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Today in WW II: 10 Sep 1943 Germans occupy Rome, post troops around Vatican City; Mussolini becomes head of state in German-occupied Northern Italy.
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Sikorsky HH-52 Sea Guard Helicopter
The Coast Guard acquired 99 of the Sikorsky HH-52A Sea Guard helicopters, beginning in July 1962, and retired the last one in service 12 September 1989, replaced by the HH-65A Dolphin. During its long service, the HH-52A Sea Guard was the Coast Guard’s primary short-range, search and rescue helicopter.
The HH-52A was the military version of the Sikorsky Model S-62, the first turbine-powered helicopter to be certified by the U.S. Federal Aviation Agency. The HH-52A had a watertight boat-hull fuselage making it capable of water landings and takeoffs, a key factor for the Coast Guard in selecting the aircraft.
HH-52 Sea Guard Specifications and Performance
| Rotor diameter |
53 ft. |
| Length |
44 ft. 7 in. |
| Height |
14 ft. 2 in. |
| Width |
15 ft. |
| Weight |
8,100 lb. max |
| Armament |
None |
| Engine |
1,050 shp GE T58-GE-6 turboshaft |
| Maximum speed |
120 mph |
| Cruising speed |
92 mph |
| Range |
350 mi. |
| Service ceiling |
15,700 ft. |
Personnel tie down the blades of a Coast Guard HH-52 Sea Guard helicopter, as protection from high winds at an Argentine station, 1 April 1983. Under a 1959 Antarctic Treaty, the U.S. is providing transportation to scientists from this station.
A Coast Guard Grumman HU-16E Albatross (left) and a Sikorsky HH-52A Seaguard in March, 1964, probably at Air Station Mobile. For over 30 years, these amphibious aircraft were the workhorses of the Coast Guard's air fleet.
HH-52A Sea Guard lands on board the USCGC Westwind during flight operations in Gravesend Bay, NY, 6 March 1964.
