Three of the aircrew who died early on Saturday morning when two Sea King helicopters collided over the Gulf have been named.

The two Mark 7 airborne Surveillance and Control aircraft from 849 Naval Air Squadron A Flight were based at the RN air station Culdrose, near Helston in Cornwall, and all three men named lived in the county.

Lt Antony King (34), from Helston, joined the Navy in 1987, gaining his wings as a Sea King Observer in 1990, and had recently been selected for promotion to the rank of lieutenant commander.

He served in HMS Ark Royal in the 1991 Gulf War, and also served in the Adriatic, winning medals for both deployments.

Tony leaves a wife, Sarah, and two children, David (5) and Molly (4).

Lt Philip West was also a Sea King Observer, having joined the Service in 1992 after a stint in the University RN Unit at Salford.

Phil, known as ‘Stretch’ because of his height of 6ft 4in, gained his wings in 1994, and was awarded a medal for his time in HMS Invincible in the Adriatic deployment of 1996.

Phil (32) was due to marry his fiancée Nicky, a nurse, this August, and the couple had been working hard at converting a barn.

Lt James Williams (28), from Winchester, went to Liverpool University in 1994 where he met his fiancée Sarah.

James joined the Navy in January 1999 and trained as a Sea King Observer, winning his wings last July. He joined 849 NAS A Flight in January this year, and the Gulf was his first deployment.

His parents Vernon and Liz recalled how proud James was to wear his uniform, and said that he died doing the job he loved most.

The names of the remaining four victims of the crash, one of them an American, have not yet been released.