Royal Navy

The following Royal Naval units from Royal Naval Air Station Culdrose will be attending the Mayday Mayday marine emergency services spectacular that is taking place in and around Falmouth Docks on Sunday 6th May between 10 am and 7pm.

The origins of Royal Naval Air Station Culdrose can be traced back to 1942 when Admiralty surveyors arrived to begin preliminary surveys over 750 acres of land on the Lizard Peninsula south of the town of Helston. Five years later, under the Command of Captain G C Dickens, Culdrose was commissioned as HMS SEAHAWK.

Designed as a wartime airfield with a life expectancy of about ten years, the air station was initially planned as a Naval Fighter School. It had three runways, could accommodate nine squadrons and had a complement of about 1500 personnel. The base rapidly developed other roles including, trials of the Navy's first jets, the training of Airborne Early Warning crews and became the home base for Front Line carrier based aircraft.

Over the years the operational emphasis has changed from fixed wing fighters to rotary wing but today, as the Typed Air Station (TAS) for the Merlin, the Royal Navy's new multi-mission helicopter, and the Sea King helicopter, the role of the air station remains largely the same:

"To deliver operationally capable squadrons and flights to meet the Fleet's requirements"

"To train aircrew and other aviation specialists for the Royal Navy"

"To provide 24 hour, 365 days-a-year military and civilian search and rescue cover for the south west region"

Carrying out these roles there are currently eight squadrons based at RNAS Culdrose:

For 75 or so aircraft to remain operational it requires a huge back-up organisation. Each squadron has a team of engineers responsible for the day-to-day maintenance and component replacement on operational aircraft. The Supply and Secretariat branch is responsible for pay, finance, catering, stores and spares support; Meteorologists provide weather forecasts, essential for the aircrew to plan and execute their tasks and Air Traffic Controllers to ensure the safe movement of aircraft.

RNAS Culdrose is one of the largest helicopter operating bases in Western Europe and one of the Royal Navy's most extensive shore establishments. With a workforce of about 2000 Service and 1000 civilian personnel it is Cornwall's biggest single site employer, employing about 1.5% of the county's workforce. Including its satellite airfield, Predannack on the Lizard Peninsula, it comprises a total area of 1512 acres.

Royal Navy Search and Rescue Divers

A Search and Rescue crew typically consists of two pilots, an observer, a winchman and, unique to the Royal Navy, a SAR diver, who can drop to 40 ft from the hovering helicopter to provide an independent surface, and sub-surface rescue capability in the open sea. There are a total of 12 SAR divers in the Royal Navy, 3 of who are currently attached to 771 Squadron.

SAR is a real team effort with no place for flashy heroics. Whether the scramble is for swimmers in distress, rescuing fisherman off the treacherous Cornish coast or 40 people off a sinking container ship in mountainous seas with winds of over 60mph, where the SAR divers have to jump off the ship's vanishing stern, it's not only the utmost professionalism that carries the day; but also personal dedication and courage.

SAR divers are non-commissioned aircrew who have completed tours on Anti-Submarine or Commando Squadrons and are fully qualified ships' divers. To be selected as a SAR diver each candidate must successfully complete a 2 day aptitude test, this is then followed by a demanding SAR specialist course before becoming a full time SAR aircrew member.

SAR divers have the option to go on and train as paramedics. 771 squadron is fortunate enough to have 3 out of the 4 fully trained Royal Naval paramedic SAR divers.

More often than not the diver will be winched down to the casualty especially in the case of land, cliff and coastline rescues. When rescuing people from lilos, lift rafts, or anything that is affected by the downdraft of a hovering aircraft, the diver will jump into the water and swim to the casualty unweighted, that is, with a buoyancy aid, fins, mask and snorkel. For sinking vessels, crashed aircraft or searching for casualties drowning under the water, the diver will use breathing apparatus which consists of inverted twin 5litre scuba tanks full of compressed air which weigh 41lbs/20kgs. Two sets of tanks are always carried on the aircraft, each one allowing 50 minutes diving time dependent on the depth of the dive, strength of the tide and difficulty of the task involved. At the extreme the apparatus allows the diver to dive to a safe depth of 30 metres for a maximum time of 18 minutes. Beyond these parameters the diver would either have to adopt a slow stop-go safe return routine to the water's surface, which in the case of an emergency is not acceptable; or following a rapid ascent to the surface, require his quick passage to the decompression chamber located in Plymouth. SAR divers wear a wetsuit all year round, despite the bitter cold seas in winter around the UK, which unlike a dry suit or warmer diving gear, is more flexible in use and much easier to maintain.

The diver's protective gear and breathing equipment ensure his advantage at sea over anybody else in a marine life saving operation.

Royal Navy Airfield Crash and Fire Rescue

With an average warning time of 5 minutes before an incident on the airfield, the Culdrose fire crews operate in a constant state of readiness. The knowledge that the crash on a runway of an aircraft complete with fuel and weapons on board, means the fire potential is as serious as it is constant and is something that the highly trained and motivated fire crews live with every day of their lives.

The base's fire station provides 24 hour fire cover for the airfield and any domestic incidents at Culdrose. There is a crew of 6 men on duty at any one time, and they also provide cover for the Culdrose satellite airfield at Predannack on the The Lizard. Culdrose occasionally provides cover for the local area and will deal with road traffic accidents in the immediate vicinity.

Culdrose fire crews liaise frequently with local fire brigades such as Falmouth and Helston who make use of the "Peewit" building, a purpose built facility designed with separate compartments in which many different domestic fire fighting scenarios can be created, ensuring training exercises are conducted in a controlled and safe environment.

Culdrose has a range of fire fighting vehicles and equipment available; 2 Major Foam Vehicles (MFV's), 4 Rapid Intervention Vehicles (RIV's) and an Incident Command Landrover.

Technical Specifications - RIV Engine Capacity - Detroit diesel 6V92TA turbo charged, water cooled, 475 bhp Maximum Weight - 15100 kgs Maximum Speed - 75 mph Roof monitor throw - 40 metres Bumper monitor throw - 35 metres Water tank capacity - 2275 litres/500 gallons Foam tank capacity - 275 litres/60 gallons Secondary agent - 100kgs monex dry powder

Amongst standard fire fighting equipment such as clanlukas cutting equipment, hydraulic lifting equipment and compressed airbags, is the unique "FC 90 Fireball". This is an air transportable extinguisher filled with 90 litres of flurochemical foam, it is designed to be transported underneath a search and rescue helicopter for use at an aircraft crash off the airfield. Its primary purpose is to allow firefighters to reduce and control a fire around the aircraft's 'critical area' to facilitate the evacuation of aircrew and passengers prevented from doing so by a flame mass.

Should the fire station receive an 'emergency state 3' callout, indicating an aircraft has crashed off the airfield, then 2 fire crew will automatically be transported to the 771 squadron search and rescue helicopter, pick up the fireball and be flown to the scene of the incident. The fireball provides immediate cover against the fire whilst the Station fire vehicles arrive.