Latitude 47˚18'10"N Longitude 53˚59'14"W

   

ACQUISITION

Lodger facilities for RN Air Section at USN Air Station,

 

OPENED

01 May 1943 on 'books of AVALON III'.

 

COMMISSIONED

November 1943 - as AVALON IV [accounts remained on 'books of AVALON III'.

 

PAID OFF

05 July 1944.

 

CLOSED

05 July 1944.

 

   

O.I.C.

Lt. Commander (A) E.W. Kenton RNVR 01 May 1943

   

FUNCTION

Reserve storage of up to 12 Swordfish for possible use as replacement a/c for escort carriers on N. Atlantic convoy duties. Support of one disembarked squadron.

 

ADDRESS

R.N. Air Section,
U.S.N. Air Station

Argentia,

Newfoundland

 

LOCALITY

 

 

LANDMARKS

 

 

ROAD AND RAIL ACCESS

 

 

   
   

CONTROL

Control Building SE of landing area.

 

ELEVATION

 ?' above M.S.L.

 

RUNWAYS

Three, Asphalt concrete


04/22 QDM. ---˚----˚ .... 2.466 x 100 yds. 

08/26 QDM. ---˚----˚ .... 1,700 x 100 yds.

14/32 QDM. ---˚----˚ ....1 .666 x 100 yds.

 

TRACKS

 
   

OBSTRUCTIONS

Navigation

None.

Circuit

Not known.

Approach

None.

 

APPROACH

No special approach recommended.

 

WIND INDICATOR

Not known.

   
   

HOMING - VISUAL

By day

None.

By night

None.

 

HOMING--RADIO

D/F

Not known.

Beacons

Not known.

 

APPROACH - VISUAL

By day

None.

By night

Not known.

 

APPROACH - RADIO

Not known.

 

COMMUNICATION EQUIPMENT

M/F & H/F

 transmitters,  receivers.

VH/F

  transmitters,   receivers.

 

GROUND RADAR

Not known.

   
   

ACCOMMODATION

Capacity:

Officers:

Unknown.

Chiefs, P.O.s and ratings:

Unknown.

W.R.N.S. Officers:

None.

W.R.N.S.  Chiefs, P.O.s and ratings;

None.

 

ARMOURIES

Not known.

 

COMPASS BASE

Not known.

 

DISPERSAL

Not known.

 

HANGARS

Hangars

Number /Type

Size

Door Height

Door Width

?

?

?

?

       

MEDICAL

Sick Quarters on technical site to S. of landing area.

 

METEOROLOGICAL

Not known.

 

 

FUEL AND OIL

Aviation:

Not known.

M/T:

Not known.

Oil :

Not known.

   

TEST BASE

Not known.

 

TEST BUTT

Not known.

 

WORKSHOPS

Not known.

 

VISITORS

Not known.

 

EXPLOSIVES

Not known.

 

BOMBING AND FIRING RANGES

 

None.

   
   

Information taken from CB 4368 B. 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

 

816

Torpedo, Bomber, Reconnaissance Squadron

Disembarked from HMS TRACKER 14.11.43 -to 14.12.43.

Equipped with 9 Swordfish II and 6 Seafire Ib.


 

A large US naval base complex was built at Argentia, the flat headland formed by a small natural bay called Little Placentia Sound and the western end facing Placentia Bay. The land was ceded to the United States as part of the 1940 "Destroyers for Bases" agreement, part of the lend-lease program, Argentia became an American territory on January 25th 1941.
~

Construction began to build two bases, a Naval Operating Base and an adjoining air field. On July 15, 1941, the Naval Operating Base was commissioned. Naval Air Station Argentia commissioned on August 28, 1941. The air station was used to base convoy protection, coastal patrol and anti-submarine aircraft, both land-based aircraft and seaplanes.
 

With the arrival of the American built escort carriers Atlantic convoys were now covered by naval aircraft for the whole of the crossing, in order to replenish squadrons on these small carriers strategic reserves of replacement aircraft were established. In May 1943 Royal Naval Air Sections were established at USNAS Argentia, Newfoundland, and RAF Kaldadarnes, Iceland, to provide and maintain, in storage, a reserve of up to 12 Swordfish for possible use as replacement aircraft for escort carriers on N. Atlantic convoy duties. The Sections would also be able to support one disembarked squadron.
 

 R.N. Air Section Argentia was commanded by Lt. Cdr (A) E.W. Kenton RNVR. under the administrative control of Captain (D) as Senior British Naval Officer Argentia. Personnel serving on the section were be borne for pay and discipline on the books of H.M.S. 'Avalon III'.
 

R.N. Air Section Argentia also issued and received aircraft to/from R.N. Air Section Dartmouth, Halifax, Nova Scotia and R.N. Air Section Yarmouth, Nova Scotia; there are records of 6 Swordfish having been held on the station during 1943 and being issued to No.745 squadron at Yarmouth. Only one replacement airframe for a squadron on an escort carrier is recorded; Swordfish HS440 was issued to 819 Squadron aboard HMS ARCHER May 19th 1943.
 

Only one squadron is recorded as having operated ashore, 816 squadron from HMS TRACKER was put ashore on November 14th  to 12 December 1943 while the carrier entered a U.S. dockyard for voyage repairs. Many of the squadron aircraft had been badly damaged by the ship being thrown around in a South-easterly gale on passage; only three remained serviceable by the time the ship reached Argentia. It is possible that repairs were undertaken by the RN Air Section and that replacement Swordfish were issued (at least 2 arrived from RN Air Section Dartmouth for 816 during November).

The Air Section was paid off and withdrawn on July 5th 1944.

 


 

Click here for a list of Primary sources


Additional sources:

 Naval Station Argentia Wiki article

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Naval_Station_Argentia

 

Building the [US] Navy's Bases in World War II - History of the Bureau of Yards and Docks and the Civil Engineer Corps 1940-1946 - Volume I - Chapter XIX Bases in the North Atlantic

http://www.ibiblio.org/hyperwar/USN/Building_Bases/bases-19.html

 

Admiralty Fleet Orders:

3785/44 Closing Down of R.N. Air Section, Argentia, Newfoundland

 

Confidential Admiralty Fleet Orders:

2574/43 R.N. Air Section, Argentia, Newfoundland - Administration

 

 

 



 


 


View Larger Map

The escort carrier HMS TRACKER off Argentia between convoy escort duties in November 1943.

 

 

 

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