RAF Skaebrae

RAF Skaebrae HMS Tern II
IATA: none – ICAO: none
Summary
Airport type	Military
Owner	Air Ministry
Operator	Royal Air Force Royal Navy
Location	Skaebrae, Orkney
Built	1940
In use	1940-1957
Elevation AMSL	56 ft / 17 m
Coordinates	59°03′50″N 003°16′12″W / 59.06389°N 3.27000°WCoordinates: 59°03′50″N 003°16′12″W / 59.06389°N 3.27000°W
Map
RAF Skaebrae Location in Orkney
Runways
Direction Length Surface ft m 00/00 0 0 Asphalt 00/00 0 0 Asphalt 00/00 0 0 Asphalt

RAF Skaebrae is a former Royal Air Force station located 1.4 miles (2.3 km) west of Dounby, Mainland, Orkney and 6.4 miles (10.3 km) northwest of Finstown, Mainland, Orkney.

History

The following units were posted here at some point:

• No. 3 Squadron RAF.^[1]
• No. 66 Squadron RAF.^[2]
• No. 118 Squadron RAF.^[3]
• No. 129 Squadron RAF.^[4]
• No. 132 Squadron RAF.^[4]
• No. 164 Squadron RAF.^[5]
• No. 234 Squadron RAF.^[6]
• No. 253 Squadron RAF.^[7]
• No. 312 Squadron RAF.^[8]
• No. 313 Squadron RAF.^[8]
• No. 329 Squadron RAF.^[9]
• No. 331 Squadron RAF.^[9]
• No. 441 Squadron RAF.^[10]
• No. 451 Squadron RAF.^[11]
• No. 453 Squadron RAF.^[11]
• No. 598 Squadron RAF.^[12]
• No. 602 Squadron RAF.^[12]
• No. 603 Squadron RAF.^[12]
• No. 611 Squadron RAF.^[13]
• 801 Naval Air Squadron.^[14]
• 804 Naval Air Squadron.^[14]
• 841 Naval Air Squadron.^[14]
• 880 Naval Air Squadron.^[14]
• 881 Naval Air Squadron.^[14]
• 882 Naval Air Squadron.^[14]
• 884 Naval Air Squadron.^[14]
• 887 Naval Air Squadron.^[14]
• 894 Naval Air Squadron.^[14]
• No. 1476 (Advanced Ship Recognition) Flight.^[14]
• No. 1491 (Fighter) Gunnery Flight.^[14]
• No. 1841 Squadron^[14]
• Advanced Ship Recognition Flight.^[14]

Royal Air Force units and aircraft

^[15]

