I see in some of the formation pictures there is a Mk4 with the Gannet aircraft.
As someone who served on the SAR flight for a number of years I am Intrigued as to why, it has never been used at Gannet either when it was a frontline base or after it became the SAR flight. any ideas?
I may know one reason. The primary role of the Mk4 fleet was to "effect a simultaneous two company lift of Royal Marines", so tended to stay near their customer. The Mk4 fleet hasn't been able to do that for at least 30 years, and is why the RN were to get 108 Merlins, half of which were to supplement the SH fleet. At the same time (late 80s), Mk4 was to be retrofitted with surveillance radar; partly to have parity with the Mk5 SAR fleet. The 108 was chopped to 40-odd ASW only and the retrofit finally cancelled in 1995 (the radars having lain in store for 10 years!). The more obvious issue arising from this is that it is evidence of conscious rundown of the SH fleet(s), when various politicians claimed we had sufficient during various recent conflicts.