Royal Navy Rescue

[FD2]

Albert

Your post is rather nasty and puerile. Perhaps you can supply some instances of the RN 'killing survivors', for our enlightenment?

I was pointing out that the helicopters are equipped with that sort of weaponry to fulfil their various roles at sea, for which the crews are adequately trained. Some of the helicopters are rather simple machines like those the RAF fly (apart from the late Sea King) because they are designed to carry troops from A to B and back but may have a big noisy gun mounted in the cabin door. The Chinook is very complicated as a machine but still fulfils that role.

If someone is in distress at sea then there is a legal obligation to go and help but those crews are not specifically trained in SAR techniques, which Crab and perhaps you are? There is not really a role for them to do that, it's just what they'll do if they are able to help. Of course there will be accidents from time to time but flying's never an entirely safe endeavour, no matter how many rules, regs and SOPs over-keen people can come up with, is it?


Crab

Get a life! You're like a dog, just waiting for that bell. Was your mother abandoned by a horrid, hairy matelot when you were a kid?

I dare say that if a frontline RAF crew (not a SAR crew of course, back in the day) was picked at random to go and do a complicated and difficult SAR task there might also be the occasional problem. Ah, but come to think of it they could no doubt refuse the task, couldn't they? Rules and regulations eh? At sea there is no one else who might be able to do it - it's all down to you personally. In the past some accidents have happened because it was and is very difficult to refuse your captain at sea, even when conditions were/are below minimums and some people have been over-eager and exceeded their capabilities but it's mainly because when people are dying in front of you it's difficult to do nothing, isn't it? My conscience wouldn't allow it.

Instead of continuing the childish inter-service sniping, you might acknowledge that there are many people alive today (with grateful families) who have been plucked off sinking ships, oil rigs etc all around the World by Royal Navy crews (e.g. Steel Vendor), just as there are many likewise who were rescued by the Royal Air Force (e.g. Finneagle) around our coasts. Some good friends of mine were in the RAF and we used to enjoy the odd bit of inter-service banter but yours has just become boring and tedious and your 'arguments' evasive and circuitous. Having the last word isn't always so clever, even if you think that defending 'your' service is the right thing to do, come hell or high water.

Out.