Royal Air Force Kaldadarnes or more simply RAF Kaldadarnes is a former Royal Air Force station at Kaldaðarnes, near the town of Selfoss, Iceland.
RAF Kaldadarnes | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Near Selfoss, Iceland | |||||||||||
 A Lockheed Hudson of No. 269 Squadron prepares to take off on a patrol over the North Atlantic from RAF Kaldadarnes. | |||||||||||
  RAF Kaldadarnes Location within Iceland | |||||||||||
| Coordinates | 63°55′52.33″N 021°10′14.78″W / 63.9312028°N 21.1707722°W | ||||||||||
| Type | Royal Air Force Station | ||||||||||
| Site information | |||||||||||
| Owner | Icelandic Government | ||||||||||
| Operator | Royal Air Force | ||||||||||
| Site history | |||||||||||
| Built | 1940 | ||||||||||
| In use | 1941-1945 | ||||||||||
| Battles/wars | Second World War | ||||||||||
| Airfield information | |||||||||||
| |||||||||||
Beginnings
editThe station was built in 1940 by the British Army and used by the Royal Air Force from March 1941 and throughout the remainder of the Second World War.
On 2 September 1942 the war artist Eric Ravilious was lost after he flew from Kaldadarnes.[2]
Royal Navy
editDuring 1943 lodger facilities for an RN Air Section were granted from RAF Coastal Command to provide and maintain, in storage, Fairey Swordfish biplane torpedo bomber aircraft for escort carriers on North Atlantic convoy duties and for MAC-Ships.[3]
The Air Section opened on 1 May 1943 with its accounts 'on books of HMS Baldur II' It was commanded by Lieutenant Commander(A)(P) A.G. Mayhew, RNVR, under the administrative control of Admiral Commanding Iceland. RAF Coastal Command maintained the airbase and it could accommodate around 100 ratings and six officers.[4]
The Fairey Swordfish for storage were flown in from the Long Island-class escort carrier HMS Archer (D78) on 5 May and its embarked squadrons 819 and 892 spent the night at the airbase.[4]
RAF Coastal Command intended to reduce RAF station to Care & Maintenance status offering the Admiralty control of the site, but as little use had been made of the airbase this was rejected and the Air Section was withdrawn on 2 November.[4]
Squadrons
edit| Sqn | Aircraft | Joined | Departed | From → To | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 48 | Lockheed Hudson V & III | 6 January 1942 | 23 September 1942 | RAF Wick → RAF Sumburgh | Detachment only.[5] |
| 98 | Fairey Battle V Hawker Hurricane I |
31 July 1940 | 15 July 1941 | RAF Gatwick → DB | Last Squadron move prior to being disbanded.[6] |
| 269 | Avro Anson I Lockheed Hudson I & III |
April 1940 | 6 March 1943 | RAF Wick → RAF Reykjavik | Detachment initially prior to Squadron move.[7] |
After the end of the Second World War the British Government handed the airfield over to the Icelandic Civil Aviation Authority and it was used for a short while until it was closed. It is now in ruins with the decaying runways, perimeter track, dispersals and site of some of the buildings still visible on satellite images in 2018.
There is a memorial to No. 269 Squadron RAF at the closest public access point, situated in the modern airfield of Selfoss.
References
editCitations
edit- ^ "RAF Kaldadarnes information". Retrieved 19 March 2019.
- ^ Casualty Details: Ravilious, Eric William, Commonwealth War Graves Commission.
- ^ Ballance, Howard & Sturtivant 2016, p. 335.
- ^ a b c "Kaldadarnes". Royal Navy Research Archive - Fleet Air Arm Bases 1939 - present day. Retrieved 16 May 2024.
- ^ Jefford, p.44 (No. 48 Sqn)
- ^ Jefford, p.56 (No. 98 Sqn)
- ^ Jefford, p.84 (No. 269 Sqn)
Bibliography
edit
- Ballance, Theo; Howard, Lee; Sturtivant, Ray (2016). The Squadrons and Units of the Fleet Air Arm. Air Britain Historians Limited. ISBN 978-0-85130-489-2.
- Jefford, C G (2001). R.A.F Squadrons, A comprehensive record of the movement and equipment of all RAF squadrons and their antecedents since 1912. UK: Airlife Publishing Ltd. ISBN 1-84037-141-2.
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