Haugesund Naval Air Station

Haugesund Naval Air Station (Norwegian: Marinens flystasjon Haugesund) was a military water aerodrome situated at Avaldsnes in Karmøy in the outskirts of Haugesund, Norway. The air base was operated by the Royal Norwegian Navy Air Service from 17 November 1918 to 7 April 1919. The airport consisted of three portable hangars, a barracks and an outhouse.

The station was established to allow two Sopwith Babys to assist the Royal Norwegian Navy in minesweeping around Karmøy. In this capacity they continued until 21 January 1919. The airport was subsequently reactivated on 5 February to aid in fisheries patrol. This duty lasted until 7 April.

History

The need for an airport in Haugaland for the Naval Air Service arose in 1918, during the late stages of the First World War. The Entente Powers had mined the waters of the North Sea between the borders of the Norwegian territorial waters to Scotland in an effort to deter German U-boats. The navy decided to establish the station in the bay at Avaldsnes. The airport's structures were built Norsk Barakke- og Imprigneringskompani and sent by railway from Hamar to Bergen and onwards to Karmøy by barge, arriving on 27 October 1918.^[1]

The crew was sent from Karljohansvern on 15 November 1918 and the command flag was hoisted on 17 November. The same day Hjalmar Riiser-Larsen flew the first of two Sopwith Babys to the station. Seven people were stationed at Avaldsnes, under the command of First Lieutenant Riiser-Larsen. He was subordinate to the captain of HNoMS Tordenskjold, which was stationed in Haugesund. The Spowiths were used in minesweeping duty. They would survey the North Sea for mines. In case they found any, they would note its location on a map and drop it to the crew on the nearest minesweeper. Work was carried out around Karmøy and the shipping channel towards Stavanger. By January it was decided that minesweeping in the area would no longer require aerial aid. The aircraft were flown to Kristiansand on 17 January 1919 and the station was closed on 21 January 1919.^[1]

After a request from the fisheries organizations, the Navy Air Services agreed to assist in the search for herring. The station was reactivated on 5 February 1919 and two days later the two Sopwiths were attempted returned to Avaldsnes. However, both had motor issues during flight. Not until 13 February did the aircraft reach their destination. Fisheries patrol continued until 7 April. There were plans to return the following year, but this was not carried through. Instead the buildings were attempted sold to Bø Teglverk. When they were not able to pay, they were instead moved to Flatøy in 1922.^[1]

Facilities

The airport was situated at Avaldsnes in Karmøy, in the outskirts of Haugesund. It was situated on the property of Bø Teglværk. The aerodrome consisted of three portable hangars, measuring 7.5 by 8.5 meters (25 by 28 ft) and 3.5 meters (11 ft) tall. It also featured a barracks and an outhouse.^[1]

References

1 2 3 4 Hafstad, Bjørn; Arheim, Tom (2003). Marinens flygevåpen 1912–1944 (in Norwegian). TankeStreken. p. 40. ISBN 82-993535-1-3.

Airports in Norway

Primary	Ålesund Alta Bardufoss Bergen Bodø Harstad/Narvik Haugesund Kirkenes Kristiansand Kristiansund Lakselv Longyearbyen Molde Moss Oslo Sandefjord Stavanger Tromsø Trondheim

Regional	Andenes Båtsfjord Berlevåg Brønnøysund Fagernes Florø Førde Hammerfest Hasvik Honningsvåg Leknes Mehamn Mo i Rana Mosjøen Namsos Narvik Notodden Ørland Ørsta–Volda Røros Rørvik Røst Sandane Sandnessjøen Skien Sogndal Sørkjosen Stokmarknes Stord Svolvær Vadsø Vardø

Unscheduled	Arendal Bergen-Sandviken Engeløy Farsund Fyresdal Geilo Gol Hamar Haslemoen Hattfjelldal Hønefoss Ny-Ålesund Oppdal Rakkestad Rognan Salangen Svea Tønsberg Troll Voss

Military	Andøya Banak Bardufoss Bodø Flesland Gardermoen Jan Mayen Kjeller Ørland Rygge Sola Værnes

Heliports	Ål Ålesund Arendal Barentsburg Bergen Dombås Fedje Førde Lørenskog Pyramiden Stavanger Tromsø Trondheim Værøy

Closed	Ålesund Arendal Båtsfjord Bergen Hjellestad Nygårdstangen Førde Gamvik Haugesund Avaldsnes Storesundsskjær Herdla Kautokeino Kristiansand Kongsgårdbukta Tangen Kjøllefjord Larvik Lista Mandal Oslo Fornebu Gressholmen Stavanger Tromsø Trondheim Jonsvatnet Lade Øysand Værøy

Related	List of airports List of heliports Busiest airports in Europe Busiest airports in the Nordic countries Avinor Civil Aviation Authority

Royal Norwegian Navy

Organization	Coast Guard Naval Academy Basic Training Establishment Naval Training Establishment Coastal Ranger Command Mine Clearance Command Inspector General Museum

Bases	Fredriksvern Haakonsvern Karljohansvern Madla Olavsvern Oscarsborg Ramsund Sortland Trondenes

Ships	Alta-class minesweeper Barentshav-class offshore patrol vessel Fridtjof Nansen-class frigate Nordkapp-class offshore patrol vessel Norge Nornen-class patrol vessel Oksøy-class mine hunter Skjold-class patrol boat Tyr Ula-class submarine Valkyrien

History	Royal Dano-Norwegian Navy Royal Norwegian Navy Air Service Marinens Flyvebaatfabrikk

This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the Monday, January 11, 2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.