The Sea King: Britain's Flying Past

ROTOR BLADES WHIR

I've come here to celebrate and to say farewell

to a very British kind of hero.

You just might not know this hero yet.

-But he does.

-I'm a 57-year-old man, brought to tears by a helicopter!

'And they do.'

RADIO: "Forward, right two yards."

And she certainly does.

Thinking that, potentially, we could lose the children

was the most awful feeling.

-ROTOR BLADES CHOP

-If you hear it, the chances are you're in trouble,

but if you are, then this is the most wonderful sound

you're ever likely to hear.

40 years of remarkable service.

-Ten wars.

-'Three times I watched him go down,

'three times he brought men up.'

Thousands rescued.

The Sea King.

Hail to the chief!

The Cornish coast is an odd place to start a story about an aircraft.

But as we're going to find out,

this unsung hero from Britain's flying past

is full of surprises.

'It's a military aircraft,

'known as a double-decker bus with wings.'

'Its role in the Armed Forces is coming to an end.'

But if ever there was an aircraft that deserved a right royal sendoff,

it's this one.

The Sea King.

'These are the very last days

'of a line of helicopters

'that have saved more British lives than any other aircraft in history.'

Like much that is the best of British,

its origins lay abroad.

The original 1950s model

was created by the American Sikorsky company.

'It was then totally transformed

'by engineers from Westlands in Yeovil in the early '60s.'

The first thing they did was to rip out the American engines

and replace them with ones from Rolls-Royce.

And you can't get more British than that.

'This will be an incredible adventure.'

'I will be flying in an aircraft fit for a prince.'

That's my helicopter flying over at the moment.

It's almost time I should go!

'Maybe even a future king.'

'And I can't wait.'

Great when you get to save someone's life or make a difference to someone

when you know they're in trouble.

'We're going straight to the heart of the aircraft's wartime world

'to meet up with the Sea King's military family.'

'And we'll go back through 40 years of civilian service

'to revisit some of the most perilous Sea King rescues

'here at home.'

There's nothing frivolous about the Sea King

and that's because it was designed for a specific task -

to be the strongman of the sky,

to have power, dependability

and, above all, endurance.

Like all great aircraft, it's so impressive

because it's thoroughly fit for purpose.

'The Ministry of Defence needed a way

'to counter the Soviet nuclear-submarine threat.'

'The answer - a Cold War hunter-killer helicopter

'that could operate on its own,

'hundreds of miles from its base or ship.'

'But they also saw the Sea King as a troop carrier,

'a weapons transporter, a sonar and radar platform

'and, crucially, a search-and-rescue aircraft.'

'Over the next 40 years, it would fulfil all of these expectations

'and more.'

Now, at the end of its life,

it's time to look back and celebrate its greatest moments.

RADIO: "Any information..."

'This is the Royal Navy Air Station at Culdrose in Cornwall,

'home to the 771 search-and-rescue squadron.'

'Today we're flying with Lieutenant Commander Andy Watts and his crew.'

-How many have you got here?

-We've got eight here.

We always have one on search and rescue.

'Like all of the Ace of Clubs squadron, Andy has also performed

'in some of the world's most dangerous war zones.'

'Now he has a new challenge.'

-I'm too fat.

-No!

-Do we look silly? That's the trouble.

-No!

Right, John, we're all ready to go.

'It's all fairly relaxed inside,

'but as soon as you step outside,

'you feel the intensity and power of the aircraft -

'and the crew.'

'And the sound! Well, it's almost overwhelming!'

It's not exactly business class, is it?

MUSIC: "Jumpin' Jack Flash" by The Rolling Stones

We're lifting off!

They call this a takeoff, but it's like going up in a rocket.

There's the tremendous power of the engine and we're so high already!

And, dressed like this, I feel like an astronaut!

Next stop - the Moon!

It's so unlike going off in an aircraft, an ordinary aircraft -

you sit in, off you go, before you know it, you're at 10,000 feet,

but we're not, we're still close to the ground

and you feel part of the aircraft.

All this strapping and equipment makes you feel...

Well, I'm in a helicopter, I AM a helicopter.

I'm just going up like a bird! It's an extraordinary feeling!

# I was born in a crossfire hurricane

# And I howled at my ma in the driving rain...

'What a glorious sight -

'the southwest coast of Cornwall,

'whizzing past at nearly 130mph.'

It looks marvellous from the air,

it gives it something very special, a helicopter journey.

Indeed. Some people say "What a wonderful office window I have"

and it's great to look out and see it changing,

but it's more important that we have to be aware of the coastal path

because this is quite often where we're called upon

to pick up people who enjoy the countryside here, enjoy the views,

but can get into difficulties.

