HMS Nabthorpe was a Royal Navy, (RN), Mobile Operational Naval Air Base (MONAB) situated at the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) base RAAF Station Schofields located at Schofields, New South Wales during the final year of the Second World War. HMS Nabthorpe was also known as MONAB III and Royal Naval Air Station Schofields (or RNAS Schofields).

History

The third MONAB assembled at RNAS Ludham (HMS Flycatcher), Norfolk, on 18 October 1944. The unit was designated as a type A (Small) MONAB, with the responsibility of providing support for a maximum of 50 aircraft. It was assigned the following components: Mobile Maintenance (MM) No. 2 and Mobile Servicing (MS) Nos. 3 and 4, a combination which was responsible for the Vought Corsair Mk II & IV, Grumman Hellcat F. Mk. I & II, Supermarine Seafire F Mk III and Fairey Firefly I. MONAB III was established as an independent command with its own accounts at RNAS Ludham on 4 December, when it was commissioned as HMS Nabthorpe, led by Commander(A) E.W. Kenton, RNVR. Stores, equipment & vehicles sailed aboard the SS Essex on 4 December 1944, and personnel sailed from Liverpool in the SS Athlone Castle on 22 December 1944 bound for Sydney, Australia. The main party arrived in Sydney on 25 January 1945 and were accommodated at HMS Golden Hind, Camp Warwick, a part of the Royal Navy barracks in Sydney, whilst awaiting the allocation of an operating base and the arrival of SS Essex, which arrived at Sydney on 4 February 1945. An advance party was sent to RAAF Station Schofields on 5 February 1945 to prepare the airfield for the arrival of squadron personnel and aircraft which were to arrive with the British Pacific Fleet. Upon arrival of the main party of personnel they were accommodated under canvas tents as the station had no permanent buildings at the time. RAAF Station Schofields was officially transferred to the Royal Navy and commissioned as HMS Nabthorpe, Royal Naval Air Station (RNAS) Schofields, on 18 February 1945. When 899 Naval Air Squadron disembarked from HMS Chaser (D32) on 23 April 1945 the unit became a Supermarine Seafire Pool Squadron, but in July it became a Seafire Operational Training Unit, training RAAF pilots in naval flying techniques, including deck landings. Deck landing training was carried out upon the carrier HMS Indomitable (R92) for the first course, and HMS Arbiter (D31) for the second course. The successful pilots were to form the nucleus of the Royal Australian Navy Fleet Air Arm. The 7th Carrier Air Group was formed on 30 June 1945 at HMS Nabthorpe. It consisted 820 Naval Air Squadron, which operated Grumman Avenger, an American torpedo bomber aircraft, and 1700 Naval Air Squadron which flew carrier-borne fighter and anti-submarine Fairey Firefly. These were joined with what was the 24th Naval Fighter Wing from the Implacable-class aircraft carrier, HMS Indefatigable (R10) which was made up of 887 Naval Air Squadron and 894 Naval Air Squadron, l both of which were equipped with Supermarine Seafire, a navalised version of the Supermarine Spitfire fighter aircraft. The Commander in Chief of the British Pacific Fleet, Admiral Sir Bruce Fraser,, RN, visited RNAS Schofields (HMS Nabberley) on 28 July 1945 as part of his tour of the support facilities in Australia. HMS Nabthorpe, MONAB III, was paid off on 15 November 1945 and RNAS Schofields re-commissioned as HMS Nabstock, MONAB VI, on the same day.

Commanding officers

List of commanding officers of HMS Nabthorpe with date of appointment:

Units based at HMS Nabthorpe

List of units associated with MONAB III, in support of disembarked Squadrons and the provision of crew pool & refresher flying school:

Function

Aviation support components

Aircraft type supported

Squadrons at HMS Nabthorpe

List of Fleet Air Arm first and second line squadrons, station flight and other flying units either based at or disembarked to RNAS Schofields (HMS Nabthorpe) and MONAB III:

Based squadrons

Operational Training Unit

Disembarked squadrons

Torpedo, Bomber, Reconnaissance Squadrons

Fighter Squadrons

Aircraft carriers disembarked from/embarked to

List of Royal Navy aircraft carriers that Royal Navy Fleet Air Arm squadrons disembarked from, or embarked in, at HMS Nabthorpe:

Satellite Airfields

Citations