Busy GANNET SAR - During the course of one afternoon a Search and Rescue SEA KING HAR.5 Helicopter from HMS GANNET (Prestwick, Ayrshire) had an eventful time, as under:-

·         Tasked from training at 1305, the Royal Navy SEA KING routed from just outside Kilmarnock to Helvellyn where a father and son had fallen on Browncove Crag.     Keswick Mountain Rescue team had also been called out and a Helimed helicopter was also in attendance.   The SEA KING had a doctor from the Emergency Medical Retrieval Team in Glasgow on board for routine training.

·         Then second job that afternoon was at Swirral Edge to attend a fallen walker.    The Patterdale Mountain Rescue team was also attending as was the Helimed helicopter which was standing by.

·         The third job of the day – was a call to another injured walker, this time on Lord’s Rake, Scafell Pike.     The SEA KING was routed to Wasdale to collect Mountain Rescue team which was moved close to where the female casualty had fallen.    The SEA KING assisted with the “packaging” of the casualty on a stretcher.

·         The SEA KING was then routed to Carlisle Hospital for its second visit of the day, and with fuel  running low another splash and dash was required when the fourth tasking of the day came in for another fallen walker, this time at St Sunday Crag, Patterdale.    Arriving on scene it was clear that they would have to winch down to get the casualty ready for a winch recovery to the aircraft.   Both Patterdale and RAF Leeming Mountain Rescue Teams were also in attendance.

The SEA KING finally arrived back at HMS GANNET at 1910, after more than six hours of back to back jobs in the Lake District.