'This is where the peacetime role of the Sea King

'is often anything but peaceful.'

'When conditions here turn nasty,

'lashed by rain, with raging winds and high seas,

'the aircraft won its spurs

'and the right to be celebrated.'

Right below us are the Western Approaches

and some of the most dangerous sailing conditions in Britain.

In August 1979,

303 sailing yachts passed this point

on their way to the Fastnet Rock

on the southwest coast of Ireland -

the furthest point of one of the most dramatic

and demanding races in the world.

'But it turned into a disaster -

'monstrous swells were whipped up by near-hurricane-force winds.'

'One competitor described the waves

'as being "as high as the cliffs of Dover".'

RADIO FORECAST: "Fastnet, south-westerly, severe gale force 9,

"increasing storm force 10..."

We would be thrust, like from a cannon,

into the cockpit, at the end of our tethers.

Your mouth, your nose is full of water, your ears are,

even though you're hooded. You're soaking wet.

We were overwhelmed. Totally overwhelmed.

19 yachts were abandoned, five were sunk,

15 sailors lost their lives,

but many more were saved by these helicopters.

It was one of the greatest search-and-rescue operations

ever carried out in these islands.

'24-year-old Nick Ward from Hampshire

'was one of a six-man crew aboard the yacht Grimalkin.'

'At 30 foot, she was one of the smaller yachts in the race.'

'So when the storm hit, the impact was brutal.'

I didn't think there was any chance of getting out of this situation,

any chance.

There was a massive wave behind us

and that's the last thing I saw before the boat turned upright.

'It is impossible to know how long Nick remained unconscious,

'but during that time, chaos gripped the Grimalkin.'

'The captain of the boat was swept away.'

'His 17-year-old son, also part of the crew, watched helplessly

'as his father was consumed by another massive wave.'

'Under these conditions,

'the young man and two other crew mates abandoned ship

'and launched Grimalkin's lifeboat,

'leaving Nick and his crew mate Gerry Winks

'buried under splintered mast poles, presumed dead.'

'It was a desperate moment.'

I was floating alongside the boat,

with my head banging against the side, with no-one around me.

I saw a mop of red hair and oilskins.

And so that was Gerry.

I managed to grab his safety harness

and manhandle him aboard.

I thought he was dead,

but I needed someone to help me

and so I started thumping his chest.

He managed to say some words to me before he passed away in my arms.

And I remember those words -

"Nick, if ever you see Margaret again, tell her I love her."

'For the first time since setting out from Cowes 48 hours earlier,

'Nick Ward was alone.'

'But, even in death, his friend Gerry proved to be an inspiration.'

Gerry had died,

so therefore I felt the only way I could survive

was to use him as a sort of sounding board,

calling him names,

almost going madly, bizarrely mad.

All sorts of things going on in my head,

just trying to survive.

'Dangerously dehydrated and suffering from hypothermia,

'Nick clung on to life for 14 hours.'

'But as the sun set on the second day of the storm,

'he knew he wouldn't survive another night on Grimalkin.'

'But Nick hadn't banked

'on a brand-new, long-range Royal Navy helicopter.'

I was slumped in the corner of the boat, imagining myself dead.

Not a nice place to be.

I was hearing helicopters beating, a-beating, a-beating

and that beating got louder and louder and louder

as I leant on the rail.

And there it was, hovering above me.

'The mighty Sea King Mk 2 had arrived.'

'The helicopter crew had been trying to position their aircraft

'over Grimalkin for some time,

'but with its mast ripped off and the swell still heaving,

'landing their winchman safely wasn't going to be easy.'

It was clear, looking down, that there were two people on the yacht,

one of whom appeared to be either seriously ill or had perhaps died.

'Finally, Midshipman Harrie Harrison descended into the storm.'

'It was his first ever search-and-rescue mission.'

'He was just 20 years old.'

As I was lowered onto the yacht,

immediately I was dragged right to the fo'c's'le of the yacht

and it was only the bowsprit that stopped me going over the side.

'Harrie realised that his winch wire was in danger of snagging.'

'He had a terrible choice -

'if he disconnected, he no longer had a lifeline to his Sea King.'

'But if he didn't, the operation would have to be abandoned.'

'For a few terrifying moments,

'he would work without the lifeline.'

The mast had gone, all the rigging had gone over the side

and, looking into the cockpit, it was clear that it was full of water.

The yacht was only just afloat

and so it was quite important that we got off the yacht quickly.

Those thoughts I had in the boat that I'd never have a family -

the Sea King rescued me.

Excuse me.

That's how much it means to me.

I'm a 57-year-old man, brought to tears by a helicopter!

How bizarre is that?!

'Harrie Harrison's twin-engined Sea King

'could fly twice as far and stay in the air twice as long

'as previous search-and-rescue helicopters.'

