HMS Goldcrest / RAF Angle / RNAS Angle

Military downsizing and strategic realignment. Following the end of World War II, the need for a large number of military airfields diminished. Although HMS Goldcrest was reactivated in 1951 during the Cold War, changes in naval aviation strategy and technology, along with budget reductions, led to its final decommissioning ('paying off') in 1961 as the Royal Navy consolidated its shore-based air stations.

The site is no longer recognizable as an active airfield and is used for a mix of industrial and agricultural purposes. The runways have been almost entirely removed, with some sections of the perimeter track and a few aircraft hardstandings remaining visible. A large portion of the former airfield is now occupied by the Dragon LNG (Liquefied Natural Gas) import and regasification terminal, a critical piece of UK energy infrastructure. Other areas of the site have been returned to farmland. There are no remaining hangars or major airfield buildings, although some smaller structures and foundations may exist.

The airfield has a significant dual history, first with the Royal Air Force and then with the Royal Navy's Fleet Air Arm.

**RAF Angle (1941-1943):** Opened in 1941, RAF Angle was a crucial RAF Coastal Command station during the height of the Battle of the Atlantic in World War II. Its strategic location on the Pembrokeshire coast gave it command over the vital Western Approaches, the Irish Sea, and the Bay of Biscay. Its primary mission was anti-submarine warfare. Squadrons based here flew long-range patrols to find and attack German U-boats, protecting Allied convoys. Notable aircraft operated from Angle included the Vickers Wellington (equipped with the Leigh Light for night attacks), Armstrong Whitworth Whitley, Consolidated Liberator, and Handley Page Halifax. It was home to numerous squadrons, including British, Canadian (No. 407 Squadron RCAF), and Polish (No. 304 Squadron PAF) units, making it a key international base in the fight against the U-boat menace.

**RNAS Angle / HMS Goldcrest (1943-1961):** In May 1943, the station was transferred to the Admiralty and commissioned as RNAS Angle (HMS Goldcrest). The name 'HMS Goldcrest' follows the Royal Navy tradition of naming shore establishments as if they were ships (a 'stone frigate'). Under Fleet Air Arm control, it served as a major shore base for disembarked carrier squadrons, an aircraft receipt and dispatch unit, and a training facility. It supported a wide variety of naval aircraft, including the Fairey Barracuda, Fairey Firefly, and Grumman Avenger. After a period on a 'Care and Maintenance' basis post-war, it was reactivated in 1951 and continued to support Fleet Air Arm operations until its final closure.

There are no known plans or prospects for reopening the site as an airport. The extensive industrial development, particularly the presence of the major Dragon LNG terminal directly on the former airfield footprint, makes any future aviation use impossible. The land has been permanently repurposed.