RNAS Eglinton (HMS Gannet)

Royal Naval Air Station Eglinton (RNAS Eglinton, also known as HMS Gannet) was a Royal Navy airbase located 1.3 miles (2.1 km) north east of Eglinton, in County Londonderry, Northern Ireland. It opened as a Royal Air Force Station (RAF Eglinton) in 1941, before being transferred to the Fleet Air Arm in May 1943.

RNAS Eglinton (HMS Gannet) USAAF Station AAF-344 RAF Eglinton
Eglinton, County Londonderry in Northern Ireland
RNAS Eglinton on a target dossier of the German Luftwaffe, 1941
Site information
Type	Royal Navy Air Station
Code	QN[1]
Owner	Ministry of Defence
Operator	Royal Air Force United States Army Air Forces Royal Navy
Controlled by	RAF Fighter Command 1941-42 * No. 13 Group RAF Eighth Air Force 1942-43 Fleet Air Arm
Location
RNAS Eglinton Shown within Northern Ireland Show map of Northern Ireland RNAS Eglinton RNAS Eglinton (the United Kingdom) Show map of the United Kingdom
Coordinates	55°02′35″N 007°09′34″W
Site history
Built	1940 (1940)/41
Built by	Stewart Partners Ltd
In use	April 1941 - September 1966 (1966)
Battles/wars	European theatre of World War II South West Pacific theatre of World War II Cold War
Airfield information
Elevation	8 metres (26 ft)[1] AMSL
Runways Direction Length and surface 00/00  Tarmac 00/00  Tarmac 00/00  Tarmac

The airfield was operational between 1941 and 1966.

History

RAF Eglinton use

The Royal Naval Air Station has its origins in the early Second World War when in 1941 RAF Eglinton was established as the home to No. 133 Squadron RAF which flew Hawker Hurricane fighters in defence of Londonderry. In 1942 the airfield was occupied by No. 41 Squadron RAF when it moved in on 22 September flying the Supermarine Spitfire VB before moving to RAF Llanbedr on 20 September 1942. The station was briefly used by the United States Army Air Forces between 1942 and 1943, it was then allocated to the Royal Navy and the airfield became a Fleet Air Arm airfield called RNAS Eglinton (HMS Gannet) and was home to the 1847 Naval Air Squadron which provided convoy air cover as part of the Battle of the Atlantic.

RNAS Eglinton use

RNAS Eglinton (HMS Gannet) was the name assigned to RNAS Eglinton, a Fleet Air Arm airfield in Northern Ireland. A number of ships have borne the name HMS Gannet.

The air station's main function was to work up fighter squadrons' pilots before joining the attacks on Japan. RNAS Maydown (HMS Shrike) with Fairey Swordfish aircraft next door to Eglinton received Battle Honours for its role in the Battle of the Atlantic from 1943 until 1945. Its commanding officer was Commander Thomas Jameson.^[2]

April 1959 saw RNAS Eglinton close and the squadrons moved to RAF Ballyhalbert and RAF Ballykelly. In 1989 the married quarter estate comprising 78 houses located in Fraser Avenue and Mill Path in the nearby village of Eglinton were sold to a Roger Byron-Collins company who also acquired the officers married quarters in nearby RAF Ballykelly in 2009.

Posted units

A number of units were here at some point:^[3][4]

Naval Air Wings

• 5th Naval Fighter Wing
• 7th Naval Fighter Wing
• 10th Naval Fighter Wing

Carrier Air Groups

• 13th Carrier Air Group
• 14th Carrier Air Group
• 15th Carrier Air Group
• 17th Carrier Air Group
• 20th Carrier Air Group

