The Sembawang Air Base is a military airbase of the Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF) located at Sembawang, in the northern part of Singapore. The base motto is Swift and Resolute.

Before Singapore's independence from the United Kingdom, it was a Royal Air Force station known as RAF Sembawang as well as the Royal Navy airbase, known as Royal Naval Air Station Sembawang (or RNAS Sembawang), commissioned as HMS Simbang, to the carrier pilots of the Fleet Air Arm (attached to the Eastern Fleet based in Singapore). The pilots used it for rest and refit whenever an aircraft carrier of the Royal Navy berthed at the nearby HMNB Singapore for refuel and repairs, which also housed the largest Royal Navy dockyard east of Suez up to the time of UK forces' withdrawal from Singapore in 1971.

After the Japanese capture of Singapore during World War II, the Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service took over the two RAF stations of Sembawang and Seletar. Singapore was split into north–south spheres of control, and the Imperial Japanese Army Air Force took over RAF Tengah. It was not until September 1945 that the two airfields reverted to British control following the Japanese surrender. RAF Sembawang was a key part of Britain's continued military presence in the Far East (along with the three other RAF bases in Singapore: RAF Changi, RAF Seletar, RAF Tengah) during the critical period of the Malayan Emergency (1948–1960), the Brunei Revolt in 1962 and the Indonesia–Malaysia confrontation (1962–1966).

History

Beginnings (1934-1940)

In the years 1934 and 1935, a section of the Bukit Sembawang Rubber Estate located on Singapore Island was acquired by the Air Ministry for the purpose of establishing a grass airfield intended for the Royal Air Force. The necessary approval for this construction was granted in 1936, leading to the commencement of work by British Army engineers in the subsequent year. The airfield was originally designed to accommodate two RAF bomber squadrons, however, it was later reassigned to the Admiralty. Plans were then made to convert the site into an airbase and aircraft repair yard, aimed at supporting a proposed Eastern Fleet that would include up to four Royal Navy fleet carriers. By May 1940, the airfield was nearly operational and was once again transferred, this time to the Royal Australian Air Force.

RAAF Station Sembawang (1940-1941)

July and August of 1940, saw the Royal Australian Air Force's Nos. 1 and No. 8 Squadrons stationed here with twelve Lockheed Hudson light bomber aircraft each, but with No. 8 squadron departing in November. In early 1941, No. 21 Squadron RAAF relocated from RAF Seletar, Singapore, to re-equip with Brewster Buffalo fighter aircraft, briefly conducting operations from RAAF Station Sembawang before being sent to Malaya. Additionally, No. 453 Squadron RAAF, which also utilised Buffalo fighter aircraft, arrived in August 1941 and remained operational at this location until their deployment to Malaya in mid-December 1941.

Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service (1942-1945) On 8 December 1941, the Japanese military launched an invasion of Malaya. Subsequently, Singapore succumbed to the Japanese forces and surrendered on 15 February 1942, after the air base was partially burned by the retreating British to deny its use to the Japanese.Eye on Sembawang flourishing far north

In September 1945, British naval advance parties landed to reclaim the air base. Hundreds of abandoned Mitsubishi Zeros and "Betty" bombers were left on the airfield layout.

HMS Nabrock (1945)

HMS Nabrock was a Royal Navy (RN), Mobile Operational Naval Air Base (MONAB) at the naval air station at Sembawang. HMS Nabrock was also known as MONAB IX and Royal Naval Air Station Sembawang (or RNAS Sembawang).

The initial contingent of MONAB IX officially commissioned Royal Naval Air Station Sembawang as HMS Nabrock on 5 October 1945. To ensure the provision of essential equipment and infrastructure for the operation of the station, MONAB IX was designated to establish its presence and commence naval aviation and support facilities in the area.

Upon the arrival of the advance party tasked with assuming command of the airbase and facilitating its preparation for reopening, they discovered the station was intricately interwoven with a network of tunnels and foxholes, exhibiting a significant degree of disarray. Approximately ninety Mitsubishi A6M "Zero" fighter aircraft were stationed at the airfield, accompanied by around seven-hundred Japanese personnel. The Japanese had been engaged in efforts to construct a runway, employing prisoners of war in the process. A number of steamrollers were found abandoned on what subsequently became known as the "Jap runway". Efforts to restore the station to operational status commenced without delay, utilising Japanese prisoners of war for tasks such as filling up the tunnels and the foxholes, in addition to the construction of a by pierced steel planking runway.

Personnel and equipment for Mobile Naval Air Base IX had commenced assembly on 1 June 1945, at RNAS Middle Wallop (HMS Flycatcher), Hampshire, UK. This base was designated as the second Fighter Support Mobile Naval Air Base (MONAB) and its technical components were Mobile Maintenance (MM) No. 8, Mobile Servicing (MS) Nos. 15 & 16 and Mobile, Storage & Reserve (MSR) No. 10, all of which provided support for Vought Corsair Mk II & IV, Grumman Hellcat F Mk. II and Supermarine Seafire F Mk III, L Mk III & F Mk XV. MONAB IX was established as an independent command under the designation HMS Nabrock on 1 August 1945, with Captain J.S.C. Salter , RN, assuming command.

