16-jan-74

Rescue from ss Merc Enterprise

16-jan-74


united kingdom c 30 nm S of Plymouth



In high winds and mountainous seas, the Danish freighter ss Merc Entrerprise carrying a grain cargo, foundered south of Plymouth. Lands End Radio received the distress call and because it was beyond the range of the based Whirlwind HAR.9 SAR Flt, an ad hoc group of available Sea Kings were mobilised from RNAS Culdrose to meet the only recently established (1973) SAR commitment.

Apart from the gallant rescue of survivors and the tragic loss of life, a valuable lesson learned was the threat posed by salt ingestion into the Gnome engines, as both 89 55 and XV699 ended up making hazardous emergency landings, short of Culdrose.



  Units


Dates UnitModels
    16jan74 UK 706 NAS Fleet Air Arm Wasp
Sea King
    16jan74 UK 824 NAS Fleet Air Arm Sea King
    16jan74 UK RNFTU Fleet Air Arm Sea King
Sea King
Not all models shown may have taken part in the Operation




helicopter   Individual helicopters


Model IDs
Westland Sea King HAS.1 XV657     XV698     XV699    
Westland Sea King Mk.41 89+51     89+55    



  Ships


ClassesShips








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