanceHowardSturtivant2016424-15] Ballance, Howard & Sturtivant 2016, p. 424.

[RNAS-Banff-16] "Banff". Royal Navy Research Archive - Fleet Air Arm Bases 1939 - present day. Retrieved 24 May 2024.

[Banff_(Boyndie)-17] "Banff (Boyndie)". Airfields of Britain Conservation Trust. Retrieved 24 May 2024.

[18] "Why is there a giant concrete arrow on…". burnhamandhighbridgenews.co.uk. 9 January 2021. Retrieved 24 May 2024.

[RNAirSection-Floyd_Bennett_Field-19] "Floyd Bennett Field". Royal Navy Research Archive - Fleet Air Arm Bases 1939 - present day. Retrieved 13 May 2024.

[20] Fleet Air Arm Officers' Association, FAAOA

[21] "H.M.S. MONARA". royalnavyresearcharchive.org.uk. Retrieved 20 November 2020.

[RNAirSection-Norfolk-22] "Norfolk". Royal Navy Research Archive - Fleet Air Arm Bases 1939 - present day. Retrieved 13 May 2024.

[23] "Sri Lanka Air Force Palavi". AirForce.lk. Sri Lanka Air Force. Archived from the original on 26 January 2016.

[RNAS-Squantum-24] "Squantum". Royal Navy Research Archive - Fleet Air Arm Bases 1939 - present day. Retrieved 13 May 2024.

[RNAirSection-Tafaraouri-25] "Tafaraouri". Royal Navy Research Archive - Fleet Air Arm Bases 1939 - present day. Retrieved 13 May 2024.

[monab-26] "The MONAB Story". Royal Navy Research Archive - The MONAB Story. Retrieved 12 May 2024.

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