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HMS *Nabsford*
Transportable Aircraft Maintenance Yard I
HMS Nabsford; Transportable Aircraft Maintenance Yard I
at RAAF Station Archerfield, in Brisbane, Queensland in Australia
	HMS Nabsford Location within Queensland HMS Nabsford HMS Nabsford (Australia)
Coordinates	27°34′10″S 153°00′28″E / 27.56944°S 153.00778°E
Type	Transportable Aircraft Maintenance Yard
Site information
Owner	Department of Defence
Operator	Royal Navy (1945-1946)
Controlled by	Fleet Air Arm (1945-1946)
Site history
In use	1945–1946 (Fleet Air Arm)
Battles/wars	World War II Pacific War; ;
Garrison information
Garrison	TAMY I
Occupants	Mobile Repair (MR) No. 3; Mobile, Storage & Reserve (MSR) No. 7; Mobile, Storage & Reserve (MSR) No. 8;
Airfield information
Elevation	50 feet (15 m) AMSL
Runways
00/18	1,878 yards (1,717 m) grass
04/22	2,230 yards (2,039 m) grass
10/28	2,000 yards (1,829 m) grass
	Source: Royal Navy Research Archive

HMS Nabsford was a Royal Navy (RN), Transportable Aircraft Maintenance Yard (TAMY), which was situated at the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) airfield RAAF Station Archerfield situated in Brisbane, Queensland. HMS Nabsford was also known as TAMY I and Royal Naval Aircraft Maintenance Yard Archerfield (or RNAMY Archerfield).^[3]

History

Transportable Aircraft Maintenance Yard No. I (TAMY I) was assembled in the United Kingdom at Royal Naval Air Station (RNAS) Ludham (HMS Flycatcher), Norfolk and Royal Naval Aircraft Training Establishment (RNATE) Risley (HMS Gosling), Lancashire, beginning on 4 December 1944. On 1 February 1945, TAMY I was officially commissioned as a RN Air Maintenance Yard, as HMS Nabsford, with Commander B.J.L. Rogers-Tillstone, RN, serving as the commanding officer.^[4]

On 16 February, personnel from TAMY I journeyed by rail and road to Gladstone Docks in Liverpool in preparation for their voyage to Australia. The primary contingent of TAMY I, consisting of twenty-three officers and 1,191 ratings, departed for Australia aboard the SS Stirling Castle on 18 February. A subsequent group, which included eight officers and ninety-one ratings, set sail on the RMS Empress of Scotland on 10 March.^[5]

The initial contingent on the SS Stirling Castle arrived on 27 March and was subsequently transported to Archerfield Airport, where it was commissioned as HMS Nabsford, the Royal Naval Aircraft Maintenance Yard Archerfield. As the facility expanded, it incorporated numerous other installations. Rocklea Camp functioned as the administrative and accommodation hub for the yard. Engine and ancillary workshops were located at Rocklea Factory, while spare parts were stored at Runcorn. The dismantling operations aimed at converting airframes and engines into spare components were conducted at Benedict Stone Works. Archerfield served as the airfield, and the aircraft assembly, inspection, repair, radio, and gunnery workshops were situated on Kerry Road.^[6]

On 1 June, 1845 Naval Air Squadron was re-established at RNAMY Archerfield as a single-seat fighter squadron, equipped with twenty-four Vought Corsair Mk IV fighter-bomber aircraft. The squadron relocated to the newly formed MONAB VI at RNAS Maryborough (HMS Nabstock) on the 23.^[7]

The initial output objectives for TAMY I in its first month, April, comprised: fifteen comprehensive inspections, twenty-five minor inspections and adjustments, twenty-five aircraft assemblies, and twenty-five engine refurbishments. However, only four Vought Corsair aircraft were assembled.^[3] The principal factors contributing to the completion of only fifty percent of the erection program in May were deficiencies in workshop equipment and spare parts. In June, the erection of Supermarine Seafires was not undertaken due to the absence of available aircraft. The production of Vought Corsair aircraft was impeded by the need to replace eleven engines. In July, the production of Supermarine Seafire aircraft encountered delays caused by a set of incompatible mainplanes, while the reduction in Vought Corsair production was linked to a shortage of spare parts. The month of August saw a deceleration in activities following the celebrations of V-J Day.^[8] (see table below)

The Fleet Requirements Unit from HMS Nabaron MONAB V, 721 Naval Air Squadron, was aboard the aircraft repair ship and light aircraft carrier HMS Unicorn. They reached Brisbane, Queensland, on 15 October, after which the squadron disembarked at HMS Nabsford, RNAMY Archerfield to re-organise.^[9]

'A' Flight of 1701 Naval Air Squadron, specialising in air-sea rescue (ASR), was transferred from RNAS Maryborough (HMS Nabstock) on 1 November 1945. The unit was equipped with Supermarine Sea Otter aircraft, which were designed for amphibious air-sea rescue operations. However, its duration at this location was brief, as it boarded the escort carrier HMS Striker on 4 November for passage to RNAS Kai Tak, Hong Kong.^[10]

On 5 November, HMS Nabreekie, MONAB VII, was officially decommissioned. Personnel from the MONAB who were not reassigned to other units or returned to the United Kingdom, were incorporated into the accounts of HMS Nabsford, where they were organised into Mobile Repair (MR) No. 3.^[11]

