By . Ben Griffiths . PUBLISHED: . 14:01 EST, 12 January 2014 . | . UPDATED: . 06:12 EST, 13 January 2014 . The pilots of Rescue 193, a Royal Navy  Sea King search and rescue helicopter, could hear the screams of an expectant mother above their roaring engines as she gave birth in the back of their aircraft. The pair glanced at each other across their cockpit but did not dare look back into the helicopter’s darkened cabin. There a team of airmen and a midwife were busy working by torchlight to deliver a baby boy. Rescue 193 is the callsign given to the duty Sea King that remains on 24-hour standby at Royal Naval Air Station Culdrose in Cornwall ready to rescue people across south west England. Prepared: Naval Air Squadron Sea Kings on the ground at Culdrose, Cornwall, awaiting a call to attend an emergency . Drop: The squadron hovers above a boat during a training exercise . On that particular October evening heavily pregnant Ella McLachlan was being lifted to the Royal Cornwall Hospital at Treliske, near Truro. Baby Marcus was born at 5lb 3oz around two miles south east of Truro. His early arrival meant the helicopter landed with eight persons on board instead of the seven it took off with. Despite the unusual drama, this was just one incident in a typically unpredictable shift for the crews of 771 Naval Air Squadron. The unit flies eight of the famous grey and red Sikorsky Sea King helicopters based at Culdrose, where they stand guard over the rugged coastline and western approaches up to 200 miles out to sea. Squadron boss Commander Martin Shepherd explains that his crews and helicopters are on constant standby to rush to the aid of those in distress. During the day they can scramble at 15 minutes’ notice and at night within 45 minutes. 'There are very few careers where on a daily basis you feel you have had such a positive effect,’ he says. ‘There's this incredible satisfaction for a job that has a quantifiable result.’ Ready: Petty Officer Mark Richardson prepares to be winched from the Sea King onto the deck of a passing vessel . Emergency response: Observer Lt Commander Andy Watts winches aboard the helicopter's stretcher . Equipment: The team throw down a winch ready to bring the stretcher up from the boat's deck . The crucial role the squadron plays – whether rescuing sailors from stricken fishing vessels, searching for missing walkers or ferrying emergency cases to hospital – means that every year they conduct 300 or more rescues, frequently in extremely challenging weather. Shepherd says: ‘Aviation is very tightly controlled by regulation to keep everyone safe. But when everyone else is putting the aircraft into the hanger, we will be launching in conditions that are extremely testing.’ Before sending his helicopter crews on leave this Christmas, Shephard reminded them of the role they had played in assisting hundreds of people, many of whom would be dead without the Royal Navy’s intervention. ‘I told the crews to think, as they sat down to eat their turkey dinners, that there would be 300 people going to be sat around with their families after rescues we had made,’ Shephard says. Despite the festivities, the 60th year of the Royal Navy’s search and rescue service did not end quietly. Helicopter crews were called into action more than two-dozen times as the foul weather lashed Britain almost non-stop during the festive season. History: For nearly half a century, the 771 Naval Air Squadron, known as the Ace of Clubs has saved thousands of people in life or death situations . On the edge: Two of the troops lean out of the door of the aircraft while they are stationed above the stranded boat . View: The crew catches a glimpse of view cliffs as the Sea King passes alongside the rugged Cornwall coast line . During the holiday period flyers from Culdrose and HMS Gannet in Prestwick, Scotland, saved or helped more than 20 fishermen, stranded walkers and medical cases. Invited to witness the work of 771NAS for myself, the Navy offered to fly me on a search and rescue training mission. After a thorough briefing about the aims of the mission we’re about to experience, it’s off to the equipment room to be kitted out for flight over the sea. Once encased in rubber immersion suit, leather gloves and boots and cumbersome helmet I’m ready to go. Soon we’re walking across the concrete parking ramp to the waiting Sea King. Our helicopter, number XV648, is the oldest Sea King still in British military use. It is blasting out hot and smelly exhaust gases, vibrating under the power of its two Rolls-Royce Gnome turbine engines, each producing more than 1,400 horse power. Once aboard, the aircraft is cramped, noisy and the rear cabin where the observer and aircrewman work is dark, the only natural light coming from a giant side door which is latched open during winch operations. Members of the crew talking continuously over the intercom between themselves and over the radio to air traffic controllers make it hard to follow out what’s going on sometimes. Inside the cockpit: The Sea King is 1950s technology and XV648 is the oldest in 771 fleet . Pilot:  Steffen Volkwein, who is is on an exchange posting from the German Navy, takes the controls during the practice operation . As this is a live training mission, we are soon lifting off from Culdrose and heading out to see. Soon we’re hovering near a co-operative merchant ship