Latitude 50°48'35"N Longitude 10°12'25"W


ACQUISITION	Transferred from Air ministry to Admiralty control May 1939.
OPENED	24 May 1939
COMMISSIONED	24 May 1939 as DAEDALUS 1 November 1960 as ARIEL 5 October 1965 as DAEDALUS
PAID OFF	1 November 1960 as DAEDALUS 5 October 1965 as ARIEL 29 March 1996 as DAEDALUS
CLOSED
O.I.C.
COMMANDING OFFICER	Captain T Bulteel 25 May 1939 Captain E. C. Thornton, DSC 17 Mar 1941 Captain R. S. D. Armour 11 Apr 1942 Captain Captain D Newberry 1995

PARENT TO	RNAE Bedhampton Camp RNATE Lympne RNATE Newcastle-under-Lyme RNAS Lawrenny Ferry RNAS Sandbanks
FUNCTION	WW2: No.3 Barracuda servicing Unit No.1 Avenger Serving Unit 1948: Headquarters of Flag Officer (Air). Headquarters of Flag Officer Ground Training (F.O.G.T.). R.N. Barracks Naval Air/Sea Warfare Development Unit No. 781 Communications Squadron. Flying Boat Base. Conversion and Refresher Unit. Southern F.R.U. Customs and All-weather airfield. Naval Air Signal School at Seafield Park. 1960: Air Electrical School. Headquarters of the Flag Officer Air (Home). No. 781 Communications Squadron. Fleetlands Test Flying. Customs Airfield. Units at Lee-on-Solent:- Naval Air Radio Installation Unit. Naval Aircraft Maintenance Development Unit. Accident Investigation Unit. Flight Deck Machinery Trials and Training Unit. Management Development Unit. Mobile Aircraft Repair, Transport and Salvage Unit. Units at Seafield Park:— Air Medical School. Safety Equipment and Survival Training School. Central Air Medical Board. Naval Aircrew Advisory Board. Naval Aircraft and Marine Examination Board. Air Engineering School (from 1970) Naval Hovercraft Trials Unit (from 1975)
ADDRESS	R.N. Air Station Lee-0n-Solent Gosport Hampshire	R.N. Barracks (H.M.S. "Daedalus"). R.N. Barracks, Lee-on-Solent, Hampshire.
LOCALITY	The airfield lies on the coast 4 miles WNW. of the entrance to Portsmouth Harbour, with Lee-on-Solent adjoining its SE. boundary. Gosport lies 21½ miles E. Southampton lies 8 miles NW.
LANDMARKS	The Isle of Wight lying 3½ miles SW. across the Solent. Portsmouth Town and Harbour and Southampton Water with Southampton at its head.
ROAD AND RAIL ACCESS	Main roads to Gosport, Southampton and Portsmouth, via Fareham. Stations at Gosport 4 miles (R) and at Fareham, distant ½ miles (R) NNE. on the Southern Railway.


CONTROL	Control on the SW. side of the landing area, outside the perimeter track. Keeps watch o800—sunset or 1800, whichever is the earlier, Mondays to Fridays; o800-1200 on Saturdays; as required for night flying; as ordered by Flag Officer (Air) for essential commitments.
ELEVATION	30' above M.S.L.
RUNWAYS	Three, tarmac. Extensibility 00/18 QDM. 178°/358° .... 975 X 50 yds. 2000 06/24 QDM. 056°/236° .... 1420 X 50 yds. 2000 11/29 QDM. 107°/287° .... 1,100 X 50 yds. 3000 Note: W. end of runway 11/29 to he curtailed in accordance with A.F.O. 3594/47. Seaplane alighting area to W. of Slipway. 00/18 . . Q.D.M. 358°-187° . . 2950 yds. 06/24 . . Q.D.M. 056°-236° .. 2800 yds 11/29 . . Q.D.M. 107°-287° .. 2000 yds. 1960: Three, tarmac. 35/17 QDM. 174°/354° .... 1000 X 50 yds 05/23 QDM. 054°/234° .... 1426 X 50 yds 01/29 Q.D.M. 104°-284° .. 1100 X 50 yds A light aircraft landing area in grass between runways 05/23 and 10/28 is marked with white ground strips. Concrete insert for jet aircraft at extremities of runway 05/23. Note 1. W. end of runway 10/28 and SW. end of runway 05/23 curtailed. Note 2. Runway 05/23 is in continual use by jet and heavy twin aircraft. The international signal for two runways in use is displayed in the signals square kind on the Control Building mast when the duty runway is either 35/17 or 10/28. Note 3. V.I.P. helicopter alighting area is indicated by a white letter " H " in front of the Control Tower. Note 4. Emergency arrester wires are fitted at both ends of the 05/23 runway and on runway 28. The wires at the upwind end of these runways are always set for emergency use by aircraft fitted with arrester hooks. Note 5. R/W 05/23 and perimeter track north side of airfield strengthened up to L.C.N. 24 but limited to 100 Scimitar landings annually.
TRACKS	40' perimeter track.
OBSTRUCTIONS	Navigation	W/T masts, 191' high, on Horsea Island in Portsmouth Harbour, distant 4 miles ENE. 1960: Additional - Fawley Oil Refinery chimneys 420' 5 miles 284° from Control Tower. Portsmouth Power Station ESE. 5 miles.
	Circuit &;	Lee-on-Solent Pier Tower (150') 2000 yards S. of centre of airfield.
	Approach
APPROACH	Recommended sector, mean QDM 080˚˚
WIND INDICATOR	Windsocks at the centre and on the W. side.


