History
The force was established in 1941 in light of the number of Allied aircrew lost in the English Channel during the Battle of Britain. An emergency meeting was convened by Air Marshal Sir Arthur "Bomber"'’ Harris which subsequently created the Directorate of Air Sea Rescue on 6 February 1941. This later became the RAF Search and Rescue Force.
During World War II, air-sea rescue squadrons flew a variety of aircraft. They used Supermarine Spitfires and Boulton Paul Defiants to patrol for downed aircrew and Avro Ansons to drop supplies and dinghies. Supermarine Walrus and Supermarine Sea Otter amphibious craft were used to pick up aircrew from the water. Larger aircraft were used to drop Airborne lifeboats. The RAF also operated high–speed boats, known as Whalebacks, in the rescue role. By the end of World War 2, more than 8000 aircrew and 5000 civilians had been rescued.
In the early 1950s, helicopters took over from fixed–wing aircraft in the search and rescue role.
Read more about this topic: RAF Search And Rescue Force
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