Helicopter deck landings

[Thunder]

Whilst watching this video
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=HPheWEOc0e8
I was surprised to see an RAF Sea King(7 mins), landing on the deck of what looks to be some sort of Destroyer, never heard of RAF crews completing deck landing qualifications before?

[Seahornet1]

Whilst watching this video
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=HPheWEOc0e8
I was surprised to see an RAF Sea King(7 mins), landing on the deck of what looks to be some sort of Destroyer, never heard of RAF crews completing deck landing qualifications before?

I've no great knowledge of such things, but I'd have thought that it would be an essential asset for any air-sea rescue crew to be able to
operate on and off ships, regardless of service...?

[toom317]

Going by the Sqn markings, 78 Sqn, that looks like it was in the South Atlantic. Ship appears to be HMS Dumbarton Castle. There was a pic I saw of an RAF Sea King doing a hot refuel hovering alongside a ship, which was on a SAR mission in the S.Atlantic

[lardyboy999]

Having done a stint on 78 Sqn as one of the squadron ops clerks at MPA late 98 early 99, I can confirm the Sea King crews regularly trained with the resident picket boat.

In fact it became essential training, as whilst I was down there one of the Sea Kings carried out one of the longest SAR missions on record, having to fly out to a cruise liner near South Georgia to airlift one of the passengers. The trip required the Sea King to deck land on the picket boat, then one of the RFA support ships to refuel on the way to the cruise ship, retrieve the sick passenger, back to the RFA and the picket boat for more deck landings and refuels, then back to MPA to get the passenger checked over prior to a Medevac home to Blighty. Bear in mind that South Georgia is roughly 800 miles from the Falklands, and the weather was dog-poo, that's a 1600 mile round trip, so the ability to carry out deck landings was absolutely vital. Also bear in mind, half of the mission was carried out in the dark!

Andy

[Thunder]

Yes definitely 78 Sqn and HMS Dumbarton Castle. Maybe a requirement for the crews down at Mt Pleasant. I’ve seen pictures and video of the Sea King in-flight refuelling from HMS Clyde during a long range SAR mission.

Edit:Just seen lardyboys reply, great to have first hand information

[Snoop 95]

Really interesting to read about the SAR mission from Mount Pleasant. Respect to the crews who undertake such extensive ops.

[plmc135]

And presumably you would hope not to end up like MM81487 did on Wednesday on its side on the landing platform of a destroyer

[Stroudy]

Having done a stint on 78 Sqn as one of the squadron ops clerks at MPA late 98 early 99, I can confirm the Sea King crews regularly trained with the resident picket boat.

In fact it became essential training, as whilst I was down there one of the Sea Kings carried out one of the longest SAR missions on record, having to fly out to a cruise liner near South Georgia to airlift one of the passengers. The trip required the Sea King to deck land on the picket boat, then one of the RFA support ships to refuel on the way to the cruise ship, retrieve the sick passenger, back to the RFA and the picket boat for more deck landings and refuels, then back to MPA to get the passenger checked over prior to a Medevac home to Blighty. Bear in mind that South Georgia is roughly 800 miles from the Falklands, and the weather was dog-poo, that's a 1600 mile round trip, so the ability to carry out deck landings was absolutely vital. Also bear in mind, half of the mission was carried out in the dark!

Andy

...and that is why i have massive respect for crews like this.

[toom317]

I think that might have been the mission that I was thinking of lardyboy, with reference to the pic I saw. I should have said also that, when I said hovering alongside the ship to refuel, the ship was underway at the time.

[Pi]

Yep standard ops down south for SAR, guess civ SAR do the same training as well.

[Thunder]

@toom317, there was a more recent long range rescue in 2015, also South Georgia which involved in flight refuelling of the Sea King from HMS Clyde.
https://www.forces.net/services/tri-ser ... l-navy-raf

[lardyboy999]

I think that might have been the mission that I was thinking of lardyboy, with reference to the pic I saw. I should have said also that, when I said hovering alongside the ship to refuel, the ship was underway at the time.

One of my colleagues on the other shift from me went out on one of the training trips to the picket boat, I think it was also to drop off a couple of navy bods as well. Weather was OK when they left but turned to rat-sh1t en-route. The back end of the boat was rearing in and out of the swells (he said you could actually see the propellers turning when the aft end pitched up!) so they loitered, binned the deck-landing, winched the two poor navy bods on the pitching ship, then had to do an airborne refuel alongside just to get back to MPA. Lots of green faces when they returned. Put me off taking the trip out to the boat instantly. Only did the one Sea King trip on a gin clear blue sky day to New Island and back.

[Pi]

Luckily lardyboy999 my 2 hours Sea King flight was very nice around the Islands and my day at sea on Dumbarton Castle was calm in fact the Navy even gave us crabs free beer !!

[lardyboy999]

Luckily lardyboy999 my 2 hours Sea King flight was very nice around the Islands and my day at sea on Dumbarton Castle was calm in fact the Navy even gave us crabs free beer !!

Free beer? Off the Matelots? Now I've heard everything!

Were you down there when all the squadron bars were still open (The Lot, The Claw?) or were you unlucky?

[lardyboy999]

Only did the one Sea King trip on a gin clear blue sky day to New Island and back.

Mind you, to compensate for the picket boat trip, I did get the ramp ride on the Chinook. Now THAT was fun.

[Pi]

Oh Shadies, Erics ,Queen Vic, Castaways and a few names are too rude for here !

[toom317]

Luckily lardyboy999 my 2 hours Sea King flight was very nice around the Islands and my day at sea on Dumbarton Castle was calm in fact the Navy even gave us crabs free beer !!

Free beer? Off the Matelots? Now I've heard everything!

Were you down there when all the squadron bars were still open (The Lot, The Claw?) or were you unlucky?

We got free beer on the Rangatira, in Stanley Harbour, courtesy of the Fish Heads Mess. It's some sort of tradition that you can't buy a beer on a RN ship if you're not a member of the crew.

[lardyboy999]

Luckily lardyboy999 my 2 hours Sea King flight was very nice around the Islands and my day at sea on Dumbarton Castle was calm in fact the Navy even gave us crabs free beer !!

Free beer? Off the Matelots? Now I've heard everything!

Were you down there when all the squadron bars were still open (The Lot, The Claw?) or were you unlucky?

We got free beer on the Rangatira, in Stanley Harbour, courtesy of the Fish Heads Mess. It's some sort of tradition that you can't buy a beer on a RN ship if you're not a member of the crew.

Ah, now that rings a bell (if you'll pardon the pun). Never had the pleasure of Fish-heed hospitality in my 22 years.

[lardyboy999]

Oh Shadies, Erics ,Queen Vic, Castaways and a few names are too rude for here !

Ah, happy days! There was new Station Commander not long after I left in Feb 99, and she closed all the bars down except the Naafi. I'd had a run-in with her at a previous posting, so it didn't entirely surprise me she did what she did. As if morale wasn't bad enough down there.

Anyway, apologies for going off-topic.......