which has agreed to allow a stretcher and crewman to be winched down onto its deck. Petty Officer Mark Richardson is lowered from the open door, the stretcher soon following behind him to demonstrate how casualties are rescued from ships at sea. Richardson is no stranger to danger. He was the crewman on duty last November when a 21 metre French fishing boat, the Panamera, started sinking and he had to pluck five sailors to safety. On this flight he is assisted by Chief Petty Office Andy Penrose, also a trained paramedic, who is there to assess Richardson’s performance. The aircraft commander is veteran Observer Lieutenant Commander Andy Watts, who will leave the Navy after more than 30 years when the Sea Kings retire. He's retraining to be a primary school teacher but describes his time on the Royal Navy’s search and rescue force as ‘the best job I have ever done’. Once Richardson is safely back aboard, the Sea King flies to a nearby quarry where the crew show us how they can land the helicopter in tight spaces. Treatment: Petty Officers Andy Penrose and Mark Richardson practise medical techniques on a mannequin . Assistance: One of the crew members try their hand from the observer position as the winch prepares to pull the stretcher up . Next it’s my turn to experience being dropped out on the winch line, which is no thicker than a pencil and can extend to 245 feet. Watts signals me to come forward to the door from my seat inside the helicopter. I’m sitting with my legs dangling over the edge as we hover about 100 feet over the cliffs near the Lizard. The view down is not for those suffering from vertigo. Watts slips the winch over my shoulders and under my armpits and then I’m pushed out of the door. The sensations are overwhelming as I swing just metres below the moving rotor blade, waves crashing below my feet. The winch whirrs and I’m lowered down on the grass where Mark Richardson clips himself to the harness and the two of us are rapidly lifted back to the helicopter. The sight of the Sea King’s belly as we’re raised from the cliffs is exactly what injured sailors would see as the Navy arrives to help them. Back onboard: Two of the crew members are winched up onto the helicopter, pictured left is Petty Officer Mark Richardson . View from below: A crew member holds on to the winch as he leans out of the helicopter . It’s a relief to be safely back inside the warm aircraft. I can only imagine how comforting it must be to be helped aboard in a real emergency by these real-life heroes. If the glamorous end of naval aviation is reserved for the aircrews, the engineers fulfil a vital role. Without them, none of the Sea Kings would ever get airborne and the pilots would be stuck on the ground. 771’s Engineering Officer Lt Cdr Stuart Cantellow, who has 130 engineers and technicians working for him, explains that the Sea Kings are 1950s technology but have been constantly upgraded. Cantellow, who joined the Navy having been sponsored through university, says: ‘It now takes longer and longer to maintain. It takes 30 man hours to achieve one flying hour. Aircraft need servicing after every flight and lots of maintenance. 'All of the airframes are older than me. Most have more than 10,000 hours of flying time – more than a year aloft. The whole Sea King fleet here has 1.54m flying hours and still have 64,000 hours to go until retirement.' Waiting: The squadron are perched mid-flight as they make their way to a vessel during the training exercise . On time: Lieutenant Commander Andy Watt checks his watch as he briefs the crew on board . Sea Kings have been flying since 1969 and Cantellow reckons that every day they are asked to do things that are more demanding than a Grand Prix car. ‘It is the equivalent of three or four Formula One races every day,’ he says. Like the ageing Sea Kings, Royal Navy search and rescue is coming to the end of its life. By 2017 a US-owned company, Bristow Helicopters, will take up the mantle having won a £1.6bn outsourcing contract designed to modernise the operation and introduce a fleet of new aircraft. Although the decision has attracted some public controversy, there is no sign of bitterness among the crews on 771 NAS. Commander Shepherd admits that any reduction in the military’s role is ‘not something you would necessarily welcome’. But he explains that some of his men and women will transfer to the new venture, while others like Andy Watts will leave the Navy. Regardless of what the crews on 771 do next, they will move on with a lasting memories of the 10-tonnes Sea King. ‘There is a lot of affection for the Sea King because for a lot of us it is the aircraft we learned to fly and fight in,’ Shephard says. ‘This is where I cut my teeth.’ Forward planning: Petty Officer Mark Richardson (left) and Veteran Sea King Observer Lt Commander Andy Watts breif the crew ahead of the training mission . In flight: Observer Lt Commander Andy Watts, the commander of Sea King XV648 .
The pilots of Rescue 193 can be scrambled in 15 minutes during the day and are on 24-hour standby .
Unit flies eight Sikorsky Sea King helicopters based at Culdrose, Cornwall, guarding the rugged coastline .
Aircraft uses two Rolls-Royce Gnome turbine engines, each producing more than 1,400 horse power .
Helicopter crews were called into action more than two-dozen times during the stormy weather over the festive period .
