RAF Kaldadarnes

RAF Kaldadarnes
Near Selfoss, Iceland
A Lockheed Hudson of No. 269 Squadron prepares to take off on a patrol over the North Atlantic from RAF Kaldadarnes.
RAF Kaldadarnes Location within Iceland
Coordinates	63°55′52.33″N021°10′14.78″W / 63.9312028°N 21.1707722°W / 63.9312028; -21.1707722
Type	Royal Air Force Station
Site information
Owner	Icelandic Government
Operator	Royal Air Force
Site history
Built	1940 (1940)
In use	1941-1945 (1945)
Battles/wars	Second World War
Airfield information
Runways Direction Length and surface 10/29 990 metres (3,248 ft)  concrete 17/35 927 metres (3,014 ft)  concrete 05/23 1295 metres (4,249 ft)  concrete [1]

Royal Air Force Kaldadarnes or more simply RAF Kaldadarnes is a former Royal Air Force station, near the town of Selfoss, Iceland.

Beginnings

The station was built in 1940 by the British Army and used by the Royal Air Force from March 1941 and throughout the remainder of the Second World War.

On 2 September 1942 the war artist Eric Ravilious was lost after he flew from Kaldadarnes. ^[2]

Royal Navy

During 1943 lodger facilities for an RN Air Section were granted from RAF Coastal Command to provide and maintain, in storage, Fairy Swordfish biplane torpedo bomber aircraft for escort carriers on North Atlantic convoy duties and for MAC-Ships. ^[3]

The Air Section opened on 1 May 1943 with its accounts 'on books of HMS Baldur II' It was commanded by Lieutenant Commander(A)(P) A.G. Mayhew, RNVR, under the administrative control of Admiral Commanding Iceland. RAF Coastal Command maintained the airbase and it could accommodate around 100 ratings and six officers. ^[4]

The Fairey Swordfish for storage were flown in from the Long Island-class escort carrier HMS Archer (D78) on 5 May and its embarked squadrons 819 and 892 spent the night at the airbase. ^[4]

RAF Coastal Command intended to reduce RAF station to Care & Maintenance status offering the Admiralty control of the site, but as little use had been made of the airbase this was rejected and the Air Section was withdrawn on 2 November. ^[4]

Squadrons

Sqn	Aircraft	Joined	Departed	From → To	Notes
48	Lockheed Hudson  V & III	6 January 1942	23 September 1942	RAF Wick → RAF Sumburgh	Detachment only. [5]
98	Fairey Battle  V Hawker Hurricane I	31 July 1940	15 July 1941	RAF Gatwick → DB	Last Squadron move prior to being disbanded. [6]
269	Avro Anson I Lockheed Hudson  I & III	April 1940	6 March 1943	RAF Wick → RAF Reykjavik	Detachment initially prior to Squadron move. [7]

After the cessation of hostilities of the Second World War the British Government handed the airfield over to the Icelandic Civil Aviation Authority and it was used for a short while until it was closed. It is now in ruins with the decaying runways, perimeter track, dispersals and site of some of the buildings still visible on satellite images in 2018.

There is a memorial to No. 269 Squadron RAF at the closest public access point, situated in the modern airfield of Selfoss.

References

Citations

1. "RAF Kaldadarnes information" . Retrieved 19 March 2019.
2. Casualty Details: Ravilious, Eric William, Commonwealth War Graves Commission.
3. Ballance, Howard & Sturtivant 2016, p. 335.
4. "Kaldadarnes". Royal Navy Research Archive - Fleet Air Arm Bases 1939 - present day. Retrieved 16 May 2024.
5. Jefford, p.44 (No. 48 Sqn)
6. Jefford, p.56 (No. 98 Sqn)
7. Jefford, p.84 (No. 269 Sqn)

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.
• Jefford, C G (2001). R.A.F Squadrons, A comprehensive record of the movement and equipment of all RAF squadrons and their antecedents since 1912. UK: Airlife Publishing Ltd. ISBN   1-84037-141-2.