| Wessex | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Former Royal Navy Wessex HU.5 of the Historic Helicopters Collection, in 2022 | |
| General information | |
| Type | Helicopter |
| National origin | United Kingdom |
| Manufacturer | Westland Aircraft Westland Helicopters |
| Primary users | Royal Navy |
| Number built | 382 |
| History | |
| Manufactured | 1958–1970 |
| Introduction date | 1961 |
| First flight | 20 June 1958 |
| Retired | 2003 (Royal Air Force) |
| Developed from | Sikorsky S-58 |
TheWestland Wessex is an earlyturbine-powered helicopter produced by the British rotorcraft specialistWestland Aircraft (laterWestland Helicopters). It was anunder licence development of the piston-enginedSikorsky S-58.
During the mid-1950s, Westland arranged with the American helicopter manufacturerSikorsky Aircraft to demonstrate one of its S-58s in Britain to garner sales. Having secured an order from theRoyal Navy (RN), Westland implemented several modifications to the S-58 design ahead of quantity production in the UK. One major change from Sikorsky's S-58 was the replacement of the piston-engine powerplant with aturboshaft engine; while early models were powered by a singleNapier Gazelle engine, later builds used a pair ofde Havilland Gnome engines. The use of a turboshaft engine was credited with increasing payload capacity while reducing both vibration and noise levels.
The Wessex was first introduced by the RN in 1961; it was the service's first purpose-build anti-submarine helicopter. Multiple variants of the type were introduced, including more capable anti-submarine models (enabling early Wessex HAS.1s to be reassigned tosearch and rescue (SAR) duties) and a dedicated battlefield transportation variant, the Wessex HU.5; the latter was equipped with two Gnome engines that provided double the power of the HAS.1's single powerplant. TheRoyal Air Force (RAF) also opted to procure the Wessex, using it for troop-transport, air ambulance and ground support missions; it was the first RAF helicopter that suitable for instrument flight and thus night-time operations. Several sales also made to overseas customers; several overseas military services flew the Wessex, including theRoyal Australian Navy, theBrunei Air Wing, and theSultan of Oman's Air Force amongst others. Furthermore, a limited number of civilian rotorcraft were also produced. In British services, the Wessex had an operational service life in excess of 40 years, the last examples in Britain being withdrawn during 2003.
In the early 1950s, Sikorsky developed the S-58, an improved version of the S-55, which had entered service as the H-19 with the United States. The United States Navy issued a contract in 1952 for the S-58, entering service as the HUS-1, the Army placing a contract in 1955 as the H-34, and the Marine Corps in 1957 (as the HUS-1).[1] During 1962, these names were standardized to using the H-34, with additional prefixes and letters according to that U.S. designation system.[2] Westland had already made a version of the predecessor, the S-55, as theWestland Whirlwind.[2]
In 1956, an American-built S-58 was shipped to Britain for Westland to use as a pattern aircraft. Initially assembled with itsWright Cyclone, it was demonstrated to the British armed services leading to a preliminary order for the Royal Navy.[3] For British production, it was re-engined with a singleNapier Gazelleturboshaft engine, first flying in that configuration on 17 May 1957.[4] The lighter (by 600 lb or 270 kg) Gazelle engine required some redistribution of weight. The first Westland-built WessexserialXL727,designated aWessex HAS.1, first flew on 20 June 1958.[4] The first production Wessex HAS1 were delivered to Royal Navy'sFleet Air Arm (FAA) in early 1960; the Wessex was the first helicopter operated by the FAA to be purpose-designed from scratch as an anti-submarine platform.[5]
In service, the Wessex was found to be a major improvement over the olderWestland Whirlwind. The decision made by Westland to install a modern gas-turbine powerplant gave the Wessex a greater load capacity, was quieter and generated less vibration, the latter quality being highly beneficial when treating casualties during flight. The Gazelle engine allowed for rapid starting and thus faster response times.[5] The Wessex could also operate in a wide range of weather conditions as well as at night, partly due to its use of an automatic pilot. These same qualities that made the Wessex well-suited to the anti-submarine role also lent themselves to thesearch and rescue (SAR) mission, which the type would become heavily used for.[5]
An improved variant, the Wessex HAS.3, succeeded the HAS.1 in the anti-submarine role; it had a more capable radar and better avionics, greater engine power, improved navigational features and a more advanced weapon system; the original HAS.1 were re-tasked for SAR duties.[5] A commando assault variant, the Wessex HU.5, was also developed as a battlefield transportation helicopter; it was deployed on the navy'samphibious assault ships, such as thecommando carrierHMS Albion, and used to transportRoyal Marines.[6] The Wessex HU.5 was powered by coupledde Havilland Gnome engines, which provided nearly double the power of the original HAS.1 model and significantly extended its range. This enabled it to operate in a wider range of conditions; during the 1970s, the HU.5 also started to be used for the SAR mission.[5]
