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Those other Wessex.


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Over on @Tramatoa's thread the HC 2 reigns. What about the Royal Navy ones? Can we justify another Wessex theme? Let's see..

I never got to fly in a Royal Navy Wessex but hopefully those on here who did will forgive this retired part-time crab for starting this. I found these on line.

Interesting scheme on the first one. I wonder if they painted the replacement boom in sand and spinach or the rest green?.

The second one posted because it's just a lovely picture!

p1722986001-3.jpg

Westland_Wessex_HU5_(WS-58),_UK_-_Navy_A

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Nice pics. Looks like  a replacement section in between the sand spinach  colours.  Nice line up in second pic. Could it have been at one of the Yeovilton shows as part of the finale? They were great show endings!

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8 hours ago, Paul J said:

Could it have been at one of the Yeovilton shows

I think you are right.

This is the caption on the wiki site:

 Of the resident 707 Naval Air Squadron forms part of this unique line up of 16 helicopters of 707 NAS, 772 NAS & 845 NAS. All helicopters await the order to take off with engines running - a magnificient sight and sound. 

 

Here's an early 5 in Sarawak and details of the weapons platform.

 

 

Wessex+Bario+FOB+Sarawak+1966.JPG

 

 

Wessex+weapons+platform.jpg

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Gimpy in there?

Good detail of a double SS11 mounting, itl'd be good to see that platform from above 'cos I don't remember that configuration in the 4+ book

I might still have a few SS11s from my Scout build...

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First Wessex I ever laid eyes on was an RN machine in spinach and sand. Biggin Hill airshows of mid/late sixties. It was one of those love at first sight moments..........😍

 

Terry

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2 hours ago, Terry1954 said:

First Wessex I ever laid eyes on was an RN machine in spinach and sand. Biggin Hill airshows of mid/late sixties. It was one of those love at first sight moments..........😍

 

Terry

Shiny dark green Navy one demoing dropping troops down ropes at Cannon Hill Park in Birmingham during the Tulip Festival I think

Still got a few photographs in the cupboard, but poor quality as you'd expect, it being me as took em

 

Then an 18 sqn bird took my squad away from me at Castlemartin one fine day when I got dumped in as duty driver

Its always been Wessex for me

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Jumping back in time to November 1961,here is an early (note small windows) Wessex HAS1 XM917/340H of 814 NAS.

Scanned from a battered print my late uncle gave me.It was his first Squadron after he qualified.

This airframe had a long life,not being withdrawn until 1980 and it survived a few more years at the fire school.

 

113518ae-d50d-4789-997e-a83d0ef7f5e6.jpg

 

 

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Here's one I know very litttle about.

My friend took these Wessex HAS 3 pics in the West Highlands so it was probably working out of Kyle of Lochalsh.

Why is it green with no 'Royal Navy' markings ?

Does anyone know its serial number?

 

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dc7d9e6b-5c13-4199-a013-97e54f9c5b93.jpg

385dc6f0-202c-4450-aa10-410e11956d1f.jpg

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Mr. Scimitar,

 

Thank you, Thank you, Thank you!!!

 

The above exclamations refer to the photos you posted of the overall green HAS.3.

 

I had seen this cab overflying my house in NI one wet, grey Saturday afternoon - the timeframe would have been 1980/1981 or so (I am not certain, but pretty sure it was before Op. CORPORATE). Over the years I came to accept that I had misidentified a HAS.3 in the overall grey scheme.

 

I am pretty sure that this cab was painted in this scheme to support Royal Marines (Comanchio Troop?) who were engaged in ops. in Carlingford Lough in NI; I believe it was painted in this scheme so that it would fit in with the normal Wessei already in the Province. The Fleet Air Arm did the same with a Lynx HAS.1 that was involved with the same tasking - it was painted in the AAC black/green scheme so that it would fit in with the normal AAC Lynxes. Not sure if the Lynx came after the Wessex, or vice versa.

May have the serial of this Wessex squirrelled away somewhere in an old Ulster Airmail - will take quite a while to check.

 

Thanks again!

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On 12/8/2018 at 11:19 PM, Scimitar said:

That makes sense @Sky dancer

I knew about the Lynx and often wondered if that Wessex had been 'overseas'

I also wondered if this one of XP150 with 737 NAS at VL was the same one.

31164641274_f4aa010548_b.jpg

Great picture of a Wessex 3 with a key indicator that this was before the Falklands war, the Lynx on the left of the picture is high viz. Now to screw down the exact date is a little harder. The picture is at RNAS Portland, depicted by the station paint shop (building with the double door frontage) and what used to be 829’s Squadron hangar to the right. 

 

702 NAS and 815 NAS came down to Portland from Yeovilton in 1981, the idea was to take over the massive hangar that 737 NAS (Wessex 3’s) had, I do remember that by December 81 we had a very busy and very small airfield with 4 possibly 5 Naval Air Squadrons operating from it ( 772 Wessex 5’s HQ and Flights, 737 Wessex 3’s HQ and flights, 829 Wasp HQ and flights, 702 Lynx HQ and possibly 815 Lynx flights)

 

Great pics and thanks for sharing Scimitar.

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According to "Fleet Air Arm Helicopters since 1943" page129/130,  XP150 was at Portland at the following times:

 

04/11/1976 - 737 Sqn Portland (uncoded) until 16/11/1976

04/01/1977 - 737 Sqn Portland (406/AN Antrim) until 29/07/1977

16/02/1979 - 737 Sqn Portland (engine fault) until 26/03/1979 then to RNAY Fleetlands for mods.

30/11/1981 - 737 Sqn Portland until 12/01/1983

 

Mike

 

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On 12/9/2018 at 2:04 AM, Scimitar said:

Early 'Junglie' colour scheme.

nanga-gaat.jpg

Very nice...

 

I think this would look lovely beside my FAW.9 "Borneo Escort" Javelin. And think of all those weathering possibilities. I'm hooked!

 

Do you know when and where this photo was taken?

 

Cheers,

Antti

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4 hours ago, Antti_K said:

Do you know when and where this photo was taken?

@bootneck's reply above beat me to it.

Have a look at this link for more photos:

https://www.fleetairarmoa.org/news/veteran-borneo-wessex-pilot-returns-for-nostalgic-culdrose-visit

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