'For Nick Ward, that made the difference between life and death.'

At the time, it looked as if the Sea Kings would increasingly concentrate

on their civilian search-and-rescue role,

but as it happens, the Sea Kings were about to embark

on their toughest military mission in the whole of their career.

BAND PLAYS MILITARY MARCH

'On 5th April 1982,

'Margaret Thatcher's government sent 27,000 British servicemen and women

'to reclaim the Falkland Islands,

'following the Argentine invasion.'

'One month later, Atlantic Conveyor,

'a merchant ship loaded with precious British aircraft,

'arrived in the Falklands.'

'She had just managed to offload her cargo of Harrier jets

'when two Exocet missiles blasted through the ship.'

'12 men died.'

'Three Chinook, six Wessex and a Lynx helicopter were lost.'

'The untested Mk 4 Sea Kings, known as Junglies,

'were now the most important helicopters in the fleet.'

'Warrant Officer Aircrewman John Sheldon

'and Commodore Simon Thornewill

'flew together during the conflict.'

The Wessex 5 was an incredibly capable aircraft,

but the Sea King could do about three times as much.

'The Sea King was a resounding success.'

'But John and Simon narrowly avoided disaster

'when their aircraft - ZA298 -

'had its main rotor blade shot to pieces by an enemy Skyhawk.'

I looked out the window at the back of the Sea King,

saw the four aircraft coming towards us.

When the chap was about to open fire, you'd brake,

turn very sharply and you'd descend or climb.

Erm, well, that's exactly what we did.

If we hadn't broken left, we'd be dead. They'd have shot us down.

The last aircraft fired his entire 20 seconds' worth

of 20-mil ammunition at us.

We landed on and then we found that we had a 20-mil cannon shell

through the main spar of one of the blades.

Got a blade flown out to us

and we were back in the hunt two hours later.

'It was the first of many battle scars

'that that particular aircraft would earn

'on its way to entering Navy folklore

'as the king of the Junglies.'

I get very possessive when people talk about ZA298,

cos I consider it to be my aircraft.

It certainly saved my life

and I relied on it so heavily during a very difficult time.

Royal salute!

'One man who understands the value of the Sea King during the Falklands

'is Welsh Guardsman Simon Weston.'

Nice to meet you. Thanks for coming.

'He was just 21 when he suffered terrible burns

'to 40% of his face and body

'after his ship, Sir Galahad, was bombed.'

TV REPORT: 'The helicopters, which had been moving equipment forward,

'now flocked to rescue survivors.'

'Simon knows the Sea King that flew him to safety

'was based here at Culdrose in Cornwall.'

'But he's come here today to meet the man who risked his life

'when he flew his Sea King into the flames of Sir Galahad

'to rescue Simon and his fellow Welsh Guards.'

'They've not met since that horrific day.'

-Hi, John.

-Nice to meet you.

-Simon.

-How are you?

-Very well. Yourself?

-Very good.

-First time in Culdrose?

-It is, yeah.

You know, it's special for me.

This is where you all came from.

And you two have come across each other before, haven't you?

We have indeed.

'Lieutenant Boughton's Sea King

'was one of several helicopters on the sea.'

'The horror of what was happening underneath them

'could've caused the crew to panic.'

'Instead, their quick thinking saved hundreds of lives.'

And some colleagues used the downdraught of the aircraft

to try and blow those life rafts away from the fire on the ship.

'The giant Sea Kings, using their rotor blades

'to blow the packed life rafts away from Simon's burning ship

'became one of the striking images of the war.'

'But, crucially for Simon, John Boughton decided his helicopter

'should head directly to the hull of the ship.'

I felt - several of my colleagues were there,

but I was first on the scene -

that the people on the front of the ship - and you were there -

had more need of us to get you off immediately

because, if someone had climbed into a life raft,

they were at least able to get clear of the fire.

Do you want to see it? I'd be interested in what you can remember.

I remember being winched through the door on the other side.

TV REPORT: 'They ignored the flames and the explosions

'and the ammunition erupting around them

'and they flew into the smoke

'to lift the queues of men waiting calmly below.'

So we're sitting there, we're facing forwards of the ship where you were

and you would've been back here.

You're looking down the ship, into the hold, which is on fire,

and there were occasional blasts,

which would blow us sideways, away from where we were picking them up,

and the crewmen gave instructions to come back to the position

so you could pick them off the deck.

'Three times I watched him go down,

'three times he brought men up

'to the blackness that covered his helicopter above him.'

There was no radio communication at the time,

nobody on the ships talking to us,

the aeroplanes were talking to each other,

so in the early parts of the rescue,

it was make it up as you went along.

