Corgi AA37606 Westland Wessex HU5 – No 845 Squadron, Fleet Air Arm, Royal Navy, HMS Bulwark 1969

The Westland Wessex is a British turbine-powered version of the Sikorsky S-58 developed under license by Westland Aircraft (later Westland Helicopters), initially for the Royal Navy, and later for the Royal Air Force. The Wessex was built at Westland’s factory at Yeovil in Somerset. The Wessex HU (Helicopter Utility) Mk.5 was a Commando Assault version for the Royal Navy, which could deploy 16 Royal Marines Commandos and equipment from ship to shore in a tactical assault. There were 101 of this variant built, serving on the carriers HMS Albion and Bulwark. Delivered to Nos. 845 and 848 Sqns in the early 1960s, the type gave stalwart reliable service until officially withdrawn in 1986.