Categories: Helicopters : Westland : United Kingdom : Wessex : Corgi
Westland Wessex HAS3 XM328 (RN 737 Sqn) (1:72 scale by Corgi AA37605)
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The Wessex XM328 was built at Yeovil in 1959 as a pre-production HAS.1 anti-submarine warfare helicopter for the Royal Navy, then between 1965 and 1968 forty-three of the original Wessex HAS.1 variants, including XM328, were upgraded to Mk.3 specification.
From 1970 it was stationed at RNAS Portland in Dorset with 737 Naval Air Squadron. I was assigned there to operate from several of the County Class guided missile destroyers.
In their shipborne anti-submarine role, the HAS.3s could carry two homing torpedoes or four depth charges in addition to their dipping sonar. They could also be fitted with a door mounted machine gun.
The XM328 remained in service until after the Falklands conflict period in 1982 where it sailed with HMS Antrim on her second deployment to the South Atlantic. It was transferred to 772 Squadron when 737 Squadron disbanded on 4th February 1983 and returned to Portsmouth with HMS Antrim in March 1983, then was flown back to Portland. For the next twenty years it was used as a ground training aircraft by the School of Aircraft Handling at RNAS Culdrose. In May 2004 it was finally withdrawn from use and transferred to The Helicopter Museum at Weston-Super-Mare where it is on display today.
1:72 scale (approx. 22cm / 8.7in long) - made by Corgi.
Limited edition of 1501 pieces worldwide complete with numbered certificate.
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