HMS Nabbington

HMS Nabbington
Royal Naval Air Station Nowra
IATA: none – ICAO: none
Summary
Airport type Military
Operator Royal Navy
Location Nowra, New South Wales
Elevation AMSL 400 ft / 122 m
Coordinates 34°56′56″S 150°32′13″E / 34.94889°S 150.53694°E / -34.94889; 150.53694Coordinates: 34°56′56″S 150°32′13″E / 34.94889°S 150.53694°E / -34.94889; 150.53694
Map
YSNW

Location in New South Wales

HMS Nabbington, was a Royal Navy, Mobile Naval Operating Air Base (MONAB), that was established at the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) base RAAF Nowra at Nowra, New South Wales, in Australia during the final stages of the Second World War. HMS Nabbington was also known as MONAB I and Royal Naval Air Station (RNAS) Nowra.

History

After being assembled at Royal Naval Air Station (RNAS) Ludham on 4 September 1944, the base was commissioned as an independent command bearing the ship's name HMS Nabbington on 28 October 1944. Established to support the aircraft carriers of the British Pacific Fleet, the base's stores, equipment and vehicles sailed from Victoria Dock, Birkenhead, aboard the S.S. Suffolk, and personnel sailed from Gladstone Dock, Liverpool upon S.S. Empress of Scotland on 20 November 1944 bound for Sydney, Australia.[1]

After arriving in Sydney on 20 December 1944, the personnel set up at Warwick Farm racecourse, which had been converted into Camp Warwick, a part of HMS Golden Hind, the Royal Navy barracks in Sydney. Upon Suffolk's arrival at Sydney on 24 December 1944, Royal Australian Air Force personnel from No. 1 Transportation & Movements began unloading the stores and equipment for transport to RAAF Nowra, which was officially transferred to the Royal Navy on a loan basis and commissioned as HMS Nabbington, Royal Naval Air Station Nowra, on 2 January 1945. Some improvements and expansion were required in order to make the base operational, and these were undertaken during January 1945.[1]

After these improvements were completed, the base provided shore based facilities for the British Pacific Fleet's Carrier Air Groups when the carriers were in Sydney for repairs and resupply. In early March 1945 operational flying was transferred to Nowra's satellite airfield at Jervis Bay Airfield in order to permit emergency repairs to be carried out on the runways and taxiways at Nowra which were deteriorating due to wet weather and heavy use. Flying operations returned to Nowra on 28 April 1945. On 18 May 1945, No. 3 Carrier Air Group was formed as a reserve Air Group.[2]

When the Japanese surrendered on 15 August 1945, Victory over Japan Day (VJ Day) or Victory in the Pacific (VP Day), was celebrated at Nowra and the men and women of HMS Nabbington marched through the streets. Nabbington, MONAB I, was paid off on 15 November 1945 and RNAS Nowra was subsequently re-commissioned as HMS Nabwick (MONAB V) on 15 November 1945.[3]

Commanding Officers

Units based at HMS Nabbington

Squadrons based at HMS Nabbington

Royal Navy Fleet Air Arm Avengers

Aircraft carriers squadrons disembarked from/embarked to

Carriers of the British Pacific Fleet, 1945

Satellite airfields

References

  1. 1 2 "Mobile Naval Air Base No. 1: Formation & Assembly in the UK". The MONAB Story. Retrieved 17 January 2016.
  2. ↑ "Mobile Naval Air Base No. 1: Operations at Nowra, NSW". The MONAB Story. Retrieved 17 January 2016.
  3. ↑ "Mobile Naval Air Base No. 1: VJ Day & the run down to paying off". The MONAB story. Retrieved 17 January 2016.
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