Haugesund Naval Air Station ( no, Marinens flystasjon Haugesund) was a military

water aerodrome An aerodrome (Commonwealth English) or airdrome (American English) is a location from which aircraft flight operations take place, regardless of whether they involve air cargo, passengers, or neither, and regardless of whether it is for publi ...

situated at

Avaldsnes Avaldsnes is a village in Karmøy municipality in Rogaland county, Norway. The village is located on the northeastern part of the island of Karmøy, along the Karmsundet strait, just south of the town of Haugesund. The village was an ancient ...

on the outskirts of the town of Haugesund in

Rogaland Rogaland () is a Counties of Norway, county in Western Norway, bordering the North Sea to the west and the counties of Vestland to the north, Vestfold og Telemark to the east and Agder to the east and southeast. In 2020, it had a population of 47 ...

county,

Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and t ...

. At the time it was in operation, it was located in the municipality of Avaldsnes on the island of Karmøy (now part of

Karmøy Municipality Karmøy is a List of municipalities of Norway, municipality in Rogaland county, Norway. It is southwest of the Haugesund (town), town of Haugesund in the Traditional districts of Norway, traditional district of Haugaland. The administrative cent ...

). The

air base An air base (sometimes referred to as a military air base, military airfield, military airport, air station, naval air station, air force station, or air force base) is an aerodrome used as a military base by a military force for the operation ...

was operated by the

Royal Norwegian Navy Air Service The Royal Norwegian Navy Air Service ( no, Marinens flyvevesen) was alongside the Norwegian Army Air Service the forerunner to the modern-day Royal Norwegian Air Force. History The RNNAS was established on 1 June 1912,Official Norwegian Defence ...

from 17 November 1918 to 7 April 1919. The Naval air station consisted of three portable hangars, a barracks and an outhouse. The station was established to allow two Sopwith Babies to assist the

Royal Norwegian Navy The Royal Norwegian Navy ( no, Sjøforsvaret, , Sea defence) is the branch of the Norwegian Armed Forces responsible for naval operations of Norway. , the Royal Norwegian Navy consists of approximately 3,700 personnel (9,450 in mobilized state, 3 ...

minesweeping Minesweeping is the practice of the removal of explosive naval mines, usually by a specially designed ship called a minesweeper using various measures to either capture or detonate the mines, but sometimes also with an aircraft made for that ...

around Karmøy. In this capacity they continued until 21 January 1919. The airport was subsequently reactivated on 5 February to aid in fisheries patrol. This duty lasted until 7 April.

History

The need for an airport in

Haugaland Haugaland or Haugalandet is a traditional district situated on the western coast of Norway. Haugaland is one of the 15 traditional districts located within the Vestlandet region. Geographically, Haugaland is a peninsula between Bømlafjorden in ...

for the Naval Air Service arose in 1918, during the late stages of the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

. The

Entente Powers The Triple Entente (from French '' entente'' meaning "friendship, understanding, agreement") describes the informal understanding between the Russian Empire, the French Third Republic, and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland as well a ...

had mined the waters of the

North Sea The North Sea lies between Great Britain, Norway, Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands and Belgium. An epeiric sea on the European continental shelf, it connects to the Atlantic Ocean through the English Channel in the south and the Norwegian S ...

between the borders of the Norwegian

territorial waters The term territorial waters is sometimes used informally to refer to any area of water over which a sovereign state has jurisdiction, including internal waters, the territorial sea, the contiguous zone, the exclusive economic zone, and potenti ...

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the ...

in an effort to deter German

U-boat U-boats were naval submarines operated by Germany, particularly in the First and Second World Wars. Although at times they were efficient fleet weapons against enemy naval warships, they were most effectively used in an economic warfare role ...

s. The navy decided to establish the station in the bay at Avaldsnes. The airport's structures were built Norsk Barakke- og Imprigneringskompani and sent by railway from

Hamar Hamar is a List of cities in Norway, town in Hamar Municipality in Innlandet Counties of Norway, county, Norway. Hamar is the administrative centre of Hamar Municipality. It is located in the Districts of Norway, traditional region of Hedmarken. ...

Bergen Bergen (), historically Bjørgvin, is a city and municipality in Vestland county on the west coast of Norway. , its population is roughly 285,900. Bergen is the second-largest city in Norway. The municipality covers and is on the peninsula of ...

and onwards to Karmøy by barge, arriving on 27 October 1918. The crew was sent from

Karljohansvern Karjohansvern (''Karljohansvern Orlogsstasjon, KJV'') at Horten was the main base for the Royal Norwegian Navy from 1850 to 1963. Background In 1818, it was decided to establish a naval base in Horten. It was first called ''Hortens verft'', an ...

on 15 November 1918 and the command flag was hoisted on 17 November. The same day

Hjalmar Riiser-Larsen Hjalmar Riiser-Larsen (7 June 1890 – 3 June 1965) was a Norwegian aviation pioneer, military officer, polar explorer and businessman. Among his achievements, he is generally regarded a founder of the Royal Norwegian Air Force. Background Riis ...

flew the first of two Sopwith Babies to the station. Seven people were stationed at Avaldsnes, under the command of First Lieutenant Riiser-Larsen. He was subordinate to the captain of HNoMS ''Tordenskjold'', which was stationed in Haugesund. The Spowiths were used in minesweeping duty. They would survey the North Sea for mines. In case they found any, they would note its location on a map and drop it to the crew on the nearest

minesweeper A minesweeper is a small warship designed to remove or detonate naval mines. Using various mechanisms intended to counter the threat posed by naval mines, minesweepers keep waterways clear for safe shipping. History The earliest known usage of ...

. Work was carried out around Karmøy and the shipping channel towards

Stavanger Stavanger (, , American English, US usually , ) is a city and municipalities of Norway, municipality in Norway. It is the fourth largest city and third largest metropolitan area in Norway (through conurbation with neighboring Sandnes) and the a ...

. By January it was decided that minesweeping in the area would no longer require aerial aid. The aircraft were flown to Kristiansand on 17 January 1919 and the station was closed on 21 January 1919. After a request from the fisheries organizations, the Navy Air Services agreed to assist in the search for herring. The station was reactivated on 5 February 1919 and two days later the two Sopwiths were attempted returned to Avaldsnes. However, both had motor issues during flight. Not until 13 February did the aircraft reach their destination. Fisheries patrol continued until 7 April. There were plans to return the following year, but this was not carried through. Instead the buildings were attempted sold to Bø Teglverk. When they were not able to pay, they were instead moved to Flatøy in 1922.

Facilities

The airport was situated at Avaldsnes in Karmøy, in the outskirts of Haugesund. It was situated on the property of Bø Teglværk. The aerodrome consisted of three portable hangars, measuring and tall. It also featured a barracks and an outhouse.

References

{{authority control Airports in Rogaland Defunct airports in Norway Water aerodromes in Norway Royal Norwegian Navy Air Service stations Karmøy 1918 establishments in Norway 1919 disestablishments in Norway Airports established in 1918 Military installations in Rogaland