RAF Masirah: Difference between revisions

| r1-number = 19/01

| r1-length = <!-- {{Convert| |m9,000|0ft}} -->

The Royal Air Force first visited Masirah in the early 1930s to establish the validity of having a staging post there.{{sfn|Richardson|20002003|p=22}} The site was chosen as a remote fuelling station on the route between Aden and Iraq; Iraq being the headquarters of the RAF in the Middle East at that point.{{sfn|Richardson|20002003|pp=46–48}} A refuelling point was needed as Aden was a considerable distance from Iraq. Masirah was at least {{convert|1,200|mi}} distant from Aden, so was a good location to refuel before the bext leg in either direction.{{sfn|TRAFBFW|1997|p=381}} During 1942, the Catalinas of [[No. 209 Squadron RAF|209 Sqn]] used the seaplane store to refuel, giving them greater reach across the Gulf region whilst on anti-submarine patrol.{{sfn|Jefford|2001|p=72}}{{sfn|Richardson|20002003|p=98}} The anchorage location for seaplanes was at Umm Rusays, a small village on the western side of the island close to Masirah.{{sfn|Richardson|2003|p=22}} Several visiting aircraft marked out temporary runways on the island, but in early 1942, a new runway was built to a length of {{convert|1,000|yard}} with crushed gypsum as its surface. This was aligned in a rough north–south orientation with the designation of 19/01.{{sfn|Richardson|2003|p=101}}

In 1958, an agreement was reached with the [[Sultan of Oman]] in establishing the Royal Omani Air Force, with Masirah airbase being one of the locations used to help train the new air force.<ref>{{cite news |title=Aid For Muscat And Oman |work=The Times |issue=54227 |date=12 August 1958 |page=5|issn=0140-0460}}</ref> In 1962, the runway at Masirah was extended to {{convert|9,000|ft}}, and the whole base was re-hutted and improved at a cost of £3&nbsp;million.{{sfn|Lee|1978|p=56}} This enabled it to accept aircraft of the V-bomber force and other types stationed at RAF Akrotiri. B15 and B16 Canberras of numbers 6, 32, 73 and 249 Squadrons visited the base in detachments.<ref>{{cite web |title=Oman and the Cold War |url=https://www.rafmuseum.org.uk/research/online-exhibitions/an-enduring-relationship-a-history/oman-and-the-cold-war/ |website=rafmuseum.org.uk |access-date=12 May 2023}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last1=Dove |first1=Barry |title=Cyprus Canberras |journal=Journal of the Royal Air Force Historical Society |date=2007 |issue=38 |page=82|publisher=RAFHS |location=London |issn=1361-4231}}</ref> The withdrawal from Aden in the late 1960s, saw anwas announcementdetailed by the then Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs (Mr [[George Brown, Baron George-Brown|George Brown]]), who announceannounced the outbasing of the V-bomber force at Masirah for a period of six months from 1 January 1968.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Brown |first1=George |author-link=George Brown, Baron George-Brown|title=Carrier and V-bombers in three-part policy for South Arabia independence by January, 1968 |work=The Times |issue=56972 |date=20 June 1967 |page=5|issn=0140-0460}}</ref> The withdrawal also meant that No. 8 Squadron spent several weeks at Masirah before being moved on to its new location at [[Muharraq]].{{sfn|Fairbairn|1991|p=128}}

