The Helicopter that Sank a Submarine

The Argentinean Submarine Santa Fe found itself in the crosshairs of relentless adversaries. From the deck of HMS Antrim, a Wessex helicopter descended upon its unsuspecting prey. The Wessex unleashed a thunderous assault, hurling depth charges into the depths below.

Other British vessels nearby quickly dispatched more helicopters to support the pursuit. Among them were several Westland Wasps, the first British helicopters to see naval use. Decommissioned a few years before and brought back into battle to serve the British Navy once more, the Wasps were desperate to prove they still had some fight in them.

Like a swarm, the Wasps unleashed a volley of AS.12 anti-ship missiles upon the enemy submarine. The missiles found their mark, exploding with devastating force and sending shockwaves through Santa Fe's hull.

The damage to the submarine was too great and the crew abandoned the ship. They knew the war would not end well if the Westland Scouts and Wasps were still in the air.

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Join Dark Skies as we explore the world of aviation with cinematic short documentaries featuring the biggest and fastest airplanes ever built, top-secret military projects, and classified missions with hidden untold true stories. Including US, German, and Soviet warplanes, along with aircraft developments that took place during World War I, World War 2, the Korean War, the Vietnam War, the Cold War, the Gulf War, and special operations mission in between.

As images and footage of actual events are not always available, Dark Skies sometimes utilizes similar historical images and footage for dramatic effect and soundtracks for emotional impact. We do our best to keep it as visually accurate as possible.

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[alanwright]

Although I enjoy most of your content I am frustrated by the lack of accuracy in both visuals ( Wasp shown launching a torpedo while voice over talks about the Wessex dropping depth charges ) and the inaccuracies in facts. I flew a Wasp of HMS Diomede and the Scout in the falklands in 1985 and neither had been "decommissioned and brought back into battle" . You need to do better. Please note that the wasp had no anti-submarine avionics and relied on "Mother" to direct them, The one of the main ASW weapon was a Nuclear Depth Bomb which required the pilot to fly out and drop the bomb as it was the only way to reach the deep diving Soviet submarines, unfortunately it was so heavy that the pilot only had enough fuel to get halfway back to the ship from the drop point.

[Bob_Burton]

10 seconds in and we have a video of a helicopter that does not match the voiceover
Then at 16 seconds the "not a Wessex helicopter" launches a "thunderous assault" of depth charges whilst actually dropping a torpedo

The "Dark" videos are full of such mismatches

[yzorgone]

the background music was quite anoying.

[Horsefingerandthetaintwrights]

It's such a beautiful thing. The mix of collaboration and parallel development of weapon systems between US and Commonwealth over the last century. The variance and diversity is intriguing and inspiring. I am probably one of very few people to sit in the cockpit of both a Vulcan and a B52. The dualities and disparities are a prime illustration of this magic.
I am very proud of my English blood and my American heritage. The music and weaponry that this union has created through the years is beyond legend.
The wasp is just another one of the many examples of this phenomenon. It's versatility seems to eclipse that of the US counterpart, the Seasprite.
I am not a rotary wing expert, so my subjectivity may be flawed.

[ChrisGBusby]

The Whirlwind was the Westland version of the S.55. The Wessex was the S.58!

[Marktol]

Sorry, I can't concentrate on what you were saying over that annoyingly loud thumping music.

[richardsawyer]

Westland produced such aircraft as the Wapiti, a biplane used during the interwar period. The Lysander used classically as an aeroplane for delivering and collecting SOE agents in occupied Europe and the Whirlwind twin engined fighter. Their legacy continues as Leonardo Helicopters and still make great aircraft down in Somerset. Happy days flying around in a Seaking with my legs dangling out. Good old Paraffin Budgies 😊😊😊

[huwzebediahthomas]

Did a lot of work for Westlands in the 1990's, mainly the updated newly built then search and rescue SAR Sea Kings.

[EdOeuna]

If you read Chris Parry’s autobiography (he was the flight observer on HMS Antrims Wessex) they caused enough damage for Santa Fé to give up but the Wasp from HMS Endurance rudely took over and pummelled the sub after she had already been damaged. Apparently this caused a bit of consternation amongst the Wessex crew as they appeared to be going for glory and sinking the submarine.

[daystatesniper]

Great video, these two little beasties could punch well above their weight, and still sadly missed by some sections of the armed forces.

[danielspain]

Good old Westland scout looks like transit van with rotors 😉

[Psycandy]

THAT helicopter WHICH sank a sub. THE helicopter THAT led to the sinking of a sub. Present tense, past tense, English 101

[oilguygamer]

Is a great helicopter, very similar in role to the Gazell

[truthhurts]

Sadly, all that comes to mind when I see a Scout Helicopter are the memories of trying to build the abominable Airfix model years ago. I tried twice, several years apart all to no avail, sadly twisted my thoughts on this baby dragonfly.
Fortunately, didn't stop me enjoying your video.

[alanmoss]

Jesus, now I'm gonna have to scour ebay for the Airfix kit!

[markhailes]

I normally enjoy your videos but that thumping drum and bass completely spoiled this one for me. Shame because I was getting interested in the subject.

[alexandremarcelino]

Vídeo excelente! Muito interessante! Realmente um helicóptero fantástico.🌟

[coloradomountainman]

Sliding downhill. The irritating, obnoxious, and distracting background "music" totally ruined this video making it unwatchable.

[KeithPatrick-wocw]

You should be proud of what you have achieved with the channel, it is excellent, however be even more proud of stepping up and being real on camera. The importance for men to have real positive conversations about the struggles and expectations upon them can’t be overstated. You set a fine example. But yes I was sad to see the stinger go..careful going down the merc route if no warranty is in place. That can turn devastatingly expensive.
You should see if other car YouTubers want some remote edited support, Sarah etc. Well done again mate. Huge respect from down under.

[kenfourey-jones]

Why include a distracting disco like background noise. That is not an improvement to your videos, quite the opposite.