Very rare 50 year old Photo. Sycamore XG518 desert rescue.
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FED,
Thanks for the clear and visual description of the joys of Sycamore. Bit before my time (phew). Hats off to you and your brethren.
NutLoose,
Ahh, the 'educational cruises'. Mine was '74 around the med in a bucket entitled SS Uganda. We passed 'our' sister ship in the middle of the Med. While we shaked and rolled Eastwards in our tub, the sleek and velte lines of the Canberra going Westwards left us with more than a tinge of envy.
Eight years later, the SS Uganda later carried out honourable and respected work as a hospital ship 'somewhere down South', Canberra IIRC was converted to troopship config for same.
Camlobe
Thanks for the clear and visual description of the joys of Sycamore. Bit before my time (phew). Hats off to you and your brethren.
NutLoose,
Ahh, the 'educational cruises'. Mine was '74 around the med in a bucket entitled SS Uganda. We passed 'our' sister ship in the middle of the Med. While we shaked and rolled Eastwards in our tub, the sleek and velte lines of the Canberra going Westwards left us with more than a tinge of envy.
Eight years later, the SS Uganda later carried out honourable and respected work as a hospital ship 'somewhere down South', Canberra IIRC was converted to troopship config for same.
Camlobe
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Troopships
I just remembered the sister ship to SS Nevasa was SS Oxfordshire; both taken out of military use around 1962.
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NutLoose,
Ahh, the 'educational cruises'. Mine was '74 around the med in a bucket entitled SS Uganda. We passed 'our' sister ship in the middle of the Med. While we shaked and rolled Eastwards in our tub, the sleek and velte lines of the Canberra going Westwards left us with more than a tinge of envy.
Ahh, the 'educational cruises'. Mine was '74 around the med in a bucket entitled SS Uganda. We passed 'our' sister ship in the middle of the Med. While we shaked and rolled Eastwards in our tub, the sleek and velte lines of the Canberra going Westwards left us with more than a tinge of envy.
We then were due to arrive in Lisbon in the early hours of the morning, we awoke to find ourselves in Gibraltar, a failed military coup having taken place in Portugal as we were about to dock, hence the quick itinerary change, we then did Minorca, Majorca, Corsica, Naples, Capri, Pompeii, Stromboli, Rome, the Vatican etc.. we had loads of Canadians on board too.
My sister did her cruise on the Uganda, and mine on the Nevasa.
here you go, relive your history, that bucket carried on for another 12 years
ss Uganda virtual museum - Home
SS Uganda Trust Home Page
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What about the "chuff nut"?
Yes, the blades were wood with bullet type ends BUT the helicopter only had 5 threads on the "chuff nut" to keep the head and blades on and the chopper in the air.
BTW - the same 5 threads are still in existance on most choppers today.
BTW - the same 5 threads are still in existance on most choppers today.
Buster - Best reply I can make is "Very likely"!! My Arabic was (shamefully) very limited, spoken only and limited mainly to "expletives deleted"!!
The photo was taken outside the combined Sqn/Flt hangar for APCSS/ACS/84 Sqn and the newly formed ??? heli Flt. Can't refer to my logbooks at the moment as they are recovering from the house destruction in December
Sqn offices in view behind the tail rotor and a Valetta fin to the right of the nose. Fascinating few months introduction to 'fling-wing' operations.
The photo was taken outside the combined Sqn/Flt hangar for APCSS/ACS/84 Sqn and the newly formed ??? heli Flt. Can't refer to my logbooks at the moment as they are recovering from the house destruction in December
Sqn offices in view behind the tail rotor and a Valetta fin to the right of the nose. Fascinating few months introduction to 'fling-wing' operations.
It certainly looks similar to "Rescue", particularly the last two letters on the left:
Can't see anyone providing the answer to the original question on here (unless I've missed it), but XG518 was with 208 Sqn at Bahrein for this period.
I was flown to the Jufair Jetty in the (yellow) Sycamore after being winched from the sea during a dinghy drill, but didn't record the serial number in my log book.
Last edited by brakedwell; 28th Apr 2014 at 19:40.
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An old friend
As a very junior helicopter pilot (first tour!) I flew XG518 many times around the Aden Protectorate, in 1963 and 1964. I flew its final sortie from Khormaksar on 28 March 1964, landing on HMS Albion in the harbour with the other three Sycamores; we then had Whirlwind HAR 10s to play with.
So the photograph is of 518 "up country", probably on a training sortie.
XG518 finished up at CFS(H) Ternhill, where I met her again in 1965 for the instructor course.
Happy Days!
So the photograph is of 518 "up country", probably on a training sortie.
XG518 finished up at CFS(H) Ternhill, where I met her again in 1965 for the instructor course.
Happy Days!
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Tony Bell
Would welcome link to Tony Bell Sycamore Pilot RAF Khormaksar mentioned here earlier in this thread. Tony was a member of Aden Services Gliding Club at Sheikh Othman circa 1964. We have a Facebook page,Tony was mentioned today. All the best.
