Aircraft History |
XS538 | |||
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| ff 7 Jan 1964, 700Sq(W)Sq by 21 Feb 1964 829Sq Mohawk Flt/474-MO by Mar 1964 until c Nov 1966 Fleetlands Dec 1966 829Sq Mohawk Flt / 474-MO until c May 1967  | |||
| 1963 until 1967 at least on Tribal class HMS Mohawk (F125). It was the first small ships flight to serve in the Arabian gulf on Mohawk s first commission 1963-65. | |||
| I served on HMS Mohawk ship flight, from 1964 to 1967, and can confirm that this aircraft was the ship helicopter, bearing the side number 474. I can confirm the incident at RNAS Portland in 1967 in which damage occurred following tail rotor contact with the ground on landing. During the first commission of Mohawk, the aircraft took part in a major survey of the rhinoceros population of the Tsavo national park in Kenya, whilst the ship was alongside in Mombasa. In 1967 in the West Indies, the aircraft was used extensively on the island of Antigua to assist Cable and Wireless company in executing an aerial survey of the island for a new telephone cable system. After the first commission in the Arabian Gulf, the aircraft was found to be suffering from widespread corrosion. The subsequent investigation, involving major paint removal and dismantling formed the basis of the subsequent husbandry requirements for aircraft operating from small ships. | |||
| spring of 1967, damaged when the tail rotor struck the ground at RNAS Portand. The top hat sacrificial sections across the cabin floor were replaced along with all gearboxes. | |||
| 1967-06 | 706Sq/582 by Jun 1967 829Sq Achilles Flt/430 by Jul 1976 829Sq Bacchante Flt/425 by Mar 1978 (following accident to XT792) until at least Sep 1982 829Sq Lowestoft Flt/451 by Jul 1983 until 29 Oct 1984. | ||
| 1980-08-30 | 425 | A HMD Devonport | Navy Days Bacchante Flt / 425 in the flying display at Plymouth Navy Days 1980. 829 NAS |
| 1985-02 | I flew this aircraft in Lowestoft Flight until Feb85. Ditched off HMS Phoebe 14feb85 and recovered from sea to fly back on board. Transferred to RFA Olwen 20feb85 for return to UK | ||
| 1985-04 | B EGHF | G I Airframe to A2725 AES Lee-on-Solent by Apr 1985, until Oct 1993 | |
| 1993-10-12 | C EGDR | Stored from Lee to Culdrose on 12 Oct 1993, then onto Predannack Nov 1993. | |
| 1993-11 | D EGDO | G I Airframe to Predannack towards end of Nov 1993. Perished by 1995. | |
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