RAF Castle Archdale
Encyclopedia
RAF Castle Archdale, also known for a while as RAF Lough Erne was a Royal Air Force station used by the RAF and the Royal Canadian Air Force
station in County Fermanagh
, Northern Ireland
.
. From Castle Archdale, Consolidated Catalinas and Short Sunderland
s could patrol the North Atlantic for German U-boat
s. 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.
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.
. 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.
Royal Canadian Air Force
The history of the Royal Canadian Air Force begins in 1920, when the air force was created as the Canadian Air Force . In 1924 the CAF was renamed the Royal Canadian Air Force and granted royal sanction by King George V. The RCAF existed as an independent service until 1968...
station in County Fermanagh
County Fermanagh
Fermanagh District Council is the only one of the 26 district councils in Northern Ireland that contains all of the county it is named after. The district council also contains a small section of County Tyrone in the Dromore and Kilskeery road areas....
, Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...
.
WWII History
RAF Castle Archdale was located on the eastern shore of Lower Lough Erne, near the village of Lisnarrick. It was used during World War Two by flying boats of No. 209 Squadron RAFNo. 209 Squadron RAF
No. 209 Squadron of the British Royal Air Force was originally formed from a nucleus of "Naval Eight" on 1 February 1917 at Saint-Pol-sur-Mer, France, as No. 9 Squadron Royal Naval Air Service and saw active service in both World Wars, the Korean War and in Malaya...
. From Castle Archdale, Consolidated Catalinas and Short Sunderland
Short Sunderland
The Short S.25 Sunderland was a British flying boat patrol bomber developed for the Royal Air Force by Short Brothers. It took its service name from the town and port of Sunderland in northeast England....
s could patrol the North Atlantic for German U-boat
U-boat
U-boat is the anglicized version of the German word U-Boot , itself an abbreviation of Unterseeboot , and refers to military submarines operated by Germany, particularly in World War I and World War II...
s. A secret agreement with the government of Ireland
Republic of Ireland
Ireland , described as the Republic of Ireland , is a sovereign state in Europe occupying approximately five-sixths of the island of the same name. Its capital is Dublin. Ireland, which had a population of 4.58 million in 2011, is a constitutional republic governed as a parliamentary democracy,...
allowed aircraft to fly from Lough Erne
Lough Erne
Lough Erne, sometimes Loch Erne , is the name of two connected lakes in County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland. The lakes are widened sections of the River Erne. The river begins by flowing north, and then curves west into the Atlantic. The southern lake is further up the river and so is named Upper...
to the Atlantic along the Donegal Corridor
Donegal Corridor
The Donegal Corridor was a narrow strip of Irish airspace linking Lough Erne to the international waters of the Atlantic Ocean through which the Irish Government permitted flights by British military aircraft during World War II...
, providing vital air cover from one of the most westerly RAF bases in the United Kingdom.
In May 1941 the German battleship Bismarck
German battleship Bismarck
Bismarck was the first of two s built for the German Kriegsmarine during World War II. Named after Chancellor Otto von Bismarck, the primary force behind the German unification in 1871, the ship was laid down at the Blohm & Voss shipyard in Hamburg in July 1936 and launched nearly three years later...
was found during a routine patrol by a Catalina flying out of Castle Archdale boat base on Lower Lough Erne
Lough Erne
Lough Erne, sometimes Loch Erne , is the name of two connected lakes in County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland. The lakes are widened sections of the River Erne. The river begins by flowing north, and then curves west into the Atlantic. The southern lake is further up the river and so is named Upper...
, Northern Ireland.
Postwar
The base was closed after WWII and today is part of Castle Archdale Country ParkCastle Archdale
Castle Archdale in County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland is the home of Castle Archdale Country Park, situated near Irvinestown and owned and run by the Northern Ireland Environment Agency.- History :...
. 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.
Units
- No. 119 Squadron RAFNo. 119 Squadron RAFNo. 119 Squadron RAF was a squadron of the Royal Air Force, flying with RAF Coastal Command during the Second World War. It was the only RAF unit flying the Short G class and Short C class flying boats.-Formation in World War I:...
- No. 201 Squadron RAFNo. 201 Squadron RAFNo. 201 Squadron of the Royal Air Force, until March 2010, operated the Nimrod MR2, based at RAF Kinloss, Moray. It is the only squadron affiliated with Guernsey, in the Channel Islands. This affiliation started in 1935 and is commemorated in the museum on Castle Cornet. Its history goes even...
- No. 202 Squadron RAFNo. 202 Squadron RAFNo. 202 Squadron of the Royal Air Force presently operates the Sea King HAR.3 in the Search and rescue role at three stations in the northern half of the United Kingdom. It was originally formed as one of the first aeroplane squadrons of the RNAS before it became part of the RAF.-Formation and...
- No. 228 Squadron RAFNo. 228 Squadron RAFNo. 228 Squadron RAF was a unit that during the greatest part of its existence flew over water, doing so in World War I, World War II and beyond, performing anti-submarine, reconnaissance and air-sea rescue tasks.-Formation and World War I:...
- No. 230 Squadron RAFNo. 230 Squadron RAFNo. 230 Squadron is an RAF squadron, currently based at RAF Benson.The squadron was part of Royal Air Force Germany, operating the Puma HC.1 there from 1980. Following the drawdown at the end of the Cold War, the squadron disbanded on 30 April 1992...
- No. 240 Squadron RAFNo. 240 Squadron RAFNo. 240 Squadron RAF was a Royal Air Force flying boat and seaplane squadron during World War I, World War II and up to 1959. It was then reformed as a strategic missile squadron, serving thus till 1963.-Formation and World War I:No...
- No. 422 Squadron RCAFNo. 422 Squadron RCAFNo. 422 Squadron RCAF was a unit of the Royal Canadian Air Force, formed during World War II.422 General Reconnaissance Squadron formed at RAF Castle Archdale near Lough Erne, Northern Ireland, in April 1942. It was a flying-boat squadron, flying PBY Catalinas and Short Sunderlands to patrol the...
- No. 423 Squadron RCAFNo. 423 Squadron RCAF423 Maritime Helicopter Squadron is a unit of the Canadian Forces under Royal Canadian Air Force. It currently operates the Sikorsky CH-124 Sea King from CFB Shearwater in Nova Scotia, Canada.-History:...
- No. 302 Ferry Training Unit (briefly in 1942)
See also
- List of former RAF stations
- Castle Archdale in Coastal Command
- Castle ArchdaleCastle ArchdaleCastle Archdale in County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland is the home of Castle Archdale Country Park, situated near Irvinestown and owned and run by the Northern Ireland Environment Agency.- History :...
estate history.