HMAS Albatross (air station)

HMAS Albatross
Naval Air Station (NAS) Nowra
Nowra, New South Wales in Australia
A RAN Bell UH-1B Huey VH-NVV hovering at NAS Nowra in January 1996 on the occasion of the 1996 Air Day at HMAS Albatross.
Coordinates	34°56′56″S 150°32′13″E / 34.94889°S 150.53694°E / -34.94889; 150.53694
Type	Naval air station
Site information
Owner	Department of Defence
Operator	Royal Australian Navy
Website	HMAS Albatross
Site history
Built	May 1942 (1942-05)
In use	Royal Australian Air Force (1941–1944)  Royal Navy (1944–1945)  Royal Australian Navy (1948–1967)  Royal Australian Navy (1967–present)
Garrison information
Current commander	Captain Robyn Phillips, RAN
Garrison	Fleet Air Arm
Occupants	723 Squadron with EC135 T2+ helicopters 725 Squadron with MH-60R Seahawk helicopters 808 Squadron with MRH-90 helicopters 816 Squadron with MH-60R Seahawk helicopters 822X Squadron with Schiebel Camcopter S-100
Airfield information
Identifiers	IATA: NOA, ICAO: YSNW
Elevation	122 metres (400 ft) AMSL
Runways Direction Length and surface 03/21 2,046 metres (6,713 ft) Asphalt 08/26 2,094 metres (6,870 ft) Asphalt
Sources: Australian AIP and aerodrome chart[1]

HMAS Albatross is the main naval air station for the Royal Australian Navy's (RAN) aviation branch, the Fleet Air Arm. The base, located near Nowra, New South Wales, was formally established in May 1942 as Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) base RAAF Nowra, then was transferred to the Royal Navy as HMS Nabbington in 1944, and operated as a naval air station until it was decommissioned in late 1945. In 1948, the airfield was commissioned into the RAN as HMAS Albatross, as the primary shore base for the Fleet Air Arm. Since 2011, five squadrons of the Fleet Air Arm operate from Albatross. The current commander of the base is Captain Robyn Phillips, RAN.

The base is home to the military airport Naval Air Station (NAS) Nowra (IATA: NOA, ICAO: YSNW), completed in June 1941.