Report - RNAS Burscough (HMS Ringtail) Naval air base - Bursough, Lancashire - May 2021

[MK83]

We’ve been going down a bit of a rabbit hole researching Lancashire wartime history since we found ROF Standish last week. So we’ve decided to try and see what else remains in the area. This place doesn’t seem to have been done in any real detail before so thought we’d try and do it justice.

History - RNAS Burscough, also known as HMS Ringtail, was a Fleet Air Arm (FAA) naval air station. The Airfield was built with four narrow runways and multiple hangars, being commissioned on 1 September 1943.
It was used to train for landing aircraft on aircraft carriers, constructed to the normal Navy plan with four runways instead of three, all of which were only 30 yards wide instead of the RAF standard 50 yards. The extra runway allowed the aircraft to land and take off as close as possible into the wind, with eight directions to choose from. The narrower landing strips also simulated take off and landing on aircraft carriers.
HMS Ringtail was named like a ship because it was a Navy airfield, rather than an RAF one, and it was named after a bird. "Ring-tail" is an informal term used by birders for juveniles of several harrier species when seen in the field and not identifiable to an exact species.
The air station was planned to accommodate FAA day, night and torpedo fighter squadrons for their formation, training and working-up. Many FAA squadrons were based at Burscough for a period of a few weeks or months, before moving to front-line FAA bases or on to aircraft carriers for deployment in action in the European or Far Eastern war fronts.
One of the first squadrons stationed at the base was 809 squadron FAA, equipped with Supermarine Seafires. It flew in the Soviet Union, the Mediterranean and the Far East during the second world war. One of the last Squadrons stationed at the base was 1772 squadron equipped with mark 1 Fairey Fireflies. In July 1945 1772 Naval Air Squadron boarded HMS Indefatigable and joined the British Task Force 37 which then joined the US Task Force 38 in the Northern Pacific for the final assault on the Japanese Mainland.
RNAS Burscough closed for flying in May 1946. Thereafter, the hangars were used for the storage of aircraft engines and other FAA equipment. The airfield was disposed of in 1957.

1772 squadron at HMS ringtail.

Fairey Fireflies of 1771 squadron at HMS Ringtail.

Explore – There is quite a bit of the airbase left spread over a considerable area. As well as many hangars we found the explosives storage area, one of the runways, the original substation for the base, the parachute drying and packing building and a random pillbox which I assume was associated with the base (Correction - as per comment from @tigger below the pillbox is not associated with the airbase). Everything we found is on private land and is in use by active businesses. Only 1 of the Hangars is accessible and access is a very tight squeeze, it’s also in use by an active business. We found this a really interesting place to wonder round and had a lot of fun tracking down as much of the former base as possible. I’ve circled and labelled the bits we found on the satellite map below and included the original base plan for reference. It’s also worth mentioning that Burscough ROC post is on the edge of the airfield, I’ve circled it and if anyone's interested here’s a link to my earlier report on that;

Report - - Burscough ROC Post- October 2020 | ROC Posts

Not much to see here and not in excellent condition but had never been to one of these before and this one is pretty local for the time that we had. Easy to park up and a short walk from the retail park.

www.28dayslater.co.uk

All the areas we found are circled red.

Original plan of the airfield.

The Hangars.

Runway.

Random Pillbox.

Explosives storage area.

Substation for the airfield, now re-used as a modern substation.

The parachute packing house & store where the parachutes were hung and dried and then re-packed ready for use again and carefully maintained.

Thanks for looking.

 

[tigger]

Your 'random pillbox' is nothing to do with HMS Ringtail - it's part of the Stop Line which utilised the Leeds-Liverfool Canal (lots of interesting bits and pieces to be found if you walk along the tow path ...and in the section close to Burscough Bridge there are defended buildings, AT blocks, modified bridges, some unique observation posts, post holes......)

The round structure is the remains of an Emergency Water Supply (farmer knocked part of the wall down). The other brick structure near it is an M&E Plinth (essentially a blast protected transformer).
As well as the S-type hangars you photographed there are a few others at the opposite side fairly close to the Bomb Store. All four runways remain but are mostly lightly covered by grass now.
Had you gone only a few years ago there was a very nice stand-by set house next to that sub-station. Prior to the shop being built and roundabout being altered there was a rather nice protected voice communication building as well as the BHQ within that part of the airfield.

It's a shame about the condition of the ROC Post as it was subject to a lot of TLC only a handful of years ago and though empty it looked good after it's repaint.

 

[MK83]

Your 'random pillbox' is nothing to do with HMS Ringtail - it's part of the Stop Line which utilised the Leeds-Liverfool Canal (lots of interesting bits and pieces to be found if you walk along the tow path ...and in the section close to Burscough Bridge there are defended buildings, AT blocks, modified bridges, some unique observation posts, post holes......)

The round structure is the remains of an Emergency Water Supply (farmer knocked part of the wall down). The other brick structure near it is an M&E Plinth (essentially a blast protected transformer).
As well as the S-type hangars you photographed there are a few others at the opposite side fairly close to the Bomb Store. All four runways remain but are mostly lightly covered by grass now.
Had you gone only a few years ago there was a very nice stand-by set house next to that sub-station. Prior to the shop being built and roundabout being altered there was a rather nice protected voice communication building as well as the BHQ within that part of the airfield.

It's a shame about the condition of the ROC Post as it was subject to a lot of TLC only a handful of years ago and though empty it looked good after it's repaint.

Thanks for correcting that. I assumed it was associated with the airbase due to the proximity. Always glad to be corrected though, I'm learning about this as I go tbh, really interesting though. I photographed the hangars near the bomb store but couldn't fit them all in.

 

[westernsultan]

Very interesting report - thanks for including the history and maps - enjoyed reading this one

 

[Lavino]

Nice set of photos well researched and set out in your report.

 

[MK83]

Very interesting report - thanks for including the history and maps - enjoyed reading this one

Thanks. We found it interesting to explore.

 

[MK83]

Nice set of photos well researched and set out in your report.

Thanks. Enjoyed writing it. This place is all about the history more so than the explore.

 

[bernold]

Those hangers are pretty cool!

 

[TVurbex]

Very interesting - thanks for putting in the time to research

 

[Bazza74]

Excellently written and researched, I grew up in Burscough and still occasionally use the runways and tracks for dog walking so was good to hear a bit of the history.
One of the hangars you photographed used to be used by a historical bus group, if you drove past you’d often see them tinkering with on Sunday’s.

 

[MK83]

Excellently written and researched, I grew up in Burscough and still occasionally use the runways and tracks for dog walking so was good to hear a bit of the history.
One of the hangars you photographed used to be used by a historical bus group, if you drove past you’d often see them tinkering with on Sunday’s.

Thanks, were from just down the road in Appley Bridge so have driven past this place and seen the hangars loads of times. It's amazing how much cool history you can find on your doorstep once you start looking.

 

[MK83]

Very interesting - thanks for putting in the time to research

Thanks, Places like this where there isn't a massive amount to see are all about the research. Brings it to life a bit I think.

 

[TVurbex]

Absolutely, keep it up!

 

[horrgakx]

It's a crying shame how these places get bulldozed over, nice report and you obviously care for these places.

 

[MK83]

It's a crying shame how these places get bulldozed over, nice report and you obviously care for these places.

Thanks, It is a real shame. These places fascinate me, loads of history on your doorstep and most people drive past every day and never realise it's even there.