HMS Daedalus
Encyclopedia : H : HM : HMS : HMS Daedalus
HMS Daedalus, otherwise known as Royal Naval Air Station Lee-on-Solent, was one of the primary shore airfields of the Fleet Air Arm. It served as the main training establishment and administrative centre of the Fleet Air Arm. Situated approximately four miles West of Portsmouth on the coast of the Solent at Grid reference , the establishment has now been closed down and was the subject of much controversy in 2003 over the proposal to re-use it as a refuge for asylum-seekers.
In March 2006 the future of the establishment was secured when the airfield was transferred to the Maritime and Coastguard Agency who will continue to use it as a base for their air sea rescue helicopter. Hampshire Constabulary's fixed wing aircraft will also continue to use the airfield.
In April/May 2006, whilst conducting repairs to the runway, building crews discovered an unexploded pipe bomb, of over 60 feet long, placed underneath the runway by the military, designed to criple the airfield's operational capabilities in the event of a German invasion. The bomb is still awaiting a controlled explosion as of 28th May 2006.
In August 1848, the officers and crew of the then HMS Daedalus (en route to St Helena) saw a sea serpent which was subsequently reported (and debated) in the Times of London.
See also
From Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Original article here. Support Wikipedia by contributing or donating.
All text is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License See Wikipedia Copyrights for details.