Marine Aircraft Experimental Establishment
Encyclopedia
The Marine Aircraft Experimental Establishment was a British
military research and test organisation. It was originally formed as the Marine Aircraft Experimental Station in October 1918 at RAF Isle of Grain
, a former Royal Naval Air Service
seaplane base, to design, test and evaluate seaplane
s, flying boat
s and other aircraft with a naval connection.
It was renamed as the Marine and Armament Experimental Establishment on 16 March 1920 to recognise that weapons and other equipment were evaluated as well as complete aircraft. It was renamed again on the 1 March 1924 to the Marine Aircraft Experimental Establishment.
seaplane base at Felixstowe
. In 1936 the Establishment came under the control of RAF Coastal Command
. In 1937 the Fleet Air Arm
was returned to Royal Navy
control and the test and evaluation of carrier-borne aircraft ceased. With the start of the Second World War the Establishment was moved to the more secure and safer location of Helensburgh
in Scotland and it came under the control of the Royal Aircraft Establishment
and was part of the Ministry of Supply
.
In August 1945, the MAEE returned to Felixstowe. The link with the Royal Air Force ended in 1953 but the MAEE continued as a civilian manned unit and did not shut until 1958.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
military research and test organisation. It was originally formed as the Marine Aircraft Experimental Station in October 1918 at RAF Isle of Grain
Isle of Grain
The Isle of Grain, in the north of Kent, England, is the easternmost point of the Hoo Peninsula. No longer an island, the Isle is almost all marshland and the Grain Marshes are an important habitat for birdlife...
, a former Royal Naval Air Service
Royal Naval Air Service
The Royal Naval Air Service or RNAS was the air arm of the Royal Navy until near the end of the First World War, when it merged with the British Army's Royal Flying Corps to form a new service , the Royal Air Force...
seaplane base, to design, test and evaluate seaplane
Seaplane
A seaplane is a fixed-wing aircraft capable of taking off and landing on water. Seaplanes that can also take off and land on airfields are a subclass called amphibian aircraft...
s, flying boat
Flying boat
A flying boat is a fixed-winged seaplane with a hull, allowing it to land on water. It differs from a float plane as it uses a purpose-designed fuselage which can float, granting the aircraft buoyancy. Flying boats may be stabilized by under-wing floats or by wing-like projections from the fuselage...
s and other aircraft with a naval connection.
It was renamed as the Marine and Armament Experimental Establishment on 16 March 1920 to recognise that weapons and other equipment were evaluated as well as complete aircraft. It was renamed again on the 1 March 1924 to the Marine Aircraft Experimental Establishment.
Relocations
On 16 June 1924 the Establishment moved to the site of the former Seaplane Experimental StationSeaplane Experimental Station
The Seaplane Experimental Station at Royal Naval Air Station Felixstowe was a British aircraft design unit of the early part of the 20th century.-Creation:...
seaplane base at Felixstowe
Felixstowe
Felixstowe is a seaside town on the North Sea coast of Suffolk, England. The town gives its name to the nearby Port of Felixstowe, which is the largest container port in the United Kingdom and is owned by Hutchinson Ports UK...
. In 1936 the Establishment came under the control of RAF Coastal Command
RAF Coastal Command
RAF Coastal Command was a formation within the Royal Air Force . Founded in 1936, it was the RAF's premier maritime arm, after the Royal Navy's secondment of the Fleet Air Arm in 1937. Naval aviation was neglected in the inter-war period, 1919–1939, and as a consequence the service did not receive...
. In 1937 the Fleet Air Arm
Fleet Air Arm
The Fleet Air Arm is the branch of the British Royal Navy responsible for the operation of naval aircraft. The Fleet Air Arm currently operates the AgustaWestland Merlin, Westland Sea King and Westland Lynx helicopters...
was returned to Royal Navy
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
control and the test and evaluation of carrier-borne aircraft ceased. With the start of the Second World War the Establishment was moved to the more secure and safer location of Helensburgh
Helensburgh
Helensburgh is a town in Argyll and Bute, Scotland. It lies on the north shore of the Firth of Clyde and the eastern shore of the entrance to the Gareloch....
in Scotland and it came under the control of the Royal Aircraft Establishment
Royal Aircraft Establishment
The Royal Aircraft Establishment , was a British research establishment, known by several different names during its history, that eventually came under the aegis of the UK Ministry of Defence , before finally losing its identity in mergers with other institutions.The first site was at Farnborough...
and was part of the Ministry of Supply
Ministry of Supply
The Ministry of Supply was a department of the UK Government formed in 1939 to co-ordinate the supply of equipment to all three British armed forces, headed by the Minister of Supply. There was, however, a separate ministry responsible for aircraft production and the Admiralty retained...
.
In August 1945, the MAEE returned to Felixstowe. The link with the Royal Air Force ended in 1953 but the MAEE continued as a civilian manned unit and did not shut until 1958.
Sources
- Ray Sturtivant, RAF Flying Training and Support Units since 1912, Air-Britain (Historians), England, 2007, ISBN 0 85130 365 X
See also
- Aeroplane & Armament Experimental Establishment at Martlesham Heath
- Seaplane Experimental StationSeaplane Experimental StationThe Seaplane Experimental Station at Royal Naval Air Station Felixstowe was a British aircraft design unit of the early part of the 20th century.-Creation:...