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MHG18700 - Seaplane Base, Alness

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Full Description

Memorial stone unveiled October 2001.
A M Fox, Highland Council, 14.11.01.

Slipway, roads and a few small buildings are all that remain. Airfield focus 31. Invergordon. J A Guy, 20th Century Defences, (report nos. 1, 8 & 11)
A M Fox, Highland Council, 10.10.01.

NH66NE 52 centred 6512 6790

Part of the site falls on map sheet NH66NW

Alness is the sole wartime flying boat base still used by the RAF (1983), but of course only marine craft can be seen here now, and that from a distance, as it is not very accessible. The former decontamination centre is close to Alness town and a few other dispersed buildings also survive, along with the concrete floors of dozens of nissen huts.
The station, which dates back to the pre-war period, was known first as Invergordon, but, in its early days, it is doubtful if it was anything more than a mooring area with a slipway (NH 6497 6775) for beaching the aircraft.
D J Smith 1983.

Alness seaplane base is situated immediately to the S of a new stretch of the A9 trunk road to the S of Alness town. Little remains, apart from one Bellman type hangar, two motor transport buildings and several accommodation huts. The bases of the large seaplane hangars can be easily identified as can most of the taxiways. There are also several small brick-built blast shelters strategically located around the base. At what was the former entrance, two small anti-tank pimples survive alongside a small garage or fire tender building. A small landing craft can also be seen in the central accommodation area mounted on wooden blocks. One light anti-aircraft position could be located in the SW part of the base consisting of a concrete base surrounded by a circular earthen bank.
During February and March of 1997 most of the surviving buildings were cleared to allow trenches to be dug for service pipes as part of the re-development of the site.
Visited by RCAHMS (DE) January/March 1997

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Map

Location

Grid reference	Centred NH 6505 6800 (855m by 487m) (2 map features)
Map sheet	NH66NE
Geographical Area	ROSS AND CROMARTY
Civil Parish	ALNESS

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