HMS Nabaron was a Royal Navy (RN) Mobile Operational Naval Air Base (MONAB) which was situated at the United States Navy (USN) airfield NAS Ponam Airfield on Ponam Island, Admiralty Islands in Papua New Guinea, which had been transferred to RN on loan. HMS Nabaron was also known as MONAB IV and Royal Naval Air Station Ponam (or RNAS Ponam).
HMS Nabaron Mobile Operational Naval Air Base IV | |||||||
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on Ponam Island, Admiralty Islands, in the Manus Province in Papua New Guinea | |||||||
Coordinates | 01°54′45″S 146°53′8″E / 1.91250°S 146.88556°E | ||||||
Type | Mobile Operational Naval Air Base | ||||||
Site information | |||||||
Owner | United States Navy | ||||||
Operator | Royal Navy | ||||||
Controlled by | Fleet Air Arm | ||||||
Site history | |||||||
In use | 1945 | – 1945||||||
Garrison information | |||||||
Garrison | MONAB IV | ||||||
Occupants |
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Airfield information | |||||||
Elevation | 6 feet (1.8 m) AMSL | ||||||
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Source: Royal Navy Research Archive[1][2] |
History
editThe personnel and equipment for MONAB IV began to assemble at Royal Naval Air Station Ludham (HMS Flycatcher), Norfolk, on 15 November. This was to be a Type A MONAB (Small), which was required to support up to 50 aircraft. It was initially allocated Mobile Servicing (MS) No. 5 for Vought Corsair Mk II & IV, Mobile Servicing (MS) No. 6 for Grumman Hellcat F. Mk. I & II, Mobile Maintenance (MM) No. 3 for Grumman Avenger Mk I & II, Fairey Firefly Mk. I and Supermarine Seafire F Mk III & L Mk III and Mobile Annex (MA) No. 1.[1]
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Function
editAviation support components
edit- Mobile Maintenance (MM) No. 3
- Mobile Servicing (MS) No. 5
- Mobile Servicing (MS) No. 6
- Mobile, Storage & Reserve (MSR) No. 1
- Mobile, Storage & Reserve (MSR) No. 4
- Mobile, Storage & Reserve (MSR) No. 6
- Mobile Annexe No. 1
- Mobile Air Torpedo Maintenance Unit (MATMU) No. 7
Aircraft type supported
edit- Grumman Avenger Mk.I & II
- Vought Corsair Mk II & IV
- Fairey Firefly I
- Grumman Hellcat F. Mk. I & II
- Stinson Reliant I
- Supermarine Seafire F Mk III & L Mk III
- Supermarine Sea Otter I
- Vultee Vengeance TT.IV
Squadrons at HMS Nabaron
editList of Fleet Air Arm first and second line squadrons, station flight and other flying units either based at or disembarked to RNAS Nowra (HMS Nabaron) and MONAB IV:
Based squadrons
edit- Station Flight operated a number of Stinson Reliant aircraft for communication duties.