Training Air Groups

• 51st Training Air Group
• 52nd Training Air Group
• 53rd Training Air Group

Naval Air Squadrons

• 706 Naval Air Squadron
• 718 Naval Air Squadron
• 719 Naval Air Squadron
• 725 Naval Air Squadron
• 737 Naval Air Squadron
• 744 Naval Air Squadron
• 745 Naval Air Squadron
• 768 Naval Air Squadron
• 782 Naval Air Squadron
• 794 Naval Air Squadron
• 795 Naval Air Squadron
• 800 Naval Air Squadron
• 802 Naval Air Squadron
• 803 Naval Air Squadron
• 804 Naval Air Squadron
• 805 Naval Air Squadron
• 806 Naval Air Squadron
• 807 Naval Air Squadron
• 808 Naval Air Squadron
• 810 Naval Air Squadron
• 811 Naval Air Squadron
• 812 Naval Air Squadron
• 813 Naval Air Squadron
• 814 Naval Air Squadron
• 815 Naval Air Squadron flew its 12 Westland Whirlwinds from RNAS Eglinton to RNAS Portland on 14 April 1959.
• 816 Naval Air Squadron
• 819 Naval Air Squadron
• 820 Naval Air Squadron
• 821 Naval Air Squadron
• 824 Naval Air Squadron
• 825 Naval Air Squadron
• 827 Naval Air Squadron
• 833 Naval Air Squadron
• 834 Naval Air Squadron
• 835 Naval Air Squadron
• 837 Naval Air Squadron
• 838 Naval Air Squadron
• 845 Naval Air Squadron
• 847 Naval Air Squadron
• 848 Naval Air Squadron
• 849 Naval Air Squadron
  • 849C Flight
  • 849D Flight
• 850 Naval Air Squadron
• 852 Naval Air Squadron
• 853 Naval Air Squadron
• 856 Naval Air Squadron
• 878 Naval Air Squadron
• 881 Naval Air Squadron
• 882 Naval Air Squadron
• 886 Naval Air Squadron
• 887 Naval Air Squadron
• 890 Naval Air Squadron
• 891 Naval Air Squadron
• 892 Naval Air Squadron
• 894 Naval Air Squadron
• 896 Naval Air Squadron
• 898 Naval Air Squadron
• 1830 Naval Air Squadron
• 1831 Naval Air Squadron
• 1832 Naval Air Squadron
• 1835 Naval Air Squadron
• 1837 Naval Air Squadron
• 1840 Naval Air Squadron
• 1841 Naval Air Squadron
• 1842 Naval Air Squadron
• 1843 Naval Air Squadron
• 1844 Naval Air Squadron
• 1845 Naval Air Squadron
• 1846 Naval Air Squadron
• 1847 Naval Air Squadron
• 1850 Naval Air Squadron
• 1851 Naval Air Squadron
• 1852 Naval Air Squadron

A number of RAF squadrons were here at some point:^[5]

• No. 41 Squadron RAF with the Spitfire Vb
• No. 133 Squadron RAF with the Hurricane IIb & Spitfire IIa
• No. 134 Squadron RAF with the Spitfire Va. IIa, Vb & Hurricane IIb
• No. 152 Squadron RAF with the Spitfire IIa & Vb
• No. 275 Squadron RAF
• No. 485 Squadron RAF
• No. 501 Squadron RAF
• No. 504 Squadron RAF

A number of units were here at some point:^[3]

• 52nd Fighter Group
  • 2nd Fighter Squadron
  • 4th Fighter Squadron
  • 5th Fighter Squadron
• No. 1493 (Target Towing) Flight RAF became No. 1493 (Fighter) Gunnery Flight RAF^[6]
• No. 2707 Squadron RAF Regiment
• No. 2754 Squadron RAF Regiment
• No. 2756 Squadron RAF Regiment
• Joint Anti-Submarine School

Current use

The current RNAS Eglinton site is now used by the City of Derry Airport in County Londonderry with HMS Gannet a Fleet Air Arm base established in 1971 at RNAS Prestwick in Ayrshire.^[3]

See also

• List of air stations of the Royal Navy
• List of former Royal Air Force stations