If you have any corrections or update, please send me e-mail.

How to build correct Seakings in all scales

HC.Mk 4
845 NAS, RNAS Yeovilton, UK - King Khalid Military City, Saudi Arabia

Ser. no.Nose artCommentPhotos
    
ZA312 B damaged 19/01/91, repairedPhoto 1 Photo 2 Photo 3 Photo 4 Photo 5
Photo 6
ZA313 E  Photo 1 Photo 2 Photo 3 Photo 4 Photo 5
Photo 6
ZD477 A  Photo 1 Photo 2 Photo 3 Photo 4 Photo 5
Photo 6 Photo 7 Photo 8 Photo 9 Photo 10
Photo 11
ZD480 C  Photo 1 Photo 2 Photo 3
ZF117 D  Photo 1 Photo 2 Photo 3 Photo 4
ZG820 F  Photo 1 Photo 2 Photo 3
ZA312 - whilst landing to pick up troops tail rotor struck large boulder (Cat 4 damage), N of Al Jubayl, Saudi Arabia (crew Lt JE Humpries and Lt BJ O´Sullivan).
Then airlifted by RAF Chinook to Al Jubayl. Repaired by 01/02/91.

HC.Mk 4
848 NAS, RNAS Yeovilton, UK - King Khalid Military City, Saudi Arabia

Ser. no.Nose artCommentPhotos
    
ZA298 WA later WJPhoto 1 - VP RFA Argus 03/1991
ZA310 WB later VQ, not in GulfPhoto 1 © D. Brown Photo 2
ZA314 WD later WMPhoto 1 - WD Photo 2 - WD
Photo 3 - WM Photo 4 - WM Photo 3 - WM
ZE427 WB later WKPhoto 1 - WB
Photo 1 - WK Photo 2 - WK Photo 3 - WK
ZE428 WC later WLPhoto 1 - WC Photo 2 - WC
Photo 1 - WL Photo 2 - WL Photo 3 - WL
ZG821 WE later WNPhoto 1 - WE Photo 2 - WE Photo 3 - WE
Photo 4 - WE Photo 5 - WE
Photo 1 - WN Photo 2 - WN
ZG822 WF later WOPhoto 1 - WF Photo 1 - WF

HC.Mk 4
846 NAS, RNAS Yeovilton, UK - King Khalid Military City, Saudi Arabia

Ser. no.Nose artCommentPhotos
    
ZA291 VP   
ZA293         
ZE425 VN ? Later "G"Photo 1 Photo 2 Photo 3 Photo 4 Photo 5
Spare Seakings ZA291 and ZE425 were flown to Gulf onboard C-5A 70-0460 from 436th MAW on 21/02/1991.
They were the only two airframes fitted with the latest RWR suite (long nose and fuselage mounted RWRs). ZA291 repainted 06/02/91, ZE425 repainted 16/02/91
ZE425 was returned to UK onboard RFA Argus on 03/04/91

HC.Mk 4
"A" and "B" Flight, 846 NAS, RNAS Yeovilton, UK - RFA Fort Grange

Ser. no.Nose artCommentPhotos
    
ZF118 VL remained in green camoPhoto 1 Photo 2 Photo 3 Photo 4
ZF119 VO remained in green camoPhoto 1 Photo 2 Photo 3
Sent to Gulf 22/08/90

HC.Mk 4
"C" and "D" Flight, 846 NAS, RNAS Yeovilton, UK - RFA Argus

Ser. no.Nose artCommentPhotos
    
ZA296 VK  Photo 1 Photo 2 Photo 3 Photo 4 Photo 5
Photo 6 Photo 7 Photo 8 Photo 9 Photo 10
ZD476 VJ  Photo 1 Photo 2 Photo 3 Photo 4 Photo 5
Photo 6 Photo 7
ZD478 VM  Photo 1 Photo 2 Photo 3 Photo 4 Photo 5
Photo 6 Photo 7 Photo 8 Photo 9