721 Naval Air Squadron was allocated a number of aircraft, which included Vultee Vengeance, Vought Corsair and de Havilland Tiger Moth. Over the preceding two months, the squadron was stationed at RNAMY Archerfield, where it engaged in preparations and testing of its aircraft. It was earmarked as a Fleet Requirements Unit at Hong Kong.^[12] The squadron embarked on HMS Speaker on 28 December.^[13]

In February 1946, the ship's crew was diminished as around 1,000 personnel were repatriated to the United Kingdom through the Royal Navy Barracks in Sydney. On 31 March 1946, HMS Nabsford and the Royal Navy Air Maintenance Yard at Archerfield were decommissioned.^[13]

Commanding officers

List of commanding officers of HMS Nabsford with date of appointment:^[5]

Commander B.J.L. Rogers-Tillstone, RN, from 1 February 1945 (Captain from 1 July 1945)

Units based at HMS Nabsford

List of units associated with TAMY I, in support of an Aircraft Maintenance Yard:

Function

Aircraft Maintenance Yard

Aviation support components

Mobile Repair (MR) No. 3
Mobile, Storage & Reserve (MSR) No. 7
Mobile, Storage & Reserve (MSR) No. 8

Aircraft type supported

Squadrons at HMS Nabsford

List of Fleet Air Arm first and second line squadrons, station flight and other flying units either based at or disembarked to RNAMY Archerfield (HMS Nabsford) and TAMY I:

721 Naval Air Squadron, a Fleet Requirements Unit, disembarked here from HMS Unicorn to re-organize and re-arm at RNAMY Archerfield on 15 October 1945. It was issued with Vultee Vengeance target tug aircraft, Vought Corsair, Supermarine Sea Otter and de Havilland Tiger Moth training aircraft. It embarked in HMS Speaker on 28 December 1945.^[12]
1701 Naval Air Squadron's air-sea rescue (ASR) 'A' Flight relocated from RNAS Maryborough (HMS Nabstock) on 1 November 1945, equipped with three Supermarine Sea Otter, an amphibious air-sea rescue aircraft. Its stay was short and it embarked in the escort carrier HMS Striker on 4 November.^[14]
1845 Naval Air Squadron, a Single Seat Fighter Squadron formed here on 1 June 1945, equipped with twenty-four Vought Corsair Mk IV fighter bomber. It moved to RNAS Maryborough (HMS Nabstock) on 23 June 1945.^[7]

Erection and Inspection performance

The table shows the expected number of aircraft erections and inspection by aircraft type, by month between May and August 1945.

Erection and Inspection Programme versus Performance
May
Action	Programme	Performance
Erections	15 x Supemarine Seafire	9 x Supermarine Seafire
Erections	35 x Vought Corsair	15 x Vought Corsair
Minor Inspections	7 x Vought Corsair	7 x Vought Corsair
June
Action	Programme	Performance
Erections	10 x Supemarine Seafire	0 x Supermarine Seafire
Erections	40 x Vought Corsair	24 x Vought Corsair
Minor Inspections	14 x Vought Corsair	6 x Vought Corsair
July
Action	Programme	Performance
Erections	25 x Supemarine Seafire	9 x Supermarine Seafire
Erections	25 x Vought Corsair	23 x Vought Corsair
Minor Inspections	15 x Vought Corsair	11 x Vought Corsair
August
Action	Programme	Performance
Erections	25 x Supemarine Seafire	9 x Supermarine Seafire
Erections	40 x Vought Corsair	23 x Vought Corsair
Minor Inspections	15 x Vought Corsair	1 x Vought Corsair 1 x Supermarine Seafire

References

Citations

^ "TAMY I - HMS Nabsford". Royal Navy Research Archive - The MONAB Story - A history of the mobile airfields of the Royal Navy. Retrieved 20 October 2024.
^ "Archerfield". Royal Navy Research Archive - Fleet Air Arm Bases 1939 - present day. Retrieved 20 October 2024.
^ ^a ^b Hobbs 2007, p. 159.
^ Hobbs 2007, pp. 156&157.
^ ^a ^b Hobbs 2007, p. 157.
^ Hobbs 2007, pp. 157&158.
^ ^a ^b Ballance, Howard & Sturtivant 2016, p. 296.
^ Hobbs 2007, pp. 160–161.
^ "A history of 721 Naval Air Squadron". Royal Navy Research Archive - Royal Naval Air Squadrons 1938 - present day. Retrieved 22 October 2024.
^ "A history of 1701 Naval Air Squadron". Royal Navy Research Archive - Royal Naval Air Squadrons 1938 - present day. Retrieved 21 October 2024.
^ "MONAB VII - HMS Nabreekie". Royal Navy Research Archive - The MONAB Story - A history of the mobile airfields of the Royal Navy. Retrieved 21 October 2024.
^ ^a ^b Ballance, Howard & Sturtivant 2016, p. 26.
^ ^a ^b Hobbs 2007, p. 161.
^ Ballance, Howard & Sturtivant 2016, p. 275.

Bibliography

Ballance, Theo; Howard, Lee; Sturtivant, Ray (2016). The Squadrons and Units of the Fleet Air Arm. Air Britain Historians Limited. ISBN 978-0-85130-489-2.
Hobbs, David (2007). Moving Bases Royal Navy Maintenance Carriers and MONABs. Liskeard, Cornwall, UK: Maritime Books. ISBN 978-1-904459-30-9.