HOMING - VISUAL	By day: By night:	Not known Airfield beacon flashing L.S. (Red). Post-war
HOMING--RADIO	D/F: Beacon:	M/F, H/F and VH/F. U/HF added post war YG, 251MS. and AN/CPN6. (YG only by 1960)
APPROACH - VISUAL	By day:	Flarepath Type F. on 05/23 runway.
	By night:	Portable Glim lamps and floodlights on on request. Type G flarepath 05/23 runway by 1960
APPROACH - RADIO	VHF and UHF by 1960
COMMUNICATION EQUIPMENT	W/T and R/T:	6 transmitters, 8 receivers.
	VHF:	6 transmitters, 6 receivers.
	By 1960	HF . . 6 channels. VHF . . 5 channels. Ulf F .. 4 channels.
CALL SIGNS	R/T .. SOLENT W/T .. GZD Identity Letters .. LP
GROUND RADAR	Not known

ACCOMMODATION

Living Quarters adjacent SE ; (WW2) W.R.N.S. accommodation in requisitioned property in Lee-on-Solent - later purpose built block mar Victorious workshops.

Capacity:	1945	1950	1960
Officers:	277	152	103
Chiefs, P.O.s and ratings:	4,503†	3.403†	1303
W.R.N.S. Officers:	50	25	*
W.R.N.S. Chiefs, P.O.s and ratings;	892	269	2107

*WRNS officers included in overall figure for Officers in 1960.

†Figure may include personnel held in RN Barracks.

ARMOURIES

To accommodate 4-6 squadrons. Main armoury in technical site, small armoury in central airfield dispersal area near the 18 & 24 ends of runways 00/18 and 06/24.

Small arms armoury near main gate.

COMPASS BASE

Two, diameter 5o'.

1960:

1 south side and 1 north side of airfiled. Diameters 60' and 70' respectively.

DISPERSAL

10 A/c pens outside the perimeter track in the SW. portion.

HANGARS

Dispersed round the airfield.

Number /Type	Size	Door Height	Door Width
1 Type "C"	300' x 150'	30'	150'
1 Type "C"	250' x 120'	30'	120'
2 Bellman	187′ x105′	25′	105′
12 Mains	60' x70'	17'	55'
8 Fromson	70' x 60'	20'	55'
1 A.R.S.	250′ x 80′	25'	80′
Note: In addition there are five old seaplane hangars near the slipway now used as workshops. 1960: 1 Type "C" Swann hangar) no longer in use for aircraft, converted into gymnasium and theatre. A third Bellman on site. Note*.—The Bellman Hangar outer doors have been partially secured limiting their normal opening to 80'.

MEDICAL

Sick bay among station buildings on the S. side.

METEOROLOGICAL

Office in Control Building. Full service by Naval personnel.

FUEL AND OIL

Aviation:

1950

.72,000 in six installations.

AVGAS 1960

36,000 gallons in three tanks (100/130 octane). 900 gallons in Bowser (115/145 octane) (while Skyraiders remain in use).

820 gallons in Bowser (73 octane).

AVCAT

1960

36,000 gallons in three tanks.

M/T:

4,000 gallons.

Oil :

2,000 gallons in three installations.

MOORINGS

Two buoys.

SLIPWAY

A double slipway S. of the airfield, leads from the shore to a tarmac apron fronting the five old seaplane hangars.

TEST BASE

Test base in centre of the airfield.

TEST BUTT

M.G. 'test butt and 25 yd. range.

WORKSHOPS

Workshops to special scale. Facilities and stowage for 80 torpedoes. Component workshops for Propellers and Aircraft hydraulic and pneumatic components.

VISITORS

Visitors' parking area.

1960: Visitors' parking area (piston engine aircraft only) at rear of Control Tower. Jet and turbo prop aircraft park between Dunning and Swann Hangars South side of airfield, in front of No. 1 Bellman Hangar (NW. Dispersal) or on concrete area on the South side of the airfield. V.I.P. ,Parking area is in front of Control Tower.

EXPLOSIVES

Explosive store in H.E. corner of airfield adjacent 19 end of runway 18/00

BOMBING AND FIRING RANGES

None.

Information taken from BR.1807. Admiralty Handbook of Naval Air Stations Dec. 48 and March 1960

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

70H

70oW

701

702

703

705

708

710

712

716

728C

737X

739

748

752

753

754

760

783

764	Advance Seaplane Training Squadron Formed here 08.04.1940. Moved to RN Air Section RAF Pembroke Dock 03.07.1940. Equipped with Walrus amphibians, Seafox and Swordfish floatplanes,

764B

765

770

771

772

773

776

778

780

781

782

783

784

787

793

798

799

800

801

802

803

804

805

807

808

809

810

811

812

813

814

815

816

817

818

819

820

821

822

823

824

825

826

827

828

829

830

831

832

833

835

836

837

841

842

845

847

848

849

849B

850

854

855

878

881

884

885

886

887

888

891

892

894

895

897

1700	Air Sea Rescue (ASR) squadron Formed here 01.11.1944. Embarked in HMS KHEDIVE (via RNAS Belfast) 08.01.1945. Equipped with 6 Sea Otter II.

1701	Air Sea Rescue (ASR) squadron Formed here 01.02.1945. Embarked in HMS BEGUM (via RNAS Belfast) 17.04.1945. Equipped with 6 Sea Otter II.

1702	Air Sea Rescue (ASR) squadron Formed here 01.06.1945. Embarked in HMS TROUNCER (via RNAS Belfast) 05.09.1945. Equipped with 6 Sea Otter II.

1703	Air Sea Rescue (ASR) squadron Formed here 01.08.1945. Disbanded here 18.09.1945 Equipped with 6 Sea Otter II.6

1791

1792

1831