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RN Seaplane base
Construction of a Seaplane base began on a small promontory, Cuddy Point, on the western side of Stornoway harbour in late 1940. The first nit to arrive was 701 squadron which operated 6 Walrus for anti-submarine patrols on November 6th 1940. They were joined by a further 6 Walrus belonging to 700 squadron Stornoway flight on November 11th.
Construction of the RN Air Station was suspended in mid-1941 and the site reduced to Care and Maintenances status when both Walrus units were withdrawn. 701 squadron moved to
RNAS Campeltown on March 12th 1941, and 700 Stornoway flight relocated to join 700 Sullom Voe flight, on Shetland on May 28th.
Lodger
facilities at RAF Stornoway
During 1940 the Air Ministry was constructing an RAF Station on the site of a pre-war civil aerodrome; this opened in April 1941 as a Coastal Command .airfield. Occupied first by No. 15 (General Reconnaissance) Group RAF It comprised RAF Squadrons with attached Naval Air Squadrons operating under RAF control for Western Approaches patrols.
The first RN squadron to arrive on the new Station was 827 Torpedo, Bomber and Reconnaissance (TBR) squadron which flew in from
RNAS Crail on March 14th 1941. Their 12 Albacores operated here until May 1st when they moved south to RAF Thorney Island.
The next RN squadron arrived in July 1943 but was only passing thorough, the Swordfish of 825 TBR squadron arrived from
RNAS Hatston on July 4th but returned the next day. One year later another squadron made a brief visit, 1840 Wildcats were in transit from
RNAS Machrihanish to
RNAS Hatston on July 6th.
The last wartime squadron to operate from the Station was 842 TBR squadron which moved here from
RNAS Hatston on August 8th 1944. They embarked in
HMS FENCER on the 16th, returning on the 22nd. They operated their Swordfish and Wildcats from Stornoway until they moved to RAF Benbecula on September 10th.
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