Royal Naval Air Station Twatt, (RNAS Twatt; or HMS Tern) is a former military airfield, located near Twatt, Orkney, Scotland, of the Royal Navy. It was built by the Admiralty and was commissioned on 1 April 1941 (on books of HMS Sparrowhawk). On 1 January 1942 it became an independent command as HMS Tern. The airbase was designed to provide accommodation for disembarked Front-Line squadrons and accommodation for disembarked Ship's Flight Aircraft and was home to the Home Fleet Fleet Requirements Unit, 771 Naval Air Squadron.
The airbase is situated near two notable landmarks, on the south east side of Loch of Isbister, with Brough Head 3.25 miles (5km) north west. The town of Kirkwall is 12 miles (19km) south east and the town of Stromness lies 7.5 miles (12km) to the south.[3]
Twatt was mainly used as a training airfield. On 30 March 1944 initial plans were to make Twatt the only airfield suitable to aid the disembarkation of squadrons of the Home Fleet.[2]
It closed and was ‘paid off’ on 20 October 1945 to care and maintenance, on the books of HMS Owl.[3] During the 1970s it was proposed to merge with nearby RAF Skeabrae to create a large NATO base, but Iceland was chosen instead.[4]
History
Construction
There was an operational requirement that identified the need for airfields in Shetland, Orkney and Northern Scotland (SOM 358/40) during Spring 1940, with the site at Twatt being surveyed. It was chosen by the Fleet Air Arm (FAA) for use with disembarking squadrons from the Royal Navy's Home Fleet, along with a number of support and facilities squadrons.[5]
The airfield was one of the earliest purpose built naval airfields in Britain.[4] It was situated between two roads on farmland, with Loch of Ibister to its north, and constructed by contractors, along with Royal Marines engineers.[5]
Station design
It was constructed with four hard runways and associated facilities. The control tower was built on top of the operations block. The main technical area was situated to the south west of the site, with other hangars and dispersal areas spread around the airfield.[4] There were twenty-eight hangars with twenty-one used for the FAA squadrons and seven for storage. The site also had one Aircraft Repair Shed (ARS),[5] which was a Bellman hangar measuring 185 feet (56m) x 105 feet (32m) The others we made up of sixteen Mains hangars, each measuring 60 feet (18m) x 70 feet (21m) and twelve Skeabrae hangars which measured 60 feet (18m) x 50 feet (15m).
Accommodation consisted living quarters at Skogar Camp with additional quarters at Linklater and West Quoys, with capacity for 173 Officers and 7 W.R.N.S.Officers with 965 Chiefs, P.O.s and ratings and 35 W.R.N.S. Chiefs, P.O.s and ratings.[3]
Second World War (1939–1945)
Various front line Fleet Air Arm squadrons and their associated aircraft used RNAS Twatt for short periods of time after disembarking from Royal Navy aircraft carriers before they anchored in Scapa Flow. Two Fleet Air Arm units did have a more permanent presence at the airbase. 700 Naval Air Squadron (700 NAS), which provided final training for catapult aircraft aircrew before they embarked on their assigned ships, remained at the airbase from June 1942 until disbanding during 1944. 771 Naval Air Squadron (771 NAS), a Fleet Requirements Unit (FRU), arrived from RNAS Hatston (HMS Sparrowhawk) around the same time as 700 NAS arrived and stayed at RNAS Twatt for three years. It operated a number of different aircraft types, undertaking various tasks, supporting the Home Fleet at Scapa Flow.[4]
