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

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

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 &;

Approach

APPROACH

Recommended sector, mean QDM 080˚˚

WIND INDICATOR

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.

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.

*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.

MEDICAL

 Sick bay among station buildings on the S. side.

METEOROLOGICAL

 Office in Control Building. Full service by Naval personnel.

FUEL AND OIL

 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

BOMBING AND FIRING RANGES

None.

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

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

Single Seat Fighter Squadron (Part of No. 3 Naval Fighter Wing)

Disembarked from HMS HUNTER 25.02.44 Moved to RNAS Henstridge 07.03.44

Moved here from RNAS Ayr 14.05.44

Joined Air Spotting Pool, 34 Reconnaissance Wing, 2nd Tactical Air Force for D-Day operations.

Moved to RNAS Ayr 04.o8.44

Equipped with Seafire L.III

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

Single Seat Fighter Squadron (Part of No. 3 Naval Fighter Wing)

Reformed here 15.02.44. Moved to RNAS St. Merryn 19.02.44

Moved here from RNAS Ayr 15.05.44

.Joined Air Spotting Pool, 34 Reconnaissance Wing, 2nd Tactical Air Force for D-Day operations.

Absorbed 886 squadron.19.07.44

Moved to RNAS Ballyhalbert 04.06,44

Equipped with Seafire L.III

886

Single Seat Fighter Squadron (Part of No. 3 Naval Fighter Wing)

Moved here from RNAS Burscough 25.02.44. Moved to RNAS Henstridge 11.03.44

Moved here from RAF Station Dundonald 20.05.44

.Joined Air Spotting Pool, 34 Reconnaissance Wing, 2nd Tactical Air Force for D-Day operations.

Disbanded here 19.07.44 Absorbed into 885 squadron.

Equipped with Seafire L.III

887

888

891

892

894

895

897

Single Seat Fighter Squadron (Part of No. 3 Naval Fighter Wing)

Moved here from RNAS Charlton Horethorne 22.03.43. Moved to RNAS St. Merryn 05.05.43

Moved here from RNAS Dale 26.02.44. Moved to RNAS Henstridge 02.03.44

Moved here from RAF Station Dundonald 06.05.44

.Joined Air Spotting Pool, 34 Reconnaissance Wing, 2nd Tactical Air Force for D-Day operations.

Disbanded here 15.07.44 Absorbed into 885 squadron.

Equipped with Seafire L.III

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