Control Tower
Tower Type: Naval 3860/42 (three storey) with Air Watch Office.
Originally built as a two storey control tower with an air watch office in 1943, this was hurriedly changed to a three storey with an air watch office.
A cubical (near square) building with 3 floors and an air watch office on the roof. Ample tarmac space nearby for fire engines, ambulances and a crash wagon with lifting and cutting gear should an accident occur. The ground floor was the weather station of the airfield consisting of the Met office, Met Teleprinters office, Senior Met Officer’s office, a store room, toilets and a stairway down to the basement where the boiler was situated to provide heating.
The first floor would house the office of Commander Flying and the office of Air Staff Officer with an external platform. Also a large room / office fitted with wireless receivers and microphones and keys, and immensely complicated connection board with plugs to interconnect radio sets, operators, officers, etc.
The second floor was completely taken up by Flying Control with large windows on three sides overlooking the airfield and an external platform. A ladder going up to the Air Watch office, all manner of telephones, loud speakers, microphones, for talking to aircraft, runway van, Commander of Flying, radio room, etc. A large desk was situated in the middle with a plan of the airfield on it and lots of monitor lights to show which runway lights, markers were lit.
The original Control Tower at HMS Ringtail, this was quickly changed to a three storey with air watch office to accommodate the needs of the air station, 1943.
On the roof of the Control Tower was found the Air Watch office, a box shaped room approximately 12 feet square and 8 feet high with glass all round from floor to roof. It is reached by ladders through two holes in the floor / roof. Railed off (originally) on three sides but not the forth, a terrible trap if you didn’t watch out, particularly if signalling by Aldis lamp to an aircraft in circuit (circling the airfield preparing to land). The air Watch office was manned by an officer who logged all aircraft landing and taking off and would warn by red lamp or Verey light if for example an aircraft was coming into land with its wheels up.
(Additional information courtesy - Ray Jones and Frank Walker, Signals Officer – Protected Communications Building, HMS Ringtail, 1943).