The commanding officer of six British servicemen who
                     died in a helicopter collision off southern Iraq
                     yesterday said he and his colleagues had lost "part
                     of our family".

                     Capt Mike Knowles, from the Royal Navy Air Station
                     (RNAS) Culdrose in Cornwall, paid tribute to the men
                     and an American officer who died when two Sea
                     King helicopters crashed into the sea.

                     "There is a tremendous sense of loss among people
                     here at Culdrose. We have a great family feeling
                     here. We have lost part of our family."

                     The helicopters, based on the aircraft carrier Ark
                     Royal, collided at 4.30am local time (1.30am GMT),
                     leaving no survivors. The accident occurred a day
                     after eight Royal Marines and four American
                     servicemen died when their helicopter crashed near
                     the Iraqi border in Kuwait. Allied forces have now
                     lost 19 lives in two accidents in the skies during the
                     three days of war.

                     An eyewitness on the destroyer Liverpool, which
                     was close to the scene of yesterday's crash, said he
                     heard a loud bang and saw "a huge ball of orange
                     fire" exploding above the horizon.

                     The Liverpool's Lynx helicopter took off immediately.
                     Lt Mark Campbell, the pilot, said: "We arrived a few
                     minutes after the crash. We were wearing
                     night-vision goggles and our priority was to search
                     for survivors. But all we could see was debris. It was
                     a shocking sight."

                     The minesweeper Brocklesby and the USS Dextrous
                     also searched for survivors and were given the task
                     of salvaging the aircraft, black boxes and weapons.

                     An investigation is underway into the cause of the
                     collision, which took place in good weather off
                     al-Faw peninsula near the Iraq-Iran border.

                     The Duke of York, a former Royal Navy Flight
                     Commander, led tributes to the servicemen. The
                     Duke, who flew Sea Kings in the Falklands conflict,
                     said he was "shocked and deeply saddened" by the
                     accident and sent his prayers to the families of
                     those who died.

                     Capt Alan Massey, who commands the Ark Royal,
                     said yesterday that the crew were mourning the
                     deaths. "They were shipmates and colleagues and
                     comrades of all of us on board. As you can imagine,
                     the loss is being felt."

                     He said that night-time flying and operations in
                     combat zones were not without risks and the crew
                     were well aware of the dangers. "They had been
                     operating in arduous conditions day in, day out for
                     weeks on end," he said.

                     Capt Massey said that safety and maintenance
                     procedures were of the highest standards and that
                     both aircraft were in visual contact with each other
                     before colliding. The deaths were a "tragic accident"
                     and the victims "super aviators".

                     The Sea Kings are Airborne Early Warning (AEW)
                     helicopters that were introduced after the Falklands
                     War of 1982 to provide vital tactical support to
                     military planes. They also employ sophisticated radar
                     to detect low-flying enemy aircraft that could be
                     about to target ships. There are 13 Sea Kings on
                     board the Ark Royal and they underwent an upgrade
                     last year.

                     Gp Capt Al Lockwood, who is based in Qatar, said an
                     investigation into the crash had begun. "Sadly, last
                     night something was not quite right and we are
                     looking to find out what that was as quickly as
                     possible," he said.

                     "There is a sense of deep shock and extremely deep
                     sadness. We knew these people: they were our
                     friends, our colleagues, our chums, they were
                     extremely good professionals, they were thoroughly
                     nice people. There is an enormous sense of loss
                     here.

                     "On the other hand there is also a sense here that
                     there is a job to be done, there is a mission out
                     here. It is important. We have to continue to
                     support the Royal Marines ashore in Iraq."

                     Civilians gathered outside the gates and perimeter
                     fence at Culdrose from early yesterday to mourn the
                     dead. Many laid flowers, some of which were
                     collected and placed at a memorial inside the base.
                     A message on one bouquet read: "Our thoughts are
                     with you. We really do care." Flags are flying at
                     half-mast.

                     Royal Navy personnel spent yesterday contacting
                     families of the dead aircrew from 849 Squadron
                     Airborne Surveillance and Control.

                     This morning relatives and friends of the dead will
                     attend a church service in which prayers will be said
                     for the victims.

                     About 300 servicemen from RNAS Culdrose, the
                     largest helicopter base in western Europe, were
                     deployed to the Gulf in January.

                     As news of the latest crash emerged, the
                     father-in-law of one of the victims of Friday's
                     helicopter crash paid tribute to Ian Seymour, 28.

                     Geoffrey Granville, whose daughter, Lainne, 27, of
                     Poole, Dorset, has been widowed by the tragedy,
                     said: "He was a fine lad. He was a guy who was full
                     of life." He described Mr Seymour, a Royal Marine, as
                     a perfect family man who adored his son, Beck,
                     three. "His son was the be-all and end-all. Lainne is
                     putting on a brave face."

                     His son-in-law had been pursuing his dream job, he
                     said. "It took him two or three attempts to get his
                     Green Beret as he had a knee problem. He was very
                     proud when he got it and so was everyone else."
 

                      22 March 2003: Marines mourn comrades killed in crash

                          © Copyright of Telegraph Group Limited 2003.