- 721 Fleet Requirements Unit disembarked from HMS Begum, on 30 May 1945 and was initially equipped with six Vultee Vengeance TT.IV. It embarked in HMS Unicorn on 9 October for passage to RNAMY Archerfield.[12]
- 1701 Air Sea Rescue Squadron 'B' Flight disembarked from HMS Begum on 28 May 1945, equipped with three Supermarine Sea Otter. It embarked in HMS Reaper on 3 October.[13]
Disembarked squadrons
editTorpedo, Bomber, Reconnaissance Squadron
edit- 812 Naval Air Squadron was a Torpedo, Bomber, Reconnaissance Squadron. It was equipped with Fairey Barracuda Mk II and a detachment of six aircraft disembarked from HMS Vengeance between 28 - 30 August 1945.[14]
- 828 Naval Air Squadron was a Torpedo, Bomber, Reconnaissance Squadron which was equipped with twenty-one Grumman Avenger Mk.I. It disembarked from HMS Implacable on 29 May 1945 and re-embarked on 9 June. A detachment of nine aircraft was also disembarked between 9 - 12 June 1945.[15]
Fighter Squadron
edit- 801 Naval Air Squadron, a Fleet Fighter Squadron was equipped with Supermarine Seafire L Mk III and a detachment of six aircraft disembarked from HMS Implacable between 28 - 31 May 1945.[2]
- 880 Naval Air Squadron was a Fleet Fighter Squadron which was equipped with twenty-four Supermarine Seafire, a mixture of F MK II and L MK III. A detachment of six aircraft disembarked from HMS Implacable between 28 - 31 May 1945. The squadron was also disembarked here between 21 - 28 June 1945.[16]
- 885 Naval Air Squadron was a Fleet Fighter Squadron. It disembarked from HMS Ruler on 31 May 1945 and was equipped with twenty Supermarine Seafire, a mixture of F MK II and L MK III. It re-embarked on 17 June 1945. A detachment of twelve aircraft was disembarked between 19 - 28 June 1945.[17]
- 1771 Naval Air Squadron a Two Seater Fighter Squadron detached seven aircraft from HMS Implacable here between 9 - 12 May 1945. It was equipped with Fairey Firefly I aircraft.[18]
- 1841 Naval Air Squadron was a Fleet Fighter Squadron equipped with twenty Vought Corsair Mk IV. It disembarked from HMS Formidable between 18 - 19 August 1945.[2]
- 1843 Naval Air Squadron was a Fleet Fighter Squadron equipped with twenty Vought Corsair Mk IV. It disembarked here from HMS Arbiter on 31 May 1945 and re-embarked on 25 June.[2]
- 1850 Naval Air Squadron was a Fleet Fighter Squadron equipped with twenty Vought Corsair Mk IV. A detachment of twelve aircraft disembarked from HMS Vengeance between 23 - 30.[19]
Citations
edit- ^ a b c d e f g h "Nabaron-1". Royal Navy Research Archive - The MONAB Story - A history of the mobile airfields of the Royal Navy. Retrieved 3 October 2024.
- ^ a b c d e f "Ponam". Royal Navy Research Archive - Fleet Air Arm Bases 1939 - present day. Retrieved 3 October 2024.
- ^ Wragg 2019, p. 237.
- ^ Hobbs 2007, p. 131.
- ^ Hobbs 2007, p. 132.
- ^ Hobbs 2007, p. 134.
- ^ a b Hobbs 2007, p. 135.
- ^ "Pityilu". Royal Navy Research Archive - Fleet Air Arm Bases 1939 - present day. Retrieved 13 October 2024.
- ^ Hobbs 2007, p. 137.
- ^ Hobbs 2007, p. 136.
- ^ a b Hobbs 2007, p. 138.
- ^ Ballance, Howard & Sturtivant 2016, p. 26.
- ^ Ballance, Howard & Sturtivant 2016, p. 275.
- ^ Ballance, Howard & Sturtivant 2016, p. 138.
- ^ Ballance, Howard & Sturtivant 2016, p. 189.
- ^ Ballance, Howard & Sturtivant 2016, p. 250.
- ^ Ballance, Howard & Sturtivant 2016, p. 256.
- ^ Ballance, Howard & Sturtivant 2016, p. 278.
- ^ Ballance, Howard & Sturtivant 2016, p. 298.
References
edit- "The MONAB Story A history of the mobile airfields of the Royal Navy". Royal Navy Research Archive. Retrieved 4 October 2024.
- Hobbs, David (2007). Moving Bases Royal Navy Maintenance Carriers and MONABs. Liskeard, Cornwall, UK: Maritime Books. ISBN 978-1-904459-30-9.
- Ballance, Theo; Howard, Lee; Sturtivant, Ray (2016). The Squadrons and Units of the Fleet Air Arm. Air Britain Historians Limited. ISBN 978-0-85130-489-2.
- Wragg, David (2019). The Fleet Air Arm Handbook 1939-1945. Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, UK: The History Press. ISBN 978-0-7509-9303-6.