I'm looking at this now and I can remember coming up

and... the winchman turning me to bring me in.

I had so many open wounds that everything was leeching out of me.

The skin had been burned away and because everything was moist,

the cold and the discomfort was something unreal,

it was something nobody could prepare you for.

Getting on this thing - it was an epic thing for me,

I'll never forget that day.

Looking up at the underneath of one of these, thinking "Thank God."

Afterwards, when we heard the good-news stories of your recovery,

we were obviously delighted

and I think the whole squadron had a shared sort of pleasure

in the fact that at least we'd contributed to that recovery.

It's nice to be able to say thanks.

Not many people get a chance to say thank you

to the people who did so much

or were a part of saving you and your colleagues.

Yeah, your comrades. It's just nice to be able to say thanks.

So... Yeah. Thank you.

'The destruction of Sir Galahad and other ships

'sent shockwaves through the task force.'

'The Duke of York, on HMS Invincible,

'was one of the Sea King pilots who used their helicopters

'as decoys for incoming missiles.'

Militarily speaking, I've been shocked and yet proud.

I've been shocked at what has happened,

the way the ships were taken out.

To think that a missile, perhaps 18 feet long, can do so much damage...

'The Sea King was now firmly established

'in the British public's imagination.'

'Throughout the 1980s, the giant aircraft,

'piloted by the same crews who had served in the Falklands,

'used their skills here at home -

'no job too small,

'no name too big to be rescued.'

'130 miles northeast of the Royal Naval Air Station at Culdrose

'is RNAS Yeovilton in Somerset,

'home to the fighting Sea Kings.'

'If the Navy's grey and red search-and-rescue helicopter

'is a dove,

'then the green Jungly is very much the hawk.'

The Sea King is a great symbol of Britishness

and is made only over there at Western Helicopters.

So this is very much her home.

Wherever we go on operations -

for example, in Afghanistan, flying out to remote bases with soldiers,

supplying them with equipment, ammunition, food etc -

we've got this symbol of Britishness

with an invisible label on it saying "Made in Britain".

There's an emotional attachment for all who've served in this community.

-A real fondness for this plane.

-Absolutely.

'There are two front-line Sea King squadrons based here -

'845 and 846.'

'Each has ten aircraft.'

'This is the formidable Mk 4 Jungly.'

'Its rotor blades are folded back to make it easier to transport.'

'Sand filters improve performance in the deserts of the Middle East.'

'But remarkably, some of these airframes

'were actually used during the Falklands War.'

'I've come here to fulfil a lifelong ambition.'

'I'm going to visit one of the Sea King's ocean-based homes -

'HMS Illustrious.'

'It was meant to be a bit of fun,

'but they don't seem to think so.'

Pilot's ditching actions are to warn the crew,

harnesses lock and tight,

initiate the distress procedure, which will be a mayday call,

and adjust windows as required.

'HMS Illustrious - or "Lusty" to her friends -

'has just received orders to set sail for the Mediterranean.'

'Suddenly, this all feels a little bit too authentic.'

Any questions on the formation brief? OK, brief complete.

This will give you approximately two minutes of oxygen

-if the aircraft ditches and ends up under water.

-Right.

Last thing - name badge on the helmet.

We're ready for action.

MUSIC: "Wake Up" by Arcade Fire

Now, I admit I've not done this before

and I'm a bit apprehensive.

We've got to take off now

and we've got to fly to a secret rendezvous

with one of the most powerful ships in the Royal Navy -

HMS Illustrious.

MUSIC: "Gimme Shelter" by The Rolling Stones

'I share a bit of my past with these helicopters.'

'Back when the Sea King was little more than a new boy,

'I went to school right underneath us,

'just down the road from Yeovilton.'

'Now it's a tough old bird.'

'The helicopter, I mean!'

'We fly miles out to sea

'and there she is - Lusty.'

'This remarkable 20,000-ton helicopter and commando carrier

'has a top speed of 30 knots.'

# Ooh, a storm is threatening...

'This steel-hulled ship entered service in 1982

'and has seen action in all ten of our recent wars.'

'And there's been a Sea King on board this carrier since day one.'

# War, children

# It's just a shot away...

'I wonder how the 1,000 men and women who live on Lusty will feel

'when the very last Sea King is cleared for takeoff in 2016.'

'Whatever they're feeling inside,

'it'll be the job of the Commander Air

'to make sure it leaves in the correct fashion.'

Will you be sad to see this go?

Yeah, I think so. They've had a pretty good innings though.

There's not many photos of Illustrious

without a Sea King on deck over the last 30 years.

But this ship used to be able to land aircraft -

you'd have Harrier Jump Jets.

But now you're almost entirely reliant on helicopters.

Yep, purely helicopters.

