List of air stations of the Royal Navy

This is a list of Naval Air Stations of the Royal Navy. Naval Air Stations are land bases of the Fleet Air Arm, the branch of the Royal Navy responsible for the operation of naval aircraft.

Current Naval Air Stations
Currently RNAS means "Royal Naval Air Station" and, in common with the Royal Air Force, is always followed by a geographical place in which the air station is located. (Historically RNAS is the "Royal Naval Air Service")


 * RNAS Culdrose (HMS Seahawk) - Culdrose, Helston, Cornwall, England
 * RNAS Predannack (satellite airfield) - Mullion, Cornwall
 * RNAS Yeovilton (HMS Heron) - Yeovilton, Somerset, England
 * RNAS Merryfield (satellite airfield) - Ilton, Somerset
 * RNAS Prestwick (HMS Gannet), Ayrshire, Scotland

Former Naval Air Stations by ship name (HMS xxx)
HMS means Her Majesty's Ship (or His Majesty's Ship if before February 1952).

Some smaller and some very early Naval Air Stations in the list above were not commissioned as HM Ships. Those below were commissioned and, therefore, have a ship's name. Royal Navy shore bases and naval air stations have traditionally been named in the same manner as seagoing ships.

Officers were appointed to HMS xxx rather than to RNAS xxx and, similarly, ratings' Service Certificates will show only the name of the ship when drafted to a Naval Air Station. Thus, this list may help when researching family history records.


 * HMS Blackcap (Stretton, Cheshire, near Warrington, England)
 * HMS Buzzard (Lympne, Kent, England)
 * HMS Buzzard (Palisadoes, Kingston, Jamaica)
 * HMS Condor (Arbroath, Scotland)
 * HMS Corncrake (Ballyhalbert, County Down, Northern Ireland)
 * HMS Curlew (St Merryn, Cornwall, England)
 * HMS Daedalus (also HMS Ariel) (Lee-on-Solent, Hampshire, England)
 * HMS Daedalus II (Lympne, Kent, England), (Sandlands, Dorset, England) & (Lawrenny Ferry, Pembrokeshire, Wales)
 * HMS Europa (Bungay, Suffolk, England)
 * HMS Falcon (Hal Far, Malta GC)
 * HMS Fieldfare (Evanton, Ross-shire, Scotland)
 * HMS Flycatcher (Ludham, Norfolk, then Middle Wallop, Hampshire, England)
 * HMS Fulmar (Lossiemouth, Morayshire, Scotland)
 * HMS Gadwall (Sydenham, Belfast, Northern Ireland)
 * HMS Gamecock (Bramcote, Nuneaton, Warwickshire, England)
 * HMS Gannet (Eglinton, Derry, Northern Ireland)
 * HMS Gannet (Prestwick, Ayr, Scotland)
 * HMS Godwit (Ollerton, Shropshire, England)
 * HMS Goldcrest (Angle, Pembrokeshire, Wales)
 * HMS Goldfinch (Ta Kali, Malta GC)
 * HMS Grebe (Alexandria, Egypt)
 * HMS Hornbill (Culham, Abingdon, Oxfordshire)
 * HMS Hummingbird (Zeals, Wiltshire, England)
 * HMS Icarus (Scapa Flow, Orkney, Scotland)
 * HMS Jackdaw (Crail, Fife, Scotland)
 * HMS Kipanga (Kilindini, Kenya)
 * HMS Kipanga II (Mackinnon Road, Voi and Port Reitz, Kenya)
 * HMS Landrail (Machrihanish, Argyllshire, Scotland)
 * HMS Malabar (Boaz Island, Sandys, Bermuda)
 * HMS Merganser (Rattray, Aberdeenshire, Scotland)
 * HMS Merlin (Donibristle, Fife, Scotland)
 * HMS Nabaron (Ponam Island, Admiralty Islands)
 * HMS Nabberley (Bankstown, Australia)
 * HMS Nabbington (Nowra, Australia)
 * HMS Nabcatcher (Kai Tak, Hong Kong)
 * HMS Nabhurst (Middle Wallop, England)
 * HMS Nabreekie (Meeandah, Brisbane, Australia)
 * HMS Nabrock (Sembawang, Singapore)
 * HMS Nabstock(Maryborough, Queensland, Australia)
 * HMS Nabswick (Jervis Bay, Australia)
 * HMS Nabthorpe (Schofields, New South Wales, Australia)
 * HMS Nighthawk (Drem, East Lothian, Scotland)
 * HMS Nightjar (Inskip, Preston, Lancashire, England)
 * HMS Nuthatch (Anthorn, Cumberland, England)
 * HMS Osprey (Portland, Dorset, England)
 * HMS Owl (Fearn, Ross-shire, Scotland)
 * HMS Peewit (East Haven, Angus, Scotland)
 * HMS Peregrine (Ford, Sussex, England)
 * HMS Pintail (Nutts Corner, Crumlin, County Antrim, Northern Ireland)
 * HMS Raven (Eastleigh, Southampton, Hampshire, England) now Southampton International Airport
 * HMS Ringtail (Burscough, Ormskirk, Lancashire, England)
 * HMS Robin (Grimsetter, Kirkwall, Orkney, Scotland)
 * HMS Sanderling (Abbotsinch, Renfrewshire, Scotland) now Glasgow International Airport
 * HMS Sea Eagle (Derry, Northern Ireland)
 * HMS Shrike (Maydown, County Down, Northern Ireland)
 * HMS Simbang (Sembawang, Singapore)
 * HMS Siskin now HMS Sultan
 * HMS Sparrowhawk (Hatston, Orkney, Scotland)
 * HMS Tern (Twatt, Orkney, Scotland)
 * HMS Urley (Ronaldsway, Isle of Man)
 * HMS Vulture (St Merryn, Cornwall, England)
 * HMS Vulture II (Treligga), Cornwall, England)
 * HMS Wagtail (Heathfield, Ayr, Scotland)