RAN Wessex 31B over HMAS Melbourne (ll)
The Westland Wessex 31A and the later B model was a carrier-borne anti-submarine and rescue helicopter manufactured by Westland Aircraft Ltd Yeovil, England. The Wessex was developed under licence from the Sikorsky S58 which was designed for the US Navy as an Anti-submarine warfare and transport helicopter by the great American designer, Igor Sikorsky. It was powered by a Wright Cyclone radial engine of 1525 hp and the first flight took place in 1954.
The S58 soon became ubiquitous throughout the US Army, the US Marines and the US Navy–known variously as the HUS-1 Seahorse and the H-34 Chocktaw. The rugged machine could carry a variety of anti-submarine warfare weapons, and the transport versions could accommodate 16 people or 5,000lb of cargo. In all, over 2,700 variants of the S58 were constructed by American, British and French manufacturers.
Westland’s in England, building under licence, improved the design by installing a powerful Napier Gazelle gas turbine engine. An automatic flight control system was also installed. Westland named its helicopter “Wessex”, and it first came into service with the Royal Navy in 1961.
The RAN introduced the helicopter in 1962 as the Wessex 31A. The 31A’s first publicly recognised action was during the night of the Voyager incident in 1964. Many Wessex sorties were flown from HMAS Albatross at Nowra, NSW to locate survivors after the collision of the destroyer HMAS Voyager, with the aircraft carrier HMAS Melbourne. On-board operations with HMAS Melbourne began in 1963.
The Wessex 31B version shown in the painting was one of 22 that were fitted with a more powerful engine, resulting in greater load-carrying; there was also an update of ASW systems. They were operated by a crew of four, cruised at just over 100mph (160km/h), had a range of about 250 miles (400km) and could carry bombs or two torpedoes. As well as operating from the aircraft carrier Melbourne they were embarked on HMAS Sydney, then a troop carrier, HMAS Tobruk and HMAS Stalwart. The Wessex was used extensively in the Bass Strait Counter Terrorism Plan in the 1980s–an excellent and detailed account of Wessex operations appears in, “Flying Stations”, a story of Australian Naval Aviation published in 1998 by Allen and Unwin.
Finally, a yet more powerful Westland Wessex HU5, shown in Marshall’s painting below, was operated by the Royal Navy. It was powered by two Rolls-Royce “Gnome” turboshaft engines. The HU5 cruised at 120 mph, could reach 14,000ft and the service range was 470 miles. They were often fitted with special external and internal mountings for 7.62mm calibre machine guns.
- About David Marshall
David Marshall
(1929 – 2016)
This biography is sourced from AI material and the following website: About David | David Marshall Aviation Art
David Marshall stands as one of the foremost visual chroniclers of Australian naval aviation. A former RAF pilot and classically trained artist, he brought to his Australian work a rare blend of technical precision, atmospheric sensitivity, and first‑hand understanding of flight.
David Marshall was born in the United Kingdom in 1929. He started painting aircraft when he was five years old. His first contact with flying was in England during 1934 when he was taken for a flight in an Airspeed “Ferry” biplane owned by the famous English pioneer pilot, Sir Alan Cobham.
In the 1950s, during his National Service in the Royal Air Force in Britain he graduated as a pilot and continued flying with the RAF Reserve after taking up a major scholarship with the University of Reading in England. He specialized in painting, lithography, wood-engraving and typography; he graduated with first-class honours.
He then followed a thirty-year career in advertising in London and finally in Sydney. In Australia, David turned increasingly to the aircraft and operations of the Royal Australian Navy, producing some of the most recognisable images of the Fleet Air Arm’s carrier era.
In 1987 he retired from advertising and co-authored a book with Bruce Harris Wild about Flying! Dreamers, Doers, and Daredevils to celebrate 100 years of powered flight. This book features over two hundred of his paintings. It is still available for purchase from the following website: Dreamers, Doers & Daredevils Celebrating 100 years of aviation | David MARSHALL, Bruce HARRIS Whilst preparing material for this book he took up flying sailplanes and was awarded the FAI Gold Badge with one Diamond.
His oil paintings of A‑4G Skyhawks, S‑2E/G Trackers, and Wessex helicopters aboard HMAS Melbourne capture the machinery and rhythm and discipline of carrier life, and the distinctive light of the Australian coast. Marshall’s works are grounded in meticulous research and pilot‑level accuracy. His paintings are celebrated for their accuracy, atmosphere, and narrative clarity.
David passed away in 2016, but the range and extent of his work has placed him as a pre-eminent Australian naval aviation artist. His work is represented in business organisations, in museums and in several private collections. Several of his naval aviation paintings form part of the permanent display in the Royal Navy and the Australian Navy Fleet Air Arm Museums, and the RAAF has awarded him Heritage Awards for his paintings. Enterprises such as Qantas and Lockheed Martin have commissioned his work and many of them have been created for magazine articles that he has written over the years.
- About Ships and aircraft in company
In this section a wide variety of artworks with more than one ship, submarine or aircraft are featured. When two or more naval vessels are operating together they are said to be ‘in company’.
The diverse nature of activities, exercises and deployments undertaken by ships, submarines and aircraft of the Royal Australian Navy means that a ship may spend long periods conducting single ship operations or periodically join with large numbers of other ships for such events as a naval review or fleet entry to a port. These latter events are generally scheduled to commemorate a particular event. During such events a prominent or royal figure will review the fleet as part of the ceremony. Throughout its history ships of the RAN have participated in major fleet entries and reviews both in Australian waters and overseas.
Details of Ships in the First Fleet
Name Class Commission Dates HMAS Australia Indefatigable Class 21 Jun 1913 – 12 Dec 1921 HMAS Melbourne Town Class Light Cruiser 18 Jan 1913 – 23 Apr 1928 HMAS Sydney Town Class Light Cruiser 26 Jun 1913 – 8 May 1928 HMAS Encounter Challenger Class Light Cruiser 1 Jul 1912 – 1 Jan 1923 HMAS Warrego River Class 1 Jun 1912 – 22 Jul 1919 HMAS Parramatta River Class 10 Sep 1910 – 22 Jul 1919 HMAS Yarra River Class 10 Sep 1910 – 30 Sep 1929
More reading
- Additional resources for David Marshall
- Additional resources for Ships and aircraft in company
Corvette at Milne Bay
Walrus Amphibian 1942
Destroyer Cruising the Tropics
RAN Skyhawks share the deck of HMAS Melbourne (ll) with Grumman Trackers
RAN Skyhawks of 805 Squadron climb out over HMAS Melbourne (ll) at sunset
RAN Skyhawks joining formation above HMAS Melbourne (ll)
RAN Seahawks over HMAS Sydney (iv)
RAN Grumman Tracker taking off from HMAS Melbourne (ll)
RAN Sea King over HMAS Melbourne (ll)
RAN Gannets over HMAS Melbourne (ll)
Korean War Battler – A RAN Firefly V makes a low pass over HMAS Sydney (ll)
Hawker Sea Fury – The ultimate piston-engined fighter
805 Squadron RAN Sea Venom makes a low pass over HMAS Melbourne (ll)
Aircraft carrier, with Grumman Avenger aircraft on flight deck
Replenishment at Sea (RAS) Approach, HMAS Supply, Hobart and Sydney
MV KRAIT and Japanese Destroyer in 1943
Troop Convoy and Escort and Hudson Bomber
N Class Destroyers off Libya
Sydney Harbour looking east to Garden Island from Dawes Point
