Sikorsky HH-52A Seaguard
Object Details
- Summary
- Sikorsky HH-52A Seaguard
- The HH-52 was the U.S. Coast Guard’s first turbine-powered helicopter and the first that could land in the water next to vessels or personnel in distress without using awkward floats, making it the most effective air-sea rescue helicopter of its time. The Coast Guard operated ninety-nine HH-52s between 1962 and 1989, saving 15,000 lives.
- The Coast Guard acquired this HH-52 (#1426) in 1967 and operated it until 1989, accumulating 12,618 hours. Its notable missions included a January 27, 1967 nighttime sailboat rescue that resulted in a Distinguished Flying Cross for the pilot and a mention in LIFE magazine. 1426’s most dramatic rescue occurred on November 1, 1979, when it rescued twenty-two survivors from a fiery collision of an oil tanker and freighter off Galveston, Texas. During the mission, it lifted twelve crewmen at one time from the inferno – a record for the aircraft, designed only to carry a maximum of ten, including crew, in the cabin.
- Transferred from the U.S. Coast Guard
- Rotor Diameter: 16.16 m (53 ft 0 in)
- Length: 13.58 m (44 ft 7 in)
- Height:4.33 m (14 ft 3 in)
- Weight:Empty, 2,306kg (5,083 lb)
- Gross, 3,674 kg (8,100 lb)
- Engine:General Electric T58-GE-8, de-rated to 1,250 shp
- Top Speed:175 km/h (109 mph)
- Manufacturer: Sikorsky Aircraft Corporation, 1966
- See more items in
- National Air and Space Museum Collection
- Location
- Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly, VA
- Exhibit Station
- Modern Military Aviation
- Credit Line
- Transferred from the United States Coast Guard
- Data Source
- National Air and Space Museum
- Inventory Number
- A20160034000
- Type
- CRAFT-Rotary Wing
- Restrictions & Rights
- Usage conditions apply
- Record ID
- nasm_A20160034000
