RNAS Predannack

RNAS Predannack
Name	RNAS Predannack
Location	Predannack, Cornwall
Country	England
Type	Naval Air Station
Ownership	Admiralty
Operator	Royal Navy Fleet Air Arm
Used	1941–present (as airfield)
Battles	Battle of the Atlantic, Operation Overlord, Operation Torch
Occupants	Fleet Air Arm, Royal Air Force

RNAS Predannack is a former Royal Naval Air Station located on the Lizard Peninsula near Predannack Airfield, Cornwall, England. Commissioned during World War II as a strategic coastal airfield, it supported anti-submarine warfare, convoy protection, and air-sea rescue operations, hosting units from the Fleet Air Arm and cooperating with formations from the Royal Air Force and United States Army Air Forces. Post-war, the site transitioned through RAF use, private ownership, and partial conversion to civilian aviation, while remaining of interest to historians of Battle of the Atlantic and Coastal Command operations.

History

Construction began in 1940 after surveys by officers attached to Admiralty planning staffs and engineers influenced by precedent sites such as RNAS Yeovilton and RAF St Mawgan. The station opened in 1941 amid pressure from the Battle of the Atlantic and following losses sustained during Operation Torch and convoy battles off the Bay of Biscay. Initial staffing drew personnel seconded from HMS Daedalus and other Fleet Air Arm establishments, and RAF liaison was formalized with detachments from RAF Coastal Command and squadrons transferred from RAF Pembroke Dock. During 1943 Predannack supported preparations for Operation Overlord through training and coastal patrols linked to carrier-based strike doctrines developed by the Royal Navy and tested aboard ships like HMS Ark Royal (91).

Throughout 1944–45 the base played a role in combined Allied anti-submarine tactics that integrated intelligence from Bletchley Park decrypts and Ultra signals, and coordinated with escort groups drawn from the Royal Navy and the United States Navy. Following Victory in Europe Day, the station was scaled down as part of wider demobilization, with many personnel transferring to establishments such as RNAS Culdrose and HMS Seahawk. The Admiralty retained ownership into the Cold War, and the field was used for training flights, weapons trials, and as a dispersal site for aircraft from carriers like HMS Illustrious (R06).

Facilities and layout

Predannack’s layout followed wartime specifications seen at RAF Benson and RNAS Worthy Down, featuring multiple runways surfaced with asphalt and pierced steel planking to support Supermarine Seafire and Fairey Swordfish operations. Technical sites included hardened aircraft shelters, maintenance hangars derived from designs used at RAF Hendon, and a control tower with direct Admiralty communications links to coastal signal stations such as those at Falmouth and Penzance. Accommodation blocks mirrored patterns developed by the Royal Engineers and the Telegraph Construction Company (TCC), providing billets for aircrew, mechanics, and naval ratings. Ancillary installations included petrol dumps, bomb stores similar to those at RAF St Eval, and medical facilities modeled after wartime hospitals like No. 10 General Hospital.

Topographically, the airfield occupies elevated heathland above the English Channel, with approach patterns constrained by cliffs and the nearby Lizard Point. Infrastructure upgrades in the 1950s added radar arrays influenced by systems deployed at RAF Bawdsey and improved fueling systems akin to those used by Empire Air Training Scheme bases.

Military operations and units

Operationally, Predannack hosted a rotating complement of Fleet Air Arm squadrons, including units equipped with Fairey Barracuda, Supermarine Seafire, and later Fairey Firefly aircraft. Squadrons assigned here undertook anti-submarine patrols, convoy escort sorties, and deck-landing practice in concert with carriers such as HMS Furious (47) and HMS Indomitable (92). RAF detachments from RAF Coastal Command conducted joint operations, and liaison with the United States Army Air Forces in the European Theatre facilitated combined patrols and search-and-rescue coordination with squadrons that had operated from RAF St Eval and RAF Predannack-area satellite fields.

Training units used the station for torpedo-dropping exercises and radar interception drills derived from techniques practiced at RNAS Yeovilton and HMS Osprey. Notable squadrons that cycled through Predannack included elements of the 820 Naval Air Squadron, 836 Naval Air Squadron, and maintenance flights attached to No. 279 Squadron RAF for air-sea rescue. The field also served as a landing site for aircraft diverted from damaged carriers after actions involving enemy surface craft and U-boat encounters overseen by commands such as Admiral Sir Max Horton’s Western Approaches Command.

Post-war use and civilian conversion

After decommissioning as a front-line naval air base, Predannack found intermittent use by the Royal Air Force and later by civilian operators. Parts of the airfield were sold into private ownership and repurposed for general aviation, gliding, and agricultural uses similar to conversions at RAF Millom and RAF Manston. Aviation clubs established operations and hosted vintage aircraft displays, drawing enthusiasts of Fleet Air Arm and Coastal Command heritage. Sections of the site were adapted for industrial units and light manufacturing, while other areas remained fallow, providing habitat for species of interest to conservation groups associated with Cornwall Wildlife Trust.

Heritage groups and local councils have worked to commemorate Predannack’s wartime role through memorials referencing actions in the Battle of the Atlantic and veterans associated with units like 820 Naval Air Squadron. Archival materials, including operation logs and photographic collections, are held in repositories such as the Imperial War Museum and the National Archives (United Kingdom).

Notable incidents and accidents

Predannack’s wartime tempo produced several incidents. Aircraft accidents involved types such as the Fairey Barracuda and Supermarine Seafire, some resulting from challenging approaches over Lizard Point and adverse weather similar to conditions recorded at RAF St Eval. Recorded events include forced sea ditchings requiring coordination with Royal National Lifeboat Institution crews and air-sea rescue launches from units such as No. 279 Squadron RAF. Training accidents during deck-landing practice and torpedo exercises led to ground fires and structural damage to technical buildings, prompting safety reviews influenced by procedures developed at RNAS Yeovilton and HMS Heron.

Post-war incidents included runway overruns and light aircraft crashes during civilian operations, investigated by bodies like the Air Accidents Investigation Branch and documented in local press archives reflecting community responses comparable to incidents near Newquay Airport.

Category:Royal Naval Air Stations Category:Airports in Cornwall