RNAS Capel

RNAS Capel RAF Folkestone
Located Near Folkestone, Kent, England
RNAS Capel RAF Folkestone
Coordinates	51°06′21″N 1°13′37″E / 51.10583°N 1.22694°E / 51.10583; 1.22694
Type	Airship station
Site information
Condition	Closed
Site history
Built	1915
Battles/wars	First World War
Garrison information
Occupants	Royal Naval Air Service Royal Air Force

RNAS Capel (later RAF Folkestone) was a First World War airship station near Folkestone, Kent.^[1]

When Germany declared in February 1915 that it would commence unrestricted submarine warfare, the Royal Navy responded with the building of airship stations around the coast.^[1] Being close to the Dover Straits the open fields east of Capel-le-Ferne were seen as ideal location for a base and work began in April 1915.^[1] Although not entirely completed, the base was officially opened on 8 May 1915, under the command of Lt. A.D. Cunningham.^[1] The first airship for Capel was to have been SS-1 the first of a new sea scout class of non-rigid airships, on delivery to Capel from RNAS Kingsnorth on 7 May it hit telegraph wires and was destroyed. Despite the accident, more sea scouts were soon delivered to Capel.

Following the successful repair to SS-10 at Capel production of the airships moved from Kingsnorth to Capel, although by 1916 production had moved again to Vickers at Barrow and RNAS Wormwood Scrubs.^[1] The engineering section at Capel went on to design an improved variant of the SS airship, which would be known as the SSZ.^[1] The SSZ had an improved aluminium covered ash-framed car and was fitted with a 75 hp Rolls-Royce Hawk aero-engine, it was fitted with a 70,000 cu ft (2,000 m³) envelope and test flown in August 1916.^[1] When the Admiralty were informed about the new airship they censured the air station for carrying out unauthorised modifications, but on the other hand ordered the type into production.^[1]

The airships carried out patrols along the English coast, and escorted shipping across the channel as a lookout for submarines.^[1] In April 1918, the Royal Air Force was formed and Capel became RAF Folkestone. By then it had three large airship sheds and a grass landing area.^[1] On 16 September 1918, while under the command of a United States Navy officer, SSZ.1 depth-charged and sank submarine UB-103.^[1]

Two sub-stations were used: at Godmersham Park north of Wye, and Wittersham south of Tenterden. The sites were used as mooring-out bases where airships could be secured in a sheltered area.^[1]

Following the end of the First World War, the station closed during the summer of 1919. In the Second World War the site was used as a radio monitoring station.^[1]

• Battle of Britain Memorial, Capel-le-Ferne, on the other side of the village, is a memorial to the RAF aircrew of the Battle of Britain.^[1]