Dates: 1956 -
The present HMS Sultan was commissioned on 1 June 1956 as a Mechanical Training and Repair Establishment (MT & RE) after transferring from a site adjacent to the Dockyard and Royal Naval Barracks in Portsmouth. The area’s military connections go back to the 1850’s when Forts Grange and Rowner were built here as part of the defensive ring around Portsmouth. These forts are now within the perimeter of the establishment.
The sixth holder of the name ’Sultan’, the first was a 74 gun warship launched in 1775 which went to North America and the West Indies and took part in the encounter between Vice Admiral Byron and the French Count D’Estaing.
The second HMS Sultan spent 43 years in reserve and ended her days as a target ship; but the third, an armoured battleship of 9,290 tons, launched in 1870, was to have been named ’Triumph’. At the last minute the name was changed to ’Sultan’ in honour of Sultan Abdulaziz of Turkey, who was on a state visit at the time. This particular ship took part in the 1882 bombardment of Alexandria to avenge a massacre of Europeans. Her sheet anchor was shattered by enemy shot and is one of the memories of the past, which can be found in HMS Sultan today.
The fourth HMS Sultan was an iron paddle steamer commissioned on the River Niger in 1876 but she was sunk within a month. HMS Sultan number five was a shore base in Singapore, commissioned 1940. It was destroyed on surrender in 1942 but re-commissioned on re-occupation in 1945 and continued until 1947.
The present HMS Sultan occupies a site which was originally one of the earliest Royal Flying Corps and Royal Naval Air Service airfields in the country. Many Royal Naval air squadrons were formed and trained here for service in France during World War 1. It became a permanent RAF station in 1918 but continued to work closely with the Fleet Air Arm and was transferred to the Navy in 1945. As Naval Air Station HMS Siskin it was here that basic helicopter flying training procedures were developed. The MT & RE took over in 1956 when the airfield was closed. History has now moved full circle with the arrival of the Air Engineering Department from HMS Daedalus.
Memories of HMS Sultan
HMS Sultan, Training Analyst in 2011Written by Joh (Bazil) Bastone
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"Spent my time at Sultan as a "Greenie" as a little group rewriting stoker training, with Shady Lane and several others. Would like to gat back in touch with any of the others in the group"
Forces Reunited Forum Posts involving HMS Sultan
"james cassidy was (or still is) a submariner from Liverpool. not sure if i’m on the right site, just not sure were to turn now. all i know is that he was based at hms sultan, can anyone help?"
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" Quoting: Alan Phillips Vicky I take He was stationed at Deadalus. Sheila I have some Guinness and Gin but no bitter lemon just a bottle of tonic. Alan he was stationed at Daedalus at one time but his last few years were spent at HMS Sultan instructing . "
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" Quoting: vicky codling nee bassett Alan he was stationed at Daedalus at one time but his last few years were spent at HMS Sultan instructing . i served twice at both establishments Deadalus has bad memories it is where I me t the wife lol "
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" Hi Karen, What you have is a list of ships/establishments that your father in law served on. I believe that the majority are ships that were probably based at Portsmouth at those dates given (ie when he served on them). The ones that say Victory or Vict probably refer to the shore ..."
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" Just caught you Roly before I sign off for the night. I read in the paper today that the Navy Field Gun competition is being run again next week at the Windsor Royal Tattoo. The two teams competing are Royal Naval base Portsmouth and HMS Sultan from Gosport. It is going to be on TV I believe. It will be great to see it again. "
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