This is the story as I remember it told, any inaccuracy is doubtless mine.
Chap I used to know brought a few of his university friends home and decided to “borrow” his dad’s boat and go for a sail. Cleared Portsmouth harbour, hard right and slap onto the Hamilton bank. Someone ashore dialled 999 and the Lee on Solent Wessex duly arrived. So the boat streamed an inflatable tender on a line into which the winchman duly descended and came aboard, subsequently removing the crew. When it came the turn of the chap who’s father owned the boat he said “Look chum, I could pretty well walk ashore from here and I don’t need rescue, how about a tow?” The winchman consulted and said “Well the skipper’s game. just don’t blame us if it tears your deck cleat out.” A tow was affixed and the cuddly old Wessex went chug chug and the boat came free quite readily. The winchman left assuring him that they would not be claiming any salvage since he had never given up command and control or somesuch and any way, they would be dining out on this story for a while. Boat duly returned to mooring and shhhh!
Then Yachting magazine arrives and there in a full page ad for an insurance company is HIS boat being towed by a helicopter!
Now this story sounds tall as hell to me but I could swear I remember seeing the picture. I have not been able to find it online and wonder if maybe anyone remembers seeing it somewhere.
By: Arabella-Cox - 17th January 2018 at 23:22
Tony, I’ve seen that Sea Knight pic before, Jeez, foreshortening, perspective, whatever, it gives me the willys!
By: snibble - 17th January 2018 at 20:58
11th January 2018, 14:30 #12 JagRigger JagRigger is offline
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Well I dug the book out, but am I allowed to post the pic ?
Book is actually British Service Helicopters by R Gardner & R Longstaff and the picture is Whirlwind HAS9 ‘589’ towing a 21 ft yacht aground off Portsmouth
That will be the one! If I remember the name “Cohort” was visible on the spray dodgers.
By: TonyT - 12th January 2018 at 11:04
And a reversal, boat towing a helicopter
By: TonyT - 12th January 2018 at 11:01
Sea Knight towing an Ice barge
By: JagRigger - 11th January 2018 at 14:30
Well I dug the book out, but am I allowed to post the pic ?
Book is actually British Service Helicopters by R Gardner & R Longstaff and the picture is Whirlwind HAS9 ‘589’ towing a 21 ft yacht aground off Portsmouth
By: J Boyle - 8th January 2018 at 23:53
The next best thing…a Whirlwind, actually a HO4S (H-19) towing a boat.
https://www.airspacemag.com/military-aviation/hey-lets-use-helicopter-tugboat-180949488/
I seem to recall a photo of a U.S. Coast Guard H-34 (Wessex in the UK) towing a boat in a book I read as a child, but I might be mistaken.
By: TonyT - 8th January 2018 at 19:18
Don’t forget the Sea Dragon which is the mine hunting version of the Ch53 Sea Stallion that tows a sledge behind it to detonate mines.
By: snibble - 8th January 2018 at 19:10
That may well be it. The bloke who told me the story wouldn’t know a Wessex from a food blender. I assumed, damned if I know why since I well remember the Whirlwind HAR9 from Lee.
By: ThreeM - 7th January 2018 at 10:28
Yes, Avion Ancien, this is the mark one version. The mark 2 version brought it up to date with a hard hat and high-vis gear! :highly_amused:
By: avion ancien - 7th January 2018 at 09:35
ThreeM, wasn’t that one of Duncan Sandys least successful defence cuts proposals advanced in his 1957 White Paper?
By: grizzly - 6th January 2018 at 22:35
There was project Tugbird
https://www.airspacemag.com/military-aviation/hey-lets-use-helicopter-tugboat-180949488/
By: TwinOtter23 - 6th January 2018 at 22:24
While not answering the OP’s question this ‘Viggen Sledding’ clip is in a similar vein!
By: ThreeM - 6th January 2018 at 22:07
A Whirlwind towing a boat? Almost as bizarre as this…
[ATTACH=CONFIG]258174[/ATTACH]
By: JagRigger - 6th January 2018 at 21:23
Somewhere in the loft I’ve a book called British ( military? ) Helicopters and I know there a photo in that of a Whirlwind towing a yacht
By: Arabella-Cox - 6th January 2018 at 20:07
Glad it didn’t end up like this!
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January 6, 2018 at 12:46 pm