Friday – To the airfield via the Brewery
HMS
Tern – or Royal Naval Air Station Twatt – operated as a vital part of the Royal
Navy’s presence in Orkney while Scapa Flow was the base for the Home Fleet in
WWII. It was one of four airfields set up in Orkney during WWII.
Although
the aircraft based at Tern formed part of the defences of Orkney, the site’s
main role was to provide training facilities for the Navy. Also, when the
Fleet’s aircraft carriers were in harbour, their aircraft would fly ashore
rather than stay on board, and the facilities at Tern and other airfields in
Orkney were expanded to accommodate the extra squadrons.
The
airfield started operating in 1941. Many different squadrons were based there,
flying many different types of ‘plane – Gladiator, Swordfish, Roc, Skua,
Seafire, Chesapeake and more. After WWII the station was ‘mothballed’, but was
in the care of the Royal Navy and maintained as a usable station until sold off
in 1957.
More details of an excellent tour round the airfield
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Thank you very much for your comments - Tim