Royal Navy Sea Kings search-and-rescue in action Subscribe to the Guardian HERE: bitly.com Royal Navy Sea Kings are to hand over the running of the UK's search-and-rescue (SAR) service after 60 years of service. This spring the department for transport is due to award a 10-year contract worth up to around £3bn for a private company. By the 1st January 2016 all the military SAR services will have ended.