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| RAF Mountbatten | |
|---|---|
| Name | RAF Mountbatten |
| Location | Plymouth, Devon |
| Country | England |
| Type | Royal Air Force station (former) |
| Owner | Ministry of Defence (United Kingdom) |
| Operator | Royal Air Force |
| Used | 1917–1996 |
| Fate | Transferred to Her Majesty's Coastguard / civilian use |
RAF Mountbatten was a Royal Air Force base located on the naval Mount Batten Peninsula at the mouth of the River Plym and Cattewater near Plymouth, Devon. Founded in the First World War era, the site developed through interwar Royal Naval Air Service origins into a key Fleet Air Arm and Royal Air Force marine aviation facility, surviving wartime bombing during the Second World War and Cold War restructuring before closure in the 1990s. The station contributed to antisubmarine warfare, air-sea rescue, and search and rescue operations supporting Western Approaches Command, Admiralty maritime strategy and NATO commitments in the North Atlantic.
The site began as a seaplane base established during the First World War to serve Royal Naval Air Service and early Royal Air Force maritime patrols, alongside contemporaries such as Lee-on-Solent and Calshot. Interwar expansion paralleled developments at RNAS Scapa Flow and coastal stations used for convoy escort duties during the Battle of the Atlantic. The Mountbatten Peninsula endured heavy bombing in the Plymouth Blitz during the Second World War, with links to operations staged from HMS Raven and coordination with Royal Navy warships based at Devonport Dockyard. Postwar, the station hosted units connected to Fleet Air Arm squadrons, collaboration with No. 201 Squadron RAF, and involvement in Cold War maritime surveillance alongside Royal Naval Reserve elements and Coastguard services. Renamed in honour of Louis Mountbatten, 1st Earl Mountbatten of Burma, the base adapted through defence rationalisation, leading to handover and redevelopment after closure amid the Options for Change defence review and changing NATO force structures.
Mountbatten featured hangars and slipways for seaplanes and helicopters, workshops modelled after coastal bases such as Calshot and Dover Seaplane Base, plus moorings in the Cattewater and Plymouth Sound. Onsite infrastructure included control towers analogous to those at RAF St Eval, maintenance sheds similar to RAF Benson facilities, and accommodation blocks comparable to RNAS Yeovilton standards. The station supported radar and communications linking to RAF Coastal Command networks and Admiralty plotting rooms, with fuel farms and ordnance stores meeting requirements of Anti-Submarine Warfare units and Search and Rescue squadrons. Shore-based training rooms hosted courses akin to those at RAF College Cranwell and collaborated with civilian maritime institutions such as Plymouth University and the National Maritime Museum Cornwall for heritage projects.
Units at Mountbatten included maritime patrol squadrons comparable to No. 206 Squadron RAF and No. 202 Squadron RAF, helicopter flights similar to No. 771 Naval Air Squadron, and reserve contingents resembling Royal Naval Reserve air branches. The station supported Air-Sea Rescue Flight detachments, logistics elements akin to Royal Air Force Regiment squadrons, and coordination with Coastguard rescue teams. It acted as a forward operating location for NATO naval aviation exercises, interoperating with units from United States Navy carrier task groups and French Navy maritime patrol assets based in the Bay of Biscay. Training and administrative units mirrored structures at RAF Kinloss and RAF Lossiemouth, while liaison with Admiralty headquarters and Commander-in-Chief, Plymouth ensured integration into regional defence.
Aircraft operating from Mountbatten included seaplanes and flying boats reminiscent of Supermarine Walrus, Consolidated PBY Catalina, and later helicopter types such as the Westland Wessex and Westland Sea King. Fixed-wing maritime patrol types comparable to Avro Anson and Handley Page Halifax were serviced at the base for coastal reconnaissance and convoy escort roles. Equipment inventories reflected standard RAF and Royal Navy inventories: navigation sets like those used on Avro Shackleton missions, radar systems analogous to ASV radar arrays, winch and hoist gear for air-sea rescue operations, and maintenance tooling paralleling that at Fleet Air Arm shore establishments. Support craft included launches similar to those deployed by Royal Navy air stations for crew recovery and tender duties.
Throughout its operational life the station witnessed incidents akin to those recorded at coastal air stations, including forced ditchings in the English Channel and operational accidents during wartime dispersal and peacetime training. Notable events mirrored high-profile episodes from Coastal Command history, involving search and rescue responses to merchant shipping casualties and aircraft mechanical failures. Investigations at Mountbatten followed procedures comparable to Accident Investigation Branch (United Kingdom) protocols, with findings informing safety changes across Royal Air Force and Fleet Air Arm coastal operations.
After closure, the site entered civilian and heritage use with parts preserved in ways similar to former bases such as Calshot Spit. Local initiatives involved partnerships between Plymouth City Council, English Heritage, and maritime museums to conserve hangars, slipways and memorials noting service by units linked to Coastal Command and Fleet Air Arm. Commemorative activities have included memorial services with representation from Royal British Legion, veterans from Second World War campaigns, and families of personnel. Redevelopment projects balanced residential, recreational and cultural uses, echoing adaptive reuse seen at former military sites like Chatham Dockyard and Portsmouth Historic Dockyard.
Category:Royal Air Force stations in Devon Category:Military history of Plymouth, Devon