Air-sea rescue
Encyclopedia
Air-sea rescue is the coordinated search and rescue
of the survivors of emergency water landing
s as well as people who have survived the loss of their sea-going vessel. ASR can involve a wide variety of resources including seaplane
s, helicopter
s, submarine
s, rescue boats and ships. Specialized equipment and techniques have been developed. Military and civilian units can perform air-sea rescue.
The first air-sea rescue was performed in August 1911 by Hugh Robinson
who landed his Curtiss Aeroplane Company
seaplane on Lake Michigan
to pull a crashed pilot out of the water. Air-sea rescue by flying boat
or floatplane
was a method used by various nations to pick up aviators or sailors who were struggling in the water. Training and weather accidents could require an aircrew to be rescued, and seaplanes were occasionally used for that purpose. The limitation was that if the water's surface were too rough, the aircraft would not be able to land. The most that could be done was to drop emergency supplies to the survivors, or to signal surface ships or rescue boats to guide them to the correct location.
s have been used to perform sea rescues since the late 19th century. These lifeboats are typically 30 to 80 ft (9.1 to 24.4 m) in length and designed to right itself if overturned. Such boats carry life-saving equipment and crew trained in first aid methods specific to sea rescue.
The principles of coordinating small surface boat rescue efforts with direction and assistance from air units were developed in the 1930s by Germany, followed by other nations in the 1940s. A wide variety of powered boats have been used for air-sea rescue, including ones such as minelayer
s, torpedo boat
s and fast attack boats that were not developed specifically for rescue.
The first airborne lifeboat
was British, a 32 feet (10 m) reinforced wooden canoe-shaped boat designed in 1943 by Uffa Fox
to be dropped by Avro Lancaster
heavy bomber
s for the rescue of aircrew downed in the English Channel
. The Mark I lifeboat's descent to the water was slowed by parachutes.
In the United States, Andrew Higgins
evaluated the Fox boat and found it too weak to survive mishap in emergency operations. In November 1943, Higgins assigned engineers from his company to make a sturdier version with two engines that would right itself if it landed upside down. Higgins Industries
, known for making landing craft (LCVP
) and PT boat
s, produced the A-1 lifeboat
, a 1½-ton (1400 kg), 27 feet (8 m) airborne lifeboat with waterproof internal compartments so that it would not sink if swamped or overturned. Intended to be dropped by modified Boeing B-17 Flying Fortresses, it was ready for production in early 1944. Later, the EDO
A-3 lifeboat
with an inboard motor
, fuel, water and food was introduced as a replacement for the Higgins. Both airborne lifeboats required parachutes to slow their descent. As well, inflatable life rafts could be dropped without a parachute.
s have taken a primary role in air-sea rescue since their introduction in the 1940s. Helicopters can fly in rougher weather than fixed-wing aircraft
, and they can deliver injured passengers directly to hospitals or other emergency facilities. Helicopters can hover above the scene of an accident while fixed-wing aircraft must circle, or for seaplanes, land and taxi toward the accident. Helicopters can save those stranded among rocks and reefs, where seaplanes are unable to go. Landing facilities for helicopters can be much smaller and cruder than for fixed-wing aircraft. Additionally, the same helicopter that is capable of air-sea rescue can take part in a wide variety of other operations including those on land. Disadvantages include the loud noise causing difficulties in communicating with the survivors and the strong downdraft that the hovering helicopter creates which increases wind chill
danger for already-soaked and hypothermic
patients. Helicopters also tend to have limited range and endurance.
The United States Coast Guard
(USCG) was the first agency to evaluate the potential of helicopter rescue assistance, beginning in 1938. Two early Sikorsky R-4
s were acquired in 1941, and training was initiated at Coast Guard Station Brooklyn
in New York. In 1942, Royal Air Force
and Royal Navy
fliers trained in Brooklyn after which the British bought a large number of "hoverflies"
from Sikorsky to re-organize 705 Naval Air Squadron
. The first helicopter air-sea rescue was carried out in 1946 when a Sikorsky S-51
being demonstrated to the U.S. Navy was used in an emergency to pull a downed Navy pilot from the ocean.
