British air coastal patrol
Chronicles of the war from the time record under 10 August 1914 the creation of a British air coastal patrol. The day before, patrols had begun over the English Channel, protecting troop transports to France. Now the aeroplanes and airships of the Royal Naval Air Service were to keep regular watch over the coasts of Great Britain, especially those facing the North Sea.
Air stations by the sea
Preparations had begun before the war. At the end of July 1914 naval aviation was put on a war footing, and seaplanes were sent to stations along the east and south coasts, among them Felixstowe, Great Yarmouth, the Isle of Grain at the mouth of the Thames and Calshot. These stations faced the German coast, from where the threat might come.
What they were looking for
The airmen were to watch for German surface ships, submarines and minelayers. Only a few days earlier the German ship Königin Luise had laid mines on the shipping lanes off the Suffolk coast, and the cruiser HMS Amphion had sunk on one of them. The incident showed how important it was to detect enemy vessels early near the British coast. There were also fears of German raids on coastal towns, and even of an attempted landing.
The aircraft of the day had a short range and often broke down, and their communication with the ground was primitive. Even so, a much larger area of sea could be watched from the air than from the deck of a ship.
Significance
The coastal patrols marked the beginning of a permanent air presence over British waters. In the following years the naval air stations expanded, and seaplanes and airships became important weapons in the fight against German submarines and against the Zeppelins that began bombing Great Britain in 1915.
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Related events
(04)The same battle, people or subject.
- 9 August 1914 · War at seaBritish air patrol over the English ChannelOn 9 August 1914 the British began air patrols over the English Channel to protect the troop transports sailing to France.
- 3 October 1914 · War at seaBritish lay mines off the Belgian coastIn early October 1914 the Royal Navy laid its first minefield in open waters, between the Goodwin Sands and Belgium, to protect the Channel routes.
- 2 November 1914 · War at seaNorth Sea declared a war zoneOn 2 November 1914 the Admiralty declared the whole North Sea a military area. From 5 November neutral ships were to sail through the English Channel.
- 27 August 1914 · Western FrontBritish marines land at OstendOn 27 August 1914 a Royal Marines brigade landed at Ostend in Belgium, accompanied by Charles Samson's Royal Naval Air Service squadron.