Mobile Naval Air Bases
Encyclopedia
Mobile Operational Naval Air Bases (MONABs) were a series of mobile units first formed in 1944 to provide logistical
support to the Fleet Air Arm
aircraft of the Royal Navy
's British Pacific Fleet
towards the end of World War II
.
Each unit was self-contained and designed to service and repair aircraft
and engines. Each were initially assembled at the MONAB Headquarters
at HMS Flycatcher
(first at Ludham
then Middle Wallop
in the UK).
When the naval threat in the Atlantic was clearly vanishing, with the decline of Nazi Germany
, proposals were made to involve the Royal Navy in the Pacific War
. The United States Navy
's Commander-in-Chief
, Admiral Ernest King
, did not welcome this, however. A well-known anglophobe, King preferred to exclude the British and, in addition, he laid down operating requirements that could not be met at the time. One of these was that the Royal Navy should be self-sustaining and independent of United States Navy
(USN) logistical resources for extended periods of active service.
King was effectively over-ruled, however, and the Royal Navy set about establishing an adequate logistical infrastructure which included MONABs.
. The last unit was decommissioned
in 1946.
Logistics
Logistics is the management of the flow of goods between the point of origin and the point of destination in order to meet the requirements of customers or corporations. Logistics involves the integration of information, transportation, inventory, warehousing, material handling, and packaging, and...
support to 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...
aircraft of the 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...
's British Pacific Fleet
British Pacific Fleet
The British Pacific Fleet was a British Commonwealth naval force which saw action against Japan during World War II. The fleet was composed of British Commonwealth naval vessels. The BPF formally came into being on 22 November 1944...
towards the end of World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
.
Each unit was self-contained and designed to service and repair aircraft
Aircraft
An aircraft is a vehicle that is able to fly by gaining support from the air, or, in general, the atmosphere of a planet. An aircraft counters the force of gravity by using either static lift or by using the dynamic lift of an airfoil, or in a few cases the downward thrust from jet engines.Although...
and engines. Each were initially assembled at the MONAB Headquarters
Headquarters
Headquarters denotes the location where most, if not all, of the important functions of an organization are coordinated. In the United States, the corporate headquarters represents the entity at the center or the top of a corporation taking full responsibility managing all business activities...
at HMS Flycatcher
HMS Flycatcher
HMS Flycatcher was a stone frigate name for the Royal Navy's headquarters for its Mobile Naval Air Bases which supported their Fleet Air Arm units.Flycatcher was based first at RNAS Ludham, Norfolk then moved to RAF Middle Wallop....
(first at Ludham
Ludham
Ludham is a village and civil parish in the English county of Norfolk, in The Broads, at the end of a dyke leading to Womack Water and flowing into the River Thurne...
then Middle Wallop
Middle Wallop
Middle Wallop is the local name given to an area between the two Parishes of Over Wallop and Nether Wallop in Hampshire, England. As it does not have its own parish technically it does not exist, however road signs and maps make reference to the location and have done so since the 18th century,...
in the UK).
When the naval threat in the Atlantic was clearly vanishing, with the decline of Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany , also known as the Third Reich , but officially called German Reich from 1933 to 1943 and Greater German Reich from 26 June 1943 onward, is the name commonly used to refer to the state of Germany from 1933 to 1945, when it was a totalitarian dictatorship ruled by...
, proposals were made to involve the Royal Navy in the Pacific War
Pacific War
The Pacific War, also sometimes called the Asia-Pacific War refers broadly to the parts of World War II that took place in the Pacific Ocean, its islands, and in East Asia, then called the Far East...
. The United States Navy
United States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
's Commander-in-Chief
Commander-in-Chief
A commander-in-chief is the commander of a nation's military forces or significant element of those forces. In the latter case, the force element may be defined as those forces within a particular region or those forces which are associated by function. As a practical term it refers to the military...
, Admiral Ernest King
Ernest King
Fleet Admiral Ernest Joseph King was Commander in Chief, United States Fleet and Chief of Naval Operations during World War II. As COMINCH, he directed the United States Navy's operations, planning, and administration and was a member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. He was the U.S...
, did not welcome this, however. A well-known anglophobe, King preferred to exclude the British and, in addition, he laid down operating requirements that could not be met at the time. One of these was that the Royal Navy should be self-sustaining and independent of United States Navy
United States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
(USN) logistical resources for extended periods of active service.
King was effectively over-ruled, however, and the Royal Navy set about establishing an adequate logistical infrastructure which included MONABs.
Units
Ten MONABs were established, most based in AustraliaAustralia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
. The last unit was decommissioned
Ship decommissioning
To decommission a ship is to terminate her career in service in the armed forces of her nation. A somber occasion, it has little of the elaborate ceremony of ship commissioning, but carries significant tradition....
in 1946.