By . Ben Griffiths . PUBLISHED: . 14:01 EST, 12 January 2014 . | . UPDATED: . 06:12 EST, 13 January 2014 . The pilots of Rescue 193, a Royal Navy  Sea King search and rescue helicopter, could hear the screams of an expectant mother above their roaring engines as she gave birth in the back of their aircraft. The pair glanced at each other across their cockpit but did not dare look back into the helicopter’s darkened cabin. There a team of airmen and a midwife were busy working by torchlight to deliver a baby boy. Rescue 193 is the callsign given to the duty Sea King that remains on 24-hour standby at Royal Naval Air Station Culdrose in Cornwall ready to rescue people across south west England. Prepared: Naval Air Squadron Sea Kings on the ground at Culdrose, Cornwall, awaiting a call to attend an emergency . Drop: The squadron hovers above a boat during a training exercise . On that particular October evening heavily pregnant Ella McLachlan was being lifted to the Royal Cornwall Hospital at Treliske, near Truro. Baby Marcus was born at 5lb 3oz around two miles south east of Truro. His early arrival meant the helicopter landed with eight persons on board instead of the seven it took off with. Despite the unusual drama, this was just one incident in a typically unpredictable shift for the crews of 771 Naval Air Squadron. The unit flies eight of the famous grey and red Sikorsky Sea King helicopters based at Culdrose, where they stand guard over the rugged coastline and western approaches up to 200 miles out to sea. Squadron boss Commander Martin Shepherd explains that his crews and helicopters are on constant standby to rush to the aid of those in distress. During the day they can scramble at 15 minutes’ notice and at night within 45 minutes. 'There are very few careers where on a daily basis you feel you have had such a positive effect,’ he says. ‘There's this incredible satisfaction for a job that has a quantifiable result.’ Ready: Petty Officer Mark Richardson prepares to be winched from the Sea King onto the deck of a passing vessel . Emergency response: Observer Lt Commander Andy Watts winches aboard the helicopter's stretcher . Equipment: The team throw down a winch ready to bring the stretcher up from the boat's deck . The crucial role the squadron plays – whether rescuing sailors from stricken fishing vessels, searching for missing walkers or ferrying emergency cases to hospital – means that every year they conduct 300 or more rescues, frequently in extremely challenging weather. Shepherd says: ‘Aviation is very tightly controlled by regulation to keep everyone safe. But when everyone else is putting the aircraft into the hanger, we will be launching in conditions that are extremely testing.’ Before sending his helicopter crews on leave this Christmas, Shephard reminded them of the role they had played in assisting hundreds of people, many of whom would be dead without the Royal Navy’s intervention. ‘I told the crews to think, as they sat down to eat their turkey dinners, that there would be 300 people going to be sat around with their families after rescues we had made,’ Shephard says. Despite the festivities, the 60th year of the Royal Navy’s search and rescue service did not end quietly. Helicopter crews were called into action more than two-dozen times as the foul weather lashed Britain almost non-stop during the festive season. History: For nearly half a century, the 771 Naval Air Squadron, known as the Ace of Clubs has saved thousands of people in life or death situations . On the edge: Two of the troops lean out of the door of the aircraft while they are stationed above the stranded boat . View: The crew catches a glimpse of view cliffs as the Sea King passes alongside the rugged Cornwall coast line . During the holiday period flyers from Culdrose and HMS Gannet in Prestwick, Scotland, saved or helped more than 20 fishermen, stranded walkers and medical cases. Invited to witness the work of 771NAS for myself, the Navy offered to fly me on a search and rescue training mission. After a thorough briefing about the aims of the mission we’re about to experience, it’s off to the equipment room to be kitted out for flight over the sea. Once encased in rubber immersion suit, leather gloves and boots and cumbersome helmet I’m ready to go. Soon we’re walking across the concrete parking ramp to the waiting Sea King. Our helicopter, number XV648, is the oldest Sea King still in British military use. It is blasting out hot and smelly exhaust gases, vibrating under the power of its two Rolls-Royce Gnome turbine engines, each producing more than 1,400 horse power. Once aboard, the aircraft is cramped, noisy and the rear cabin where the observer and aircrewman work is dark, the only natural light coming from a giant side door which is latched open during winch operations. Members of the crew talking continuously over the intercom between themselves and over the radio to air traffic controllers make it hard to follow out what’s going on sometimes. Inside the cockpit: The Sea King is 1950s technology and XV648 is the oldest in 771 fleet . Pilot: Steffen Volkwein, who is is on an exchange posting from the German Navy, takes the controls during the practice operation . As this is a live training mission, we are soon lifting off from Culdrose and heading out to see. Soon we’re hovering near a co-operative merchant ship which has agreed to allow a