Westland Wessex






	The Westland Wessex, like the Sea King, was based on an American type, the Sikorsky S-58, & was developed to replace the Bristol 192, the Royal Navy's first ASW helicopter. The original version of the Wessex was the Rolls-Royce Gazelle powered HAS.Mk 1. This was replaced by the HAS.Mk 3 (the 'Camel'), which had a search radar above the rear fuselage. Only two ship-borne Wessexes were sent to the Falklands (aboard HMS Glasgow & HMS Antrim), as most of the others had been replaced by Westland Sea Kings. XP142 of HMS Antrim crippled the Argentine submarine Santa Fe with depth-charges & machine-gun fire. This was retired to the Fleet Air Arm museum when it arrived back in the UK. The HMS Glasgow's Wessex, XM837, was the last aircraft to be destroyed in action during Operation Corporate, destroyed by a shore-fired Exocet while it was in its hangar. The Wessex also had an assault helicopter variant, the HU.Mk 5, which was produced in larger numbers than the ASW variants. All of the HU.Mk 5s in service at the time were sent to the Falklands with the Royal Marines, although all of 848 Squadron's Wessexes were destroyed aboard the Atlantic Conveyor. Despite these losses, the Wessex still played an important role in Operation Corporate, a Wessex of No. 847 Squadron knocking-out the Argentine HQ in Port Stanley Police Station with an AS.12 missile. Wessexes were exported to the Royal Australian Navy, Brunei, Ghana & Iraq, & some are still believed to be in service.




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