One of the roles of the airbase was to provide an airfield to a Fleet Requirements Unit, which was tasked with operational training for the Home Fleet, which was based in Scapa Flow.[5]
In the later part of 1942 Boulton Paul Defiant target tug aircraft began to arrive. The converted turret interceptor aircraft supplemented the Blackburn Skua and Blackburn Roc target tugs. From 1943 these three aircraft types were replaced with Miles Martinet which was specifically designed as a target tug aircraft. Douglas Bostonmedium bomber variants were acquired to operate alongside the twin-engined Bristol Blenheim and Martin Maryland light bombers. All these types exercised the ships of the Home Fleets' and shore-based, anti-aircraft guns and also provide targets for radar practice and calibration. Hawker Hurricane single seat fighter aircraft, provided higher speed targets and these aircraft replaced the Vought Chesapeake dive bombers.[6]
‘A’ Flight of 700 NAS, which was equipped with Supermarine Walrus, a single-engine amphibious biplane, moved to HMS Sparrowhawk and became ‘B’ Flight of 771 NAS, on 24 March 1944. The flight swapped its Supermarine Walrus for Supermarine Sea Otter, a biplane amphibious aircraft. In the following August the flight became 721 Naval Air Squadron. In 1945 the Hawker Hurricane aircraft were replaced with the faster Vought Corsair, an American fighter aircraft.[6] In February of that year the squadron received its first helicopter with the arrival of Hoverfly I, a two seat helicopter.[5] The squadron operated a detachment at RAF Warmwell, in Dorset, England, from 14 June to 1 August 1945. 771 NAS left RNAS Twatt on 25 July 1945, moving south along with the Home Fleet following VE Day, to RNAS Zeals (HMS Hummingbird), in Wiltshire, England.[6]
700 Naval Air Squadron formed at RNAS Hatston (HMS Sparrowhawk) on 21 January 1940. It moved its HQ the short distance across Mainland, Orkney, to RNAS Twatt (HMS Tern) during June 1942 and at that point the squadron was equipped with sixty-three Supermarine Walrus amphibious biplanes.[7]
At the time the squadron moved its HQ, known as ‘A’ Flight, to RNAS Twatt it provided a ten week training course for new catapult Flights. The final two weeks of the course were spent attached to ‘A’ Flight at RNAS Twatt for final training, before joining their allocated ship.[5] The training was broken down into an initial three weeks of aerodrome flying, consisting circuits and landings, dive-bombing, photography and anti-submarine warfare, at RNAS Donibristle (HMS Merlin), in Fife. A second three week block was spent at RNAS Dundee (HMS Condor II), a seaplane base / repair depot, in Dundee, where the focus was on water operations, which included night landings. Week seven was a catapult course aboard HMS Pegasus, a Royal Navy aircraft carrier/seaplane carrier, in the Irish Sea. Week eight was then a return to RNAS Donibristle (HMS Merlin).[7]
As radar was being introduced to Royal Navy capital ships, and with the emergence of the Merchant Aircraft Carrier (MAC ship) and the escort carrier the need for catapult aircraft greatly reduced and by July 1943 the squadron was down to twenty aircraft.[7] 700 NAS disbanded the following year on 24 March 1944,[5] with the remains of 'A' Flight becoming 771 NAS ‘B' Flight at HMS Sparrowhawk.[7]
A number of Fleet Air Arm torpedo bomber reconnaissance squadrons and fighter squadrons spent time at RNAS Twatt (HMS Tern) either working up for deployment, returning from deployment, or passing through between airbases throughout the Second World War.