As an anti-submarine helicopter, the Wessex could be either equipped with a dippingsonar to detect and track submarines or be armed with eitherdepth charges ortorpedoes; a single Wessex could not search for and attack submarines as this was beyond its carrying capability. It was this limitation that soon led the Royal Navy to search for a more capable helicopter that could provide this capability. This ultimately resulted in Westland proceeding with the adaptation and production of another Sikorsky-designed helicopter in the form of theWestland Sea King.[7][8]
The Wessex was also used as a general-purpose helicopter for the RAF, for troop-carrying, air ambulance and ground support roles. The Wessex was the first of the RAF's helicopters in which instrument flying, and thus night operations, were possible.[9] Unlike the Navy's Wessex fleet, which was largely composed of early single-engine models, the RAF mandated that its Wessex helicopters should be all twin-engined; this was a major factor in the RAF's decision to reject the adoption of ex-FAA Wessex helicopters as the Navy migrated to the newer Sea King.[10]
The Wessex was first used by the Royal Navy, which introduced the Wessex HAS.1 to operational service in 1961. Having been satisfied by the favourable initial performance of the Wessex but seeking to improve its avionics and equipment, the Navy soon pressed for the development of the improved HAS.3, which came into service in 1967. Operationally, younger models would be assigned to perform the key anti-submarine warfare and commando transport missions, while older and less capable models would be typically be assigned to land bases for search and rescue (SAR).[5]
The RAF became an operator of the Wessex in 1962; those helicopters used for air-sea or mountain rescue duties helped make the Wessex a particularly well known aircraft of the service and contributed to the saving of many lives during its time in service. As one of the RAF's standing duties, multiple Wessex helicopters were permanently kept on standby to respond to an emergency located anywhere within 40 miles of the British coastline within 15 minutes during daytime. At night, this response time was increased to 60 minutes.[11] SAR-tasked Wessex helicopters were also stationed abroad, such as atCyprus.[12] The qualities of the Wessex were described as being "ideal for mountain flying".[13]
The Wessex often found itself being used on the battlefield as a utility transport; as well as delivering supplies and equipment, the Wessex could also transport small groups of troops.[14] Operationally, the Wessex could lift less than the RAF'sBristol Belvedere helicopters, but was more robust and required less maintenance; thus, when the Belvedere was retired at the end of the 1960s, Wessex squadrons were often tasked with their former duties in support of the British Army on an ad hoc basis.[15] In large-scale helicopter assault operations, the type could be escorted by the RAF'sHawker Siddeley Harriers.[16] The HC.4 variant of theWestland Sea King began to replace the Wessex in this capacity from the late 1970s onwards, although troop-carrying missions would continue into the late 1990s.[17]
The Wessex's service career featured long-term deployments to both Hong Kong and Northern Ireland to support internal security operations, performing transport and surveillance missions.[18] In Northern Ireland, the use of helicopters for supply missions proved a viable alternative to vulnerable road convoys; operations in this theatre led to the employment of various defensive equipment and countermeasures against the threat posed by small arms andshoulder-launched anti-air missiles.[19]
Wessex helicopters were also used by theQueen's Flight of the RAF to transportVIPs including members of theBritish royal family;[12] in this role, the helicopters were designated HCC.4 and were essentially similar to the HC.2, differences included an upgraded interior, additional navigation equipment and enhanced maintenance programmes.[20] BothPrince Philip andthen-Prince Charles were trained Wessex pilots; occasionally they would perform as flying crew members in addition to being passengers on board the VIP services.[21] The Wessex was replaced in this role by a privately leasedSikorsky S-76 in 1998.[22]