HAS. Mk.5
"B" Flight, 826 NAS, Culdrose, UK
05/1990 to 02/1991 HMS Coventry F98

Ser. no.Nose artCommentPhotos
    
XZ571 "136"  Photo 1
XZ577 "138" ditched into the sea 01/06/1991Photo 1 Photo 2

HAS. Mk.5
"C" Flight, 826 NAS, Culdrose, UK
13/12/1990 to 26/01/1991 HNLMS Zuiderkruis
26/01/1991 to 16/03/1991 one each on RFA Sir Galahad and RFA Argus
16/03/1991 to 27/04/1991 RFA Fort Grange

Ser. no.Nose artCommentPhotos
    
ZA137 "137"  Photo 1
XZ575 "599"  Photo 1

HAS. Mk.5
"D" Flight, 826 NAS, Culdrose, UK - RFA Olna, Persian Gulf
22/08/1990-13/12/1990

Ser. no.Nose artCommentPhotos
    
ZE422 "130"  Photo 1
XV661 "135"  Photo 1
NOTE: The only two fully modified Seakings with FLIR and double chaff/flare launchers on port side (and maybe on starboard too, just no picture to prove it).


Interestning info from Mr. N.B.:

As a young Lieutenant Royal Navy (Air Engineer Officer), I was the Engineering Sponsor (ES) for the "Sandpiper" Electro-Optics (EO) FLIR turret fitted to the Sea King HAS Mk.5 (which you refer to). I believe we also implemented a similar installation in the Sea King HC Mk.4, but in the end, I’m not sure it was used very much because the HC Mk.4 commando aircraft were too busy supporting the Royal Marines. The turret was a GEC Avionics device. I attended all the meetings on the installation. It was an Urgent Operational Requirement (UOR), so we were under huge time pressure. I remember taking the design team to visit Bristows, who (at the time) operated a commercial S-61N (stretched Sea King) for HM Coastguard with a FLIR turret on an inverted tripod mounted near the pilot’s footwell. We considered buying extra sets for our purposes, but there were technical reasons why it was unsatisfactory. So far as I can recall, the mounting designed for the Sea King HAS Mk.5 was similar in concept. The details of the Sandpiper project were highly classified. The papers might be at The National Archive (TNA), Kew, London - I did a few searches this morning but cannot find any likely files. This is probably because they are still Classified (and unavailable to the public). You might find that the files become available in the next few years (I’d suggest 2035/36) - you might even see my signature! Although the GEC Avionics FLIR turret was subsequently fitted to the Lynx HAS Mk.3 (along with a "Yellow Veil" jammer), the Sea King fit was fielded first. What was the rush about? The Lynx HAS Mk.3 (with its Sea Spray mono-pulse radar and Sea Skua missile) was combat proven during the Falklands War. The Royal Navy was very confident about this aircraft being able to find/attack/neutralise the Iraqi Navy (which is what happened). The problem was the "Rules of Engagement" demanded that crews positively identified the target before conducting a radar-controlled missile engagement. In subsequent years, the Royal Navy updated its Lynx fleet to the Lynx HMA Mk.8 configuration (fitted with the "Sea Owl" Passive Identification Device (PID)), which is very evident on the nose of the later HAS Mk.8 variant. But during the first Gulf War, the Lynx HAS Mk.3 had no such avionics. Thus, the doctrine was for a "Sandpiper" equipped Sea King to "standoff" at a safe distance, visually identify the Iraqi vessels, and then pass radar vectors to the attacking Lynx. This worked well. Some twenty-six Sea Skua missiles were fired by just four Lynx HAS Mk.3 from four different RN frigates and destroyers (although two specific crews achieved most of the attacks). The Iraqi Navy was completely removed from the action.

