Hatston


Orkney

A settlement, port and ferry terminal located 1¼ miles (2 km) northwest of Kirkwall on the mainland of Orkney, Hatston was the site of a Royal Naval Air Station established at the start of World War II and known as HMS Sparrowhawk. Aeroplanes from here attacked the German cruiser Konigsberg on the 10th April 1940. After the war the station continued as the island's main airport but it was soon found to be too small. It continued to be used by the Orkney Flying Club until 1957 when it became an industrial estate. A memorial records the previous use of the site.

Hatston is now an important base for marine renewables and significant cruise terminal. An extension to the pier was completed in 2013, making Hatston the longest commercial deepwater berth in Scotland. 120 cruise ships call annually, bringing 100,000 passengers to the island.


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