Jump to content

Recommended Posts

1043239M.jpg

http://www.abpic.co.uk/photo/1043239/ for the full page

This is the prototype seaking that was assembled by WHL in 1970 my question is the torpedoes, were they ever used as I cannot see them on any other aircraft. I would suspect that they are American and IIRC they are in the original airfix Seaking with the Apollo markings

I have the Revell Seaking MK41 which with a bit of work can be made into a HAS1 I am using the blades from an old Airfix RAF Seaking.

Any comments welcome

Rodders

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I'm fairly certain the yellow ones are training or exercise variants of the Mk44, which was pretty much standard armament for the SK (and Wasp/Wessex) in the late 70s/early 80s.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mark_44_torpedo

The RN operated a mix of the Mk.44 and the Mk.46 for some time as each had its strengths in slightly different conditions (e.g depth) and against different targets.

By the late 1980s the Mk44s had largely gone (or were in STWS shipboard torpedo tubes) and the Marconi Sting Ray torpedoes were beginning to replace the Mk.46.

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

They had a parachute casing on the back, the cover was connected to a wire which pulled the cover off when released ,the chute deployed letting the torpedo enter the water nose first to strike the sub from above.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

For the record, there's no such thing as a "Seaking". It's a Sea King...

I think you will find you are wrong

za105%2010.jpg

When I worked on the Seaking production line/flight shed in the 70's and 80's all drawings and documents referred to Seaking all one word It was never split into 2 words

Rodders

PS picture from the walkaround section.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Leuchars, June '81. A whole flock of Sea Kings descended on Leuchars that afternoon. As this one had "Bombs" on (Air Traffic's words not mine), it was parked on the compass base - about as far away from people and buildings as one could get without being in the River Eden.

"Bombs" were polished natural metal with dayglo red front ends.

X7kSp0D.jpg

Dennis

Edited by sloegin57
  • Like 3
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Well Sikorsky invented it and it's called a Sea King by them. I'm not familiar with any such word as "seaking" in English.

http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sikorsky_SH-3_Sea_King

Westland call it the seaking and there are many examples of aircraft being called different names for example Grumman wildcat and the Grumman martlet. Douglas Dakota and c47 or even s55 and Westland whirlwind.

In westlands it was allways called the seaking. When referring to any american drawings it was always the s61

Hope that helps

Rodders

I'm sure

Link to comment
Share on other sites

If IIRC Concorde started with being called Concord then the french insisted on adding the "e"

What's in a name you call it what you want Jennings and I will call it what I want.(as per the photo and my working at WHL)

Rodders

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

If RN ops were anything like USN ops, weapons weren't carried very often other than for exercises. TORPEX (Torpedo Exercise) or ASWEX (Anti-Submarine Warfare Exercise) events were about the only time you'd see them carried.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

If RN ops were anything like USN ops, weapons weren't carried very often other than for exercises. TORPEX (Torpedo Exercise) or ASWEX (Anti-Submarine Warfare Exercise) events were about the only time you'd see them carried.

You are correct, same happened this side of the pond. The photo in post 10 was take during "Ex.Roebuck" (JMC). That particular aircraft, plus one other, was en route to HNMLS Zuiderkruise anchored just off St Andrews. The only other time I recall seeing a Sea King with torpedoes fitted was when I happened to be at HMS Gannet at Prestwick Airport and FONAC made an Official Visit. He was flown into the Mess in XV661 of 819NAS :-

zSU9Dqh.png

The "dust' on the image is bits of grass blown up by the downwash.

Now to this poor techy, one torpedo looks just like another but I do recall that the COD Gannet from HMS Hermes, as well as the Shackletons of 38 Squadron used to launch them towards the islet of Filfla just of the coast of Malta back in the sixties when I was stationed there. The TRSB's from Kalafrana used to pick them up.

Dennis

Link to comment
Share on other sites

When at sea, RN aircraft regularly flew with drill weapons attached and my memory is of endless CASEXes, VECTACs and "land and re-arm" serials every time we went to sea, normally conducted during the middle watch, so that the sound of the ships sonar kept everyone awake, whether on watch or not. The drill ones remained on the aircraft, but there were also training variants that had detachable weights that would fall off once it hit the water and float up to allow you to drop them and then recover afterward. If you were simply transiting from a to b or the cab was doing some form of passenger/taxi flight, then of course you would remove the drill weapon and there were fleet standard Times (minutes) for getting the weapon on and off the aircraft. Landing ashore with a weapon still attached would be unusual and suggests to me a diversion/problem.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 3 weeks later...

You can usually tell the difference between a Mk44 & a Mk46, cos the 44 had a much blunter nose. We used to carry (drill) torpedoes all the time (820 NAS late-80s, 819 NAS mid-90s), jus t keep everyone's hand in on rotors running reloads - IIRC we had a set number we had to do per month.

By the time I flew Seakings / Sea Kings, only on the forward weapons stations, though - the Mk5 or 6 would have hideous CofG problems with weapons back aft; I think mist cabs had the rear carriers removed.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
×
×
  • Create New...