Fighter All Weather (FAW) of the Fleet Air Arm.

Contractors Construction and Maintainance Units.

Initial contribution by Alan Briggs, Workshop Manager of Royal Naval Aircraft Yard (RNAY). Belfast.1964/1969. (declared Feb 2007)

Thanks also to Captain (AE) Brian Whittington RN. (declared July 2007)

  • Mk 1 Sea Vixens were built at the Hawker Siddley facilities of Christchurch, Dorset and Hatfield, Hertfordshire. Awaiting Content
  • Conversions from Mk1 to Mk 2 Sea Vixens were undertaken at the Royal Naval Aircraft Yard (RNAY) Sydenham, (South Side) Belfast. In the late 1960's the Yard undertook Modification Embodiment Programmes (MEP) and Partial Base maintainance (PBM). 
  • Heavy Maintainance was undertaken at the RNAY Fleetlands near (3 miles) RNAS Lee On Solent. RNAY Fleetlands situated at Gosport, had a very small landing strip, in fact it was a very large HeliPad, and so Sea Vixens would have to be transported from RNAS Lee on Solent by Low Loader. M.A.R.T.S.U. operated a fleet of these trucks in the 60's and 70's known as "Queen Mary's". All heavy Airframe  Maintainance was undertaken by RNAY Fleetlands or sent to Industry. (Hawker Siddley). Hawker Siddley maintained facililities at Hawardon, Chester and Hatlield in Hertfordshire. 
  • The Royal Naval Aircraft Workshop (RNAW) Almondbank, Perth maintained a support role in the overhaul (re-lifting) of hydraulic actuators and other hydraulic components. Arrester Hook assemblies were also overhauled.
  • RNAY's and RNAW's were staffed by at least 98% civil servants, both industrial an non-industrial. At RNAY's the  Superintendant was normally the Rank of Captain(AE) RN. Other Ranks were Commander, Lieutenant Commander, and Lieutenant, up to 15 in strength. There were also civilian grades of similar rank structure comprised of ex RN and RAF personel. At RNAW's there was only one RN Officer in Rank of Cdr(AE) as Superintendant. The 1970's would have seen unit strengths of 1500 personel at RNAY's and 400 personnel at RNAW's. During the Sea Vixen era there would have been many more personnel involved.

Sea Vixens Mk1 - 119 made. Unable to convert first 15 airframes. 30 aircraft lost. Conversions to Sea Vixen Mk2 at RNAY Sydenham - 30. Conversion to Sea Vixen Mk2 by Hawker Siddley Hawarden (Chester) - 37.

from personal notes of Alan Briggs made between 1964/1969.

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