RAF Bempton
Encyclopedia
RAF Bempton was an RAF
base situated at Bempton
in the East Riding of Yorkshire
, England
, 6 miles north of Bridlington
.
The site was sold in 1980/81 and is now privately owned.
Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Formed on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world...
base situated at Bempton
Bempton
Bempton is a village and civil parish in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England, near the border with North Yorkshire. It is near the North Sea coast and Flamborough Head, and is situated about north of Bridlington. It lies on the B1229 road between Speeton and Flamborough...
in the East Riding of Yorkshire
East Riding of Yorkshire
The East Riding of Yorkshire, or simply East Yorkshire, is a local government district with unitary authority status, and a ceremonial county of England. For ceremonial purposes the county also includes the city of Kingston upon Hull, which is a separate unitary authority...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, 6 miles north of Bridlington
Bridlington
Bridlington is a seaside resort, minor sea fishing port and civil parish on the Holderness Coast of the North Sea, in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England. It has a static population of over 33,000, which rises considerably during the tourist season...
.
Operational history
- The site was established in February 1940 as RAF Flamborough Head, but was renamed by the end of that year. It was a GCIGround-controlled interceptionGround-controlled interception an air defense tactic whereby one or more radar stations are linked to a command communications centre which guides interceptor aircraft to an airborne target. This tactic was pioneered during World War II by the Royal Air Force with the Luftwaffe to follow closely...
station which disbanded on 1 August 1945. - 1945 - Air Ministry Experimental StationAir Ministry Experimental StationAMES or Air Ministry Experimental Station was the way of identifying RAF radar types during and after World War II*AMES Type 1, Chain Home - Early Warning*AMES Type 2, Chain Home Low - Early Warning, LOW altitude...
Type 31 - 1 June 1949, established as a CHLChain Home LowChain Home Low was the name of a British radar early warning system, detecting enemy aircraft movement at lower altitudes than and summarily used with the fixed Chain Home system which was operated by the RAF during World War II...
/CHEL radar station. - 17 February 1950 - transferred to RAF Fighter CommandRAF Fighter CommandRAF Fighter Command was one of three functional commands of the Royal Air Force. It was formed in 1936 to allow more specialised control of fighter aircraft. It served throughout the Second World War, gaining recognition in the Battle of Britain. The Command continued until 17 November 1943, when...
. On 1 November 1951 it was renamed as 146 Signals Unit Bempton and rebuilt as part of the ROTORROTORROTOR was a huge and elaborate air defence radar system built by the British Government in the early 1950s to counter possible attack by Soviet bombers...
Programme. - The 146 Signals Unit was disbanded on 1 December 1961
- Bempton became a satellite station of RAF Patrington until final closure in April 1972
The site was sold in 1980/81 and is now privately owned.