If the weather conditions are terrible, what do you do?

They're all-weather, the same as the air handlers operate the deck -

they're all-weather air handlers,

so 24 hours, 365 days a year, whatever the weather may be.

-They're sitting out here.

-They're sitting out here.

And when you've got a lot of helicopters coming in and going out,

that must be difficult because you've got to coordinate it.

Yes, that's one of the challenges.

You've got to keep calm and not get cross with people.

There's nothing wrong with being cross with people!

Sometimes it helps! That's my job, to get cross with people.

-So you're allowed to be cross.

-I'm allowed.

Right, we'd better get ready and prepared. OK.

'The deck is buzzing with helicopters.'

'These might be her last days,

'but nobody said she would go quietly.'

'A few days from now, these aircraft will be in the Mediterranean.'

'Lusty will provide a wonderful platform

'for the final flights of the Sea King.'

'But I don't expect there'll be too much time wasted on farewells.'

CHORAL MUSIC

'But in Yeovil in Somerset,

'there's a man who might just shed a tear when his beloved helicopter

'signs off for good.'

'The model planes in this dusty old archive

'represent every single aircraft

'made here at AugustaWestland

'for the last 100 years.'

Reeooww...

'Suddenly, I'm eight years old.'

I remember this when I was a kid. The Dragonfly. That was something.

'It feels like Britain's flying past in someone's attic.'

Who has flown more Sea Kings than any other person in the world?

Flown in them? Probably me.

That's... Yeah, from the variety. From the variety. Yes, certainly.

I loved the Sea King from the first time I saw it.

It was a gentleman's aeroplane.

You walked up the steps into it.

It was a wife-and-child aeroplane.

You knew that if you went out in it,

you'd come back to your wife and children - it was that reliable.

How affected were you by the knowledge

that this was a hunter-killer helicopter?

Well, not at all actually,

because, as far as I'm concerned, I've always believed

that to maintain the peace, prepare for war,

but also the fact that this wonderful weapons system

was so readily turned into a system

for helping and for saving lives and for rescuing people.

I think that was a wonderful thing.

-That mattered to you as an engineer.

-Very much so. Makes you glow.

You think "Yeah, I helped with that. I helped you."

'That's what's so special about this helicopter -

'built to hunt and destroy, made for search and rescue.'

It's 28th October 1989.

We're 15 miles southeast of Start Point.

75 feet below us, in appalling weather,

the 12,000-ton motor vessel MV Murree is fighting for her life.

Soon after the start of her long voyage home

from Tilbury to Karachi in Pakistan,

she hit a terrible storm

and hurricane-force winds.

'A Sea King was scrambled from the Naval Station at Culdrose.'

'They'd been informed that there were 14 people on board,

'but as they approached, it was revealed

'that there were actually 40 people on the ship,

'including young children.'

'That's when Navy divers Steve "Shiner" Wright

'and Dave "Wally" Wallace entered the frame.'

'It's a truly extraordinary story.'

After my aircraft had filled

with as many casualties as they could fit into it,

my aircraft departed and I opted to remain on the vessel.

Shiner had been down there for about an hour beforehand

and he'd been taking charge.

He was starting to get tired, which was one reason that I went down.

Dave came down to the deck,

I left him down the back end, grabbed one of the ship's officers

and asked him to take me to the radio room.

As we ran onto the bridge, you could see the front end -

white water boiling over the top of all the containers.

Containers were snapping off, left, right and centre,

huge waves coming in.

We all looked out to the front of the vessel -

I didn't think we were going to make it.

I'd got back to the aft area

and Dave had evacuated six people by then.

That left four casualties plus Dave and I.

I looked Dave in the eye and I couldn't tell him

"We're not going to survive this."

I remember just before sending the last two up,

I said to Shiner "There's two left -

"you take one, I'll take the last one."

I knew that if Dave had been left on the vessel with a casualty,

his priorities would be looking after the casualty.

I knew that if it was just Dave and I left,

we'd taken the Queen's shilling, it was our job,

he wouldn't worry about me, I wouldn't worry about him.

Just do your own thing.

You think of all sorts of things

and maybe that's why I said "You go up with the second last one",

cos I was thinking of him

and then he thought about me and that it'd just be him and I.

The last two went into the strops

and were winched up to the aircraft.

I think we'd already signalled to Nige in the aircraft

to get a shift on

and it wasn't till he pointed to us and signalled for us to jump

that we thought "Bloody hell, this is it."

"Are we going to get away with this?"

The vessel upended. And from that

to completely underwater

in about 35 to 40 seconds.

The only option left was to jump.

I turned and said goodbye to Dave...

I said to Shiner "I'll see you on the other side, mate."

And we launched ourselves from the side of the vessel.

