Bismark,
This RN versus RAF squadron manpower thing is always coming around, the one thing the Navy always seem to forget is the size of the squadrons aircraft establishment. A SHAR outfit had 7 aircraft, a GR7 had up to 16, in the RAF a SHAR sized squadron would be called a Flight. I remember a mate of mine at Gut in the 80’s who was on the receiving end of a visit by some SHAR outfit, eventually the old topic of over manned Crab squadrons came up and my mate could NOT convince the daft web footed fool that the reason that his Harrier GR3 squadron of 21 aircraft had more manpower than the webbed ones Sea Harrier FRS1 squadron of 5 aircraft had something to do with the fact that they had 4 times as many jets!
Merlin HMA1 squadrons of 4 cabs? Of COURSE they will have less manpower than a proper sized RAF outfit.