WS61 Sea King AEW7 Anti-submarine warfare Culdrose Aircraft. XAV 4137-392
820 Naval Air Squadron, based at RN air station Culdrose in Cornwall, held a special celebration to commemorate the arrival, 30 years ago, of the squadron’s first Sea King helicopters, the HAS1 version. The oldest Sea King still serving with the squadron is No XV674, known to its friends as Dolphin 15, which was built in 1969 and has flown more than 11,000 hours. The airframe has been in service all over the world in a number of the Navy’s front-line squadrons. But the old workhorse was not the only focus of attention, as one of the squadron’s pilots – Lt Gavin Johnston – also celebrated his birthday on the same day. 820 Squadron was first formed in 1933 in Gosport as a Fleet reconnaissance and spotter squadron, equipped with Fairey IIIFs. Since then it has flown many aircraft types, including Blackburn Sharks, Fairey Swordfish, Fairey Albacores, Grumman Avengers, Fairey Barracudas, Fairey Fireflies, Fairey Gannets, and with Westland Whirlwind, Westland Wessex and Westland Sea King helicopters, the squadron going rotary-wing in 1958. The squadron has also seen a fair number of bases and deployed with several famous ships – bases include Manston, Gibraltar, Hal Far, Aboukir and Sembawang, and ships include HM ships Courageous, Albion, Ark Royal, Victorious, Formidable, Indefatigable, Bulwark and Centaur. It has disbanded a number of times – from 1943-44, 1946-51, in 1956, 1959 and 1960-64. 820 is now the last anti-submarine warfare squadron in the Royal Navy equipped with Sea King helicopters, which is now, in its various versions, the longest-serving front-line aircraft in the Service. Last year the Squadron was jointly awarded the Wilkinson Sword of Peace for its humanitarian aid operations during the Mozambique floods. Aircraft from the squadron are currently embarked with aviation support ship RFA Argus in the Mediterranean, where they form part of the augmented Naval Task Group 2003.
Size: 5380px × 3573px
Location: RAF Culdrose, Cornwall. England. United Kingdom.
Photo credit: © David Gowans / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
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