HMS Forest Moor
 HMS Forest Moor aerial
| |
| History | |
|---|---|
 United Kingdom | |
| Name | HMS Forest Moor |
| Commissioned | October 1960[1] |
| Decommissioned | November 2003 |
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type | Stone frigate |
| Notes | 40 acres (16 ha) |
HMS Forest Moor was a Royal Navy land base located in Nidderdale in the borough of Harrogate, North Yorkshire, England.[2]
History
[edit]The establishment was first used as one of the Second World War intelligence units, or Y-stations.[2]
In 1960 it became the Royal Navy's major high frequency (HF) receiver station,[2] its primary function was to route HF signals from locations abroad to military bases and command centres in the UK.[3] The base was manned by a small group of Royal Naval radio operators and electricians (approximately six to a shift).
This centre provided HF comms receiver links to bases in the Indian Ocean, Mediterranean, Canada and a RATT ship/shore receiver link to warships at sea. Transmitters were located at HMS Inskip in Lancashire.[citation needed]
It also had a small ships company (including an RPO, a PO Caterer and chefs) for the day-to-day running of the establishment, including three civilian drivers.[citation needed]
HMS Forest Moor was also the setting of a short-lived YTV comedy Thundercloud starring James Cosmo on a stone frigate which the Royal Navy confuse with an actual ship.[4][5]
In 2003 it was transferred to VT Communications (now Babcock International) under a PPP contract to provide HF communications to the Ministry of Defence via the Defence Communication Services Agency. It is now operated by civilian personnel, from a 190-acre (78 ha)[6] site on Meagill Lane adjacent to the old Forest Moor site.[7]
In 2010, the site was disposed of by Defence Estates to North Yorkshire County Council for £4.7 million.[8] The site has been converted to a school for children with behavioural, emotional and social difficulties.[9][10]
References
[edit]- ^ "Stories from our archive". Wharfedale Observer. 7 October 2010. Retrieved 2 October 2016.
- ^ "North Yorkshire County Council DE Forest Moor Cultural Heritage Assessment DRAFT" (PDF). Archaeology Data Service. Jacobs. October 2008. p. 13. Retrieved 2 October 2016.[permanent dead link]
- ^ "Thundercloud". Nostalgia Central. 30 August 2009.
- ^ "Thundercloud". British Comedy Guide.
- ^ "Estate Baseline 2009" (PDF). gov. Ministry of Defence. 3 July 2009. Retrieved 2 October 2016.
- ^ "North Yorkshire County Council DE Forest Moor Cultural Heritage Assessment DRAFT" (PDF). Archaeology Data Service. Jacobs. October 2008. p. 14. Retrieved 2 October 2016.[permanent dead link]
- ^ Hayes, Julie (22 July 2010). "MoD site sold to become special needs school". York Press. Retrieved 2 October 2016.
- ^ "Special school in pipeline at HMS Forest Moor site". Harrogate Advertiser. 12 February 2009. Archived from the original on 19 August 2017. Retrieved 2 October 2016.
- ^ "Foremost School in Harrogate renamed Forest Moor School". BBC News. 30 September 2014. Retrieved 3 October 2016.
External links
[edit]54°0′42″N 1°43′16″W / 54.01167°N 1.72111°W
 Royal Navy locations in Yorkshire  | ||
|---|---|---|
| Seaplane Stations | | |
| Aerodromes | ||
| Balloon sites | ||
| Shore establishments | ||
| Notes |
| |
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.