Hawker Sea Hurricane Mk.Ib, in the Fleet Air Arm colours of 880 squadron
Formed as a Fleet Fighter Squadron at the beginning of 1941, 880 Naval Air Squadron moved from RNAS St Merryn (HMS Vulture) on the 14 August 1941. It was equipped with Hawker Sea Hurricane Ib, a navalised version of the Hawker Hurricane single seat fighter aircraft, and was working up for embarkation on HMS Indomitable (92), a modified Illustrious-classaircraft carrier. It left for RAF Sumburgh, located on the mainland island of Shetland, on 15 September 1941 and then onto the aircraft carrier during October.[11]
Following attacks on shipping around the Lofoten Islands, operating from HMS Victorious, a detachment of 832 Naval Air Squadron Fairey Albacore torpedo bombers stayed at RNAS Twatt between 20-23 September 1941. It then returned to HMS Victorious for anti-shipping strikes in the Bodø area.[13]
809 Naval Air Squadron, formed early 1941 as a two seater Fighter squadron, arrived at RNAS Twatt from HMS Victorious on 26 October 1941, equipped with twelve Fairey Fulmar II, a carrier-borne reconnaissance and fighter aircraft. During the following twelve months the squadron took part in several deployments on Victorious including escorting Arctic convoys to northern ports on the Soviet Union and anti-shipping strikes in the Bodø area of Norway. One other notable sortie, during March 1942 809 Naval Air Squadron escorted the Fairey Albacore of 817 and 832 Naval Air Squadrons on an attack on the Tirpitz. On 22 July 1942 809 NAS embarked onto Victorious, for the final time from the Orkney airbase, before moving south to RNAS St Merryn (HMS Vulture), in Cornwall, England.[14]
819 Naval Air Squadron arrived from RNAS Crail (HMS Jackdaw), in Fife, on 27 January 1942. It operated with nine Fairey Swordfish I torpedo bomber. The squadron was working up for eventual embarkment on the Avenger-classescort carrierHMSAvenger, and it left after around four weeks later making the short journey to RNAS Hatston (HMS Sparrowhawk), as part of working up, on 22 February 1942.[15]
822 Naval Air Squadron, operating with Fairey Albacore torpedo bomber, moved from RNAS Machrihanish (HMS Landrail) on 27 September 1942. It remained at RNAS Twatt for almost three weeks before returning to the airbase HMS Landrail, on 16 October 1942, where it embarked onto the aircraft carrier HMS Furious for operations, two days later.[16]
A Fairey Albacore Mk I of 820 Naval Air Squadron
820 Naval Air Squadron passed through RNAS Twatt between 2-10 October 1942. The squadron was equipped with Fairey Albacore biplane torpedo bombers. It was working up when it left for RNAS Hatston, on its way to embark onto the Illustrious-classaircraft carrierHMSFormidable to support with the North African landings, on 21 October. The carrier was assigned to Force H for Operation Torch, where two of 820 Naval Air Squadron Fairey Albacore torpedoed and sank the German submarineU-331.[17]
With Germany's unconditional surrender of its armed forces on Tuesday, 8 May 1945 and the disbandment of the catapult training unit, 700 NAS, the previous year, the airbase saw a lot less activity. A couple of FAA squadrons passed through shortly after VE Day and the Fleet Requirements Unit remained at RNAS Twatt until July 1945.
700 Naval Air Squadron is a Maritime Unmanned Air System squadron in the Royal Navy’s Fleet Air Arm. Known as 700X Naval Air Squadron, where the 'X' is used to designate 'experimental', it is currently the Royal Navy’s Remotely-piloted air systems (RPAS) or 'drone' expert unit.
Royal Naval Air Station Hatston, was a military airfield located one mile to the north west of Kirkwall, on the island of Mainland, Orkney, Scotland, built as a Royal Naval Air Station. It was located near the strategically vital naval base of Scapa Flow, which for most of the twentieth century formed the main base of the ships of the Home Fleet. The airbase was designed to provide accommodation for disembarked Front-Line squadrons and accommodation for disembarked Ship's Flight Aircraft and was home to the Home Fleet Fleet Requirements Unit, 771 Naval Air Squadron.
701 Naval Air Squadron was a Royal Navy Fleet Air Arm squadron, which last disbanded during September 1958 at RNAS Lee-on-Solent where it was a Helicopter Trials, Communications and Fleet Requirements Unit. It initially formed during July 1936 as a Catapult Flight operating out of Malta and routinely embarking in RN ships such as, HMS Barham, HMS Malaya, HMS Valiant and HMS Warspite. By autumn 1939 it was known as 701 Naval Air Squadron but disbanded in January 1940. It was active twice more during the Second World War, between May 1940 and June 1941 on special duties and then between October 1942 and August 1943 performing anti-submarine patrols. Reforming in April 1945 it was designated a Communications Unit, operating out of Heston until disbanding in 1947. It last reformed as a Fleet Requirements Unit at HMS Daedalus, Lee-on-Solent, during October 1957.
