RAF Sculthorpe

jsp77 · Sep 29, 2016

Nestling in the Norfolk countryside, it was once America’s biggest atomic bomb base, the airfield played in both the Second World War and the Cold War.

https://flic.kr/p/LwK9DS https://www.flickr.com/photos/140386387@N03/
A special delivery for Hitler: a Boston bomber of 342 (Free French) Squadron RAF, the first to use Sculthorpe in 1943, being armed before a raid.

It opened in 1943, first occupied briefly by the RAF - which included a Free French Squadron - until 1944 when it was closed for some rebuilding, and then from 1948 onwards by the USAF. While the base became inactive 23 years ago, it is still used by the US Air Force’s 352nd Special Operations Group.

By the 1950s, there were more than 10,000 personnel and it was said to be the largest operational airfield in the UK.

During the Cold War, USAF B45 Tornado bombers took off on missions across Europe, to the borders of the USSR.

https://flic.kr/p/LwK9Gh https://www.flickr.com/photos/140386387@N03/
A USAF Air Rescue Albatross of the 9th Air Rescue Squadron, based at Sculthorpe in the early 1950s.

I visited RAF Sculthorpe with Rubex, had a good old look round. Lots of lovely corridors and general decay to be seen.

on with the photos

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Thanks for looking

HughieD · Sep 29, 2016

Been there recently myself but you got far more deep down and dirt than me JSP. Fab images.

jsp77 · Sep 29, 2016

HughieD said:
Been there recently myself but you got far more deep down and dirt than me JSP. Fab images.

Cheers Hughie, was going to post this last month but you beat me to it.

mockingbird · Sep 29, 2016

Well I liked seeing your take of this place! not much you can do with this place as most looks the same, but you did a good job and liked seeing shots of where I walked when I poked my head in here, memories ahhh

Mikeymutt · Sep 29, 2016

Nice set of this place mate.been here about ten times now.it was my first ever explore.did you not do the telephone exchange,briefing room and M.O.D block.i went once and there was a broken down osprey near the tower with loads of armed servicemen near it,it's very active now the runway near the tower.and they are clamping down on the airside bit of the site as it very much military run now.the runway is the longest in Europe and is heated and maintained to a high standard.i sometimes go on a nice evening and watch the special ops teams do there parachute drops over the site from the hercs