Sikorsky SH-3D Sea King
To replace various helicopters in service at the time, namely the SH-34 Seahorse, the US Navy awarded Sikorsky a contract to develop a helicopter that would combine several roles into one airframe: hunter/killer antisubmarine warfare, cargo transport, and search and rescue. It would also have to be capable of amphibious operations and had to be able to operate from smaller ships as well as aircraft carriers. Sikorsky’s HSS-2 Sea King was the response, and it first flew in March 1959. The HSS-2 had a distinctive “boat” hull for water landings, including flotation bags in the sponsons, good visibility from the cockpit, and a folding tail section for stowage. In the antisubmarine role, the HSS-2 was equipped with a dipping sonar unreeled from the forward hull, 21 sonobuoys, and a MAD “bird” capable of being deployed from the port sponson. In 1962, the type’s designation was changed to SH-3A.
The SH-3 would remain in US Navy service for the next 50 years. During Vietnam, it operated in plane guard duties for carriers, the first aircraft to launch and the last to recover; it also served in SAR duties from the carriers and smaller ships, flying over water and often over land to rescue downed pilots. In this role, the SH-3 is probably responsible for the rescue of more people than any other aircraft type. Dedicated SAR helicopters often were equipped with heavy or light machine guns. Other versions were converted to UH-3 utility helicopters (for vertical replenishment and light cargo duties) and VH-3 VIP transports. The latter were the last Sea Kings in US service.
The US Navy began replacing the aging SH-3 following the First Gulf War, with ASW/SAR SH-3s mostly gone from fleet service by 1997. Cargo and utility variants remained in service until 2006. Besides its service in the US armed forces, Sea Kings were heavily exported to 17 air forces, including license-built versions made by Westland (Sea Kings), United Aircraft of Canada (CH-124), Agusta (AS-61), and Mitsubishi (HSS-2); foreign variants are used both in traditional roles for the Sea King, as well as antishipping duties, troop transports, minesweeping, and even airborne early warning. It remains in service worldwide.
Dad snapped this shot of three Sea Kings of HS-4 ("Black Knights") warming up for a mission on the forward flight deck of the USS Yorktown (CVS-10), probably in 1965 or 1966. At this point, the US Navy was still transitioning from the earlier engine gray scheme used by helicopters to the easier to see white over gray colors used between 1965 and the late 1980s.
The helicopter in the foreground is "Fetch 65," used as a backup helicopter in several of the Apollo recovery missions. HS-4 was usually assigned to retrieve the Apollo command modules after splashdown, beginning with Apollo 8 in 1968; the Yorktown was the recovery carrier for that mission, and Dad participated in the tracking party. At this point, he was on lookouts on a somewhat dreary day off the coast of California.
EDIT: In September 2019, another veteran from the Yorktown posted a very similar picture, enough that I worried he had stolen the picture from here on Flickr. He hadn't--he had taken a picture about a minute after Dad snapped this picture. A friend pointed out that you can see the other sailor raising his camera in the mirror in the foreground.
Two sailors, two positions on the Yorktown--nearly the same picture...and neither of them knew it until 50 years later.
Sikorsky SH-3D Sea King
To replace various helicopters in service at the time, namely the SH-34 Seahorse, the US Navy awarded Sikorsky a contract to develop a helicopter that would combine several roles into one airframe: hunter/killer antisubmarine warfare, cargo transport, and search and rescue. It would also have to be capable of amphibious operations and had to be able to operate from smaller ships as well as aircraft carriers. Sikorsky’s HSS-2 Sea King was the response, and it first flew in March 1959. The HSS-2 had a distinctive “boat” hull for water landings, including flotation bags in the sponsons, good visibility from the cockpit, and a folding tail section for stowage. In the antisubmarine role, the HSS-2 was equipped with a dipping sonar unreeled from the forward hull, 21 sonobuoys, and a MAD “bird” capable of being deployed from the port sponson. In 1962, the type’s designation was changed to SH-3A.
The SH-3 would remain in US Navy service for the next 50 years. During Vietnam, it operated in plane guard duties for carriers, the first aircraft to launch and the last to recover; it also served in SAR duties from the carriers and smaller ships, flying over water and often over land to rescue downed pilots. In this role, the SH-3 is probably responsible for the rescue of more people than any other aircraft type. Dedicated SAR helicopters often were equipped with heavy or light machine guns. Other versions were converted to UH-3 utility helicopters (for vertical replenishment and light cargo duties) and VH-3 VIP transports. The latter were the last Sea Kings in US service.
The US Navy began replacing the aging SH-3 following the First Gulf War, with ASW/SAR SH-3s mostly gone from fleet service by 1997. Cargo and utility variants remained in service until 2006. Besides its service in the US armed forces, Sea Kings were heavily exported to 17 air forces, including license-built versions made by Westland (Sea Kings), United Aircraft of Canada (CH-124), Agusta (AS-61), and Mitsubishi (HSS-2); foreign variants are used both in traditional roles for the Sea King, as well as antishipping duties, troop transports, minesweeping, and even airborne early warning. It remains in service worldwide.
Dad snapped this shot of three Sea Kings of HS-4 ("Black Knights") warming up for a mission on the forward flight deck of the USS Yorktown (CVS-10), probably in 1965 or 1966. At this point, the US Navy was still transitioning from the earlier engine gray scheme used by helicopters to the easier to see white over gray colors used between 1965 and the late 1980s.
The helicopter in the foreground is "Fetch 65," used as a backup helicopter in several of the Apollo recovery missions. HS-4 was usually assigned to retrieve the Apollo command modules after splashdown, beginning with Apollo 8 in 1968; the Yorktown was the recovery carrier for that mission, and Dad participated in the tracking party. At this point, he was on lookouts on a somewhat dreary day off the coast of California.
EDIT: In September 2019, another veteran from the Yorktown posted a very similar picture, enough that I worried he had stolen the picture from here on Flickr. He hadn't--he had taken a picture about a minute after Dad snapped this picture. A friend pointed out that you can see the other sailor raising his camera in the mirror in the foreground.
Two sailors, two positions on the Yorktown--nearly the same picture...and neither of them knew it until 50 years later.