HM Prison Ford is a Category D men's prison, located at Ford, in West Sussex, England, near Arundel and Littlehampton. The prison is operated by His Majesty's Prison Service.
778 Naval Air Squadron was a Naval Air Squadron of the Royal Navy's Fleet Air Arm. During the Second World War the squadron was a Service Trials Unit (STU) initially based at HMS Daedalus, RNAS Lee-on-Solent, Hampshire, England before moving to HMS Condor, RNAS Arbroath, Angus, Scotland on 6 July 1940. The squadron tested all types of aircraft that could be used by the Royal Navy. Key to this was testing new types for deck landing on aircraft carriers. Such aircraft included various types of Supermarine Seafires, Grumman Hellcats, Grumman Martlets, Grumman Avengers, and Vought Corsairs. The squadron was reformed on 5 November 1951 with Douglas Skyraider AEW.1 but was disbanded on 7 July 1952 to form the basis of 849 Naval Air Squadron.
884 Naval Air Squadron was a Naval Air Squadron of the Royal Navy's Fleet Air Arm, which last disbanded in July 1943. It formed at HMS Merlin, RNAS Donibristle, as a Fleet Fighter squadron, in November 1941. The squadron assisted RAF Fighter Command, providing fighter cover and also participated other operations including the attempt to relieve the Siege of Malta and also the Allied invasion of French North Africa.
886 Naval Air Squadron was a Naval Air Squadron of the Royal Navy's Fleet Air Arm. It was formed at HMS Merlin, RNAS Donibristle, as a Fleet Fighter squadron during March 1942. The squadron was loaned to RAF Fighter Command during the summer of 1942, returning the Fleet Air Arm later on in the year. 1943 saw it participate in Operation Avalanche, part of the Allied invasion of Italy. The following year it was involved with operations over Normandy, spotting for the allied invasion of France from 6 to the end of June 1944, disbanding the following month.
887 Naval Air Squadron was a Naval Air Squadron of the Royal Navy's Fleet Air Arm, which last disbanded during March 1946. It was formed as a Fleet Fighter squadron in May 1942 at HMS Daedalus, RNAS, Lee-on-Solent. The squadron embarked in HMS Unicorn during 1943 for convoy escort duties and later in the year to cover the allied landings at Salerno, Italy. At the end of 1943 it formed part of the 24th Naval Fighter Wing. 1944 saw it embark in HMS Indefatigable and the squadron saw action in operations against the german battleship Tirpitz during early 1944 and then joined the British Pacific Fleet at the end of the year. It was part of the attacks on the oil refineries at Palembang at the start of 1945 and later in the year it was involved in sorties around Tokyo, as part of the 7th Carrier Air Group, before V-J Day.
746 Naval Air Squadron was a Naval Air Squadron of the Royal Navy's Fleet Air Arm which disbanded in January 1946. It formed initially as the Naval Night Fighter Interception Unit, in November 1942 at HMS Daedalus, RNAS Lee-on-Solent. It moved to R. N. Air Section Ford in December to join the RAF Fighter Interception Unit. The squadron came under the control of the Naval Fighter Direction Centre at HMS Heron, RNAS Yeovilton, in 1943 and was tasked with the development of tactics and analysis of the experiences of pilots from the carrier squadrons. It moved to RAF Wittering in May 1944, with a detachment at RAF Defford for radar development duties. In October the squadron returned to R. N. Air Section Ford and in January 1945, deployed 'A' flight to HMS Sparrowhawk, RNAS Hatston to provide ADDL, carrier deck landing training. 746 Naval Air Squadron became the Naval Night Fighter Development Squadron in May 1945, evaluating aircraft and their equipment, while detachments of pairs of aircraft were deployed aboard escort carriers after 'A' flight became an operational sub-unit.
