RNAS Howden (later RAF Howden) was an

airship An airship or dirigible balloon is a type of aerostat or lighter-than-air aircraft that can navigate through the air under its own power. Aerostats gain their lift from a lifting gas that is less dense than the surrounding air. In early ...

station near the town of

Howden Howden () is a market and minster town and civil parish in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England. It lies in the Vale of York to the north of the M62, on the A614 road about south-east of York and north of Goole, which lies across the ...

south-east of

York York is a cathedral city with Roman origins, sited at the confluence of the rivers Ouse and Foss in North Yorkshire, England. It is the historic county town of Yorkshire. The city has many historic buildings and other structures, such as a ...

, England.

History

Sea Scout Zero (SSZ) airship at Howden Q27507

It was opened in March 1916 to cover the East Coast ports shipping from attacks by German U-boats during the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll, one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, ...

, with its first airship, the Coastal-class non-rigid airship arriving on 26 June 1916. From 1916 to 1918 Howden was a

Royal Naval Air Service The Royal Naval Air Service (RNAS) was the air arm of the Royal Navy, under the direction of the Admiralty's Air Department, and existed formally from 1 July 1914 to 1 April 1918, when it was merged with the British Army's Royal Flying Corps t ...

establishment, with the base transferring to the

Royal Air Force The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's air and space force. It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by regrouping the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) an ...

when it was established on 1 April 1918. While airships flew on patrols from Howden until the end of the war, Howden-based airships never engaged in direct combat with German submarines.Delve 2006, p. 295. The station remained operational after the end of the war, with operations continuing to support minesweeping operations over the North Sea.Delve 2006, pp. 295–296. A new hangar, at the time the largest in the world, was completed in 1919. The No.2 Double Rigid Shed measured in length and clearance height. In 1921, the rigid airship ''R38'' was sold by Britain to the

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...

. On completion, it was sent to Howden for trials and to train up its crew before the airship (to be renamed ''ZR2'' by the Americans) crossed the Atlantic. On 23 August, ''R38'' took off from Howden on its fourth flight, but broke up in flight over the

River Humber The Humber is a large tidal estuary on the east coast of Northern England. It is formed at Trent Falls, Faxfleet, by the confluence of the tidal rivers Ouse and Trent. From there to the North Sea, it forms part of the boundary between the ...

at 5:37 pm on 24 August, killing 45 of the 49 on board.Barnes 1967, pp. 496–497. The station closed in September 1921, with the RAF having little interest in airship operations.Delve 2006, p. 296. R100 Airship in its hangar at Howden Aerodrome 1933 (archive ref DDX1017-1) (25733036770)

R100 Airship in its hangar at Howden Aerodrome 1933 (archive ref DDX1017-1) (25733036770)

The site was purchased in 1924 for £61,000 by the

Airship Guarantee Co An airship or dirigible balloon is a type of aerostat or lighter-than-air aircraft that can navigate through the air under its own power. Aerostats gain their lift from a lifting gas that is less dense than the surrounding air. In early d ...

, a subsidiary of

Vickers Vickers was a British engineering company that existed from 1828 until 1999. It was formed in Sheffield as a steel foundry by Edward Vickers and his father-in-law, and soon became famous for casting church bells. The company went public i ...

Ltd to design and build the R100 airship. During this period the author

Nevil Shute Nevil Shute Norway (17 January 189912 January 1960) was an English novelist and aeronautical engineer who spent his later years in Australia. He used his full name in his engineering career and Nevil Shute as his pen name, in order to protect ...

worked at Howden alongside

Barnes Wallis Sir Barnes Neville Wallis (26 September 1887 – 30 October 1979) was an English engineer and inventor. He is best known for inventing the bouncing bomb used by the Royal Air Force in Operation Chastise (the "Dambusters" raid) to attac ...

. ''R100'' made its maiden flight from Howden on 16 December 1929, but the loss of the rival government designed airship, the ''

R101 R101 was one of a pair of British rigid airships completed in 1929 as part of a British government programme to develop civil airships capable of service on long-distance routes within the British Empire. It was designed and built by an Air M ...

'' in October 1930 brought British plans for commercial use of airships to an end, and Vickers closed Howden in December 1930.Andrews and Morgan 1988, pp. 30–33.

References

Citations

Bibliography

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External links

40-second clip of an airship at Howden, hosted on British Pathé
{{DEFAULTSORT:Howden, RNAS

Buildings and structures in the East Riding of Yorkshire RNAS

History

See also

References

Citations

Bibliography

External links