Post by carmedic on Jan 31, 2016 15:51:56 GMT
Royal Naval Air Station Stretton (HMS Blackcap), was an airfield in the village of Appleton Thorn, close to the village of Stretton, south of Warrington, in Cheshire, England.
aerialstretton2smaller by Chris Hall, on Flickr
The airfield is southwest of junction 9 of the present-day M56 motorway, there are two private strips within the boundry of the old airfield, Stretton, which uses part of the old peri track in the NE corner and Barley Hay/ Hawks View is the SW corner
Stretton by Chris Hall, on Flickr
Text from Wiki
"Originally planned as a Royal Air Force night-fighter station to protect Liverpool and Manchester from Luftwaffe air raids during the Second World War. But changes in German tactics meant that the airfield was not required, so it was transferred to the Admiralty on completion; three runways and numerous hangars had been built.
HMS Blackcap was commissioned on 1 June 1942 and forty-one Fleet Air Arm Squadrons were based there for varying periods, some aircraft being flown directly to and from aircraft carriers operating in the Irish Sea and other nearby waters.
Fairey Aviation used two large A1 (aircraft production) hangars on the northeast edge of the airfield for the modification, repair and flight-testing of Barracudas, Fireflies and Fulmars before they were dispatched to their operational squadrons. From 1944 HMS Blackcap was also used as an Aircraft Maintenance Yard, a large hangar complex being constructed to the northwest of the airfield for this activity.
At the end of the war American Naval Aircraft were flown into Blackcap to be broken up for disposal. The Aircraft Maintenance Yard meant that the airfield continued to operate and, at its peak, handled one third of all Fleet Air Arm Aircraft and all its spare engines.
In 1947 the Fleet Air Arm decided to form Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve Squadrons. The first to be based at Stretton was 1831 Naval Air Squadron, a fighter squadron, which was reformed here on 1 June 1947, equipped with Supermarine Seafire fighters and a single North American Harvard trainer.[1] It was joined on 18 August 1952 by 1841 Naval Air Squadron, an anti-submarine squadron. Together, these Squadrons comprised the Northern Air Division which was formed at Stretton on 1 June 1952 and disbanded on 10 March 1957 together with its constituent units.
767 Naval Air Squadron who operated Supermarine Attackers was also based in Stretton. One notable incident included an Attacker FB Mk.1, WA535 which crashed on 5 February 1953 near Winwick, fatally killing Commissioned Pilot RE Collingwood (aged 22). A second fatal accident took place on 10 November 1955 in an Attacker FB Mk2 WP281 172ST which crashed near RNAS Stretton while avoiding a collision with a Percival Sea Prince. The pilot was Lt Cmdr CJ Lavender DSC (aged 34). He is commemorated in the churchyard at Appleton Thorn.
The last squadron based at HMS Blackcap was 728B Naval Air Squadron, formed on 13 January 1958 to operate Fairey Firefly U.8 target drones. The squadron moved in February 1958 to HMS Falcon, Hal Far, Malta.
The airfield was closed on 4 November 1958." It was later used as a test track by Shell UK
I had a walk round the airfield in April 2012.
SW peri track by Chris Hall, on Flickr
Looking down the main runway from the eastern end by Chris Hall, on Flickr
Front entrance to the Type B fighter pen shelters by Chris Hall, on Flickr
Hangar on the private strip that uses part of the NE taxi way as a runway by Chris Hall, on Flickr
Southern taxy way looking east by Chris Hall, on Flickr
Southern taxy way looking west by Chris Hall, on Flickr
Rear entrance to the Type B fighter pen shelter by Chris Hall, on Flickr
View of the Type B fighter pen from the shelter by Chris Hall, on Flickr
Inside the Type B fighter pen shelter by Chris Hall, on Flickr
Taxy way to the old SE dispersals by Chris Hall, on Flickr
South East peri-track by Chris Hall, on Flickr
There are several buildings that still survive within the industrial estate on the northern side of the M56 motorway so another visit beckons sometime in the summer
aerialstretton2smaller by Chris Hall, on FlickrThe airfield is southwest of junction 9 of the present-day M56 motorway, there are two private strips within the boundry of the old airfield, Stretton, which uses part of the old peri track in the NE corner and Barley Hay/ Hawks View is the SW corner
Stretton by Chris Hall, on FlickrText from Wiki
"Originally planned as a Royal Air Force night-fighter station to protect Liverpool and Manchester from Luftwaffe air raids during the Second World War. But changes in German tactics meant that the airfield was not required, so it was transferred to the Admiralty on completion; three runways and numerous hangars had been built.
HMS Blackcap was commissioned on 1 June 1942 and forty-one Fleet Air Arm Squadrons were based there for varying periods, some aircraft being flown directly to and from aircraft carriers operating in the Irish Sea and other nearby waters.
Fairey Aviation used two large A1 (aircraft production) hangars on the northeast edge of the airfield for the modification, repair and flight-testing of Barracudas, Fireflies and Fulmars before they were dispatched to their operational squadrons. From 1944 HMS Blackcap was also used as an Aircraft Maintenance Yard, a large hangar complex being constructed to the northwest of the airfield for this activity.
At the end of the war American Naval Aircraft were flown into Blackcap to be broken up for disposal. The Aircraft Maintenance Yard meant that the airfield continued to operate and, at its peak, handled one third of all Fleet Air Arm Aircraft and all its spare engines.
In 1947 the Fleet Air Arm decided to form Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve Squadrons. The first to be based at Stretton was 1831 Naval Air Squadron, a fighter squadron, which was reformed here on 1 June 1947, equipped with Supermarine Seafire fighters and a single North American Harvard trainer.[1] It was joined on 18 August 1952 by 1841 Naval Air Squadron, an anti-submarine squadron. Together, these Squadrons comprised the Northern Air Division which was formed at Stretton on 1 June 1952 and disbanded on 10 March 1957 together with its constituent units.
767 Naval Air Squadron who operated Supermarine Attackers was also based in Stretton. One notable incident included an Attacker FB Mk.1, WA535 which crashed on 5 February 1953 near Winwick, fatally killing Commissioned Pilot RE Collingwood (aged 22). A second fatal accident took place on 10 November 1955 in an Attacker FB Mk2 WP281 172ST which crashed near RNAS Stretton while avoiding a collision with a Percival Sea Prince. The pilot was Lt Cmdr CJ Lavender DSC (aged 34). He is commemorated in the churchyard at Appleton Thorn.
The last squadron based at HMS Blackcap was 728B Naval Air Squadron, formed on 13 January 1958 to operate Fairey Firefly U.8 target drones. The squadron moved in February 1958 to HMS Falcon, Hal Far, Malta.
The airfield was closed on 4 November 1958." It was later used as a test track by Shell UK
I had a walk round the airfield in April 2012.
SW peri track by Chris Hall, on FlickrLooking down the main runway from the eastern end by Chris Hall, on FlickrFront entrance to the Type B fighter pen shelters by Chris Hall, on FlickrHangar on the private strip that uses part of the NE taxi way as a runway by Chris Hall, on FlickrSouthern taxy way looking east by Chris Hall, on FlickrSouthern taxy way looking west by Chris Hall, on FlickrRear entrance to the Type B fighter pen shelter by Chris Hall, on FlickrView of the Type B fighter pen from the shelter by Chris Hall, on FlickrInside the Type B fighter pen shelter by Chris Hall, on FlickrTaxy way to the old SE dispersals by Chris Hall, on FlickrSouth East peri-track by Chris Hall, on FlickrThere are several buildings that still survive within the industrial estate on the northern side of the M56 motorway so another visit beckons sometime in the summer
