RNAS Howden
RNAS Howden AMSL | 23 ft / 7 m | |
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Coordinates | 53°47′17″N 00°51′57″W / 53.78806°N 0.86583°W | |
Map | ||
RNAS Howden (later RAF Howden) was an airship station near the town of Howden 15 miles (24 km) south-east of York, England.
History
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/89/Sea_Scout_Zero_%28SSZ%29_airship_at_Howden_Q27507.jpg/220px-Sea_Scout_Zero_%28SSZ%29_airship_at_Howden_Q27507.jpg)
It was opened in March 1916 to cover the East Coast ports shipping from attacks by
The station remained operational after the end of the war, with operations continuing to support minesweeping operations over the North Sea.[2] A new hangar, at the time the largest in the world, was completed in 1919. The No.2 Double Rigid Shed measured 750 ft (230 m) in length and 130 ft (40 m) clearance height.[3]
In 1921, the rigid airship
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/12/R100_Airship_in_its_hangar_at_Howden_Aerodrome_1933_%28archive_ref_DDX1017-1%29_%2825733036770%29.jpg/220px-R100_Airship_in_its_hangar_at_Howden_Aerodrome_1933_%28archive_ref_DDX1017-1%29_%2825733036770%29.jpg)
The site was purchased in 1924 for £61,000 by the Airship Guarantee Co, a subsidiary of Vickers Ltd to design and build the R100 airship. During this period the author Nevil Shute worked at Howden alongside Barnes Wallis. R100 made its maiden flight from Howden on 16 December 1929, but the loss of the rival government designed airship, the R101 in October 1930 brought British plans for commercial use of airships to an end, and Vickers closed Howden in December 1930.[5][6]
See also
References
Citations
- ^ Delve 2006, p. 295.
- ^ Delve 2006, pp. 295–296.
- ^ "Sheds:- United Kingdom – Howden". Airship Heritage Trust. Retrieved 10 February 2013.
- ^ Barnes 1967, pp. 496–497.
- ^ a b Delve 2006, p. 296.
- ^ Andrews & Morgan 1988, pp. 30–33.
Bibliography
- Andrews, C. F.; Morgan, E. B. (1988). Vickers Aircraft since 1908. London: Putnam. ISBN 0-85177-815-1.
- Barnes, C. H. (1967). Shorts Aircraft since 1909. London: Putnam.
- Delve, Ken (2006). The Military Airfields of Great Britain: Northern England: Co Durham, Cumbria, Isle of Man, Lancashire, Manchester, Northumberland, Tyne & Wear, Yorkshire. Ramsbury, Wiltshire, UK: The Crowood Press. ISBN 1-86126-809-2.
External links
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