RAF Castle Archdale
| RAF Castle Archdale | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Lisnarrick, County Fermanagh | |
 RAF Castle Archdale
|
|
| Coordinates | 54°28′48″N 7°43′41″W / 54.480°N 7.728°W |
| Type | Royal Air Force station |
| Site information | |
| Owner | Air Ministry |
| Controlled by |
 Royal Air Force
|
| Site history | |
| Built | 1940 |
| In use | 1940-1945 |
| Battles/wars | Second World War |
RAF Castle Archdale, also known for a while as RAF Lough Erne was a Royal Air Force station used by the RAF and the Royal Canadian Air Force station in County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland.
RAF Castle Archdale was located on the eastern shore of Lower Lough Erne, near the village of Lisnarrick. It was used during the Second World War by flying boats of No. 209 Squadron RAF. From Castle Archdale, Consolidated Catalinas and Short Sunderlands could patrol the North Atlantic for German U-boats. A secret agreement with the government of Ireland allowed aircraft to fly from Lough Erne to the Atlantic along the Donegal Corridor, providing vital air cover from one of the most westerly RAF bases in the United Kingdom.
In May 1941 the German battleship Bismarck was found during a routine patrol by a Catalina flying out of Castle Archdale boat base on Lower Lough Erne, Northern Ireland.
The base was closed after the Second World War and today is part of Castle Archdale Country Park. The slip way remains in use and the concrete stands for parking the Catalina aircraft are now part of a caravan site. Other buildings lie derelict and overgrown in the surrounding forest. A museum in the park grounds has a section devoted to its role during the Second World War.
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Wikipedia