Royal Naval Air Station Hatston (RNAS Hatston, also called HMS Sparrowhawk), was a military airfield located one mile to the north west of Kirkwall, on the island of Mainland, Orkney, Scotland, built as a Royal Naval Air Station.

The airbase was situated near two notable landmarks, it was located next to the town and port of Kirkwall, with Scapa Flow 2.5 miles (4 km) south.

[1] It was purpose built by the Admiralty and commissioned on 2 October 1939 as HMS Sparrowhawk, the airbase remained operational for almost six years, before It was ‘paid off’ on 1 August 1945.

Two squadrons of Blackburn Skuas flew from Hatston on 10 April 1940, on a mission to sink the German cruiser Königsberg, in which they were successful.

700 Naval Air Squadron (700 NAS), which provided final training for catapult aircraft aircrew before they embarked on their assigned ships, formed at the airbase in 1940 remaining until moving the short distance to nearby RNAS Twatt (HMS Tern) during 1942.

It operated a number of different aircraft types, undertaking various tasks, supporting the Home Fleet at Scapa Flow.

771 Naval Air Squadron had formed at RNAS Lee-on-Solent (HMS Daedalus) with a northern and southern element.

The southern part became its own squadron and the northern flight became solely 771 NAS, stationed at RNAS Hatston (HMS Sparrowhawk) in support of the Home Fleet, which was based at the wartime anchorage at Scapa Flow, carrying out various types of exercises with the ships and providing target-towing facilities for the naval gunners.

On 22 May 1941, a Martin Maryland of 771 NAS was undertaking a reconnaissance flight to Bergen in weather considered by RAF Coastal Command to be unsuitable.

[8] The training was broken down into an initial three weeks of aerodrome flying, consisting circuits and landings, dive-bombing, photography and anti-submarine warfare, at RNAS Donibristle (HMS Merlin), in Fife.