5 Random Pages

Recent Changes (All)

Related Pages


Don't Click


RAF Alness

(Redirected from RAF Invergordon)

⚠ (:tracetrails:)

Memorial, 2008
Memorial
© sylvia duckworth

RAF Alness was a World War II seaplane base established on the coast to the south of Alness, three miles west of Invergordon.

The station was reported to have been in use before the war, when it was known RAF Invergordon, but at that time would have consisted of little more than a slipway and mooring area for the aircraft, and was renamed RAF Alness on February 10, 1943.

The facility was reported to have been in use by the RAF until 1985, and was designated as No 1100 Marine Craft Base Unit from July 1, 1946, until April 1, 1986. When it closed, dozens of Nissen hut bases were reported in the ground, together with a decontamination centre and other buildings still remaining.

The base lay to the south of a new section of the A9 trunk road south of Alness. Until the Alness Point business park was built on the site, the following remains were reported: a Bellman hangar, two motor transport buildings, several accommodation huts, bases for the large seaplane hangars, most of the taxiways, and several small brick-built blast shelters. At the former entrance, two small anti-tank pimples survive alongside a small garage or fire tender building. A small landing craft could also be seen in the central accommodation area, raised on wooden blocks. One light anti-aircraft position was also located in the southwest area of the site, comprising a concrete base surrounded by a circular earth bank.

Redevelopment of the site during February and March of 1997 saw most of the remaining buildings being demolished to allow trenches to be dug for service pipes. Alness Point business park was built on the site, and

All that remain of the base is the slipway, and some of the roadway.

Memorial

A memorial commemorating the base was unveiled on Tuesday, October 16, 2001, created in Caithness stone with the following inscription:

THIS MEMORIAL, AT ALNESS POINT ON THE CROMARTY FIRTH, MARKS THE SITE OF THE FORMER WORLD WAR TWO COASTAL COMMAND FLYING-BOAT BASE AND IS DEDICATED TO THE MEMORY OF ALL WHO SERVED HERE - SOME OF WHOM BOUGHT FREEDOM FROM TYRANNY AT THE EXPENSE OF THEIR LIVES.

WE WILL REMEMBER THEM.

Site evaluation

Examination of an extensive photographic survey of the site carried out during 2007 showed the remains of the slipway with the mooring bollards nearby, and a lookout post at the end of Dalness Pier. Remains observed on the rest of the site included a small rendered brick building (purpose unknown), the remnants of a few Nissen huts, a large number of hut bases and several blast shelters visible in the ground, and a possible generator building.

Machine gun synchronisation range

A brick built shooting butt for a firing range was located in a field about 30 metres south of the nursery garden of Dalmore House. This consisted of a wall is about 29 metres long aligned east-west, with two shorter walls at right angles, forming an enclosure to hold sand. A concrete platform with a spread of debris lay to the south, and marked the former firing position.

This appears to have been demolished during the early 2000s.

Photographs

Slipway, 2008
Slipway
© Peter Gamble
Moorings, 2008
Moorings
© Peter Gamble


External links

Related Canmore/RCAHMS and ScotlandsPlaces (SP) entries:-

 

  •  


Aerial views


Map

  • ⚠ (:gma-point lat=57.6806667 lon=-4.2636263 link='R A F Alness seaplane base' :)
  • ⚠ (:gma-point ⚠ (:llVgm NH64976775 :) link='Slipway' :)
  • ⚠ (:gma-point ⚠ (:llVgm NH65686886 :) link='Machine gun synchronisation range' :)

⚠ (:gma-map :)

⚠ [[!World War II]] ⚠ [[!Seaplane Base]] ⚠ [[!Lost]] ⚠ (:WPCategoriesList:)

Comments

You may add a comment or offer further details which may be included in the page above.

Commenting has been disabled thanks to the attention of scum known as spam commenters


⚠ (:tracetrails:)