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| RNAS Hatston | |
|---|---|
| Name | Hatston |
| Location | Stromness, Orkney |
| Country | Scotland |
| Caption | Aerial view, 1941 |
| Type | Naval air station |
| Used | 1939–1946 |
| Controlledby | Royal Navy, Fleet Air Arm |
RNAS Hatston
RNAS Hatston was a Royal Navy air station on the Mainland of the Orkney Islands near Stromness that played a key role in Northern European naval and aerial operations during the Second World War. It opened shortly before the Battle of Britain period and supported Fleet Air Arm squadrons, Coastal Command detachments, and anti-submarine operations linked to the Royal Navy and Royal Air Force. The station’s proximity to the German Navy operational areas, the Home Fleet anchorage at Scapa Flow, and the Atlantic convoys made it strategically important during wartime.
Hatston was established in response to heightened tension following the Munich Agreement and the expansion of the Kriegsmarine and Luftwaffe activity in the North Sea. Initial construction involved collaboration between the Air Ministry, the Admiralty, and local Orkney authorities, with rapid development overseen by contractors who had worked on other wartime airfields such as RAF Lossiemouth and RAF Wick. During the early war years Hatston became a forward operating base for units transferring between the Home Fleet and the Far East Fleet, and it featured in operational planning alongside HMS Ark Royal, HMS Furious, and the battleship squadron based at Scapa Flow. The air station was expanded after the Norwegian Campaign to accommodate carrier-leased squadrons and to support combined operations with No. 18 Group RAF and Coastal Command. After the cessation of major operations in European waters, post-war drawdown decisions by the War Office and the Ministry of Defence led to reduction of activity and eventual closure.
The site comprised multiple grass runways initially, later upgraded with hard standings and dispersal areas similar to those at RAF Leuchars and RAF Hemswell. Hangars and technical blocks were built using standardized designs used at Royal Naval Air Service and Fleet Air Arm installations; support infrastructure included a control tower, barracks, sick quarters with links to the Royal Navy Sick and Hurt Fund, and petrol and armament depots modeled on those at HMS Sparrowhawk. The layout enabled rapid servicing of carrier aircraft types such as those from HMS Illustrious and HMS Victorious, and housed workshops staffed by personnel trained at HMS Daedalus. Coastal watch facilities tied into Chain Home and Royal Observer Corps reporting networks, while accommodation camps connected to the Orkney transport routes serving Kirkwall and the Scapa Flow naval base.
Hatston hosted a wide variety of Fleet Air Arm squadrons including units flying Fairey Swordfish, Supermarine Seafire, Fairey Fulmar, and Barracuda aircraft, as well as detachments operating Grumman Martlet fighters and Hawker Hurricane variants under Fleet control. Coastal Command and RAF bomber and reconnaissance units also operated types such as the Avro Anson and Lockheed Hudson from the station on anti-submarine and reconnaissance patrols. Notable squadrons based at Hatston included elements of 822 Naval Air Squadron, 819 Naval Air Squadron, and mixed-force detachments coordinating with carrier air groups from HMS Furious and HMS Ark Royal. Maintenance units linked to No. 48 Maintenance Unit RAF practices handled engine overhaul for Rolls-Royce Merlin powerplants and airframe repairs under the supervision of personnel trained at HMS Daedalus and other Fleet Air Arm depots.
During the Second World War Hatston served as a forward base for strike, convoy escort, and anti-submarine operations that intersected with major campaigns such as the Battle of the Atlantic and actions against the German Navy in the North Sea. Aircraft from the station provided reconnaissance for the Home Fleet and participated in sorties related to the Narvik operations and later patrols linked to the Arctic convoys to Murmansk. Coordination with Coastal Command, the Royal Navy Submarine Service, and carrier groups enabled rapid response to U-boat threats, surface raiders, and Luftwaffe reconnaissance. The air station also supported training and ferrying operations between home bases and carriers operating in the Mediterranean Sea and the North Atlantic, linking to logistics hubs such as Scapa Flow and transit points like Kirkwall.
Following the end of hostilities, the strategic need for a heavily manned naval airfield in Orkney declined alongside reductions affecting Fleet Air Arm and Royal Navy establishments across the UK. Demobilisation and restructuring led to the withdrawal of operational squadrons, redevelopment of some hangars for civilian uses, and transfer of parts of the site to local authorities in Orkney. The airfield was progressively decommissioned, with remaining aviation functions consolidated at larger bases including RAF Leuchars and HMS Fulmar. By the late 1940s Hatston ceased flying operations and much of the site was repurposed for industrial and agricultural use, while some wartime buildings were retained as municipal facilities near Stromness.
Hatston’s legacy is preserved through surviving buildings, local museum collections in Orkney Museum and Stromness Museum, and memorials commemorating air and naval personnel who served with the Fleet Air Arm and Coastal Command. Historical research and aviation heritage groups focusing on sites such as Scapa Flow and wartime airfields have documented squadron histories, aircraft movements, and personal accounts tied to Hatston in archives associated with the Imperial War Museum and the Royal Navy Historic Flight. Annual remembrance events in Orkney include references to the station’s contribution to the Battle of the Atlantic and Arctic convoy operations, and local plaques and interpretive panels mark the wartime footprint near Stromness.
Category:Royal Navy air stations Category:Orkney military history Category:World War II airfields in the United Kingdom