Following the launch of trove.scot in February 2025 we are now planning the retiral of some of our webservices. Canmore will be switched off on 24th June 2025. Information about the closure can be found on the HES website: Retiral of HES web services | Historic Environment Scotland
World War One Audit of Surviving Remains
Date 30 June 2013
Event ID 961128
Category Descriptive Accounts
Type World War One Audit of Surviving Remains
Permalink http://canmore.org.uk/event/961128
Caldale was, during the First World War, one of four stations established for military airships to patrol the sea lanes off Scotland, to search for enemy submarine and to escort convoys. It was established in July 1916 in a hollow west of Kirkwall, sheltered to some extent from all but easterly winds. The first airship shed, for anti-submarine scouting airships and measuring 45m by 13m, seems to have been built in 1916. A second much larger shed for coastal patrol type airships, measuring 67m by 21m, was completed by September 1917. The areas in front of the massive doors of the sheds were protected by six high ‘wind-screens’ to prevent the balloons being blown about when they were pulled from their sheds.
The high winds of Orkney made flying balloons very difficult and at times dangerous – two of the three airships operating from Caldale were lost, with all six crewmen, in November and December 1917. Caldale was closed as an airship station soon after, in January 1918, operating thereafter as a base for kite-balloons, which were towed behind warships to observe and to direct the gunfire of the fleet.
At the time of the RAF aerodrome survey of 1918 Caldale was described as “Marine Operational (Balloon) Station, No. 20 Balloon Base” the function of which was “A Balloon Base for Convoy duties carried out in co-operation with the Navy. There are 12 working balloons.” The RAF description of the base memorably describes it as being in ‘England’ and NE of Kirkwall – it is in fact west of the town. The base occupied an area of 59 hectares; the two balloon sheds were in the southern half of the area, while the accommodation for the 268 men and most of the other buildings were concentrated near the northern boundary.
The station was closed after the First World War but re-used in the Second World War as a radar maintenance depot, barrage balloon storage and repair depot, and a vehicle repair yard. Only fragmentary remains of the concrete bases of the ‘wind-screens’ seem to survive of the First World War structures.
Information from HS/RCAHMS World War One Audit Project (GJB) 31 May 2013
