Fantastic piece of kit, but it made a rod for the canadians backs because they could operate in sea states other nato ships couldn't so they got all the sh**y night tasking!
With a limit of 31 degrees roll and 8 degrees pitch. there is NOTHING anywhere in the world that can compete with these mad nutters!
I have been sitting on deck ready for launch - at night and a wave has engulfed the S61 and flamed one of the engines out!!!
You'd sit there rocking around feeling first the stbd then the port wheel lift off the deck like a sumo wrestler about to engage!
Recovery at night onto a 3000 ton bucking bronco is enough to age any pilot 10 years!
You move across the heaving deck, wait for the quiescent period (which lasts about 5 seconds) and then prey to God that you've hooked on and are being hauled down.
Very well trained and very brave pilots those canadians - hats off to them.
After shut down, another part of the beartrap system (attached to the tail wheel), is used to traverse the helo squarely into the hangar. All of this is done by the haul down officer whose head sticks out above the helideck inside a bulletproof bubble.
I was 'straightening' an S61 after it had shut down slightly askew on deck, in minus 30 degree OAT with ship heaving, when the tail wheel didnt want to straighten. The haul down hydraulics ripped off the tail wheel assembly and catapulted the entire arrangement overboard at Mach3!!
The 8 ton helo then "dropped" onto the deck from about a foot sending a booming shudder throughout the frigate.
Captain was not impressed and wanted to know why a 'brit' was running amok on the back of his boat!!
Great memories, but very hairy times - never to be repeated
