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Sea Kings Last Day

Please post movements and activities to do with AAC Wattisham here
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Snoop 95
Posts: 1885
Joined: Mon Oct 05, 2009 4:17 pm
Location: West Suffolk

Sea Kings Last Day

Post by Snoop 95 » Tue Jan 13, 2015 8:52 am

The local paper has announced that the RAF crews and their Sea King aircraft will stand down on July 1st this year. Bristows had intended to cover the South East from Manston, but it has now closed and no decision has been made about a new site (Mildenhall?).

http://www.eadt.co.uk/news/end_date_for ... _1_3914272

POL
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Joined: Sun Oct 04, 2009 3:26 pm

Re: Sea Kings Last Day

Post by POL » Tue Jan 13, 2015 8:55 am

Snoop 95 wrote:Bristows had intended to cover the South East from Manston, but it has now closed and no decision has been made about a new site (Mildenhall?).
Bristows have a large facility at Norwich, not sure why they'd move?

Lightningboy2000
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Joined: Wed Mar 24, 2010 10:37 pm
Location: Suffolk

Re: Sea Kings Last Day

Post by Lightningboy2000 » Fri Jun 26, 2015 1:23 pm

Any possibility of some final Sea King action at Wattisham on the 1st? Will it be worth a trip on wednesday?

Vulcanone
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Joined: Wed Oct 14, 2009 10:56 am

Re: Sea Kings Last Day

Post by Vulcanone » Fri Jun 26, 2015 2:38 pm

I guess whenever the Bristow crews have taken over, then the resident Sea Kings will be ferried out to storage by flying them out.

T

Snoop 95
Posts: 1885
Joined: Mon Oct 05, 2009 4:17 pm
Location: West Suffolk

Re: Sea Kings Last Day

Post by Snoop 95 » Sat Jun 27, 2015 7:25 am

I read somewhere that Bristows will be using Lydd at least for the foreseeable future. Seems a rather large gap along the busy East Coast!

Snoop 95
Posts: 1885
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Location: West Suffolk

Re: Sea Kings Last Day

Post by Snoop 95 » Mon Jul 13, 2015 7:00 pm

According to other posts the changeover at Wattisham has been postponed until August 1st 2015.

Snoop 95
Posts: 1885
Joined: Mon Oct 05, 2009 4:17 pm
Location: West Suffolk

Re: Sea Kings Last Day

Post by Snoop 95 » Wed Jul 15, 2015 4:01 pm

Anyone know if the civilian ASR 'copters will wear 'Coastguard' livery?

arch
Posts: 559
Joined: Thu Jun 30, 2011 11:23 am

Re: Sea Kings Last Day

Post by arch » Mon Aug 03, 2015 3:55 pm

August 14 or 17 Bristows are do to stand up (3rd different date).

The Bristows/MCG S92/AW189 where coastguard colours

All G-MCG#

Arch

Parrafin budgie
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Joined: Fri Oct 16, 2009 4:59 pm

Re: Sea Kings Last Day

Post by Parrafin budgie » Fri Aug 14, 2015 9:09 am

Farewell B FLT 22 Squadron RAF Wattisham. Handing over SAR cover at 13:00 today.Cromer and Sheringham Coastguard teams would like to send a big thank you for all your help you have provided us over the years. Rescue 125 and Rescue 126 your duty is done, we will miss the big yellow budgie.

Snoop 95
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Location: West Suffolk

Re: Sea Kings Last Day

Post by Snoop 95 » Fri Aug 14, 2015 12:47 pm

BBC confirm changeover with some pics http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-suffolk-33915323

Snoop 95
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Location: West Suffolk

Re: Sea Kings Last Day

Post by Snoop 95 » Sat Aug 15, 2015 7:59 am

Wonder what happens to the RAF guys at the base. Redeployed or offered redundancy I guess. As for the cabs I suppose that they are destined for storage prior to disposal.

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TankBuster
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Re: Sea Kings Last Day

Post by TankBuster » Sat Aug 15, 2015 7:07 pm

A real shame to see the kings go. The new coastguard helos have been buzzing around the Thames Estuary over the last month or so. I guess they have been training the crews and helos up to operational status.

I will certainly miss the Sea Kings, as they have become a part of the British coastline!

TankBuster
And there's plenty more where that came from!

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Tim Holden
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Re: Sea Kings Last Day

Post by Tim Holden » Sat Aug 15, 2015 11:01 pm

:(

ImageaIMG_0006 by timothyholden, on Flickr

Reach1985
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Location: Norwich

Re: Sea Kings Last Day

Post by Reach1985 » Mon Aug 17, 2015 8:33 am

Over and out guys...

Am i right in thinking that the whole of East Anglia is now being covered by the Bristows from Dungeness? Seems like a hell of a long way to North Norfolk from there - but i suppose Humberside isn't a huge distance.

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Dan214sqn
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Location: Derbyshire

Re: Sea Kings Last Day

Post by Dan214sqn » Mon Aug 17, 2015 10:30 am

Re: Crews

A perchentage have moved to Bristow's - which is great news if your in trouble.
A couple I know are retiring
Chinook force for some

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