Off thread I know, but....QTG for no extra points whatsoever, the warship in the phot is HMS Reclaim, the last stream recip in the RN, a quick googling reveals that it probably assisted in a few other salvage operations, at some stage Reclaim as diver support vessel assisted in the salvage of a ditched HAS Mk 1 "off Portland" (yet no doubt you are right in the location since you were there) in Nov 1974 or 1975, allegedly "in foul weather under the noses of some russian spyships unquote".
Coincidence is that the skipper of Reclaim at the time was Lt Cdr John Parry (now sadly RIP), whose son Chris is currently a very senior and successful (Adm ??) Observer in the RN today with previous ASW SeaKing and Wessex III experience.
Google again revealed there is a website called "Dorset Aircraft Crashes", there was a good spread of ditchings in that era, by chance the 31 March 1976 Sea King XV 669 had an 820 NAS fleet number starting with a 4 and came from HMS Blake:
20-5-71 XM875/PO516 Wessex 771SQ cr in sea off Portland.3 killed
14-07-71 XP174/521PO Wessex Has3 737SQ cr in sea off Portland
15-11-71 XP116 Wessex HAS3 737Sq cr in sea off Portland
13-1-72 XV645/PO529 Sea King 737Sq cr in sea off Portland
16-2-72 XS121/PO435 Wessex HAS.1 737SQ cr in sea off Portland
28-01-72 D-ANEF Viscount 814 Lufhansa crashed on landing Hurn.
damaged and withdrawn from use
24-6-73 G-ASHF C-150C Broke up in midair over Poole Harbour
2-8-73 XV675/665PO Sea King HAS.1 737 Sqd Ditched off Portland
15-7-74 XP138/654PO Wessex HAS3 737Sq Ditched off Chesil Bank- 3 killed.
19-11-74 XV644 664/PO Sea King HAS1 737 Sq Ditched and sank 20 miles S of Portland.
Recovered on 27.11.74
22-11-74 XX136 Jaguar T2 A&AEE cr nr Brockington Farm .
Wimborne St Giles- engine fire
25-7-75 Balloon "Gerald Heineken"hit power
lines at Coles Farm,Langton Matravers
31-03-76 XV669 BL/410 Sea King HAS1 820 Sq RN ditched in the English Channel off Portland
during a sortie from HMS Blake
18-7-78 XP105/403DV Wessex Has3 737Sq ditched off Isle of Wight.
4-8-78 XS507/PO513 Wessex HU5 772Sq Rolled over landing at Portland,badly damaged
13-9-78 XP110 Wessex HAS3 737Sq Ditched 15 miles off Portland Bill EF
12-5-79 G-AXLH Nipper hit trees close to Hurn
24-7-79 G-BGLP F.172N Forced Landing Holmsley South on delivery
flight Reims to Hurn .Slid into a ditch on landing and written off.
29-4-80 68-057 F-111A 20TFW Hit hill nr Mapperton(w of Sturminster Marshall)
2 crew killed
22-5-80 XT763/515PO Wessex Hu5 772SQ Ditched in Wetymouth Bay
27-6-80 XP156/663PO Wessex Has3 737SQ Cr in sea off Portland - 3 killed
24-9-80 G-ASFF Pa-23 Ditched off Bournemouth
11-3-81 XM872/662PO Wessex HAS3 737SQ Ditched south of Durdle Dor
after engine failure.Lt Brian Gell & Lt Martyn Reid rescued by
Wessex XS149(John Connell)..Lt Geoff Mackett
rescued by SAR Wessex 5(Lt Andy Mckie- 772Sq)
15-7-81 XP118/664PO Wessex HAS3 737SQ Ditched 15M S of Portland
(Pilot Brian Gell (see XM892 above)
22-5-82 G-DAVI TU.206G Crashed Bellamy Farm,Piddletrenthide
when a parachute opened in flight- wearer
was pulled out of aircraft and
tangled with tailplane.At least 2 persons killed
pp
Last edited by peterperfect; 15th March 2008 at 23:21.
Reason: new info