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 si...
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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.
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.
In July 1914 the Royal Navy reformed its air branch, naming it the Royal Naval Air Service (RNAS), and took over the base and its development and training functions. After the start of World War I, the...
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