In 1962,an international crisis arose asIndonesia threatened confrontation over the issue ofBrunei, which was not in the newly formedFederation of Malaya. By February 1964, a large number of RAF and RN helicopters, including Westland Wessex, were operating from bases inSarawak andSabah to assist Army and Marine detachments fighting guerilla forces infiltrated by Indonesia over its 1,000-mile frontier withMalaysia. Much of the anti-submarine equipment having been removed to lighten the aircraft, during the campaign inBorneo the Wessex was typically operated as a transport helicopter, capable of ferrying up to 16 troops or a 4,000-pound payload of supplies directly to the front lines.[23] Alongside theWestland Scout, the Wessex emerged as one of the main workhorses of the campaign; roughly half were operated directly from land bases and would regularly rotate with those stationed on RN vessels stationed off shore.[24][25] From these operations theCommando Helicopter Force gets its nickname of theJunglies.[26]
Around 55 Westland Wessex HU.5s participated in theFalklands War, fighting in the South Atlantic in 1982. On 21 May 1982, 845 Squadron's Wessex HU.5s supported British landings on East Falkland. The type was heavily used throughout the conflict for the transportation and insertion of British special forces, including members of theSpecial Air Service and theSpecial Boat Service (SBS).[12] A total of nine Wessex (eight HU.5s and one HAS.3) were lost during the Falklands campaign.[27] Two HU.5s of 845 Squadron crashed on theFortuna Glacier inSouth Georgia during an attempt to extract members of the Special Air Service during a snow storm; six of 848 Squadron's Wessex HU.5s were lost when the container shipAtlantic Conveyor was sunk;[28] and the HAS.3 aboardHMSGlamorgan was destroyed when the ship was struck by anExocet missile.[29]
The last in UK service were retired in 2003. These were HC2 models used by the RAF.[30]
A civilian version of the helicopter, the Wessex 60, was also manufactured and supplied to a number of civilian operators, includingBristow Helicopters, one of the biggest rotary-wing operators in the world.[31] Bristow flew them from various UK airfields and helicopter pads to support the growingNorth Sea oil industry until they were withdrawn in 1982.
In April 1961, the Royal Australian Navy (RAN) announced that they had selected the Westland Wessex to become the standard service helicopter from their ships and its intention to purchase roughly 30 for anti-submarine patrols, casualty evacuations, and fleet communications duties.[32] The RAN formally accepted the first two of 27 Wessex helicopters in September 1963;[33] 817 Squadron was the first to operate the type; the Wessex and its dunking sonar array quickly proved to be the most effective anti-submarine platform as yet seen in the RAN.[34][35]
The Wessex was a major operational shift for theFleet Air Arm, enabling the RAN to proceed with the conversion of the aircraft carrierHMASMelbourne as an anti-submarine platform.[36] In typical carrier operations, a Wessex would be deployed during the launch and recovery of fixed-wing aircraft as a guard helicopter; during anti-submarine patrols, routine procedure was to have one Wessex airborne to actively screen the ship while a second would be fully armed and prepared for operations, such an arrangement was used during troop transport deployments byHMASSydney to Vietnam during the 1960s.[35] Performing search and rescue sorties became another valued role of the type; in 1974, multiple Wessex helicopters participated in the relief effort inDarwin in the aftermath ofCyclone Tracy.[35]
While the Wessex proved to be too large to reasonably operate from most of the RAN's destroyers, it was found to be well suited as a troop-transport helicopter from heavy landing ships and larger vessels.[37] By 1980, the Wessex was no longer being used for anti-submarine operations, having been replaced by the more advanced and capableWestland Sea King in this capacity. Instead, remaining Wessex helicopters were retained to perform its secondary roles as a plane guard, search and rescue platform, and as a utility transport helicopter.[35][38] The type was withdrawn from service in 1989.[39]
In 2019, one retired Wessex HU.5 was restored to flying condition, after having last flown 30 years ago. After a 10,000 hour expert restoration, HU5 XT761/ G‑WSEX took flight again in Somerset, England.[30]
_(cn_WA561)_Bristow_Helicopters._(5694298990).jpg)
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| External videos | |
|---|---|
 Westland Wessex from RAF Aldergrove on exercise with Mourne mountain rescue team | |
| Wessex performing various maneuvers during public display |
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Data from Westland Aircraft since 1915[102]
General characteristics
Performance
Wessexes portrayed the visually similarCH-34 Choctaws inStanley Kubrick's 1987 filmFull Metal Jacket.[104] The helicopters used were Wessex 60s, a civilian version of the Wessex HC.2. These are powered by the coupled-twinde Havilland Gnome[105] with a distinctive long nose and single large turbine exhaust on each side, distinguishing them from the CH-34. XT761 was featured in season 4 ofThe Crown depicting Tom Byrne as the thenPrince Andrew visiting the Queen.[citation needed]
Related development
Aircraft of comparable role, configuration, and era
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See also:Sikorsky S-61 family • Sikorsky S-70 family | |||||||
