Stations of Coastal Command, then and now - David Smith

Presumably all the minefields in that area were manually triggered? I did come across mention of minefields off the west coast that existed only on maps and did not have any mines placed. I can't recall the purpose but only a few knew they were not real.

Peter wrote:

Presumably all the minefields in that area were manually triggered? I did come across mention of minefields off the west coast that existed only on maps and did not have any mines placed. I can't recall the purpose but only a few knew they were not real.

There was a controlled minefield in the Sound of Kerrera, it was fired by accident by a RN officer showing a young lady around the tower. One version is that he operated the switch without realising it was live and another that the two of them leaned on the switch whilst ............

I think the book Shield of Empire says that there were no minefields in the Clyde because there could be repercussions if any neutral Irish boats were mined so they published details of all the minefields but did not put down any mines.

There was a detection loop across from Oban to Mull and Morvern, but not seen any mention of one in the Sound of Kerrera.

Dave wrote:

Martin, although I mentioned the two ops rooms, I evidently forgot to note their continued existence.Duh! Fair comment about the minefield being more to protect shipping rather than the flying boat base.
Dave

OK, I think Canmore originally did not have them both recorded.

The RAF Oban Small Arms Ammunition Magazine survives on Kerrera .

You mention in one of the Scottish sites, the coastal survey done in the last couple of years. That would be the SAMPHIRE project, I went to a talk by one of their people at an archaeology conference and he mentioned a refuelling site for the Oban flying boats in the Sound of Sleat (between Skye and the mainland). Apparently a local boatman had mentioned that a Sunderland sank there but they did not find anything of it. I had been to the Ardintoul site, which appears to have been a RN fuel site though no one has come up with any mention of it anywhere. Again no record has appeared of its use by the RAF apart from locals so I can only think that they perhaps kept a supply of aviation fuel for emergency use. I have asked around various places, there was this on the RAF Commands forum . They have looked at other flying boats .