Schellingwoude

52°22'22"N 004°57'57"E

Runway - N/A - Water

Naval Air Station Schelingwoude/Airport Amsterdam-Schellingwoude (Dutch: Marinevliegkamp (MVK) Schellingwoude/Vliegveld Amsterdam Schellingwoude) was an airport east of Amsterdam.
It was located on the artificial island of Zeeburg in Amsterdam. 
MVK Schellingwoude was constructed during World War 1, during which the Netherlands were a neutral country. Along with the MVK, the Water Flying Service (Dutch: Watervliegdienst) of the Koninklijke Marine, forerunner of the later Naval Flying Service (Dutch: Marineluchtvaartdienst) was also formed. The site became operational in 1916, with just one temporary hangar and one temporary ramp.
In 1917, after construction of MVK 'De Mok', the Marineluchtvaartdienst (MLD) was officially formed.
In 1922 the temporary facility became permanent with the construction of a concrete ramp and hangar, leaving the original hangar as a workshop.

Humble beginnings of MVK Schellingwoude with a single wooden hangar and Van Berkel WA floatplane 'W.57'. The Van Beerkel WA was the first series produced aircraft of what was to become the Marineluchtvaartdienst or MLD (Naval Aviation Service). This photograph was taken in 1921 (Marinevliegkamp Schellingwoude, at collection Nederlands Instituut voor Militaire Historie).


Humble beginnings of MVK Schellingwoude. This photograph was taken somewhere between 1922 and 1940 (stelling-amsterdam.nl).


German Do-X D-1929 at Schellingwoude with the island fortress of Pampus in the background


Devoid of any markings, this prototype "Sea Bomber" Fokker T-IV is seen moored at Schellingwoude in 1928 (collection Nederlands Instituut voor Militaire Historie).

In 1928, Schelllingwoude became too large to the needs of the Marineluchtvaartdienst (MLD) and thus Schellingwoude became a general use site in 1928, i.e. it was from now on also opened to civilian aircraft and so it became the only civilian waterplane air'field' in the Netherlands.
Fokker also used the site, to assemble the waterplanes it built in its Amsterdam factory. In 1932 six civilian aircraft used it, a year later this had grown to nine.
In 1933 the MoD wanted to completely terminate the military use of the MVK, but in 1938 it was reactivated. In 1939 three Fokker C-XI W reconnaissance aircraft were stationed at the base, but by May 1940 this had dwindled to just one Fokker T-VIII W being mission ready.

Waterflying was a dangerous job in those days: over the years multiple aircraft crashed on the site:

• Two Friendrichhaven FF-33L aircraft (both in 1919)
• One Savoia Marchetti S55 aircraft (in 1933)
• Three Fokker C-VII W aircraft (two in 1938, one in 1939)

This Savoia S.55, I-DINI (c/n 45163) was part of a 24 aircraft formation of the Royal Italian Air Force (Regia Aeronautica) attempting to fly to Chicago, USA. It crashed on the first leg at Schellingwoude, another one was lost on the return leg at the Azores (collection Nederlands Instituut voor Militaire Historie).


Marinevliegkamp Schellingwoude. Three Latvian Fairey-Seal aircraft visiting in 1936 (collection Nederlands Instituut voor Militaire Historie). 


Marinevliegkamp Schellingwoude, ca. 1938 (collection Nederlands Instituut voor Militaire Historie).


The Schellingwoude seaplane base is easily identified in this ca. 1938-1939 map of Amsterdam. Map via Rob van Spaandonk.

During World War II the site was in use by the German invaders They put it under the command of 'Flugplatz Kdo A.24/VI.A.509 Luftpark' which fell under 'Flughafenbereich Amsterdam' (2/III). Seeflugplatz Schellingwoude was expanded to the largest base of water aircraft and flying boats in the Netherlands. Photos made by the RAF show a maximum of 25 aircraft present at one time, so considering accidents and combat losses it must have been used intensively.
It was also used for training.
Immediately after the invasion, on 23 May 1940, 2.Seenotstaffel Schellingwoude began using the airfield with Heinkel 59 and Dornier Do24 aircraft. A subordinate unit of Seenotbezirkstelle Holland (later redesignated Seenotflieger Kommando 4, notably a Kriegsmarine unit, but actually Luftwaffe) it was responsible for resuing downed aircrew from the sea. The command was stationed at Schellingwoude (except for the period between May 1942 until February 1944, when they relocated to Utrecht and The Hague).
Two Heinkels from Seenotstelle4 (Norderey) brought in the 7 crew of a High Speed launch (#108) which they had shot and captured in the North Sea. An eighth body was found in the HSL and given a seaman's burial when the Kriegsmarine salvaged it. 
Several Heinkel 115 waterplanes of 3./106 and 3./906 Küstenfliegergruppe (KFL.GR.) also used the base, along with 3./406 Küstenfliegergruppe flying Dornier 18s.  A Heinkel 115 which had crashed in June 1940 was discovered and salvaged over half a century later (2004/2005) when the suburb IJburg was constructed.
A detachment of 1.Bordfliegerstaffel 196 in Wilhelmshafen used the Seeflugplatz at least three times with their Arado 196A
In August and September Sonderkommando M2 used the Seeflugplatz to practice their engineless autogiro Foche Achgelis FA 330 Bachstelze, which were later used on U-boats.


Two Heinkel 59s of the 2.Seenotstaffel Schellingwoude in the summer of 1940 (militairzeeburg.nl)


A Fokker T.VIII-W/C torpedo-bomber in Luftwaffe markings. Although ordered for Finland by the Koninklijke Marine, it was completed and delivered to the Luftwaffe at Schellingwoude in 1941. Being fully aware that the RAF used ex-Koninklijke Marine Fokker torpedo bombers from Pembroke Dock in Wales, they sent the machines to Greece to avoid confusion (collection Nederlands Instituut voor Militaire Historie).


The Germans rapidly expanded Seeflugplatz Schellingwoude, as can be seen on this photo taken by the RAF in 1943. They increased the number of piers to 16 (Photo RAF, Crown Copyright)

The Seeflugplatz was bombed or shot at at least 16 times by Allied aircraft. One Lancaster bomber crashed on the island. The site had numerous FLAK-batteries surrounding it in its defence. Immediately after the war the site was used to execute German deserters. The Naval Intelligence Service began using the site in 1945 for a radio listening post.


Part of a city map of Amsterdam, made between 1945 and 1955, as the Zuiderzeeweg, the road connecting Amsterdam North to the rest of Amsterdam, does not yet exist.

From 1954 the Naval Firefighting school was housed at the site. Between 1956 and 1957 the Zuiderzeeweg was built, connecting the east of Amsterdam with the north via the island using two bridges.
In 1967 the Naval Intelligence Service left the island because of interference from two newly constructed high voltage power lines. A year later all units had left the island, although it did remain a millitary object, and all buildings remained intact. 
The military use of Schellingwoude ended in 1983, most buildings were already demolished. Very little remains of the Marinevliegkamp and Seeflugplatz days.


The markers (placed by militairzeeburg.nl) show all the locations where remains of the military use were still showing in 1998. This link will provide you with the view of today. The circular buildings are part of a water treatment plant that was built in the 1960s. 60 years later the plant was torn down to make room for urban development


Schellingwoude, 2008, looking south. The entire island has become a huge traffic connection point, and what little remains is very hard to find (nl.wikipedia.org).

Thanks to René Ros of Stelling-Amsterdam.nl and MilitairZeeburg.nl for setting me straight on some information.