RM Sea Duty and Aviation Question

[yellowwing]

Are Royal Marines posted on ship? And do you have Marine Harriers for combined arms?

I was watching the History Channel and saw the piece on the Royal Navy experimenting with Naval Aviation during WW-I.

I couldn't believe that they had to ditch as near to the battleship as possible in order to be fished out! I'm sure those aviators greatly appreciated the advent of the flight deck.

[Derek Blevins]

yellowwing

We still have small Royal Marines Detachments on Royal Navy ships, but the days of large Cruiser and Battleship detachments are long gone. Commando Units still deploy on specialised 'Commando Carriers' for exercises and operations with their supporting Helicopters.

We are too small a Corps to have our own Harrier Squadrons, but we do provide Royal Marines Officers as Harrier Pilots for the Royal Navy Harrier Squadrons.

It wasn't just in WWI that they 'flew and ditched' . In WWII they mounted a launching device on some civilian convoy shipping and they flew off a Hurricane Fighter aircraft that then had to ditch in the sea when they ran out of fuel. Brave guys!

I hope this helps.