Originally Posted by
Ahh de Havilland
The a/c was with 846 Squadron not 848 Squadron, note the crest behind the cockpit. Secondly 846 Squadron wasn't attached to HMS Bulwark at that date.
I think I have to challenge Ahh de Havilland's correction. If you slightly enlarge the photo in question there is clearly a red circle around the inside of the yellow outer part of the crest. That does indicate the aircraft belonged to 848 Squadron at that time as the red circle is part of the 848 crest. The 846 crest of a winged horse with a serpent in a wavy blue/white sea is totally different.
Also from Lee Howard's excellent new book "Fleet Air Arm Helicopters since 1943", XT471 was allocated to 848 in May 1971 with side letters VF/A when on Albion and VF/B when on Bulwark. There were several incidents whilst on 848 from that time until XT471 was allocated to RNAY Fleetlands on 17/12/75 including damage to blade folding mechanism on Albion on 5/8/71 and a starboard engine failure on deck of Bulwark on 7/6/73. So this helo was definitely allocated to 848 on Bulwark in summer 1973 as indicated in the text alongside the photo taken on 24/7/73 in Savoia's post #835.
XT471 was reallocated to 848 in June 1982 for the Falklands conflict and after that went to various other units before dumped at Dishforth by June 1994. There is no record of the airframe ever being allocated to 846 Squadron.