RAF Fearn

[ZombieSazza]

Went here with Wurzel and Nugget44444 on Sunday 7th

Fearn airfield, also referred to as Balintore airfield, was a World War II airfield built to the west of Balintore on the shores of the Moray Firth, and which lay to the south of RAF Tain.

Fearn airfield was built as a satellite to RAF Tain, but was taken over by the Royal Navy in 1942, when it came to be known as HMS Owl. The airfield has two control towers, the original single storey RAF building, and the later RN structure with a ground floor and three upper floors. The RAF watch or control tower survives about 100 metres southeast of the later RN building, and comprises a single storey building with iron framed windows and entrance in the east wall, built of brick with harling, with one small internal subdivision and a bench in the main room. The RN control tower was generally reported to have been built by the Royal Marine Engineers to standard designs, with the walls being a mixture of solid brick and reinforced concrete.

Fearn airfield is situated in a low lying area of land to the S of Hill of Fearn village and W of the B9166 road to Balintore.
The three runways are all extant, the main N-S one still being used for 'touch and go' runs by propellor driven aircraft on training flights. All the dispersal areas can still be traced, some still retaining their hangars (all of the Main or Mainhill type), though many of the blast banked dispersal pens have been removed by the farmers.
In the technical area, to the E of the main control tower, many of the surviving buildings are still roofed and in use as offices, motor repair shops or for farming purposes. Most notable are three large nissen huts joined together forming what was the torpedo store. As this building is not shown on the RAF plan (RAF archives 77/1/470) it can be assumed that it was built post 1942 after the Royal Navy had taken over. The Luftwaffe photograph of 1941 (RCAHMS C47611) also shows the airfield before alterations by the Royal Navy. The pre-navy period watch tower survives to the rear of the large three/four storey tower (NH87NW 21.01), though it only stands one storey high. Many of the extant buildings in this area are associated with the subsequent take over by the Navy and are therefore post 1942 as few are shown on the PRO 1941 plans.
The four storey tower (NH87NW 21.01) is of a type found on RN stations, it is thought that this may be the only one of this type to survive in Scotland. The interior has been heavily vandalised, many of the intenal divisions having holes knocked through. The interior has also suffered at the hands of the grafitti artists so that any internal painted notices have long since disappeared. The upper storey is inaccessible as the stair to it has been removed.
Fearn Airfield is visible on vertical air photographs (RAF CPE/Scot/UK/223, 3151-3, flown 1947) in its complete state and vertical phtographs taken during the war (NLA 57.540 5101-5, flown 1943) show the dispersal pens and some of the hangars.
Visited by RCAHMS (DE, PM) January and May 1997

Opened as a satellite to RAF Tain, then:

15/7/42 Transferred to the Royal Navy as HMS Owl, a torpedo training school.
22/3/43 to 6/43, 747 Sqn formed here with Barracudas, moved to Inskip.
29/2/44 to 28/6/44, 841 Sqn.
5/44 to 10/44, 747 Sqn returned.
7/44 to 11/44, 717 Sqn formed here, moved to Rattray.
8/44 to 10/44, 714 Sqn re-formed here, moved to Rattray.
11/44 to 4/45, 837 Sqn.
3/45 to 7/45, 816 Sqn.
4/45 to 8/45, 817 Sqn.
7/45 to 8/45, 736 Sqn with Seafires.
11/45 to 5/46, 860 Sqn.
12/45 to 3/46, 708 Sqn, Firebrand Tactical Trials Unit.

Airfield: Torpedo Training School
Opened: /1941
Closed: 2/7/1946
ID Code: ?
USAAF Station: N/A
Runways: 3, tarmac
Hangars: 1- 125' x 185', 2- 66' x 75', 30- 60' x 70'
County: Ross-shire, Scotland
Location: 8 miles NE of Invergordon
OS Ref: NH842758

And now for some pictures (and much photoshopping, new DSLR and guess who had the white balance wrong and everything had a nice shade of blue, I've tried sorting the colours as best I can, if they're a little off I'm sorry ... )





























Someone uses part of the airfield.



I fail at fixing colours.

Sources;
http://www.scotlandsplaces.gov.uk/se...CAHMS&id=91604
http://www.flickr.com/photos/8050359@N07/2665352188/
http://wikimapia.org/14488540/Former...MS-Owl-Disused
http://www.controltowers.co.uk/F/Fearn.htm
http://her.highland.gov.uk/SingleRes...='MHG25866'
http://www.scotlandsplaces.gov.uk/se...AHMS&id=114466

[boxfrenzy]

Nicely researched report, and a fair few buildings remaining.

Whitebalance looks like it is on maybe tungsten or fluorescent perhaps - which give it a cold cast when you are outside, but are ideal inside as the yellow indoor light balances them out. If you are using Picassa, use the warmify tool, or whatever you use for processing your pictures, to crop and straighten them etc look for a colour temperature slider perhaps?

[ZombieSazza]

I use Photoshop, Box Frenzy (I only know basic photoshop stuff and even then it confuses me)
Oh... So it was fluorescent. I've set it to auto now

It is a rather impressive control tower! Guess what? Some lucky bastard bought it for 47,000£ !

[zimbob]

Nice work, this is a cracking place :

I reckon the folk who bought it are trying to bring about it's downfall though - did you see all the holes knocked through the load-bearing walls ?

[superkev]

Nice looking place to visit, great info too!

[Rochester]

Great well researched report.. Top work.

[TCCI]

Great work very well done

[dunglass]

the holes have been deliberately kncked in the walls so it cannot be inhabited,seems funny kind of thinking to me

[urban phantom]

Verry nice great tower thanks for sharing