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| RNAS Calshot | |
|---|---|
| Name | RNAS Calshot |
| Type | Naval Air Station |
| Map type | England |
| Built | 1913 |
| Used | 1913–1961 |
| Condition | Preserved (Calshot Activities Centre) |
| Ownership | Admiralty |
| Battles | First World War, Second World War |
RNAS Calshot RNAS Calshot was a Royal Naval Air Station established on Calshot Spit at the mouth of the River Test and the River Itchen near Southampton on the south coast of England. The station served as a principal seaplane and flying boat base for the Royal Naval Air Service, later the Royal Air Force and the Royal Navy's Fleet Air Arm, supporting maritime patrols, training, and experimental work through the First World War and the Second World War. Its facilities influenced development of short takeoff and seaplane operations and it became a focal point for interactions with nearby ports such as Portsmouth and industrial centres including Bournemouth and Brighton.
Calshot was commissioned as a naval aviation site in 1913 during a period of expansion for the Royal Naval Air Service and played roles in coastal defence during the First World War and interwar maritime aviation developments associated with the Imperial Japanese Navy influence on treaty-era seaplane designs and with manufacturers like Supermarine and Short Brothers. Post-1918 restructuring placed Calshot under Royal Air Force control during the creation of RAF coastal aviation commands such as RAF Coastal Command before returning to Royal Navy control when the Fleet Air Arm formed and consolidated seaplane operations. During the Second World War the base contributed to anti-submarine campaigns against the Kriegsmarine U-boat threat and supported operations linked to the Battle of the Atlantic and the Dunkirk evacuation. After 1945 Calshot adapted to peacetime roles until closure in 1961 amid defence realignments tied to the Defence Review environment and advances in land-based maritime aviation.
Located on Calshot Spit at the entrance to Southampton Water, the site sat opposite major ports such as Southampton Docks and Portsmouth Harbour and adjacent to the Isle of Wight crossing. Facilities developed over decades included slipways, hangars, a concrete apron, a control tower, workshops, and accommodation blocks influenced by contemporary designs from the Admiralty Works Department. Aircraft moorings in the Solent and sheltered waters provided access for flying boats and seaplanes operated by units from RNAS Lee-on-Solent and RNAS Pembroke Dock. The presence of repair and modification capabilities fostered cooperation with manufacturers including Supermarine Aviation Works and Short Bros, and with research establishments such as the Aeroplane and Armament Experimental Establishment.
Calshot hosted a succession of seaplane and flying boat types: early Short Type 184 reconnaissance aircraft, Felixstowe F.2A flying boats, interwar Supermarine Southampton and Short Singapore models, wartime Consolidated PBY Catalina and Short Sunderland patrol flying boats. Units stationed included naval air squadrons and RAF squadrons from No. 201 Squadron RAF to No. 480 Squadron RAAF attachments, as well as training and maintenance flights drawn from establishments like the Fleet Air Arm Training Squadron. Visiting types from civil operators such as Imperial Airways also used the base for transatlantic and Empire route trials.
Operationally Calshot supported maritime reconnaissance, anti-submarine patrols, search and rescue sorties, and experimental trials in conjunction with the Ministry of Aircraft Production and the Royal Aircraft Establishment. The station coordinated with nearby naval formations including ships of the Royal Navy Home Fleet and auxiliary vessels, contributing aircraft to convoy escort operations tied to the Battle of the Atlantic. Calshot also provided support during major events such as the 1929 Schneider Trophy era developments that influenced seaplane performance research and intersected with the careers of designers linked to Supermarine and engineers like R. J. Mitchell.
Personnel at Calshot included naval aviators, RAF aircrew, civilian technicians, and dockyard tradespeople drawn from institutions such as the Portsmouth Dockyard workforce and the civilian workforce of Vickers-Armstrongs. Training programs covered seaplane conversion, flying boat seamanship, radio telegraphy, navigation, and gunnery instruction connected to schools like the Empire Air Training Scheme and the Royal Naval College, Greenwich for certain staff sea-air coordination courses. Distinguished aircrew who served or trained at Calshot had links to wider aviation figures and units like Arthur Harris's bomber commands and contemporary coastal commanders.
The operating environment produced accidents involving takeoff and landing on the Solent, collisions with moorings, and technical failures characteristic of seaplane operations worldwide; notable incidents involved types such as the Short Sunderland and the Supermarine Southampton. Losses at sea led to search operations coordinated with vessels from HMS Victory-era port authorities and salvage cooperation with companies like William Cory & Son. Training mishaps prompted procedural changes overseen by authorities including the Air Ministry and the Admiralty.
After closure in 1961 the site transitioned to civilian uses and preservation efforts have highlighted surviving structures now managed by organisations such as local heritage trusts and the Calshot Activities Centre, drawing visitors interested in early aviation history, maritime heritage, and connections to companies like Supermarine and events such as the Schneider Trophy. Artefacts and archives relating to Calshot are held in repositories including the National Maritime Museum, the Imperial War Museum, and regional collections at Southampton City Museums. The technical legacies of seaplane practice at Calshot influenced later developments in maritime patrol platforms and training doctrines in organisations like RAF Coastal Command and the postwar Fleet Air Arm.
Category:Royal Naval Air Stations Category:Military installations in Hampshire