Quick Overview

Corgi 1:72nd reproduction in diecast of a Westland Wessex FAA 737, RNAS out of Portland, England, 1978. Wessex XM328 was built at Yeovil in 1959 as a pre-production HAS.1 anti-submarine warfare helicopter for the Royal Navy. Between 1965 and 1968 forty-three of the original Wessex HAS.1 variants, including XM328, were upgraded to Mk.3 specification. From 1970, it was stationed at RNAS Protland, in Dorset, with 737 Naval Air Squadron where it was assigned to operate from several of the County Class guided missile destroyers. In their ship borne, anti-submarine role, the HAS.3s could carry two homing torpedoes or four depth charges in addition to their dipping sonar. They could also be fitted with a door mounted machine gun. XM328 remained in service until after the Falklands conflict period in 1982. It sailed with HMS Antrim on her second deployment in the South Atlantic, was transferred to 772 Squadron when 737 Squadron disbanded on February 4, 1983, returned to Portsmouth with HMS Antrim in March 1983 and was flown back to Portland. Then, for twenty years, it was used as a ground training aircraft, by the school of Aircraft Handling at RNAS Culdrose. In May 2004, it was finally withdrawn from use and transferred to The Helicopter Museum at Weston-Super-Mare, where it is on display today.

Designed by Sikorsky as a US Navy anti-submarine military helicopter, the CH-34 Choctaw first flew on March 8, 1954. This prolific aircraft saw action in Vietnam and is one of history's most successful helicopters, flown on every continent with the armed forces of 25 nations. It has served in an anti-submarine role, as VIP transport, for troop and utility transport and as a search and rescue vehicle. Under various designations, Choctaws have been operated by the US Marine Corps, the US Navy, the US Army and the coast guard. The type also served with the Royal Navy and Royal Air Force as the turbine-engined Wessex.