The Royal Navy will be responsible for getting the Olympic flame's UK torch relay started.

The navy's search and rescue squadron was picked by the London Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games (LOCOG) for the job.

On Friday 18 May the flame will arrive at Royal Naval air station Culdrose on board a British Airways, gold-liveried aircraft from Athens.

After an overnight stay at the air station, the flame will be flown to Land's End by 771 Naval Air Squadron in a Sea King helicopter that has been used for many life-saving missions across the South West.

On landing, one of the four aircrew will jump out of the aircraft and take the flame to the start of the London 2012 torch relay, so that its journey across the UK can begin.

The Olympic flame will then travel 8,000 miles across the UK to within 10 miles of 95% of the population - 8,000 torchbearers will carry it for approximately 300 metres each, until it reaches the Olympic Stadium on the eve of 27 July.