RNAS Kingsnorth
Encyclopedia
RNAS Kingsnorth was a First World War Royal Navy
air station
for seaplane
s and airship
s, mainly operating as an experimental and training station, but also providing anti-submarine patrols. A number of experimental and prototype blimp
s were designed and constructed there.
It was located at the south eastern coast of the Isle of Grain
in Kent
.
and the RNAS combined to form the Royal Air Force
(RAF) and the station became known as RAF Kingsnorth, eventually closing in 1925.
The site is now occupied by Kingsnorth Power Station
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...
air station
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...
for 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 and airship
Airship
An airship or dirigible is a type of aerostat or "lighter-than-air aircraft" that can be steered and propelled through the air using rudders and propellers or other thrust mechanisms...
s, mainly operating as an experimental and training station, but also providing anti-submarine patrols. A number of experimental and prototype blimp
Blimp
A blimp, or non-rigid airship, is a floating airship without an internal supporting framework or keel. A non-rigid airship differs from a semi-rigid airship and a rigid airship in that it does not have any rigid structure, neither a complete framework nor a partial keel, to help the airbag...
s were designed and constructed there.
It was located at the south eastern coast of the 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...
in Kent
Kent
Kent is a county in southeast England, and is one of the home counties. It borders East Sussex, Surrey and Greater London and has a defined boundary with Essex in the middle of the Thames Estuary. The ceremonial county boundaries of Kent include the shire county of Kent and the unitary borough of...
.
Royal Naval Air Service
In July 1914 the Royal Navy reformed its air branch, naming it the Royal Naval Air Service (RNAS), and took over the base and its development and training functions.Royal Air Force
On 1 April 1918 the Royal Flying CorpsRoyal Flying Corps
The Royal Flying Corps was the over-land air arm of the British military during most of the First World War. During the early part of the war, the RFC's responsibilities were centred on support of the British Army, via artillery co-operation and photographic reconnaissance...
and the RNAS combined to form the Royal Air Force
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...
(RAF) and the station became known as RAF Kingsnorth, eventually closing in 1925.
The site is now occupied by Kingsnorth Power Station
Kingsnorth power station
Kingsnorth is a dual-fired coal and oil power station on the Hoo Peninsula at Medway in Kent, South East England. The four-unit station is owned and operated by energy firm E.ON UK, and has a generating capacity of 1,940 megawatts. It is capable of operating on either coal or oil though in practice...
See also
- RNAS Calshot
- RNAS Lee-on-Solent (HMS Daedalus)
- List of seaplanes and flying boats - United Kingdom
- List of air stations of the Royal Navy