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13th April 2024
Portland
Flying High
Our inaugural photo competition at the end of last year brought forth some real gems. Among them was Steve Goodhew's winning shot in the 'Adventures Afloat' category. His camera caught high speed air to surface transfer practice in Weymouth Bay, hopping between helicopter and boat with the white cliffs of Purbeck as their backdrop.
Steve is a familiar face around our marina and a proper fishing enthusiast. He's been part of our crew for a good while now, starting with his boat in the dry stack before an upgrade to a bigger boat moved him onto a wet berth. Steve's not just about catching fish though; he's all about community too, organising an annual boat meet for World Sea Fishing Forum at Portland for several years before Covid put a spanner in the works. Mostly though, he's happiest when he's out there on the water, rod in hand, waiting for a bite.
"Out for a June day on the Shambles catching a few turbot and brill, calm with no wind. I observed the range safety boat Smit Spey was heading directly towards me, it was also accompanied by 2 fast ribs. Then the helicopter arrived and they proceeded to practice dropping the volunteer into a rib at speed. The cliffs made an excellent backdrop for the picture. A few minutes later they had all gone and it was back to the sound of the tide running over the banks on the Shambles."
Portland Harbour has always been a hub of activity when it comes to helicopters. It was home to RNAS Portland for very near on 40 years and 2024 marks a special anniversary – 25 years since RNAS Portland bid farewell to Osprey Quay, paving the way for the Portland Harbour we know today.
But Portland's naval story goes back even further. In 1916, the first seaplanes arrived and were based near the site which would become HMS Osprey, later becoming the Royal Navy's anti-submarine school. During World War II, it was a prime target for the Luftwaffe, so was relocated to Campbell Town for the remainder of the war. However, in 1946, the school returned, bringing with it the first helicopters to join the naval fleet.
It was a momentous occasion on April 14th, 1959, when 12 Whirlwind helicopters touched down at the new 'Portland Heliport'. Ten days later, the RNAS base was officially opened, despite a hiccup a few days prior when one of the Whirlwind's ditched off the Shambles. The pilot was fished off the sandbank none the worse for wear from his adventure.
1981 saw the arrival of the Lynx helicopters, like the one on display opposite our car park, which continued to soar above RNAS Portland until its closure in 1999. But the sky-high adventures didn't end there; from 1999 to 2017, Bristow Helicopters operated the Search and Rescue (SAR) base under the Maritime and Coastguard Agency banner. Nowadays, the buzz of helicopters still fills the air around Portland thanks to HeliOperations, it seems the aviation heritage brought by the first seaplanes stationed in the harbour at the start of last century will live on at Osprey Quay.
