RNAS Calshot

RNAS Calshot was a First World War Royal Navy air station for seaplanes and flying boats, mainly operating as an experimental and training station, but also providing anti-submarine and convoy protection patrols.

It was located at the end of Calshot Spit in Southampton Water, at grid reference SU487024, with the landing area sheltered by the mainland, to the west, north and east, and the Isle of Wight a few miles away to the south on the other side of the Solent.

History

Royal Flying Corps

The station was originally established on 29 March 1913 by the Royal Flying Corps (RFC), as Calshot Naval Air Station, for the purpose of testing seaplanes for the RFC Naval wing. The first aircraft to arrive was a Sopwith Bat Boat, and one of the first buildings constructed - the Sopwith Hangar - is still in use today.

Royal Naval Air Service

In July 1914 the Royal Navy re-formed its air branch, naming it the Royal Naval Air Service (RNAS), and took over the Calshot base and its development and training functions. After the start of World War I, the station's role expanded to take on the protection of shipping in the English Channel, and a variety of flying-boats and seaplanes were introduced, including the Wight Seaplane and the Short 184. Calshot was also used for training on observer kite balloons and airships.

Calshot

Coordinates: 50°48′37″N 1°19′22″W / 50.810410°N 1.322796°W / 50.810410; -1.322796

Calshot is a coastal village in Hampshire, England at the west corner of Southampton Water where it joins the Solent.

History

In 1539, Henry VIII ordered the construction of Calshot Castle, at the end of Calshot Spit, to defend the port of Southampton from attack. Its strategic importance continues to the present day, and there is still a military presence in Calshot, though the castle is no longer a manned fort.

Calshot is notable for its role in the development of aircraft and flying boats. In 1913 the Royal Flying Corps established Calshot Naval Air Station (later known as RNAS Calshot and RAF Calshot) at the end of Calshot Spit. It was also at one point home to Lawrence of Arabia.

Following a volcanic eruption in 1961, the population of the Tristan da Cunha islands was evacuated to Calshot. Many evacuees thrived, with the children attending local schools and adults employed in a variety of local businesses and ships. But problems occurred: one of the islanders' elders, a disabled gentleman called Ian Bootla, was mugged and the islanders lacked immunity from ‘flu epidemics and also had to endure the harsh winter of 1962–63. Most of the Islanders returned home, but some of the families decided to stay and remain a close-knit community centred on a complex of 50 houses called Tristan Close.