![335 (Hellenic) Squadron RAF Hurricane pilots Egypt WWII IWM CM 3362](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/dc/335_%28Hellenic%29_Squadron_RAF_Hurricane_pilots_Egypt_WWII_IWM_CM_3362.jpg)
HMS ''Grebe'' was the
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against F ...
designation for the prewar
Alexandria
Alexandria ( or ; ar, ٱلْإِسْكَنْدَرِيَّةُ ; grc-gre, Αλεξάνδρεια, Alexándria) is the second largest city in Egypt, and the largest city on the Mediterranean coast. Founded in by Alexander the Great, Alexandria ...
airport, known as Dekheila, during its use in
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
as a shore base for aircraft of the
Fleet Air Arm
The Fleet Air Arm (FAA) is one of the five fighting arms of the Royal Navy and is responsible for the delivery of naval air power both from land and at sea. The Fleet Air Arm operates the F-35 Lightning II for maritime strike, the AW159 Wil ...
(FAA). Coordinates are given as also known as LG-34, and renumbered as LG-235.
History
Originally used as a shore base for aircraft flown ashore from
aircraft carrier
An aircraft carrier is a warship that serves as a seagoing airbase, equipped with a full-length flight deck and facilities for carrying, arming, deploying, and recovering aircraft. Typically, it is the capital ship of a fleet, as it allows a ...
s by the FAA (as HMS ''Nile II'', under the control of ), the airfield was taken over by the
Royal Egyptian Air Force
The Egyptian Air Force (EAF) ( ar, القوات الجوية المصرية, El Qūwāt El Gawīyä El Maṣrīya), is the aviation branch of the Egyptian Armed Forces that is responsible for all airborne defence missions and operates all milit ...
on the outbreak of
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
, but remained in use by the FAA. The field was subsequently loaned as a Naval Air Station on 16 September 1940, and commissioned as HMS ''Grebe'', attached to HMS ''Nile'', with a capacity of 72 aircraft. The field became self accounting on 1 April 1941, and acted as a base for all FAA units in Egypt and the
Western Desert, as well as a fleet requirements unit. HMS ''Nile'' resumed control on 1 April 1943, retaining the name HMS ''Grebe''. The field was reduced to a care and maintenance basis on 31 January 1946, before being returned to the control of Egypt on 18 March 1946.
[Page 451 Ray Sturtivant Squadrons of the Fleet Air Arm. Air Britain (Historians) Ltd (1984) ]
See also
*
825 Naval Air Squadron
825 Naval Air Squadron is a Royal Navy Fleet Air Arm Naval Air Squadron which was re-commissioned on 10 October 2014 and currently flies the AgustaWestland Wildcat HMA2.
It was a carrier-based squadron that was formed on 8 October 1934 from the ...
References
* RAF Squadrons by C.G. Jefford page 133
External links
* http://wingcommandergarlick.wordpress.com/2011/03/21/dekheila-airport/
*
Royal Naval Air Stations
World War II airfields in Egypt
Airports in Egypt
{{Egypt-airport-stub