RNAS Twatt

Royal Naval Air Station Twatt, (RNAS Twatt; or HMS Tern) is a former military airfield, located near Twatt, Orkney, Scotland, of the Royal Navy. It was built by the Admiralty and was commissioned on 1 April 1941 (on books of HMS Sparrowhawk). On 1 January 1942 it became an independent command as HMS Tern. The naval air station was designed to provide accommodation for disembarked Front-Line squadrons and accommodation for disembarked Ship's Flight Aircraft and was home to the Home Fleet's Fleet Requirements Unit, 771 Naval Air Squadron. The airbase is situated near two notable landmarks, on the south east side of Loch of Isbister, with Brough Head 3.25 miles (5 km) north west. The town of Kirkwall is 12 miles (19 km) south east and the town of Stromness lies 7.5 miles (12 km) to the south. Twatt was mainly used as a training airfield. On 30 March 1944 initial plans were to make Twatt the only airfield suitable to aid the disembarkation of squadrons of the Home Fleet. It closed and was ‘paid off’ on 20 October 1945 to care and maintenance, on the books of HMS Owl. During the 1970s it was proposed to merge with nearby RAF Skeabrae to create a large NATO base, but Iceland was chosen instead.