RAF Sumburgh

Royal Air Force Sumburgh or more simply RAF Sumburgh is a former Royal Air Force satellite station that was located on the southern tip of the mainland island of the Shetland Islands, and was home to half of No. 404 Squadron RCAF (Royal Canadian Air Force). At the outbreak of the Second World War the airstrip at the Sumburgh Links was taken over by the Air Ministry. By 1941 there were three operational runways at RAF Sumburgh from which a variety of RAF aircraft operated.

History
Sumburgh Links was surveyed and the grass strips laid out by Captain E. E. Fresson in 1936, and the airport was opened on 3 June of that year with the inaugural flight from Aberdeen (Kintore) by de Havilland Dragon Rapide G-ACPN piloted by Captain Fresson himself. It was also one of the first airfields to have RDF facilities, due to the frequency of low cloud and fog and the proximity of Sumburgh Head. The building of runways was at the instigation of Capt Fresson, who had proved to the Royal Navy at Hatston (Orkney) that it was essential to maintain all-round landing facilities over the winter months. This was taken up by the air force after the obvious success of the Hatston experiment.

The longest runway is 800 yards, and the shorter running a length of 600 yards from shoreline to shoreline. No. 404 Squadron operated Bristol Beaufighter Mark VI and X aircraft from this station on coastal raids against Axis shipping off the coast of Norway and in the North Sea.

No. 404 Squadron pioneered the use of unguided rocket projectiles against enemy merchant shipping sailing off the Norwegian coast by launching joint strike attacks with No. 144 Squadron (torpedo aircraft or 'Torbeaus') from RAF Sumburgh and RAF Wick in 1943 and early 1944.

The following units were posted to the airfield at some point: • No. 3 Squadron RAF.

• No. 17 Squadron RAF.

• No. 42 Squadron RAF.

• No. 48 Squadron RAF.

• No. 66 Squadron RAF.

• No. 86 Squadron RAF.

• No. 118 Squadron RAF.

• No. 125 Squadron RAF.

• No. 129 Squadron RAF.

• No. 132 Squadron RAF.

• No. 143 Squadron RAF.

• No. 144 Squadron RAF.

• No. 152 Squadron RAF.

• No. 162 Squadron RAF.

• No. 164 Squadron RAF.

• No. 217 Squadron RAF.

• No. 232 Squadron RAF (1940).

• No. 234 Squadron RAF.

• No. 235 Squadron RAF.

• No. 236 Squadron RAF.

• No. 248 Squadron RAF.

• No. 254 Squadron RAF (1940 & 1941).

• No. 272 Squadron RAF.

• No. 278 Squadron RAF.

• No. 307 Squadron RAF.

• No. 310 Squadron RAF.

• No. 313 Squadron RAF.

• No. 331 Squadron RAF.

• No. 333 Squadron RAF.

• No. 404 Squadron RCAF.

• No. 453 Squadron RAAF.

• No. 455 Squadron RAAF.

• No. 504 Squadron RAF.

• No. 598 Squadron RAF.

• No. 602 Squadron RAF.

• No. 608 Squadron RAF.

• No. 611 Squadron RAF.

• 700 Naval Air Squadron

• 701 Naval Air Squadron

• 721 Naval Air Squadron

• 819 Naval Air Squadron

• 821 Naval Air Squadron

• 828 Naval Air Squadron

• 880 Naval Air Squadron

• No. 1 Air/Sea Rescue Marine Craft Unit

• No. 17 Air/Sea Rescue Marine Craft Unit

• No. 1693 (General Reconnaissance) Flight (June 1944 – May 1945)

Post war
Scheduled services continued during the war and, in 1946, British European Airways started a scheduled service with Junkers Ju 52s and then Douglas DC-3s. The main runway was lengthened in the mid-1960s.

Current use
The airfield, now called Sumburgh Airport, is owned by the Highlands and Islands Airports Limited, and commercial flights are provided by Loganair and Highland Airways.