Royal Navy search and rescue facilities

Extract

The very nature of Naval flying and carrier operations in the maritime environment has always given rise to a requirement for an efficient rescue facility during both peace and war. When safety at sea was solely dependent on surface units it was perhaps natural that a faster aerial vehicle with some form of rescue capability would eventually arrive and as we now know the ubiquitous helicopter became that vehicle.

The military requirement to save people from the sea has been with the Navy for a very long time and that lonely feeling of being by oneself in the water has raised many a heartfelt cry.

Helicopter SAR was conceived in the Royal Navy with the advent of the S51 Dragonfly in 1951. This was the first service helicopter to have a winch. During the time that helicopters were proving their worth in Korea we formed 705 Squadron at Lee-on-Solent with the primary task of developing the SAR role. Initially none of the equipment was standardised and improvisation was the keyword.