Royal Navy HAS.Mk.5s served aboard RFA Olna, RFA Sir Galahad, HMS Coventry, RFA Argus, RFA Fort Grange and HNLMS Zuiderkruis (Dutch) primarily in mine hunting role.
For that, they had the ASW sonar removed to save weight and space. Their standard fit was ARI.5991 MEL Sea Searcher I-band surface-search radar, GPS Trimble, AN/ALQ-157 IR jammer with frame,
M-130 chaff/flare launchers, GPMG with a gun mount, SAR equipment, Plain and Secure Speech Radios, Racal MIR 2 ESM "Orange Crop" RWR and EOD Explosives and Diving Equipment.
Additinal role equipment included GEC Avionics "Sandpiper" FLIR, hand held thermal imaging system and the "Demon" camera mine hunting video system.
Crew consisted of two Pilots, one Observer, one Aircrewman, one Diving Supervisor and three Divers.

Following Seakings were sent to Gulf onboard RFA Argus 28/10/90: (date of overspraying to pink camo in UK)
ZA293 (16/10/90), ZA296 (14/10/90), ZD476 (19/10/90) and ZD478 (17/10/90)

Following Seakings were sent to Gulf onboard MV Atlantic Conveyor II 21/12/90: (date of overspraying to pink camo in UK)
ZA298 (07/12/90), ZA312 (15/11/90), ZA313 (12/11/90), ZA314 (16/12/90), ZD477 (19/11/90), ZD480 (16/11/90), ZE427 (18/12/90), ZE428 (07/12/90), ZF117 (10/11/90), ZG820 (22/11/90), ZG821 (15/12/90) and ZG822 (03/12/90)

Seaking ZA310 was oversprayed on 21/10/90 with 848 NAS with WB code, later repainted to VQ code (picture prove), then to AMG Yeovilton on 04/12/90, and then repainted again to drab olive on 14/01/91, probably NOT sent to Gulf.

Seakings returned back to UK onboard RFA Argus - returned 17/03/91
ZA293 (to AMG Yeovilton by road on 04/04/91 with cracked airframe), ZA296, ZD476, ZD478, ZE428, ZG821, ZG822

After the Gulf war, some Seakings were sent to Turkey for "Operation Haven" and some to "Operation Manna" in Bangladesh.
HC.4s had their Alkali Removable Temporary Finish paint removed, but retained the invasion stripes (probably "baked" to the drab olive paint and needed to be removed at depot maintenance) and were recoded and moved to 846 NAS.

"Operation Haven"

HC.4

ZA298/WJ to VP
ZA314/WM 848 Sqn, black/white invasion stripes
ZE425/VN to (Y)G 845 Sqn
ZE426/A to VO
ZE427/WK to (Y)H
ZE428/WL to VJ
ZG821/WN to VL
ZG822/WO to VM

NOTE: ZG821 and ZG822 were the last two HC.4s delivered to RN in late 1990. Joining 848 NAS with just their test flight and delivery hours, both aircraft had by the time they deployed to Turkey flown 173 and 243 flight hours respectively.

All the above aircraft deployed to Turkey aboard RFA Argus on 21/04/91.

HC.4

ZD477/A
ZA312/B
ZA313/E (remained at Iskenderun unserviceable)

The above three aircraft were diverted from their return to the UK from Gulf war. They were deployed on MV Baltic Eagle from Al Jubayl, Saudi Arabia on 17/04/91, arrived in Iskenderun, Turkey on 21/04/91.

"Operation Manna" 27/04/1991 - 06/1991

"D" Flight, 826 NAS

HAS.5 RFA Fort Grange

XZ577/138 (on 01/06/1991 control was lost after striking the flightdeck nets during unauthorised high speed pass over RFA Fort Grange. Ditched and sank. The three crew and four passengers were rescued. The First Pilot had vacated his seat for a ships officer and so was unable to supervise or take control. Aircraft was not recovered. Both pilots were Court Martialed.
ZA137/137

HC.4 RFA Fort Grange

845 NAS - ZG820/F
846 NAS - ZA291/VN