| Royal Air Force Station Castle Archdale | |
|---|---|
| Active | |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Branch | Royal Air Force |
| Type | Flying station |
| Size | closed |
| Part of | RAF Coastal Command |
| RAF Ensign | |
RAF Castle Archdale, also known for a while as RAF Lough Erne[1] was a Royal Air Force station used by the RAF and the Royal Canadian Air Force station in County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland.
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RAF Castle Archdale was located on the eastern shore of Lower Lough Erne, near the village of Lisnarrick.[2] It was used during World War Two by flying boats of No. 209 Squadron RAF. From Castle Archdale, Consolidated Catalinas and Short Sunderlands could patrol the North Atlantic for German U-boats. A secret agreement with the government of Ireland allowed aircraft to fly from Lough Erne to the Atlantic along the Donegal Corridor, providing vital air cover from one of the most westerly RAF bases in the United Kingdom. [3]
In May 1941 the German battleship Bismarck was found during a routine patrol by a Catalina flying out of Castle Archdale boat base on Lower Lough Erne, Northern Ireland.[4][5]
The base was closed after WWII and today is part of Castle Archdale Country Park. The slip way remains in use and the concrete stands for parking the Catalina aircraft are now part of a caravan site. Other buildings lie derelict and overgrown in the surrounding forest. A museum in the park grounds has a section devoted to its role during WWII.