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Helo ops on HMS Vanguard


KRK4m

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I have seen several photos of both Sikorsky Hoverfly and Westland Dragonfly on the HMS Vanguard foredeck, but could anybody put more light on this subject?

Were they the only helicopter types operating from Britain's last battleship or can also the Whirlwind be shortlisted there?

And still more - was there at any time any chopper based on the HMS Vanguard as the ship equipment or were they only the "visiting guests"?

Cheers

Michael

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I certainly don't believe that VANGUARD ever carried her own ship's flight.  The first RN warships to do so were, AFAIK, the Tribal Class Frigates which entered service in the early 60s a year or so after VANGUARD was decommissioned and towed to Faslane for scrapping.

 

There's no reason I suppose why a Whilrwind couldn't have landed on as they did overlap service but only just - the early HAR1s/HAR3s entered service in late 1953 when VANGUARD was still operational before she entered refit in late 1954 and then paid off into the reserve fleet almost immediately afterwards.

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If I remember correctly, the photos of helos on Vanguard’s deck were mostly taken during a Royal tour to South Africa.  

 

She certainly never had an embarked flight - that concept was still a fair way in the future in her era; with the odd specialist exception (e.g. Protector), it wasn’t until the Wasp came into service that non-carrier ships got their “own” (helicopter) flight - and of course catapult flights had long gone.

 

It’s easy to forget, but in Vanguard’s day the RN was still trying to work out whether these rotary-wing things had much use, & if so what?  Plane guard for a carrier made obvious sense (thus freeing up a destroyer), but early helicopters were grossly underpowered for anything that was terribly warlike.  Only once small gas turbines came along did the power:weight ratio start to turn in the helicopter’s favour.  Piston engine helos were useful in gaining experience and learning how to operate them, but they didn’t contribute much

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My late Father-in-Law served on HMS Vanguard. He was particularly fond of telling me during our many verbal spats about Fishheads/Dabbers/Skimmers v WAFUs/Airy Faireys that she was his favorite ship. When I asked him why? He he would reply "cause there were no ****** Airy Faireys on her" ! !

 

RIP Dad.

 

MM

Edited by missile-monkey
Small Keyboard Fat Fingers...
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That was a bit like when I joined HMS BRAVE.  Took a Lynx on board for the first time in 12 months to take over from a Sea King flight in 1990.  Went up to the bridge to say hello to the Captain and his opening words were "So glad to have a Lynx back on board again"  I thought "great, that's a good start", until he added "It means I only have to have two f***ing aviators on board.  I hate WAFUs" (and that is a completely true story)

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In my experience the people who were like that usually turned out to have been chopped st some point.  I had an XO with similar views in Broadsword... he kept banging on about how much he disliked WAFUs right up the point where I mentioned his name to someone back at Portland.  Turned out they’d done Flying Grading together, but only one of them went any further. 

 

Didn’t stop them from wanting the hangar keys during wardroom parties either, so they could claim to be pilots!

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This one was an upper yardie ex-LRO and certainly hadn't been anywhere near flying training.  In the end we actually got on very well.  My final report from him had the wonderful line "...is the only one of my HODs who stands up to my bullying"

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Someone who had joined the RN as a rating, and then been commissioned (“Upper Yardman”).  While a rating he’d been a Leading Radio Operator - a communicator.

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Most of the time the flight was treated like lepers......until it was time for the mail run  !!  then we were everyone's friend.........Although I do remember on one occasion when a very popular member of the ships company became ill. Appendicitis I think it was. Our cab was in bits in the hanger, 25 hourlies I think. Put her back together PDQ and flew him off to hospital. The PO MA said if we hadn't got him to hospital he would have died. We dined out on that one for weeks  !!!!

 

MM   

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