RMB Chivenor

Royal Marines Base Chivenor
Cap Badge of the Royal Marines
IATA: none ICAO: EGDC
Summary
Airport type	Military
Operator	Royal Marines
Location	Braunton
Commander	Lt Colonel Dominic May RM
Occupants	Commando Logistic Regiment 24 Commando Regiment Royal Engineers No. 22 Squadron RAF (disbanded 2015)
Elevation AMSL	27 ft / 8 m
Coordinates	51°05′14″N 004°09′01″W / 51.08722°N 4.15028°W / 51.08722; -4.15028Coordinates: 51°05′14″N 004°09′01″W / 51.08722°N 4.15028°W / 51.08722; -4.15028
Map
EGDC Location in Devon
Runways
Direction Length Surface m ft 10/28 1,833 6,014 Asphalt
Source: World Aero Data

Royal Marines

Lt Colonel Dominic May RM

Royal Marines Base Chivenor (ICAO: EGDC) is a British military base used primarily by 3 Commando Brigade. It is situated on the northern shore of the River Taw estuary, adjacent to the South West Coast Path, on the north coast of Devon, England. The nearest towns are Barnstaple and Braunton.

Originally a civil airfield opened in the 1930s, the site was taken over by the Royal Air Force (RAF) in May 1940 for use as a Coastal Command Station, and was known as RAF Chivenor. After World War II, the station was largely used for training, particularly weapons training. During the 1950s and 1960s, No. 229 Operational Conversion Unit (229 OCU) used Hawker Hunter aircraft for training. In 1974 the station was left on "care and maintenance", though No. 624 Volunteer Gliding Squadron (624 VGS) continued to fly from there. The RAF returned, forming 2 Tactical Weapons Unit (2 TWU), flying BAE Hawks, from 1979. In 1994, 2 TWU left Chivenor, merging with No. 4 Flying Training School RAF (4 FTS) at RAF Valley, and the airfield was handed over to the RM. The Marines have an existing equipment testing base at Arromanches Camp, in Instow, located across the Taw Estuary and approximately two miles from Chivenor.