stretcher and crewman to be winched down onto its deck. Petty Officer Mark Richardson is lowered from the open door, the stretcher soon following behind him to demonstrate how casualties are rescued from ships at sea. Richardson is no stranger to danger. He was the crewman on duty last November when a 21 metre French fishing boat, the Panamera, started sinking and he had to pluck five sailors to safety. On this flight he is assisted by Chief Petty Office Andy Penrose, also a trained paramedic, who is there to assess Richardson’s performance. The aircraft commander is veteran Observer Lieutenant Commander Andy Watts, who will leave the Navy after more than 30 years when the Sea Kings retire. He's retraining to be a primary school teacher but describes his time on the Royal Navy’s search and rescue force as ‘the best job I have ever done’. Once Richardson is safely back aboard, the Sea King flies to a nearby quarry where the crew show us how they can land the helicopter in tight spaces. Treatment: Petty Officers Andy Penrose and Mark Richardson practise medical techniques on a mannequin . Assistance: One of the crew members try their hand from the observer position as the winch prepares to pull the stretcher up . Next it’s my turn to experience being dropped out on the winch line, which is no thicker than a pencil and can extend to 245 feet. Watts signals me to come forward to the door from my seat inside the helicopter. I’m sitting with my legs dangling over the edge as we hover about 100 feet over the cliffs near the Lizard. The view down is not for those suffering from vertigo. Watts slips the winch over my shoulders and under my armpits and then I’m pushed out of the door. The sensations are overwhelming as I swing just metres below the moving rotor blade, waves crashing below my feet. The winch whirrs and I’m lowered down on the grass where Mark Richardson clips himself to the harness and the two of us are rapidly lifted back to the helicopter. The sight of the Sea King’s belly as we’re raised from the cliffs is exactly what injured sailors would see as the Navy arrives to help them. Back onboard: Two of the crew members are winched up onto the helicopter, pictured left is Petty Officer Mark Richardson . View from below: A crew member holds on to the winch as he leans out of the helicopter . It’s a relief to be safely back inside the warm aircraft. I can only imagine how comforting it must be to be helped aboard in a real emergency by these real-life heroes. If the glamorous end of naval aviation is reserved for the aircrews, the engineers fulfil a vital role. Without them, none of the Sea Kings would ever get airborne and the pilots would be stuck on the ground. 771’s Engineering Officer Lt Cdr Stuart Cantellow, who has 130 engineers and technicians working for him, explains that the Sea Kings are 1950s technology but have been constantly upgraded. Cantellow, who joined the Navy having been sponsored through university, says: ‘It now takes longer and longer to maintain. It takes 30 man hours to achieve one flying hour. Aircraft need servicing after every flight and lots of maintenance. 'All of the airframes are older than me. Most have more than 10,000 hours of flying time – more than a year aloft. The whole Sea King fleet here has 1.54m flying hours and still have 64,000 hours to go until retirement.' Waiting: The squadron are perched mid-flight as they make their way to a vessel during the training exercise . On time: Lieutenant Commander Andy Watt checks his watch as he briefs the crew on board . Sea Kings have been flying since 1969 and Cantellow reckons that every day they are asked to do things that are more demanding than a Grand Prix car. ‘It is the equivalent of three or four Formula One races every day,’ he says. Like the ageing Sea Kings, Royal Navy search and rescue is coming to the end of its life. By 2017 a US-owned company, Bristow Helicopters, will take up the mantle having won a £1.6bn outsourcing contract designed to modernise the operation and introduce a fleet of new aircraft. Although the decision has attracted some public controversy, there is no sign of bitterness among the crews on 771 NAS. Commander Shepherd admits that any reduction in the military’s role is ‘not something you would necessarily welcome’. But he explains that some of his men and women will transfer to the new venture, while others like Andy Watts will leave the Navy. Regardless of what the crews on 771 do next, they will move on with a lasting memories of the 10-tonnes Sea King. ‘There is a lot of affection for the Sea King because for a lot of us it is the aircraft we learned to fly and fight in,’ Shephard says. ‘This is where I cut my teeth.’ Forward planning: Petty Officer Mark Richardson (left) and Veteran Sea King Observer Lt Commander Andy Watts breif the crew ahead of the training mission . In flight: Observer Lt Commander Andy Watts, the commander of Sea King XV648 .
January 2014 . The pilots of Rescue 193, a Royal King that remains on 24-hour standby at Royal grey and red Sikorsky Sea King helicopters based at Culdrose, where they stand guard over the those in distress. During the day they can were called into action more than two-dozen times non-stop during the festive season. History: For alongside the rugged Cornwall coast line . During Gnome turbine engines, each producing more than 1,400 horse power. Once aboard, the aircraft is