Corgi AA39102 Westland Whirlwind HAS Mk VII, XN387 – Royal Naval Air Service Eglington 1961

The Whirlwind HAS.7 was the first dedicated anti-submarine helicopter supplied to the Royal Navy. They usually worked in pairs, one with the type 146 sonar and the other with a mk30 passive ASW torpedo carried in the recessed bay in the fuselage. In 1960 719 NAS was activated at HMS Sea Eagle at Eglinton, County Londonderry as part of the Joint Anti-Submarine School, operating with the RAF Shackletons based out of RAF Ballykelly. XN 357 was assigned to the Squadron in May 1960 and on 7th February 1961 it lost power off the coast off Northern Ireland and ditched into the sea. Fortunately there were no casualties amongst the crew who were all safely picked up.