Every weekend you'll find these little bastions of British diving packed with divers keen to get their fresh water diving fix. They offer a strangely eclectic mix of diving experiences – where else can you visit Lord Lucan and Shergar, explore the remains of an Elizabethan 'Gresham ship' or get completely freaked out by a deranged carnival jester peering menacingly at you through the silty gloom? Such 'attractions' are par for the course at many of the UK's popular inland sites.

Of course diving attractions don't get much cooler than something that's got an ex-military background. It's not unusual to find veterans of campaigns across the globe gracing lake beds throughout the UK – Capernwray has its Dickens-class minesweeper that saw service during WW2, Stoney has its armoured personnel carrier and NDAC boasts both an Alvis Stalwart amphibious vehicle and an Alvis Saracen troop carrier. But what we really love is something with wings – or, to be more precise – rotors! Joining the ranks of the submerged ex-military elite is Vobster Quay's latest addition – an ex-Royal Navy Westland Sea King helicopter. This new attraction joins Vobster Quay's other erstwhile military veteran, a GKN Sankey FV432 armoured personnel carrier

The Sea King helicopter was a British licence-built version of the American Sikorsky S-61 helicopter manufactured in the UK by Westland Helicopters (now AugustaWestland) of Yeovil. Dating back to the late 1950s, the Sea King was originally developed by the US military to counter the growing threat of Soviet Submarines. Its unique hull-shaped belly and sponson-mounted floats made it the world's very first truly amphibious helicopter capable of landing and taking off on water. The UK version of the Sea King was adapted with the fitment of Rolls-Royce Gnome engines and a fully computerised flight control system.

ZA299 would later go on to see service in other campaigns across the globe. In 1993, she would travel to the former Yugoslavia as part of 'Operation Grapple' - UK defence operations in support of the UNPROFOR peacekeeping missions. She'd also see service in both Iraq and Afghanistan, providing essential support to coalition forces in both campaigns. Leaving Kandahar for the last time in June 2008, ZA299 returned to the UK from her very last tour of front-line duty. Her final assignment came in 2010 with 845 Naval Air Squadron. Finally, in 2014, the Royal Navy began the process of replacing its aging fleet of Sea Kings with the AugustaWestland AW101 Merlin HC3 helicopter.

Arriving on site on a cold morning back in January 2018, this latest addition to Vobster's collection of diving curio came about in a most unexpected way. As site manager Tim Clements points out, it's a story all about the diving network. "A Vobster diver who works for Vector Aerospace near Gosport approached us regarding some helicopter fuselages that they had for disposal. I was immediately excited by the idea. Following a more in-depth chat at the Birmingham Dive Show, we went away scratching heads to work out the feasibility of taking ownership of one of the fuselages and the responsibility for its removal from Gosport before the deadline."

Getting a Sea King helicopter from Gosport to Vobster may sound straightforward but there's a lot more to it than meets the eye. "Aircraft are great because they are light - but dive attractions are good if they are also big and it's the big bit that causes problems for transport. Over a certain size and the entire route has to be assessed for bridges, overhead wires and trees by qualified hauliers – and that's just to get the load to our front door. Once on site, the lifting and diving operations needed to be safe and coordinated – that's a job for experts and luckily we have a great relationship with the British Army's 22 and 26 Royal Engineer dive teams who stepped in to help."

Sat at a depth of around 24 metres, it now lives within close proximity of a number of other popular attractions including the old quarry Crushing Works and the deeper of Vobster's two Wheelhouses. "We put a lot of thought into how divers like to 'bimble' around Vobster" muses Tim Clements. "The opportunity to put a big object right in the middle of the lake opens up several interesting route combinations but keeps it both accessible and convenient for training courses."

Measuring a good 20 metres in length, ZA299 is quite an impressive sight. After a quick circuit taking in her exterior, it's hard not to be tempted to venture inside – with wide open doors on either side, exploration of the inner area is suitable for most divers comfortable within an overhead environment. Try to avoid kicking up the bottom on your way in, though - the fine silt in this part of the lake can reduce visibility pretty quickly. Once inside, there's plenty to look at despite the skeletal appearance.

The cockpit still features a central control panel and more than a few mysterious handles and pulleys just crying out to be twiddled. With two open doors, a big square hole in the roof and a series of small windows strategically placed along her side – not to mention a very open cockpit – there's plenty of light to aid your vision. That said, a good torch will enhance your exploration of this distinguished addition to Vobster's lake-bed residents.