RNAS ''Caldale'' is a former
Royal Naval Air Service
The Royal Naval Air Service (RNAS) was the air arm of the Royal Navy, under the direction of the Admiralty's Air Department, and existed formally from 1 July 1914 to 1 April 1918, when it was merged with the British Army's Royal Flying Corps t ...
airship station located west of
Kirkwall
Kirkwall ( sco, Kirkwaa, gd, Bàgh na h-Eaglaise, nrn, Kirkavå) is the largest town in Orkney, an archipelago to the north of mainland Scotland.
The name Kirkwall comes from the Norse name (''Church Bay''), which later changed to ''Kirkv ...
,
Orkney
Orkney (; sco, Orkney; on, Orkneyjar; nrn, Orknøjar), also known as the Orkney Islands, is an archipelago in the Northern Isles of Scotland, situated off the north coast of the island of Great Britain. Orkney is 10 miles (16 km) nort ...
and south east of
Finstown
Finstown () is a village in the parish of Firth on Mainland, Orkney, Scotland. It is the fourth-largest settlement in the Orkney Islands.
According to travel author Eric Linklater, the homes in Finstown are tidy and well cared for. This sett ...
, Orkney, Scotland. It was constructed in 1915 and was operational from 1916 to 1920.
History
Caldale had two large airship hangars which housed
Submarine Scout Pusher airships that operated anti-submarine and mine spotting sweeps near to Orkney.
However, this was fraught was danger as during November 1917 SSP-2 and SSP-4 were both destroyed in high winds with the crew of SSP-4 lost at sea. Not long after these losses and other damage caused to airships due to the wind the Admiralty decided to close the airship station and move the airship further south on mainland Britain.
During January 1918, the airship station became a kite balloon repair station
and was home to No. 20 Kite Balloon Base.
Current use
The site is currently open land.
See also
*
List of former Royal Air Force stations
This list of former RAF stations includes most of the stations, airfields and administrative headquarters previously used by the Royal Air Force.
The stations are listed under any former county or country name which was appropriate for the ...
References
Citations
Bibliography
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Caldale
Royal Air Force stations in Scotland
Buildings and structures in Orkney
Defunct airports in Scotland
Royal Naval Air Service
Royal Naval Air Stations in Scotland
Airports established in 1915
Airports disestablished in 1920
1915 establishments in Scotland
1920 disestablishments in Scotland
Mainland, Orkney