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.
All content on Dark Skies is researched, produced, and presented in historical context for educational purposes. We are history enthusiasts and are not always experts in some areas, so please don't hesitate to reach out to us with corrections, additional information, or new ideas.

[@alanwright3172]

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.

[@PeteCourtier]

Great comment🍺

[@karmpuscookie]

I agree.

[@alanwright3172]

@@PeteCourtier Great name😂

[@rob5944]

Yes but the unbiased attitude is still refreshing I find.

[@csjrogerson2377]

I was in the Falklands, HMS Crdella and then appointed to HMS Diomede from late 82-84. SCO, Diving Officer and CBO.

[@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.

[@kristal_nacht]

Derp

[@dondouglass6415]

Huzzah!!

[@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.

[@richardsawyer5428]

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 😊😊😊

[@ChrisGBusby]

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

[@huwzebediahthomas9193]

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

[@daystatesniper01]

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

[@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

[@runlarryrun77]

Ikr? It's almost as if there was a trade off between cost, time & availability of accurate stock footage.

[@dellawrence4323]

Nobody is perfect, his videos are still good.

[@yzorgone]

the background music was quite anoying.

[@danielspain7231]

Good old Westland scout looks like transit van with rotors 😉

[@KeithPatrick-wo5cw]

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 KZbinrs want some remote edited support, Sarah etc. Well done again mate. Huge respect from down under.

[@alexandremarcelino7360]

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

[@truthhurts9241]

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.

[@EdOeuna]

I remember the Sepecat Jaguars landing gear was particularly problematic as well.

[@oilguygamer1744]

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

[@alanmoss3603]

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

[@alexandremarcelino7360]

Isso é Muito Legal!🌟

[@marklewis35]

I fairly recently saw and photographed a Wasp at this years RAF Cosford air show. It's a fantastic machine.

[@PASKEN458]

Did a lot of work for Westlands, as Chief Test Pilot Master Colonel 3 Star Subsea Navigator Class 2 on detachment to Space Force Nucleur Security Forces during the Saturns Ring Campaigns, I can confirm this is a helicopter.

[@cheekarp2180]

Thank you so much for all these videos by the way, really a great channel!

[@Ubique2927]

The Submarine was actually docked at a pier.

[@christopherrobinson7541]

Only after being hit.

[@unguidedone]

you can see what design generation of helicopter we are looking at if we look at the turbine engine as it does not have thermal shielding or air mixing with exhaust to cool it or keeping the blades of the turbine away from radar to lower rcs at all cost. even if i did not know this helicopter and when it was build i would say 50s-60s from those details alone.

[@Callsign_Chandler]

I’ve got flying hours on that lovely Wasp in the thumbnail. 😎😉…I’m 23 with flying hours on multiple Wasps.

[@tamzidkarim9402]

Make a video on Westland Sea King as well

[@markhailes6851]

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.

[@lukalekov1530]

Amazing video,and intro music while nothing special but when watchin it high af its a banger!

[@therealhammer6068]

Great video....people...please realize as the channel owner has stated in the past, he does the best that he can with available footage, etc. Keep up the excellent work!

[@josephpacchetti5997]

THX Dark Skies. 🇺🇸

[@ieuanb8378]

What's with the techno 😂

[@Mark13tol]

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

[@mexicanyorkshire7617]

Was this apart of the just in time for lunch break

[@Psycandy]

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

[@neilward9932]

Glad they put a big red ring around the helicopter picture, otherwise I would never have seen it !

[@Ubique2927]

The first thing that comes to mind when the Wasp is mentioned is the 1970s TV advert.

[@mikelyon5595]

I forgot about the Wasp!

[@carlparo5936]

Could you create a Playlist with all if your videos?

[@davefellhoelter1343]

Had a "Head Hunter" Drafting Teacher in the 70's 80's worked on Rotary Flight! sent me to two Ca. State Competitions.

[@kenfourey-jones3121]

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

[@wesleyfoster1967]

is here, gave you a 👍! My notifications are on. I am a subscriber. I have received notification of your video 🙂. Audio video is good.

[@alexsieja4384]

Can you do a video on the ya-10b

[@nwmancuso]

You should do a special on the CAP that sunk 3 subs during WWII.

[@JSFGuy]

No notice again...😏

[@oldfatbastad6053]

there is no Saro Roe, Saro is an abbreviation of Saunders Roe.

[@blitzbuiltgamingnetwork8035]

So, that's why British Sci-Fi ships had such awkward looking landing gear.

[@michaelhowell2326]

It's a shame the UK didn't get the opportunity to really smash the Argentines. They really had it coming to them.

[@runlarryrun77]

YES!!

[@lesbg3517]

We didn't need to " smash" the Argentinians, it was the Junta that created the conflict. We did what was needed and here we are 41 years later and the Islands are still free and British. (yes I am an old fart that was there at age 20).

[@groupcaptainbonzo]

Never let the facts get its the way of a good story 😂🤣

[@robertgraffham6440]

The Wasp was never retired in 1973! Kindly check all the facts before trying to report?

[@tk423b]

I’m going to need a bigger circle and two arrows

[@coloradomountainman8659]

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

[@user-xh3lz9xt4l]

That isnt a Wessex it's a Lynx

[@priceyA320]

If you expect accuracy on this channel you’ll be very disappointed. As always this video is riddled with easily fixable mistakes.

[@D-365]

I think the point of subs is to be underwater. 😜

[@ES-qu8xw]

Love your content but I don't think Phonk music is the way to go. It makes it difficult to listen to you.

[@gerryholland7274]

It was not a Wessex! It was a Wasp!

[@gerryholland7274]

The picture was not in sync. @@pepwaverley2185

[@larryjeram-croft1692]

Watched a few of this chaps videos and it they are as all as desperately inaccurate as this then I won't be watching any more! Other people have said it but identifying a Wasp as a Wessex Mk 3 and all the other dreadful videos with no relevance to the story is really irritating. Of course the whole incident had been misreported. Antrims Wessex did all the damage the Wasp missiles from Endurance and HMS Pylmouth did nothing but break one seamans arm. The submarine fin was mainly fibre glass and the missiles went straight through but the Wasps managed to grab all the glory, mainly because Endurance had Inmarsat was able to report back to UK in real-time. Oh and HMS Brilliants Lynx dropped a Mk 46 torpedo despite having being ordered not to, it went into surface capture mode and porpoised around the sub doing no damage at all. I speak with a little authority as a Lynx pilot who, while not actually at this incident was down south in another Frigate. I also flew the Wasp.

[@anthawks9374]

DESTROY SUPERMAN😊