Royal Air Force Skeabrae, or more simply RAF Skeabrae, is a former Royal Air Force station located in Orkney, Mainland, United Kingdom.
RAF Skeabrae  | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dounby, Mainland, Orkney in Scotland | |||||||||||||
.jpg) RAF Skeabrae on a target dossier of the German Luftwaffe, 1941 | |||||||||||||
  RAF Skeabrae Location within Orkney  RAF Skeabrae RAF Skeabrae (the United Kingdom) | |||||||||||||
| Coordinates | 59°03′52″N 003°16′09″W / 59.06444°N 3.26917°W | ||||||||||||
| Type | Royal Air Force station | ||||||||||||
| Code | KJ[1] | ||||||||||||
| Site information | |||||||||||||
| Owner | Air Ministry | ||||||||||||
| Operator | Royal Air Force Royal Navy | ||||||||||||
| Controlled by | RAF Fighter Command Fleet Air Arm | ||||||||||||
| Site history | |||||||||||||
| Built | 1940 | ||||||||||||
| In use | August 1940 - 1957 | ||||||||||||
| Battles/wars | European theatre of World War II | ||||||||||||
| Airfield information | |||||||||||||
| Elevation | 18 metres (59 ft)[1] AMSL | ||||||||||||
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History
editThe following units were here at some point:
- Squadrons
- No. 3 Squadron RAF (1941)[2]
- No. 66 Squadron RAF (1943)[3]
- No. 118 Squadron RAF (1944)[4]
- No. 129 Squadron RAF (1943)[5]
- No. 132 Squadron RAF (1942)[5]
- No. 164 Squadron RAF (1942)[6]
- No. 234 Squadron RAF (1943)[7]
- No. 253 Squadron RAF (1941)[8]
- No. 312 (Czechoslovak) Squadron RAF (1943)[9]
- No. 313 Squadron RAF (1944)[9]
- No. 329 Squadron RAF (1945)[10]
- No. 331 Squadron RAF (1941-42)[10]
- No. 441 Squadron RCAF (1944-45)[11]
- No. 451 Squadron RAAF[11]
- No. 453 Squadron RAAF (1943-44)[12]
- No. 598 Squadron RAF[13]
- No. 602 Squadron RAF (1942-43 & 1944)[13]
- No. 603 Squadron RAF[13]
- No. 611 Squadron RAF (1944)[14]
- Units
- Advanced Ship Recognition Flight RAF (January - February 1943) became No. 1476 (Advanced Ship Recognition) Flight RAF (February - June 1943 & June - January 1944)[15]
- No. 1491 (Fighter Gunnery) Flight RAF (November 1942 - August 1943)[16]
- 1841 Naval Air Squadron[17]
- No. 2714 Squadron RAF Regiment[17]
- No. 2745 Squadron RAF Regiment[17]
- No. 2766 Squadron RAF Regiment[17]
- No. 2824 Squadron RAF Regiment[17]
- Royal Navy
Current use
editThe site is currently private agricultural land.[17]
See also
editReferences
editCitations
edit- ^ a b Falconer 2012, p. 177.
- ^ Jefford 1988, p. 24.
- ^ Jefford 1988, p. 45.
- ^ Jefford 1988, p. 57.
- ^ a b Jefford 1988, p. 59.
- ^ Jefford 1988, p. 64.
- ^ Jefford 1988, p. 75.
- ^ Jefford 1988, p. 78.
- ^ a b Jefford 1988, p. 86.
- ^ a b Jefford 1988, p. 87.
- ^ a b Jefford 1988, p. 92.
- ^ Jefford 1988, p. 93.
- ^ a b c Jefford 1988, p. 98.
- ^ Jefford 1988, p. 100.
- ^ Sturtivant, Hamlin & Halley 1997, p. 134.
- ^ Sturtivant, Hamlin & Halley 1997, p. 136.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o "Skeabrae". Airfields of Britain Conservation Trust. Retrieved 26 April 2020.
Bibliography
edit- Falconer, J (2012). RAF Airfields of World War 2. UK: Ian Allan Publishing. ISBN 978-1-85780-349-5.
- Jefford, C G (1988). RAF Squadrons. A comprehensive record of the movement and equipment of all RAF squadrons and their antecedents since 1912. Shrewsbury: Airlife. ISBN 1-85310-053-6.
- Sturtivant, R; Hamlin, J; Halley, J (1997). Royal Air Force flying training and support units. UK: Air-Britain (Historians). ISBN 0-85130-252-1.