I knew it was a reasonably high jump, about 90 feet.

The longest jump ever. It was a long way down.

The worry was hitting one of the containers on our way down.

When I hit the water, the sea went from green to dark, to black really.

I was underwater, clawing to get back to the surface,

trying to hold my breath,

erm, and there was the involuntary... HE GULPS

The thing I'll always remember is looking over my shoulder

and I could see the actual ship going down beside me.

Eventually, I couldn't hold my breath any more.

I took an... an intake

and as I breathed in, my mouth hit the surface of the water

and it was fresh air that went in, not salt water.

Just started swimming for my life.

Then suddenly the winch hook appeared in front of me

and I can remember looking up

and Nige was signalling that he was going to take me in

and I signalled to him, basically "Where's Shiner?"

I could hear the aircraft in the background,

just sitting there, and watched the tail rotor appear over my head.

And four dinner-plate eyes looking down from the aircraft,

wondering was I alive or was I dead?

At which point I smiled

and there was a look of "You... so-and-so."

Yeah, big grin on his face, eyes wide open!

Looked across and there was Dave, on the wire, swinging towards me.

Helped him hook onto the winch hook and away we went.

Up to the aircraft we went, hugging each other.

We came close, but, hey, we're here

to fight another day.

'On their way back in the Sea King,

'one of the rescued sailors presented Dave with a life jacket.'

'On it, the sailor had quoted the following lines -

'"To the angels who come in the guise of men,

'"the Lord hath chosen thee

'"to perform the most profound of miracles - save life."'

'"You are what the world was made for."'

'Both men were awarded the George Medal for bravery.'

'In the early 1990s,

'the Royal Navy's Sea Kings had a new challenge,

'when they were deployed to the Balkans.'

'Once again, ZA298,

'now painted in the white and black of the United Nations,

'found itself at the sharp end of a conflict.'

'This time, it was shot in the tail after airlifting hundreds of people

'from the besieged town of Srebrenica.'

When you're flying like this, dressed like this,

it's very much part of the Sea King's role

as a military aircraft.

Everything about it feels like... wartime activity.

But the great thing about the Sea King is its civilian role,

completely different,

but, for the public, that's the role that people know so much better.

'This is St Mary's in the Scilly Isles.'

'For the locals, the Sea King has been a vital emergency link

'to the mainland hospitals for over 40 years.'

'They know that 771 Squadron

'are ready for every eventuality.'

'But even they can get a shock from time to time.'

'Nicky Hicks was in labour with her second child

'when things took a turn for the worse.'

Baby's heartbeat dipped and found he was in distress

so the decision was made to fly us to the mainland by helicopter,

so I remember being at the hospital and hearing the helicopter

over at the airport, which is only five minutes away from the hospital.

-You must've felt "I'm about to give birth."

-Oh, I did.

I remember saying "Please don't send me",

but they've got to do what they think is right for the baby,

so off we went and we were put on board the helicopter -

I think there were a few crew and a paramedic,

the midwife from here, the GP and my husband,

all aboard the helicopter

and off we went.

What I remember about it is feeling very anxious about my baby.

It was about ten minutes into the flight when I gave birth to Jacob.

A great moment.

It was quite frightening because the helicopter was dark, noisy,

couldn't hear what anyone was saying to me,

so I relied on their thumbs-up to know that my baby was OK.

-It was a healthy, nine-pound baby boy.

-Yes!

-But a glorious outcome...

-Yeah, fantastic.

-..after a terrible time.

-Yeah, definitely.

At the time, it was quite traumatic, but now it's a brilliant story.

Obviously, healthy baby boy.

Happy, healthy, born in a helicopter. Wonderful.

Getting him registered wasn't straightforward.

Had to be registered by the base where the aircraft was registered,

which was in Germany, so it's the Culdrose Naval helicopter

en route from Scilly to Truro.

-That's amazing.

-Yeah, pretty cool.

It is, and actually saying "en route". Isn't that lovely?

That's beautiful. You know exactly where you were born.

Yeah...

'In 2001, the world was shaken by the terrorist attacks

'on the Twin Towers in New York.'

'Once again, the Junglies were sent to Iraq.'

'Inevitably, ZA298 was amongst the first to arrive.

'Later, it would operate in Afghanistan.'

'The final years of the Sea Kings would prove to be the busiest.'

'During this time, the Royal Navy helicopters based in Afghanistan

'were led by the Control Commander of the Joint Air Group,

'Jock Gordon.'

It's like an old friend that's grown quite fat, quite heavy and wheezy.

We've had to put armoured floors and seats on it,

we've put ballistic protection to stop bullets coming through it,

but it still does what it says on the tin -

it's still flying around in 50 degrees temperature in Afghanistan.