754 Naval Air Squadron was a Naval Air Squadron of the Royal Navy's Fleet Air Arm. It was active as an Observer Training Squadron from 1939 to 1944 as part of No. 2 Observer School, forming out of the School of Naval Co-operation RAF, in May 1939. It initially operated out of HMS Daedalus, RNAS Lee-on-Solent, Hampshire, however, after the Naval Air Station was attacked and bombed, it then moved to north to HMS Condor, RNAS Arbroath, Angus, Scotland, in September 1940. Here, it provided training for Observers and also Air Gunners and where four years later, in March 1944, it disbanded. The squadron then briefly reformed as a Air Gunner Training Squadron, as part of No. 1 Naval Air Gunners School, when 744 Naval Air Squadron was re-designated 754 Naval Air Squadron, in June 1944, at RN Air Section Yarmouth, Nova Scotia, Canada, until disbanding again, in March 1945.
768 Naval Air Squadron was a Naval Air Squadron of the Royal Navy's Fleet Air Arm (FAA). It last disbanded at HMS Gannet, RNAS Eglinton, Northern Ireland, in March 1949, having been formed as a Deck Landing Control Officer Training Squadron, in December 1948, to ensure one American-style signal trained DLCO could be located at every FAA station. It first formed as part of the Deck Landing Training School at HMS Condor, RNAS Arbroath, in January 1941, as a Deck Landing Training Squadron. Advanced training was in HMS Argus, for which a detachment was maintained at HMS Landrail, RNAS Machrihanish, where it wholly moved to in March 1943. September saw a move to RAF Heathfield, Ayr, followed by a further move to HMS Sanderling, RNAS Abbotsinch in January 1944. Training used escort carriers on the Firth of Clyde and a detachment was maintained at (Heathfield)Ayr throughout this period, with the squadron returning there in July 1945, at this time HMS Wagtail, RNAS Ayr. In August the squadron moved to HMS Corncrake, RNAS Ballyhalbert in Northern Ireland but then in October it joined up with the Deck Landing School at HMS Peewit, RNAS East Haven, Scotland, where it disbanded in April 1946.
769 Naval Air Squadron was a Naval Air Squadron of the Royal Navy's Fleet Air Arm. It last disbanded and merged with 717 Naval Air Squadron after the Second World War. 769 Naval Air Squadron Formed at HMS Merlin, RNAS Donibristle, during May 1939, by renumbering 801 Naval Air Squadron. Its role was a fighter Deck Landing Training Squadron, using HMS Furious for advanced training, before disbanding in the December. It reformed in November 1941, as a unit within the Deck Landing Training School at HMS Condor, RNAS Arbroath, and in November 1943, it moved to HMS Peewit, RNAS East Haven. Its role changed to Torpedo Bomber Reconnaissance Training in 1944, before moving to HMS Merganser, RNAS Rattray, in July 1945.
770 Naval Air Squadron was a Naval Air Squadron of the Royal Navy's Fleet Air Arm. It last disbanded at HMS Nighthawk, RNAS Drem in October 1945. 770 Naval Air Squadron initially formed as a Deck Landing Training Squadron at HMS Daedalus, RNAS Lee-on-Solent, in November 1939. Embarked in HMS Argus, and operated from the aircraft carrier and Hyeres la Palyvestre in the south of France, until it disbanded in May 1940. It reformed at HMS Merlin, RNAS Donibristle, on New Year’s Day 1941, as a Fleet Requirements Unit out of 771 Naval Air Squadron’s 'X' Flight. It moved to HMS Jackdaw, RNAS Crail, in June 1941, then two and half years later it moved to HMS Jackdaw II, RNAS Dunino in January 1944, before finally moving to HMS Nighthawk in July.
775 Naval Air Squadron was a Naval Air Squadron of the Royal Navy's Fleet Air Arm which last disbanded in March 1946. 775 Naval Air Squadron formed at HMS Grebe, RNAS Dekheila, during November 1940, as a Fleet Requirements Unit in support of the Mediterranean Fleet, based at Alexandria, Egypt. Between October 1941 and March 1942 the squadron also included the RN Fighter Flight. It absorbed 728 Naval Air Squadron in July 1943 and moved to R.N.Air Section Gibraltar at the start of February 1944. The squadron returned to HMS Grebe, RNAS Dekheila during August 1945.
