SAILORS at RNAS Culdrose have been busy training and getting everything ready for one of their biggest operations since the Cold War.Next Monday, nine of the latest Merlin helicopters carrying more than 250 personnel will fly off from the base near Helston.Their home for four weeks will be the Atlantic Ocean on broad the aircraft carrier HMS Illustrious. They will take part in continuous operations to hunt for French and British submarines shadowing the carrier in an exercise code named Deep Blue.Commander Ben Franklin, in charge of the Merlin helicopter fleet at Culdrose, said crews were deployed to ships around the world – but this Deep Blue was exceptional for its size and complexity.
A former Observer on Sea King helicopters, Commander Franklin, 47, said: "I was doing Cold War ops off carriers in the 1980s. But this new generation haven't done anything on this scale before. I can tell you though, they are ready for it."When you go to carrier ops, then you are in a whole different league."The group is due to fly out of Culdrose in formation at around midday next Monday.Commander Franklin added: "We'll be undertaking force protection, that's making sure ships and task groups are safe."That includes surface protection, such as from small boats, for instance we do a lot of anti-piracy work."Our primary role however is in anti-submarine protection and that is where the Merlin is world class.
"It's packed full of equipment that enables us to locate submarines."Once we locate a submarine then they are in a world of pain. Of course, if they get a firing solution on one of our ships, then we are in a world of pain."The exercise is designed to test the group's ability to keep three helicopters continually in the air looking for submarines 24 hours a day.Taking part are 18 flight crews of four men for each helicopter, flight deck crews, engineers and support staff – a total of more than 250 Culdrose personnel.They will be pushed to work around the clock flying, refuelling and repairing the aircraft – known in Navy jargon as a 'ripple'."We are the insurance policy that you hope you are never going to cash in," added Commander Franklin."While it is exciting and it's not going to come without some challenges, this is what we do and what we're paid to do."Heading up the Culdrose carrier air group is Naval Air Squadron 820 with helicopters and personnel from 824 and 829 Squadrons and 814 in support.This will also be one of the last operations for HMS Illustrious which is to be scrapped later this year. Her replacement, the carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth, will be ready for active service in two years' time.
Read more: http://www.westbriton.co.uk/Navy-base-RNAS-Culdrose-set-biggest-Merlin/story-21158185-detail/story.html#ixzz33Ni71pqv
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