It’s the end of the road for the Royal Navy’s venerable Big Dipper as maritime exercise ASWEX 04 saw the final flight of the anti-submarine variant Sea King Mk 6.

Embarked in Type 22 frigate HMS Cornwall, 771 Naval Air Squadron B Flight’s ZA169 – known to its friends as Red Bull – notched up 35 hours in the air in just over seven days flying.

Working alongside the new Merlin helicopter from 814 NAS, the Sea King still proved its value as a submarine hunter, using its 2069 Variable Depth Sonar to track ‘enemy’ submarines over significant distances despite poor acoustic conditions.

With occasional minor problems leaving the Merlin on the flight deck, the Sea King was called on to ensure the flotilla was protected from the below-surface threat at all times.

On completion of the exercise, ZA169 and the spare aircraft at 771 NAS, ZD634, had their sonar equipment removed – including the ‘dipper’ or sonar sensor which is lowered into the water to pick up the sounds of submarines.

That act signalled the end of more than 30 years of service for the ASW (anti-submarine warfare) variant.

The two aircraft will now become utility helicopters, with B Flight joining their sister flight as a Search and Rescue (SAR) and HDS (Helicopter Delivery Service) flight on board one of the carriers.

“Over the last 30 years or so, the Sea King has provided the Royal Navy with an organic ASW helicopter second to none,” said Lt Nige Terry, Flight Commander of B Flight, shortly after he landed for the last time on the flight deck of HMS Cornwall.

“And during ASWEX 04 the aircraft yet again proved itself to be a superb ASW platform.”

His Flight Observer, Lt Rob O’Kane, said: “This is a sad day for pingers throughout the Royal Navy, although I am sure the submarine community will disagree – we could almost hear the champagne corks popping from beneath the waves!”

The Westland Sea King is a British variation of the American Sikorsky SH3D, built under licence in the UK, using British engines and avionics on the basic American airframe.

The first prototype ASW variant (HAS 1) flew on May 7, 1969, and the Intensive Flying Trials Unit formed up in the August of that year.

The aircraft went front-line with 824 NAS in 1970, with 819, 826, 706, 810, 814 and 820 Squadrons all following suit.

The helicopter has embarked in most aviation-capable ships of the Fleet since then, taking part in numerous operations around the globe.

The Mk 6 had a major role in the Falklands Conflict in 1982, flying more than 5,000 hours, and it also proved to be a valuable asset in the waning Cold War and in the Gulf, former Yugoslavia, Sierra Leone, as well as the current and ongoing international war against terrorism.

The aircraft also provided search and rescue cover for the Fleet, and were prominent in disaster relief operations such as the Mozambique floods.

The aircraft has been extensively upgraded since it first flew with the Navy. The HAS 2 entered service in June 1976, and metamorphosed into the HAS 5 in November 1980.

The final version of the ASW Sea King, the HAS 6, came into service in November 1989 – but now that the Merlin has spread its wings, the Sea King’s rule in the ASW field is over. Or in pingers’ parlance, the Sea King will now go down in history as the ultimate ‘Big Dipper’.

771 NAS B Flight will embark in HMS Cornwall for the final time on the ship’s forthcoming deployment to the USA for Exercise Aurora 04, with the Sea Kings embarked in the utility role – still with a key role to play in the major amphibious exercise.

To mark the end of Type 22 Sea King operations, a celebration is to be held while HMS Cornwall is alongside in Falmouth next month.

Any former Type 22 Sea King aircrew or maintainer who is interested in joining the celebrations, on Friday April 23, should contact Lt Rob O’Kane, the Flight Observer, on 01326 552591.