777 Naval Air Squadron was a Naval Air Squadron of the Royal Navy's Fleet Air Arm, which formed as a Fleet Requirements Unit in West Africa during the Second World War. Throughout most of 1943, the squadron was responsible for the air defence of Sierra Leone. It disbanded at HMS Spurwing, RNAS Hastings, Sierra Leone, during December 1944. The squadron reformed in May 1945, from 'B' Flight of 778 Naval Air Squadron, as a Carrier Trials Unit operating aboard HMS Pretoria Castle, and using shore bases at HMS Siskin, RNAS Gosport, and HMS Peregrine, RNAS Ford in England, and HMS Wagtail, RNAS Ayr, in Scotland. 777 Naval Air Squadron number was assigned to the aircraft collection at the Fleet Air Arm Museum in April 2006.
780 Naval Air Squadron was a Naval Air Squadron of the Royal Navy's Fleet Air Arm which last disbanded at HMS Seahawk, RNAS Culdrose in November 1949. 780 Naval Air Squadron formed at HMS Raven, RNAS Eastleigh as a Conversion Course Unit, in October 1939, to train experienced civilian pilots in naval flying. It moved to HMS Daedalus, RNAS Lee-on-Solent, in October 1940, and later, its role had changed to converting pilots to Fairey Barracuda aircraft. It spent a year at RNAS Charlton Horethorne, before returning to HMS Daedalus and disbanded, early 1945. In March 1946, the squadron reformed at HMS Godwit, RNAS Hinstock, as the Naval Advanced Flying School, to give flying instructors' courses, and later provided Instrument Flying Training. In December, the squadron moved to HMS Jackdaw, RNAS Crail, then in March 1947 moved to HMS Merlin, RNAS Donibristle, and in May to HMS Seahawk as the first resident unit.
783 Naval Air Squadron was a Naval Air Squadron of the Royal Navy's Fleet Air Arm which last disbanded in November 1949. 783 Naval Air Squadron was formed as an ASV Training Squadron at HMS Condor, RNAS Arbroath, Scotland, in January 1941. It operated a number of ‘flying classroom’ aircraft alongside other types. It operated in conjunction with the Naval Air Signals School (NASS) from March 1943. The squadron moved to HMS Daedalus, RNAS Lee-on-Solent, England, when the NASS moved south, also supporting the Flag Officer, Air, Home Communications Officer and from July 1948,it was part of the 51st Miscellaneous Air Group.
785 Naval Air Squadron was a Naval Air Squadron of the Royal Navy's Fleet Air Arm which disbanded in early 1946. 785 NAS formed as a Torpedo Bomber Reconnaissance Training Squadron, at HMS Jackdaw, RNAS Crail, in November 1940. Throughout its existence it operated a number of various types of torpedo bomber aircraft. The squadron became part of No. 1 Naval Operational Training Unit in late 1944.
786 Naval Air Squadron was a Naval Air Squadron of the Royal Navy's Fleet Air Arm which last disbanded in late 1945, absorbed by 785 Naval Air Squadron. 786 NAS formed at HMS Jackdaw, RNAS Crail, in November 1940, as a Torpedo Bomber Reconnaissance squadron. It operated a few different types of torpedo bomber aircraft, initially equipped with Fairey Albacore and shortly afterwards joined by Fairey Swordfish, these aircraft were replaced by Fairey Barracuda at the of 1942.
789 Naval Air Squadron was a Naval Air Squadron of the Royal Navy's Fleet Air Arm which disbanded in November 1945. 789 Naval Air Squadron formed as a Fleet Requirements Unit at RNARY Wingfield in South Africa, at the beginning of July 1942. It initially only had a single Supermarine Walrus, needing to borrow other aircraft types. 1943 saw the squadron sharing and holding aircraft for other Fleet Air Arm units and it wasn’t until 1944 it started to receive a notable number of its own aircraft.
Ballance, Theo; Howard, Lee; Sturtivant, Ray (2016). The Squadrons and Units of the Fleet Air Arm. Air Britain Historians Limited. ISBN978-0-85130-489-2.
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