Unit	Dates	Aircraft	Variant	Notes
No. 3 Squadron RAF	1941	Hawker Hurricane	I	Based for a few weeks in January/February 1941
No. 66 Squadron RAF	1943	Supermarine Spitfire	VB and VC later VI	Based for four-months with detachments to Sumburgh, converted to Spitfire VI and moved south the RAF Church Fenton
No. 118 Squadron RAF	1944	Supermarine Spitfire	VB and VII	Had operated detachments to Skaebrae in September 1943 from RAF Peterhead, moved from RAF Detling and returned south to Detling after four months, operated detachments to RAF Sumburgh.
No. 129 Squadron RAF	1943	Supermarine Spitfire	VC and VI	Had operated detachments to Skaebrae in late 1942 from RAF Grimsetter, it moved to Skaebrae for a few weeks in January/February 1943 before moving south the RAF Ibsley
No. 132 Squadron RAF	1942	Supermarine Spitfire	IIB later VB	Moved from Peterhead in February 1942, converted to Spitfire VB in April and moved to RAF Grimsetter in June 1942.
No. 164 Squadron RAF	1942	Supermarine Spitfire	VA	Newly formed at RAF Peterhead in April 1942 it moved to Skaebrae in May 1942 before returning to Peterhead in September 1942.
No. 234 Squadron RAF	1943	Supermarine Spitfire	VI	Moved in from Grimsetter in April 1943 for a few weeks before moving on to RAF Church Stanton in June 1943.
No. 253 Squadron RAF	1941	Hawker Hurricane	I later IIB	Moved from RAF Leconfield in February 1941, converted to the Hurricane IIB in July 1941 and moved south to RAF Hibaldstow in September 1941.
No. 312 Squadron RAF	1943	Supermarine Spitfire	VC	Moved from RAF Church Stanton in June 1943 until it returned south to RAF Ibsley in September 1943.
No. 313 Squadron RAF	1944	Supermarine Spitfire	VB	Moved from RAF Lympne in July 1944 and converted to the Spitfire VB (Spitfire VIIs were also operated for a few weeks), moved south to RAF North Weald in October 1944. Operated detachments to RAF Sumburgh.
No. 329 Squadron RAF	1945	Supermarine Spitfire	IX	Had moved to RAF Turnhouse from the Netherlands in March 1945 and then moved to Skaebrae the following month to convert to the Spitfire IX, moved to RAF Harrowbeer in May 1945.
No. 331 Squadron RAF	1941-1942	Hawker Hurricane	IIB	Moved from RAF Castletown in September 1941 and converted from the Hurricane to the Spitfire IIA in November 1941, another change to Spitfire VBs in April 1942 a few weeks before it moved south to RAF North Weald.
		Supermarine Spitfire	XVI
No. 441 Squadron RCAF	1944-1945	Supermarine Spitfire	IXB later IX	Moved from RAF Hawkinge on 30 December 1944 and converted to the Spitfire IX in January, returned to Hawkinge in April 1945.
No. 451 Squadron RAAF	1945	Supermarine Spitfire	XVI	Moved from RAF Hawkinge in May 1945 for a few weeks before moving back south to RAF Lasham in June 1945.
No. 453 Squadron RAAF	1943-1944	Supermarine Spitfire	VC	Moved from RAF Perranporth in October 1943 before moving back south to RAF Detling in January 1944, operated detachments to RAF Sumburgh.
No. 598 Squadron RAF	1943	Multiple types		The squadron was an Anti-aircraft Co-operation squadron and based at RAF Peterhead with a variety of aircraft, it operated all over north-east Scotland including detachments to Skaebrae.
No. 602 Squadron RAF	1942-1943	Supermarine Spitfire	VA, VC, VI	Moved from RAF Peterhead in September 1942 before moving to RAF Perranporth in January 1943.
No. 603 Squadron RAF	1945	Supermarine Spitfire	LF XVIe	Moved from RAF Drem and was based for a few weeks in June/July 1945 before moving to RAF Turnhouse.
No. 611 Squadron RAF	1944	Supermarine Spitfire	IX	Moved from RAF Bradwell Bay in October 1944 until it moved south to RAF Hawkinge in December 1944.

Current use

The site is now open land and housing.^[14]

See also

• List of former Royal Air Force stations

References

Citations

1. Jefford 1988, p. 24.
2. Jefford 1988, p. 45.
3. Jefford 1988, p. 57.
4. Jefford 1988, p. 59.
5. Jefford 1988, p. 64.
6. Jefford 1988, p. 75.
7. Jefford 1988, p. 78.
8. Jefford 1988, p. 86.
9. Jefford 1988, p. 87.
10. Jefford 1988, p. 92.
11. Jefford 1988, p. 93.
12. Jefford 1988, p. 98.
13. Jefford 1988, p. 100.
14. "Skaebrae". Airfields of Britain Conservation Trust. Retrieved 17 October 2013.
15. Jefford 1988, p. 173.

Bibliography

• Jefford, C.G, MBE, BA, RAF (Retd). RAF Squadrons, a Comprehensive Record of the Movement and Equipment of all RAF Squadrons and their Antecedents since 1912. Shrewsbury, Shropshire, UK: Airlife Publishing, 1988. ISBN 1-84037-141-2.

External links