RNAS Machrihanish (HMS Landrail)

RNAS Machrihanish (HMS *Landrail*)
RNAS Machrihanish (HMS Landrail)
Near Campbeltown, Kintyre, Argyll and Bute in Scotland
	RNAS Machrihanish Location within Argyll and Bute RNAS Machrihanish RNAS Machrihanish (the United Kingdom)
Coordinates	55°26′30″N 5°41′55″W / 55.44167°N 5.69861°W
Type	Naval Air Station
Site information
Owner	Admiralty
Operator	Royal Navy
Controlled by	Fleet Air Arm
Garrison information
Garrison	Fleet Air Arm
Occupants	Accommodation of disembarked squadrons; Deck landing Training; Fleet Requirements Unit
Airfield information
Elevation	30 feet (9 m) AMSL
Runways
03/21	1,030 feet (314 m) Asphalt concrete
07/25	1,230 feet (375 m) Asphalt concrete
12/30	1,190 feet (363 m) Asphalt concrete
16/24	1,000 feet (305 m) Asphalt concrete

Royal Naval Air Station Machrihanish, (RNAS Machrihanish; or HMS Landrail), is a former Royal Navy air station, close to Campbeltown in Argyll and Bute, Scotland.

Location

Located 3 miles (5 km) west of Campbeltown on the western side of the Kintyre Peninsula, Machrihanish is a former RAF air station, notable for its weather forecasts. The base had an exceptionally long runway (3049m / 10,000 feet), together with a large number of technical buildings and accommodation.

History

Machrihanish was established as a naval air station in 1916, operating maritime patrol aircraft and airships until 1918.^[1] A new airfield opened on 15 June 1941 as Strabane Naval Air Station, and named HMS Landrail, becoming RNAS Machrihanish later in the month and operated until 1946.^[2] The old airfield became HMS Landrail II.

The Air Station was re-activated again during the Korean War for training purposes. Between 1960 and 1962, the base was reconstructed and the current runway built. Thereafter the base developed in relation to NATO requirements during the Cold War, and was the focus of anti-submarine operations with US-controlled nuclear depth charges.^[1] A US Navy SEAL unit is also said to have been based here.^[1] £10 million was spent to upgrade the station in the early 1990s, keeping it on a care-and-maintenance basis to provide a runway for emergencies or in the event of conflict.^[1] The base remained a UK and NATO military base until 1997.

Campbeltown Airport

Between the wars a commercial aerodrome was established and is still operated by the government-owned Highlands and Islands Airports Limited operates with IATA location code "GQJ".^[3] It uses the same single runway which, at 3049m (10,000 feet), is the longest in Scotland.^[3] The terminal building are at the south-eastern end. There are scheduled flights to Glasgow.

Units

A number of units were here at some point:^[4]

References

^ ^a ^b ^c ^d "Machrihanish Air Station". Gazetteer for Scotland. Retrieved 5 August 2009.
^ "RAF Machrihanish". Secret Scotland. Retrieved 5 August 2009.
^ ^a ^b "Campbeltown Airport". Gazetteer for Scotland. Retrieved 5 August 2009.
^ "Machrihanish (Campbeltown) (Strabane)". Airfields of Britain Conservation Trust. Retrieved 14 January 2016.

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[gaz-1] "Machrihanish Air Station". Gazetteer for Scotland. Retrieved 5 August 2009.

[2] "RAF Machrihanish". Secret Scotland. Retrieved 5 August 2009.

[GQJ-3] "Campbeltown Airport". Gazetteer for Scotland. Retrieved 5 August 2009.

[ABCT-4] "Machrihanish (Campbeltown) (Strabane)". Airfields of Britain Conservation Trust. Retrieved 14 January 2016.

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