- MONAB I – HMS NabbingtonHMS NabbingtonH.M.S. Nabbington, was a Royal Navy, Mobile Naval Operating Air Base , at the Royal Australian Air Force base RAAF Nowra at Nowra, New South Wales, Australia. H.M.S. Nabbington was also known as MONAB I and Royal Naval Air Station Nowra.- History :Assembled at Royal Naval Air Station Ludham on 4...
, Nowra, Australia - MONAB II - HMS NabberleyHMS NabberleyH.M.S. Nabberley, was a Royal Navy, Mobile Naval Operating Air Base , at the Royal Australian Air Force base RAAF Bankstown at Bansktown, New South Wales, Australia. H.M.S. Nabberley was also known as MONAB II and Royal Naval Air Station Bankstown.-History:Assembled at RNAS Ludham and Royal Navy...
, Bankstown, Australia - MONAB III – HMS NabthorpeHMS NabthorpeHMS Nabthorpe was a Royal Navy Mobile Naval Operating Air Base at the Royal Australian Air Force base RAAF Station Schofields at Schofields, New South Wales...
, Schofields, New South WalesSchofields, New South WalesSchofields is a suburb of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Schofields is located 45 kilometres west of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of the City of Blacktown...
, Australia - MONAB IV -
- Formed up and commissioned as HMS Nabaron on 1 January 1945 at RNAS Ludham. Embarked for Australia at LiverpoolLiverpoolLiverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...
two weeks later and arrived at SydneySydneySydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
on 21 February. Marked to form a forward base their equipment was diverted on to the Admiralty IslandsAdmiralty IslandsThe Admiralty Islands are a group of eighteen islands in the Bismarck Archipelago, to the north of New Guinea in the south Pacific Ocean. These are also sometimes called the Manus Islands, after the largest island. These rainforest-covered islands form part of Manus Province, the smallest and...
and an operational base 2 April 1945 was commissioned HMS Naboran, Royal Naval Air Station Ponam taking over the former US Navy Airfield there.
- MONAB V - HMS Nabswick, Jervis BayJervis BayJervis Bay is a large bay bounded by the state of New South Wales, the Jervis Bay Territory, and a detached enclave of the Australian Capital Territory. HMAS Creswell is located between Jervis Bay Village and Greenpatch in the Jervis Bay Territory.-History:...
, Australia - MONAB VI – HMS Nabstock, Maryborough, QueenslandMaryborough, QueenslandMaryborough is a city located on the Mary River in South East Queensland, Australia, approximately north of the state capital, Brisbane. The city is serviced by the Bruce Highway, and has a population of approximately 22,000 . It is closely tied to its neighbour city Hervey Bay which is...
, Australia - MONAB VII – HMS Nabreekie, Meeandah, BrisbaneBrisbaneBrisbane is the capital and most populous city in the Australian state of Queensland and the third most populous city in Australia. Brisbane's metropolitan area has a population of over 2 million, and the South East Queensland urban conurbation, centred around Brisbane, encompasses a population of...
, Australia - MONAB VIII – HMS Nabcatcher, Kai Tak, Hong KongHong KongHong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
- MONAB IX – HMS Nabrock, SembawangSembawangSembawang is an area in the Northern-most portion of Singapore, encompassing the largest land mass within the Sembawang Group Representation Constituency. The incumbent Member of Parliament for the Sembawang Constituency is Khaw Boon Wan. The constituency jurisdiction extends into the Woodlands...
, SingaporeSingaporeSingapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the... - MONAB X – HMS Nabhurst, Middle WallopMiddle WallopMiddle Wallop is the local name given to an area between the two Parishes of Over Wallop and Nether Wallop in Hampshire, England. As it does not have its own parish technically it does not exist, however road signs and maps make reference to the location and have done so since the 18th century,...
, UK
- when HMS Flycatcher was paid off at Middle Wallop on 10 April 1946. MONAB X went around three different sites (RNAS Fearn, RNAS Inskip and RNAE Risley until it was able to move to RNAS Lossiemouth following the RAF vacating the site.
External links
See also
- List of Royal Navy shore establishments
- List of air stations of the Royal Navy
- Royal Navy DockyardRoyal Navy DockyardRoyal Navy Dockyards are harbours where either commissioned ships are based, or where ships are overhauled and refitted. Historically, the Royal Navy maintained a string of dockyards around the world, although few are now operating today....
- Seaplane bases in the United KingdomSeaplane bases in the United KingdomThis article lists both active and historic seaplane bases in the United Kingdom, many of which were either used for, or planned to be used for, the defence of the UK....
- Lists of military installations