Date:	Wednesday 22 April 1953
Time:	day
Type:	Westland Dragonfly HR.3
Owner/operator:	705 Sqn FAA RN
Registration:	WG672
MSN:	WA/H/42
Fatalities:	Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 3
Aircraft damage:	Destroyed
Location:	500 yards west of the Outer Spit Buoy at Spithead, Hampshire -   United Kingdom
Phase:	En route
Nature:	Training
Departure airport:	RNAS Gosport (HMS Siskin), Gosport, Hampshire
Destination airport:
Confidence Rating:	Information is only available from news, social media or unofficial sources

Narrative:
Westland Dragonfly HR.3 WG672/'703/GJ', 705 Squadron, RNAS Gosport (HMS Siskin), Gosport, Hampshire. Written off (damaged beyond repair) 22 April 1953 when ditched into the Solent Estuary, 500 yards west of the Outer Spit Buoy at Spithead, Hampshire. All three crew survived. According to a couple of contemporary newspaper reports:

"Portsmouth Evening News" - Thursday 23 April 1953
Helicopter in Sea.
Salvage craft left Portsmouth Dockyard this morning in an attempt to recover a Naval helicopter which crashed into the sea and sank 500 yards west of the Outer Spit Buoy at Spithead, yesterday afternoon. The pilot. Lt.-Cmdr. R. E. Wilson, R.N., and his crew of two, Midshipman B. Thompson, R.N V.R , and Upper Yardman (Air) B. Lamming, escaped unhurt.

The aircraft developed engine trouble during routine training programme, and dropped slowly on to the sea. The crew clambered out on top of the machine, and waited until it sank under them. Then they swam around for a few minutes before being picked up the Portsmouth destroyer H.MS Starling which was in close vicinity on patrol duty. The helicopter was operating from R.N Air Station, Gosport.

MARKER BUOY LEFT.
A marker buoy was left at the scene of the sinking, and this morning two Dockyard boats, with a chain between them, began sweeping the sea bed, which is 40ft below the surface. Operations began at 9 o'clock The Dockyard mooring vessel Moorfield (Master Mr P W. Kent) was ordered to stand by with divers, who would go down as soon as contact was made. It would be their duty to secure the wires for the lifting operation, which would be carried out by the Moorfield, specially fitted for such work".

"Portsmouth Evening News" - Friday 24 April 1953
HELICOPTER NOT YET LOCATED.
Despite an intensive search yesterday, Dockyard sweeping vessels failed to locate the naval helicopter which crashed into the sea and sank near the Outer Spit Buoy on Wednesday afternoon. The crew of three escaped unhurt. Sweeping, by means of a chain linking two small boats, was resumed this morning at a depth of about 40 feet. The Dockyard mooring vessel, Moorfield, equipped for lifting purposes was again standing by to-day waiting for contact to be made".

The Royal Naval Air Station (RNAS) at Gosport was named "HMS Siskin" from 1 August 1945 when it was handed over to the Navy from the RAF, but was was renamed "HMS Sultan" from 1 June 1956

Wreckage of Dragonfly WG672 recovered, and reportedly on the dump at HMS Siskin, RNAS Gosport, Hampshire in June 1953

1. Fleet Air Arm Helicopters Since 1943 (Ray Sturtivant, Mick Burrows & Lee Howard, Air Britain, 2011 p.20)
2. Portsmouth Evening News - Thursday 23 April 1953
3. Portsmouth Evening News - Friday 24 April 1953
4. http://sussexhistoryforum.co.uk/index.php?topic=8702.0
5. http://www.ukserials.com/results.php?serial=WG
6. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HMS_Sultan_(establishment)
7. http://www.ukserials.com/prodlists.php?type=398
8. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/705_Naval_Air_Squadron#Helicopter_flying_training_(1950%E2%80%931997)

Date/time	Contributor	Updates
21-Feb-2020 00:56	Dr. John Smith	Added
21-Feb-2020 07:41	Xindel XL	Updated [Operator, Operator]
21-Jul-2022 23:44	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Registration, Source, Narrative, Category]