Fairey IIID ‘D’ being recovered on slipway.

Fairey IIID ‘D’ S1825, probably same aircraft as above on beach with winch cable attached. 

“By: Fargo Boyle – 11th June 2024 at 23:52 

I’d love to see more, I grew up in Fareham, and remember HMS Daedalus as it was then in the 60s and 70s being the base for Sea Devons and Herons. The Sea Tiger G-AIVW(?) regularly operated from the slipway in the 60s, I was too young to have a camera then, any shots of that?”

We’re probably of similar ages. I started spotting in 1965 and the first civil reg. that I logged was G-ANFM the red and silver Tiger Moth glider tug of the Naval Gliding Club at Lee. As you say, Sea Devons and Herons were based at Lee together with a couple of Sea Princes. The College Of Air Training at Hamble used Lee for circuits by day and night. Firstly with Chipmunks and Apaches and then with Cherokees and Barons after re-equipment. The Southampton University Air Squadron was based at Lee with Chipmunks and later Bulldogs.

In recent years I have been pleased to see G-ANFM at fly-Ins at Popham, now in a yellow/silver scheme. She seems to have aged better than me! 

Thanks for that very detailed information.

A Swordfish (not sure which one) was back at Lee to-day for the D-Day 80 event as part of of the Navy Wings trio with the Harvard and Reliant. 

Thanks for all that Baz. 

I had thought, wrongly it seems, that K3846 may have been some sort of trials aircraft. Possibly involved with torpedo drop testing at the nearby torpedo range at Stokes Bay.