The Royal Navy has confirmed the loss of one crew member following an incident off the coast of Dorset, UK, where a Merlin HC4 helicopter, operating from aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth, crashed into the sea.
The Royal Navy released the following statement via social media on Sept 5, 2024: “It is with great sadness that we must report a member of the Royal Navy has died following a training incident last night. Our thoughts are with the family – who have been informed – and all those affected at this sad time. A full investigation will take place. The incident involved a Merlin Mk4 helicopter in the English Channel near Dorset that ditched while conducting night-flying exercises with HMS Queen Elizabeth. There were no other fatalities or serious injuries.”
Two crew members were able to be recovered following search and rescue efforts that included HM Coastguard helicopters from Newquay Airport and Solent Airport. A Royal Navy Merlin HM2 helicopter from RNAS Culdrose was also dispatched towards the scene using the transponder squawk code 0023, which denotes aircraft engaged in search and rescue operations.
The Merlin HC4 involved in the incident remains on the sea floor, with recovery efforts expected to take some time to coordinate.
HMS Queen Elizabeth, from which the Merlin was operating, recently returned to sea from HMNB Portsmouth after around a month alongside. The carrier has been operating in military training areas off the South coast of England undertaking a work-up regime. Notably the Royal Navy’s other aircraft carrier, HMS Prince of Wales, is also at sea, having departed Portsmouth on Sept 4th. The Prince of Wales is also taking part in work-up exercises to prepare the ship and its crew for future operations.
British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer wrote on X (formerly Twitter): “Deeply saddened to hear of the tragic death of a member of the Royal Navy. My thoughts are with the family and loved ones during this painful time.”
Secretary of State for Defence John Healey also made a statement on the incident while visiting HMS Diamond at HMNB Portsmouth: “Dreadful news. Truly dreadful news. I use dreadful because this is what everyone connected to the armed forces dreads, news of personnel in service dying. All my thoughts and the thoughts of those in the wider Navy I’ve been with today are with the family, the friends and the close colleagues of the one we’ve lost today.”
Merlin HC4s are the Royal Navy’s specialist utility helicopters, featuring a rear cargo ramp for easy crew and cargo access to the spacious cabin. Their main role is to support Royal Marines operations around the globe, from both land and sea, forming the Commando Helicopter Force (CHF) alongside their smaller AW159 Wildcat companions. The aircraft also fulfill the carrier on-board delivery (COD) role for Royal Navy aircraft carriers.
Originally ordered and operated by the Royal Air Force as the Merlin HC3, the fleet was transferred to the Navy in 2014 to replace the service’s Sea King HC4s. With the RAF, the aircraft saw operational deployments to Bosnia, Iraq and Afghanistan, and were so in demand that an additional six aircraft, originally earmarked for Denmark, were procured. These aircraft had a slightly different configuration and were designated Merlin HC3A.
As part of the HC4 upgrade the aircraft were fitted with folding rotors and tail booms and lashing points for deck fastening, both vital for maritime deployments on ships. The digital cockpit upgrades of the Merlin HM2 were also integrated into the aircraft. Merlin HC3As were upgraded to Merlin HC4A standard.
Assuming that the wreckage of the aircraft is beyond economic repair, this will be only the fourth hull-loss incident for the Merlin in British service across a twenty five year period, but unfortunately the first to involve a fatality. Merlin HM1 ZH844 was lost in 2001 following a ditching near the Isle of Skye, and ZH859 was written off in an incident at RNAS Culdrose in 2004. Finally, RAF Merlin HC3 ZJ138 suffered a hard landing while deployed to Afghanistan in 2010, and was further damaged during recovery efforts.
