29 July 2013
The Fleet Air Arm Museum is launching a summer exhibition from July 31 to September 5 as part of the celebration of the 60th Anniversary of Royal Navy Helicopter Search and Rescue.
In 1953, the Royal Navy took delivery of its first Westland Dragonfly aircraft (pictured) to form dedicated search and rescue squadrons and units around the UK. And, in the intervening six decades, these brave men and women have rescued tens of thousands of stricken or stranded souls.
At the heart of the display will be the Sea King flown by Prince Andrew in the Falklands Conflict and a Dragonfly, the small helicopter which began this rich tapestry of life-saving and heritage.
The exhibition opens on July 31 but on August 2 at 2pm there will be the opportunity to meet serving members of the Royal Navy’s Search and Rescue Force, as well as Commander Mike Norman, who received an Air Force Cross for his part in the rescue of the crew of the fishing boat Ben Asdale, which foundered at Maenporth in Cornwall on New Year’s Eve 1978. Between them they have decades’ experience of saving lives at sea and on land and they will talk visitors through what airborne lifesaving is all about in a special presentation, answering questions afterwards.
Also on show, will be a number of artefacts gifted to the crews by grateful survivors.
See <a href=’http://www.fleetairarm.com’ target=’_blank’>www.fleetairarm.com</a> for further information about this exhibition and the museum’s other summer highlights.
