Seahorse
Grumpy auld mod.
Otherwise known as HMS Sparrowhawk, this was the first airfield built on Orkney, and was ready for use by the time Hitler and his cronies kicked off a wee spat in Europe, initially supporting Swordfish.
Continued as a the island's main civilian airfield until 1948, after which it was deemed too small for use by BEA's Dakotas.
Not much remains these days, and it's largely buried under an industrial park, but there is the odd artefact still to be seen.
Royal British Legion Memorial at the roundabout on the NW outskirts of Kirkwall.
One of the roads on the industrial estate bears the name of the station.
A lone gatepost allowed me to get a gratuitous shot of my boat in the background.
There are still the remains of several dispersals around the perimeter of the airfield.
The runways are pretty much obliterated.
I'm not at all certain that this building was part of the infrastructure, and if it was, I have no idea what it was for.
Single ammunition bunker. There are six bunkers extant in all.
Currently used for storage of fishing junk.
Triple bunker.
And finally, we have the remains of 3 tie downs. Since Swordfish were basically balsa wood and string, and the winds across the Northern Isles can get a bit ferocious, you can see why these would have been needed.
Sadly, despite my best efforts to locate any, I couldn't find a single pillbox. I guess Mr Farmer didn't want the nasty lumps of concrete cluttering up his fields post war.
Continued as a the island's main civilian airfield until 1948, after which it was deemed too small for use by BEA's Dakotas.
Not much remains these days, and it's largely buried under an industrial park, but there is the odd artefact still to be seen.
Royal British Legion Memorial at the roundabout on the NW outskirts of Kirkwall.
One of the roads on the industrial estate bears the name of the station.
A lone gatepost allowed me to get a gratuitous shot of my boat in the background.
There are still the remains of several dispersals around the perimeter of the airfield.
The runways are pretty much obliterated.
I'm not at all certain that this building was part of the infrastructure, and if it was, I have no idea what it was for.
Single ammunition bunker. There are six bunkers extant in all.
Currently used for storage of fishing junk.
Triple bunker.
And finally, we have the remains of 3 tie downs. Since Swordfish were basically balsa wood and string, and the winds across the Northern Isles can get a bit ferocious, you can see why these would have been needed.
Sadly, despite my best efforts to locate any, I couldn't find a single pillbox. I guess Mr Farmer didn't want the nasty lumps of concrete cluttering up his fields post war.
