Latitude 58°59'32"N Longitude 02°58'35"W


ACQUISITION	Purpose built for the Admiralty.
COMMISSIONED	02.10.1959 as 'Sparrowhawk' 01.08.1945 as 'Tern II'
CLOSED
PAID OFF	01.08.1945 as 'Sparrowhawk' 15.09.1945 as 'Tern II' reduced to Care & Maintenance

C.O./O.I.C.

FUNCTION	Accommodation for disembarked Front-Line squadrons. Accommodation for disembarked Ship's Flight Aircraft (H.Q. 700 Squadron). Home Fleet Fleet Requirements Unit (771 squadron)
ADDRESS	R.N. Air Station, Hatston, Mainland, Orkney.
LOCALITY	The airfield lies on the S. bank of the Bay of Kirkwall, 1 mile N.E. of the town of Kirkwall. The road from Kirkwall to Finstown forms the s. boundary of the airfield.
LANDMARKS	The town and port of Kirkwall . Scapa Flow 2½ miles S.
ROAD AND RAIL ACCESS	Road accedes to Kirkwall 1 mile SE. and Finstown 6 miles NE. (R), to RNAS Grimsetter 3½miles (R) to the SE. and Scapa 2½miles S. Nearest railway station at Thurso (LMS), mainland Scotland. Piers and Harbour facilities for small vessels at Stromness and Kirkwall, with steamer communication to Scotland.


CONTROL	Control Building inside the perimeter track SE. adjacent the technical site.
ELEVATION	35' above M.S.L.
RUNWAYS	Four, Tarmac. 01/19 QDM. 015° -195° .... 780 x -17 yds. 07/25 QDM. 069° -249° .... 8810 x 17 yds. 12/30 QDM. 121° -301° .... 790 x 50 yds. 15/33 QDM. 150° -330° .... 1000 x 50 yds.
TRACKS	40' perimeter track.
OBSTRUCTIONS	Navigation	Wideford hill (741') 1½ miles W. W/T masts (360') on hill (180') 4 miles SSE.
	Circuit	None.
	Approach	None.
APPROACH	Recommended sector, mean Q.D.M. :
WIND INDICATOR	Outside perimeter track adjacent to the '25' end of runway 07/25.


HOMING - VISUAL	By day	None.
	By night	None.
HOMING--RADIO	D/F	Not known.
	Beacons	Not known.
APPROACH - VISUAL	By day	None.
	By night	None.
APPROACH - RADIO
COMMUNICATION EQUIPMENT	M/F & H/F	Not known..
	VH/F	Not known.

GROUND RADAR	Not known.

ACCOMMODATION

Living quarters at Hatston Farm camp and W.R.N.S. quarters to the S. of the technical site.

Capacity:

Officers:	180
Chiefs, P.O.s and ratings:	1,260
W.R.N.S. Officers:	15
W.R.N.S. Chiefs, P.O.s and ratings;	224

ARMOURIES

Not known.

COMPASS BASE

One.

DISPERSAL

9 pens, 2 hardstandings.

HANGARS

Storage hangars (Mains) on NW. corner of airfield, the reminder located in the main technical site SE.

Number /Type	Size	Door Height	Door Width
2 x Bellman (Squadron)	175' x 95'	25'	90'
4 x Pentad (Squadron)	187' x106'	25'	106'
2 x Bellman (Storage)	176' x 95'	25'	90'
7 x Mains (Storage)	60' x 70'	17'	55'

MEDICAL

Sick Bay in camp area at Hatston Farm.

METEOROLOGICAL

FUEL AND OIL

Aviation:	Not known.
M/T:	Not known.
Oil :	Not known.

TEST BASE

A/c Radar base off perimeter track adjacent to the '25' end of runway 07/25.

TEST BUTT

M.G. test butt and 25 yds. range

WORKSHOPS

VISITORS

EXPLOSIVES

Explosives are on N. side of the airfield, adjacent to the '25' end of the 07/25 runway and extending W. and S. along the edge of the Bay of Kirkwall to the Test Butt and the approach to the '30' end of the 12/30 runway..

BOMBING AND FIRING RANGES

Not known.

Information taken from CB 4368 A. Admiralty Handbook of Naval Air Stations Aug. 45

List of first and second line squadrons, station flight and other flying units based at this location

700

701

712

746

771

800

801

802

803

804

806

807

809

810

811

812

813

814

816

817

818

819

820

821

822

823

824

825

826

827

828

829

830

831

832

833

835

836M

837

840

841

842

845

846

848

852

853

856

860

878

880

881

882

883

885

887

888

890

891

893

894

896

898

899

1770

1771

1820

1840

1841

1842