You feel safe in it and you just know

that, when you take off, you'll get the job done and it'll get you back.

You got the impression that, if anything went wrong,

it would be my fault, not the aircraft's.

But back home, the Ace of Clubs was still on top.

771 Squadron was rescuing more and more people.

The connection between the British public and the Sea King

was about to grow even stronger

because of an event which took place right underneath us here

in Boscastle.

On August 16th 2004,

this Cornish village was the site

of the biggest ever air-sea rescue operation on British soil.

'On the ground, local people knew that this was no ordinary event.'

'Auxiliary coastguard Graham King was first to raise the alarm.'

RADIO: "We've got an incident at Boscastle."

"The river has burst its banks, a lot of people around."

"I think we should put a group page out, get the vehicle ready

"and let's try and get people out of the harbour area."

One of our friends, Scotty, from the Wellington Hotel,

was putting his wetsuit on and was pulling people out of cars

as they floated by.

This was a very serious situation.

I felt that helicopters were going to be needed

and made a second phone call.

'Lieutenant Commander Florry Ford was in Boscastle that day.'

We came round the harbour and that's when we saw the devastation.

It was like a disaster movie.

RADIO: "Jesus, these cars are flying past."

"Water's rising quickly as well."

Literally saw this foaming water come round the corner towards us

and amongst it was all these cars.

Dozens of cars, all sat up with their wipers going

and their indicators going

and we're thinking "What are we going to do?"

We started to hover taxi over each of the cars

to find out if anyone was in there, we were looking for movement.

And then we saw some movement in one of the cars,

so we hovered over the top and we noticed it was some dogs.

Although we wanted to go down and try and save them,

the next car might've had kids in or something,

so we had to make the decision to let the car go by.

'One month's rain fell in just two hours.'

'Two billion litres of water

'burst through the village.'

'In Boscastle's visitors' centre,

'the water was rising fast.'

'Trapped inside with other tourists,

'Kim and Andy Evans and their three children

'fled to the attic for safety.'

It was really small for 12 people.

It was claustrophobic - if we hadn't got to the attic, we'd've drowned.

-Yes, the doors quickly did go.

-Yes, smashed.

There were trees, phone boxes getting washed down this valley here

round the harbour and out to sea.

'Then - disaster.'

'A tree caught in the raging river

'smashed through the wall of the visitors' centre.'

The noise was like a bomb going off.

Until then, the building was intact.

When the tree hit, the front of the building went into the harbour,

out to sea. There was a quarter of the building left.

I remember thinking "What if some of us get out and the others don't?"

I think we all felt that "Maybe we won't get out of this."

There we so many mini incidents, they told us to save who you can

and that sends the shivers up your spine.

You went out the Velux window first.

I climbed up a slippery roof onto the top

-and you passed the children to me.

-We did. They all went out.

And those tiles were so slippery, as we tried to get out...

-Could've slipped off...

-Easily, and you'd've been in that water

and that was so scary.

Such an awful feeling,

knowing that, potentially, we could lose any one of you at any moment.

Everything was out of our control, there was nothing we could do

to save ourselves basically.

'Andy, Kim and their three children

'had made their final fateful move.'

'They were trapped on the rooftop.'

'They only had one hope left.'

The area was buzzing with helicopters

and every one of them was plucking people out.

"Winching in, they're well clear."

But would the helicopter rescue us before the building collapsed?

If you look at the car park, the right end of it,

that's where the visitor centre was. Not there any more.

There were children on the roof.

I remember feeling I was going to be thrown off the building...

Yes, the force of the wind.

The wind from the helicopter. I was just thinking "Hurry up!"

Using just hand signals,

we had to fight our way through the power cables,

so we had to manoeuvre the aircraft and then Bob went down.

He took Carl and Luke first,

he took them up one by one,

he went up with them.

I remember shouting up to you "That's one saved!"

One child safe and out of the danger.

The winchman came down and he put the strop around you

and remember what I said to you?

Give my brothers a hug and a kiss and tell them I love them.

I wanted you to do what I couldn't do myself at that point.

Then I remember feeling like I was falling out of the strap

and I was going to drown,

but when I got up there, I had a huge rush of relief.

We got the children in the aircraft and they were great - big grins.

They loved it. It was like being in the fairground.

I remember my feet slipping and I thought "I'm going in",

but then the strop caught me and I went up.

Looking down the Sea King helicopter

and seeing the faces of all the people who'd been rescued.

I remember seeing Carl, Luke and Emily's little face - petrified!

Soaked through. But realising, at this point, as a family unit,

we were together, completely safe

and we'd been rescued from a building

which was about to collapse.

It's changed all of us.

You know, it was a very traumatic thing

and it has changed us, no question.