Masirah's location on an island in the sea off Oman was beneficial to the RAF as a staging post in the 1960s and 1970s.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Martin |first1=Paul |title=British role in Oman war again in question |work=The Times |issue=58365 |date=3 January 1972 |page=4|issn=0140-0460}}</ref> A contingent of [[Handley Page Victor|Victor]] refuellers and [[English Electric Lightning|Lightning]] aircraft arrived at Masirah in early June 1967.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Halpenny |first1=Bruce Barrymore |title=English Electric/BAC Lightning |date=1984 |publisher=Osprey |location=London |isbn=0850455626 |page=92}}</ref> This led to a belief that the Royal Air Force had helped Israel to bomb Egypt during the [[Six-Day War]]. However, the exercise was planned well in advance and the aircraft were all on their way to Singapore.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Douglas-Home |first1=Charles |author-link=Charles Douglas-Home (journalist)|title=Clue To Arab Charges |work=The Times |issue=57005 |date=28 July 1967 |page=4|issn=0140-0460}}</ref> During the [[Indo-Pakistani War of 1971]], Masirah was again used as a staging post when RAF [[Lockheed C-130 Hercules|Hercules]] aircraft evacuated 280 people from the shelling of [[Karachi]] in early December 1971. The evacuees were mostly British, and were transferred to [[Vickers VC10|VC-10]] aircraft at Masirah for onward flights to [[Cyprus]] and the United Kingdom.<ref>{{cite news |title=British mothers tell of Karachi air raids |work=The Times |issue=58348 |date=11 December 1971 |page=1|issn=0140-0460}}</ref> Also in 1971, a detachment of [[Hawker Hunter|Hunters]] of [[No. 8 Squadron RAF|8 Sqn]] were detached to Masirah from [[RAF Muharraq]].{{sfn|Jefford|2001|p=30}}

Closure was announced for the base in July 1976,<ref>{{cite news |last1=Stanhope |first1=Henry |title=RAF to give up its Oman staging post and airfield |work=The Times |issue=59760 |date=20 July 1976 |page=5|issn=0140-0460}}</ref> and the RAF formally vacated the site in March 1977. It was the last of the Second World War era permanent RAF stations in the Gulf region.{{#tag:ref|Subsequently, during [[Operation Granby]], [[Operation Telic]] and [[Operation Herrick]], bases were re-established in the region.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Brooke-Holland |first1=Louisa |title=UK forces in the Middle East region |url=https://researchbriefings.files.parliament.uk/documents/CBP-8794/CBP-8794.pdf |website=researchbriefings.files.parliament.uk |publisher=House of Commons Library |access-date=16 May 2023 |page=3 |date=14 January 2020}}</ref>|name=bases|group=note}}{{sfn|Fairbairn|1991|p=129}} Even after closure was announced, the site was still used by the RAF. In November 1986, six Tornados of [[229 OCU|No. 229 Operational Conversion Unit]], flew {{convert|4,200|mi}} non stop from RAF Coningsby to Masirah to partake in Exercise Saif Sareea, being refuelled seven times by Tristar tanker aircraft on the ten-hour flight.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Davenport |first1=Peter |title=Tornadoes display rapid deployment |work=The Times |issue=62625 |date=26 November 1986 |page=8|issn=0140-0460}}</ref>

The station [[Heraldic badges of the Royal Air Force|badge]] was awarded in 1962, and depicted a [[Loggerhead sea turtle|loggerhead turtle]] coloured blue (azure in heraldic terms). The Loggerhead turtles were well known on the island, being at one point, a source of food for those stationed there in the early days of the base. However, as the Loggerhead was an omnivore, the meat was described as being "inedible".<ref>{{cite web |title=Masirah {{!}} RAF Heraldry Trust |url=https://www.rafht.co.uk/index.php/2016/06/17/masirah/ |website=rafht.co.uk |access-date=14 May 2023}}</ref>{{sfn|Richardson|20002003|p=121}} The motto was in Arabic: "Al-i’ timad’ala al-nafs" which translates as "The reliance is on one’s own self".<ref>{{cite book |last1=Pine |first1=L.&nbsp;G. |title=A Dictionary of mottoes |date=1983 |publisher=Routledge & K.&nbsp;Paul |location=London |isbn=0-7100-9339-X |page=8}}</ref> The official award of the badge did not take place until January 1963, when the Secretary of State for Air, [[Hugh Fraser (British politician)|Hugh Fraser]], arrived at Masirah to present the badge.{{sfn|Richardson|2003|p=230}}

* {{cite book |last1=Richardson |first1=Colin |title=Masirah : tales from a desert island |date=20002003 |publisher=Scotforth Books |location=Lancaster |isbn=1904244300}}