RNAS St Merryn / HMS Curlew
St Merryn
1937-1956
St Merryn, Padstow, Cornwall, Cornwall
50.504097, -4.978264 · 260 feet
St. Merryn Airfield, Foxglove Crescent, St. Merryn, Cornwall, England, PL28 8GR, United Kingdom
Nearby Locations
| Km | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| St Eval | 3.2 | 203° | |
| Newquay Cornwall Airport | EGHQ | 7.0 | 191° |
 Royal Cornwall Showground |
GBWAB | 7.9 | 083° |
| Polzeath Airstrip | 8.5 | 042° | |
| Penhale Camp | 18.1 | 222° | |
| Bodmin Airfield | EGLA | 22.1 | 091° |
Built as a civil airfield in 1937, it was partly re-built with 4 hard (but short) runways by the Royal Navy in 1940 as HMS Vulture to be a training base for carrier-borne fixed wing fighters. After WWII, the carrier fleet began to shrink rapidly and the site recommissioned as HMS Curlew in 1952 as a location for ground training. It was closed for most flying operations in Dec 1953. All flying had ceased by Jan 1956 and it was sold off in 1959.
A two aircraft SAR Flt with Dragonfly was based here between Jun 1953 and c Apr 1954. The base tail code changed from MF to SR around Oct 1953.
A two aircraft SAR Flt with Dragonfly was based here between Jun 1953 and c Apr 1954. The base tail code changed from MF to SR around Oct 1953.