ALL four search and rescue teams from the Dartmoor Rescue Group — including those from Tavistock and Okehampton — have been taking part in some specialist training to familiarise themselves with the Royal Navy’s new Merlin helicopters.

The teams took part in a training exercise with the Merlins on April 7 as part of their preparation for the upcoming Ten Tors challenge, where hundreds of teenagers will trek across the moorland. Teams learned how to board and exit the helicopters safely, and how to load and unload equipment.

The Merlin helicopters are replacing the iconic Sea King Mk4, which have worked alongside the rescue groups in the last to find and extract people lost or injured on Dartmoor.

The Sea King, which was officially decommissioned on March 31 was affectionately known as the ’Junglie’ in a nod to the historic role helicopter commando squadrons played in Borneo in the 1960s, provided a wide range of services in both the Navy and Royal Air Force.

The Sea King flew past Okehampton on its final flight in the region recently before decommission.

Pictures by Paul Hamlyn.