The personnel of MONAB IX reached Liverpool from HMS Flycather and boarded the troopship , which then set sail for Sydney, Australia, via the Suez Canal. Upon arrival, the MONAB personnel were transferred to , where they awaited the assignment of an operational base. During this interim period, they were temporarily accommodated in tents at Warwick Farm Racecourse. It was determined that the unit would be deployed similarly to MONAB VIII, with plans to reopen the airfield at Sembawang on the Island of Singapore. Three advance parties travelled by aircraft, while the remaining members of the unit, constituting the main body, were to journey by sea, embarking on the Australian troopship MV Largs Bay.

On 1 November, the primary contingent of personnel aboard the MV Largs Bay arrived in Singapore. They initiated the process of assembling crated United States manufactured aircraft, a significant number of which were Grumman Hellcat fighter aircraft. After assembly, these aircraft were transported by road to a nearby dockyard, where they were loaded onto aircraft carriers for disposal at sea. This procedure was in accordance with the stipulations of the Lend-Lease Act policy with the United States, which facilitated the provision of these aircraft. Following the conclusion of the war, the United Kingdom was obligated to either return any remaining equipment or compensate for it. However, the United States was not inclined to reclaim the aircraft due to an existing surplus, and the UK lacked the financial resources to make payment. Consequently, the destruction of the aircraft was deemed the most viable solution.

On 15 December 1945, HMS Nabrock was decommissioned at RNAS Sembawang, coinciding with the re-commissioning of the naval air station as HMS Simbang. Although the Mobile Naval Air Base (MONAB) effectively came to an end, the personnel remained the same, and efforts to construct airframes for disposal persisted.

Commanding officers

List of commanding officers of HMS Nabrock with date of appointment:

Captain J.S.C. Salter , RN, from 1 August 1945

Units based at HMS Nabrock

List of units associated with MONAB IX, in support of disembarked fighter squadrons:

Function Support for disembarked fighter squadrons, an air-sea rescue squadron and a Fleet Requirements Unit

HMS Simbang (1945-1947)

The apparatus from the decommissioned MONAB IX was retained at RNAS Sembawang (HMS Simbang), serving as the foundation for an upgraded reserve MONAB. This reserve was kept in storage under 'care and maintenance', ready for reactivation if necessary. The original components were augmented with additional equipment and vehicles salvaged from other MONABs that had recently been decommissioned in Australia. This reserve unit remained in storage at RNAS Sembawang until the 1950s.

On 27 December 1945, two Fleet Air Arm squadrons were deployed from to conduct operations from HMS Simbang. The first, 791 Naval Air Squadron, functioned as a Fleet Requirements unit, equipped with a diverse array of aircraft including Vultee Vengeance target tug aircraft, Vought Corsair fighter aircraft and North American Harvard. This squadron remained the primary flying unit at HMS Simbang until its disbandment on 16 June 1947. Additionally, Grumman Hellcat aircraft from 888 Naval Air Squadron, the RN Photographic Reconnaissance Squadron, were also disembarked, tasked with performing airborne survey duties in the region during peacetime.

At the conclusion of January 1946, the only remaining unit at the station was the Fleet Requirements Unit. On 26 January, 791 Naval Air Squadron integrated 'C' Flight of 1700 Naval Air Squadron and by 29 January personnel from 888 Naval Air Squadron left for the United Kingdom to disband upon their arrival, while their aircraft were kept at HMS Simbang. After the completion of the aircraft assembly and disposal operations, the station transitioned to serve as an Aircraft Holding Unit, providing support for aircraft carriers operating in the Far East and for disembarked squadrons.

From May 1946 it also managed a communications flight utilising a couple of Beech Expeditor transport aircraft. The initial squadron to arrive disembarked on 26 September 1946, when 802 Naval Air Squadron, comprising Supermarine Seafire F MK XV fighter aircraft, flew ashore from the , . This squadron remained until 14 November when they re-embarked on the British Light Fleet Carrier, .

Subsequently, on 18 November 806 Naval Air Squadron, with Supermarine Seafire F Mk XV, and 837 Naval Air Squadron, operating with Fairey Firefly FR.1 aircraft, disembarked from HMS Glory, remaining until 6 and 9 December respectively, before returning to the aircraft carrier. Both squadrons made a return on 17 May 1947, when HMS Glory docked in HMNB Singapore, and they re-embarked on 19 June as the aircraft carrier departed for the UK after being succeeded by The latter began disembarking her two squadrons on 7 June starting with Supermarine Seafire F Mk X equipped 804 Naval Air Squadron, followed by Fairey Firefly FR.1 aircraft from 812 Naval Air Squadron on 10 June.

At this juncture, the station was facing potential closure. On 16 June, 791 Naval Air Squadron was disbanded and HMS Theseuss squadrons re-embarked on 21. On 1 October 1947, a new CO took command of HMS Simbang with the appointment of Captain P.W. Burnett, DSO, DSC, RN, . Subsequently, the station was decommissioned and transitioned to 'care and maintenance' on 31 December 1947.

RAF Sembawang (1948-1949)