And it has changed the village physically -

the river's wider, got a new bridge,

the river's deeper, the car park's changed,

several buildings were washed away and have been rebuilt.

Still a beautiful place and we still get lots of visitors.

So, yeah, it happened,

we're all trying to get over it still, I think,

but it's left its mark.

'There were seven Sea Kings

'in the air over Boscastle that day.'

'The combined skills of the Royal Navy and the RAF

'ensured that not one single life was lost.'

'In 2010, having racked up more than 40 years of service,

'the Sea King found itself thrust into the public eye once more.'

'Flight Lieutenant Wales - or Prince William -

'qualified as a search-and-rescue pilot

'based at RAF Valley in Anglesey.'

I'm proud to be amongst such committed guys

and privileged to be flying with the best pilots, I think, in the world.

'Much of the time, he's able to do his vital work

'out of the public eye.'

'But in the summer of 2012, the Prince was at the controls

'for one of the most heart-warming rescues of recent times.'

'Two sisters - 16-year-old Sharon and 13-year-old Tamara -

'were playing in the waves when they were swept out to sea

'off Anglesey in North Wales.'

If the helicopter hadn't come when it did, I wouldn't be here.

'The West sisters needed their prince.'

'Thankfully, he was only 38 seconds away

'and, thankfully, he brought a King with him.'

If it hadn't been for the Sea King helicopter

and, bizarrely, Prince William actually flying it,

I wouldn't be able to sit here today with my arm round my daughter

and I'm sure every parent knows how that feels.

The Sea King is about to end its military career -

this great old war horse is being retired.

But its departure heralds an even greater changing of the guard -

both the RAF and the Royal Navy's dedicated air-sea rescue squadrons

are being disbanded.

From 2016, our airborne search-and-rescue fleet

will be privatised.

This really is the end of the Sea King era.

MUSIC: "Heroes" by David Bowie

'It's no glamour puss,

'more of a brute than a beauty.'

'A few too many close shaves.'

-'But what a character.'

-# I would be king...

'It just never seems to know when it's beat.'

'And ZA298 was the king of them all -

'the Mk 4 Jungly, often bloodied, never bowed.'

'But, while on a mission in Afghanistan,

'the king of the Junglies was shot down again.'

'A Taliban rocket smashed through the aircraft,

'missing the pilots by inches.'

There was nothing we could do for the Sea King,

she was patently damaged beyond our immediate ability to repair.

At that point, our only responsibility was to stay alive.

'But Royal Navy Engineer Neil Copeland

'was not about to give up on the old aircraft yet.'

'He and his team of nine engineers

'spent four hours working on the Sea King

'just yards from the front line

'and the Taliban fighters that had shot her down.'

'Finally, they strapped 298 under a Chinook helicopter

'and flew her home.'

We lifted it out and brought it back to Bastion.

It was recovered to the UK, repaired,

it's been back at Yeovilton in December of this year.

It's a matter of pride,

to ensure you come home with everything you took out.

'Three times that aircraft has been shot down

'and three times he's got right back up again.'

'One of the most reliable aircraft in the Armed Forces.'

'The king of the Junglies.'

'So when something absolutely must get there on time,

'there's only one helicopter up to the task.'

'ZA298.'

TV REPORT: 'After more than two months in this country,

'the Olympic flame is getting used to dramatic entrances.'

'Perhaps this was the most spectacular yet.'

'Abseiled into the Tower of London from a Royal Navy helicopter.'

MUSIC: "Chariots Of Fire"

I can't say this is a beautiful aircraft,

but there's something about it

which is just very impressive.

You feel it's built to do a job,

it's here for a function, and it carries that out superbly.

So when you're on this plane,

you feel comfortable, you feel it's going to do its work,

it's going to get you home.

And that's a marvellous feeling. Just makes you feel safe.

I'm not superstitious, but that aircraft seemed to look after us.

I have a place in my heart for them.

You've got me out of some scrapes, you did well, old friend.

'What a bird.'

'It's nearly 50 years

'since the MoD ordered their first batch of Sea Kings.'

'Countless conflicts and thousands of rescues later,

'it can hold its bruised old head up proudly -

'job done.'

They saved our children and us.

Fantastic. I'll miss 'em.

I'm the only person ever born on a Sea King

and I'd like to say goodbye.

Everything comes to the end of its life, but it's sad to see them go.

Thank you. Thank you for saving my life.

Quite the very best of Britain's flying past.

Fit for a prince, queen of the skies,

king of the sea.

Farewell, old friend!

MUSIC: "This Is The Sea" by The Waterboys

# That was the river

# This is the sea

# And now if you're feeling weary

# If you've been alone too long

# Maybe you've been suffering from... #

Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd