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Description
| Notes: SH-3G modified to improve asw performance and add asmd (ANTI-SHIP MISSILE DEFENSE) capability. | ||
| Manufacturer: | Sikorsky | |
| Base model: | H-3 | |
| Designation: | SH-3 | |
| Version: | H | |
| Nickname: | Sea King | |
| Designation System: | U.S. Tri-Service | |
| Designation Period: | 1962-Present | |
| Basic role: | Helicopter | |
| Modified Mission: | Anti-submarine | |
| Crew: | 4 | |
| See Also: | ||
Specifications
| Length: | 72' 9" | 22.1 m | |
| Wingspan: | 62' | 18.9 m | |
| Empty Weight: | 12,350 lb | 5,600 kg | |
| Gross Weight: | 21,000 lb | 9,523 kg | |
Propulsion
| No. of Engines: | 2 | ||
| Powerplant: | General Electric T58-GE-10 | ||
| Horsepower (each): | 1400 | ||
Performance
| Range: | 625 miles | 1,006 km | |
| Max Speed: | 166 mph | 267 km/h | 144 kt |
| Climb: | 2,200 ft/min | 670 m/min | |
| Ceiling: | 15,000 ft | 4,571 m | |
Operators (Past and Present)
| USN | BF | Jacksonville | FL |
| USN | HC-1 | NAS North Island | CA |
| USN | HC-2 | norfolk | VA |
| USN | HC-16 | Pensacola | FL |
| USN | HS-1 | Jacksonville | FL |
| USN | HS-5 | Jacksonville | FL |
| USN | HS-7 | Jacksonville | FL |
| USN | HS-9 | Jacksonville | FL |
| USN | HS-10 | North Island | CA |
| USN | HS-11 | Jacksonville | FL |
| USN | HS-12 | Atsugi | Japan |
| USN | HS-14 | North Island | CA |
| USN | HS-15 | Jacksonville | FL |
| USN | HS-75 | Jacksonville | FL |
| USN | HS-85 | NAS Alameda | CA |
| USN | VX-1 | Patuxent River | MD |
Examples of this type may be found at
| Museum | City | State |
| NAS Norfolk | Norfolk | Virginia |
| Quonset Air Museum | North Kingston | Rhode Island |
SH-3H on display
NAS Norfolk |
Recent comments by our visitors
| Bud Centennial, CO | HS-3 Tridents in Norfolk, VA 1962 to 1965. First east coast squadron to get the brand new SH-3A's. Deployed aboard the USS Intrepid. 07/17/2013 @ 09:27 [ref: 67950] |
| Bill Kuhns LEXINGTON PARK, MD | HS-3 Tridents, Jacksonville, FL. Won 4 Battle "E"s in a row in the mid to late 1980's. 04/06/2013 @ 08:27 [ref: 67713] |
| Landshark Charlotte, NC | I was an AW rescue swimmer and ASW operator from 86 to 94. I was with HS-17 (Neptunes Raiders) at NAS Jax. We deployed onboard the USS Coral Sea until the ship and squadron were decommed. 01/12/2009 @ 11:30 [ref: 23474] |
| Tony Petersen Pensacola,, FL | Sure miss the H-3 fortunately there are two of them on display at the National Museum of Naval Aviation here in Pcola. Still love the smell of burnt JP-5. Served in HS-8, HS-85 and on the Reserve Helo Wing in San Diego(oh and HSL-94 but we won't talk about H-2s). Hi Don and Paul 07/01/2008 @ 07:21 [ref: 21732] |
| Wally Shifflett Charlotte, NC | Flew as an ASW crewman for HS-15 out of Lakehurst, deployed on the Guam (LPH-9). We were the first to get the hotels so i guess I was the first to go down in one. Was flying first crewman on June 6, 1973 when the aircraft control systems went haywire while cruising back to the ship at 2,000 feet. Aircraft disentegrated, but all four of us got out and were picked up by the rescue helo after 1 + 20 in the drink. Would be interested in contacting anyone from HS-15 during that time and especially Skipper B.F. Doe, Rich Melano and AWAN Rust. these were the other crewman on that flight. I got outfour months later so didn't hear the results of the accident board. 06/01/2008 @ 20:13 [ref: 21070] |
| James Thomas San Diego, CA | I spent a career (just 10 years) at North Island working with these birds, from 1983-1992 I was either at AIMD in direct support of SH-3H primary mission hardware (sonar, MAD and sonobouy black boxes) then at HS-10, HS-14 or HC-1 as squadron level support, and then eventually as air crew in the SH-3A and G at HC-1. Another poster mentioned the chip lights, man what a pain those were. Lots of hydraulic fluid to leak all over sensitive electronics, and plenty of exhaust to suck during flights and to dirty up everything in sight.
Man I sure miss them birds! Seriously, a pretty good aircraft that flew alot of hours and stayed tough over it's thirty years (up until then, anything still flying now would be approaching the fiftieth (!) anniversary of the first flight of this airframe. 02/04/2008 @ 17:12 [ref: 19552] |
| Paul Laudani Cohasset, MA | I was an AW1 who started with HSL-30 then 32 at NAS Norfolk 1976-78, cruised the Med/N. Atlantic on FFG-5 Richard L. Page in the H-2, then reenlisted for H-3 duty near home at HS-74 NAS S. Weymouth, Ma. No disrespect to the H-2, but it sure was nice to stand up and walk in flight! Spent about 4 years in H-3's and loved it. Dipping sonar was very interesting. I always took comfort in the "hull" design. I was sure the H-3 would float great if it had to, not sink like I thought the H-2 would! As luck would have it, the H-3's were taken away and our squadron went to H-2's and redesignated as HSL-74. Spent my last year (1987) in HSL-94 NAS Willow Grove before packing it in. (Hi Don! How are you??) I've always had great respect for both H-3's and H-2's, and my pilots; we flew a couple thousand hours together and they always got us back. Lots of great memories, sure do miss it. 01/24/2008 @ 18:17 [ref: 19419] |
| Don S. Lepper (AWCS Ret) New Richmond, WI | Attached to HS-15 Redlions (19 year old newly minted AW and swimmer) 77-80, made many flights in SH-3H 149738, great memories and good bird. Plan to bring family someday to visit her. Went on to fly in SH3s and SH2s in HS75 and 85 also SH2s in HSL-94 over the next several years. Still can smell the exhaust from the A-7s as we waited on the angle to take off for plane guard and chasing soviet subs and the occasional AGI following in trail of the carrier picking up garbage. Remember well the quiet of standing alert listening to the BBC and launching for bears and overboards (some from the carriers others from small boys). Flew with some great guys in 15 Larry Bryant, Tom Motter, Tom Hayes, John Snyder, Rich Good, and Steve Quinn to name a few. Served in great squadrons with great people. MISS IT! 01/22/2008 @ 10:12 [ref: 19396] |
| Bud Bagdon Centennial, CO | Every have to change the fuel boost pumps located in the main fuel tanks. You had to crawl through a small man hole in the floor of the aircraft. Talk about claustrophobia.
Bud Bagdon HS-3 1962-1965 01/06/2008 @ 14:14 [ref: 19175] |
| Ray Devine Vancouver, WA | Paul, you can get Sea Griffins patches on E-Bay. I replaced my stolen patch this way. They show up there all the time.
BTW - The "real" HS-4 66 that picked up the Apollo 11/13/14 and the Gemini, and a few others was sunk in 1980 off the coast of California. How do I know this, I saw it sink! ;> (As did just about anyone else looking at it when we tried to recover it from the side of the USS Kitty Hawk.) It was supposed to go to the Smithsonian a week after we crashed it. They were NOT happy. It's probably the single most famous helicopter in the world. It's too bad it ended up at the bottom of the Pacific. 12/05/2007 @ 21:22 [ref: 18809] |
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