Obviously can't agree with your first paragraph there Pheasant. After all, it was a certain RN 2* ex-Cmd JHC who sat down in front of the Merlin crews and told them that the Merlin would transfer, that 24 new chinooks would replace them, that they'd all remain employed and at benson. Is that not the biggest whopper of the lot ? If HE had stood up to the defence sec during SDSR, maybe those chinooks would be coming and this whole thread be mooted.
I do agree though that Maritime aviation should be done by maritime aviators. I will caveat though that with a bit of training it's not beyond the capabilities of the light blue, conniving, evil crabs.