Restored USCG Helo to be Unveiled at Museum

SEATTLE -- A Coast Guard HH-52 Seaguard helicopter, which was restored by current and retired Coast Guard members, will be unveiled at the Boeing Museum of Flight, in Seattle, June 18.

The unveiling will occur in conjunction with the Seattle-area American Heroes Air Show.

Rear Adm. Gary T. Blore, Commander of the 13th Coast Guard District and current Ancient Albatross is scheduled to speak at the HH-52 ceremony. Lt. Mark Haines, from Air Station Port Angeles, Wash., and HH-52 restoration leader, will be present.

The Coast Guard acquired 99 of the Sikorsky HH-52A Sea Guard helicopters, beginning in July 1962, and retired the last one in service Sept. 12, 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.

The Coast Guard fleet of HH-52A is credited with saving more than 15,000 lives.