At low tide on Littlehaven Beach South Shields the remains of a ramp used for seaplanes during WW1 can be seen.
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| South Shields Littlehaven Beach seaplane ramp remains |
In the summer of
1916 a seaplane base was established on Littlehaven Beach in South Shields at
the entrance to the River Tyne. It's primary purpose was the maintenance of
seaplanes and as a refuelling point between Killingwoth, Lincolnshire and bases
in Scotland. There were some operational missions flown from the base.
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| RNAS South Shields Littlehaven Beach |
The
base consisted of five Type F seaplane sheds (each measuring 200 x 100 feet and
covered an area of 21 acres. These faced onto a large
apron, from which the slipway led into the mouth of the Tyne.
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| RNAS South Shields - Liitlehaven Beach |
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| South Shields - Littlehaven Beach aerial photographs |
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| RNAS South Shields - Liitlehaven Beach |
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| Felixstow F2 Flying Boat RNAS South Shields |
It was active until
May 1919 after which it became a storage facility before being officially
closed in March 1920. The seaplane sheds were then dismantled and stored.
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| South Shields Littlehaven Beach - Then & Now |
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| South Shields seaplane ramp remains |
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| South Shields Littlehaven Beach |
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