Navy 177 on Exercise at Moffat
Moffat Mountain Rescue Team has had a long relationship with the Royal Navy helicopters from the Prestwick Search and Rescue Squadron, HMS Gannet.
Over the years the team has trained and worked operationally with the Sea Kings flying from the Prestwick base. When the base was an operational defence base then sometimes the helicopter would be a full military version but mostly we would have the red and grey cab pictured here.
Inside Navy 177
The team would often be deployed onto the hill by the helicopter saving a long walk uphill. The crews we dealt with were always the professionals and we got to know a number of the crew personally and would always have good “banter” with the crew while getting on with the job in hand. On a callout the helicopter would switch callsign to Rescue 177. This would sometimes happen mid exercise and if the callout was not in our area a quick landing could mean a long walk home for the team members who were in the cab at the time!
Inside Navy 177
In days of the past a fuel bowser would arrive at the annual joint exercise to provide fuel support meaning the helicopter could stay all day for an exercise. On other occasions a breakdown might mean that we would see both Navy 177 and the backup Navy 178.
The helicopter would provide a great resource for deployment onto the hill and searching for the casualty. This could often greatly reduce the search time on an incident as the crew spot the casualty and either land on to treat the casualty or help with the extraction.
On 31 st December 2016 Navy 177 will retire from service and handover to Coastguard 999 now also based at Prestwick. Moffat MRT looks forward to working with the new asset but will fondly remember the Sea Kings from HMS Gannet and the other helicopters that would visit us from RAF Boulmer or further afield.
Many Thanks Rescue 177 from Moffat Mountain Rescue Team
Smoke as Navy 177 arrives
Prepration for a Casualty Winch