The first peace-time air-sea rescue squadron exclusively using helicopters was No. 275 Squadron RAF
re-organized in 1953 at Linton-on-Ouse
. The unit painted their Bristol Sycamore
aircraft all yellow, with lettering on the side reading "RESCUE"—a paint scheme that has continued to the present.
In the 1950s, some models of helicopter such as the Bell 47
and 48
were fitted with pontoons so that they could rest on both water and land. Other helicopters such as the Sea King and the Seaguard were made with a water-resistant hull which allowed them to settle directly onto the water for long enough to effect a rescue. Such amphibious helicopter
s came to the fore in the 1960s but have been largely replaced by helicopters unable to land on water, due to high aircraft development costs. Amphibious helicopters paid dividends for rescue personnel who enjoyed greater safety and success during operations. Operations that use non-amphibious helicopters rely to a higher degree on hoist
s, rescue basket
s, and rescue swimmers.
Rescue swimmers have been used for air-sea rescue work to assist in picking up survivors who are not able to reach the rescue craft, especially those incapacitated by exposure to cold water. Since the mid-1980s when standards were set down for their instruction and implementation, rescue swimmers have deployed from rescue helicopters or rescue boats and have been trained to extricate downed airmen from fouled parachute lines and ejection seats. Rescue swimmers must meet a number of difficult requirements: their physical conditioning must be kept at a high level, they must be expert in first aid treatment methods, and they are often highly trained technicians crucial to the operation of the rescue craft.
. Some rescues were performed, however, by individuals and groups acting on their own initiative. Near the end of the Adriatic Campaign
, United States Navy Reserve
pilot Ensign Charles Hammann
flew his U.S. Navy seaplane to land on the Adriatic Sea
near Pula
and rescue a fellow aviator who had been shot down by enemy action. Hamman's aircraft was only designed to hold one person, the pilot, but, under the constant threat of enemy fire, he was able to complete the rescue and land at his base at Port Corsini in Italy. Hamman received the Medal of Honor
for this action.
In 1935, Lieutenant Colonel Konrad Goltz of the German Air Force (Luftwaffe
), a supply officer based at the port of Kiel
, was given the task of organizing the Seenotdienst (Sea Rescue Service), an air-sea rescue organization focusing on the North Sea
and the Baltic Sea
. Goltz gained coordination with aircraft units of the Kriegsmarine
as well as with civilian lifeboat societies. Early in 1939, with the growing probability of war against Great Britain, the Luftwaffe carried out large-scale rescue exercises over water. Land-based German bombers used for search duties proved inadequate in range, so bomber air bases were constructed along the coast to facilitate an air net over the Baltic and North seas. Following this, the Luftwaffe determined to procure a purpose-built air-sea rescue seaplane, choosing the Heinkel He 59
, a twin-engine biplane with pontoons. A total of 14 He 59s were sent to be fitted with first aid equipment, electrically heated sleeping bags, artificial respiration equipment, a floor hatch with a telescoping ladder to reach the water, a hoist, signaling devices, and lockers to hold all the gear.
acquired its first seaplanes in 1925 at Air Station Gloucester
, and used them for coastal patrol as well as single, uncoordinated air rescue units. The air complement grew in the 1930s with the establishment of Air Station Salem
and in the 1940s with the first formation of a dedicated U.S. domestic air-sea rescue service on the East Coast
in 1944 at Salem.
In May 1940, USCG Commander William J. Kossler witnessed a helicopter demonstration flight by Igor Sikorsky
, flying the Vought-Sikorsky VS-300. By 1941, Sikorsky had equipped the helicopter with pontoon
s for water landing
s. Kossler saw at once the advantages of helicopter operations, and began to plan for helicopter-equipped search and rescue squadrons. In June 1942, USCG Lieutenant Commander F. A. Erickson proposed both submarine hunting and air-sea rescue duties for helicopters and in July, the U.S. Bureau of Aeronautics called for four Sikorsky helicopters to be studied by the U.S. Navy and the Coast Guard. The first USCG helicopter detachment was formed in mid-1943. In the following years, various makes and models of helicopter were obtained, including the Sikorsky HUS-1 Seahorse in 1956 and the HH-52A Seaguard in 1962. The Seaguard was amphibious—it allowed both land and water landings.
In 1965, the USCG ordered the Sikorsky S-61R
, designated HH-3F Sea King, or Pelican. The Pelican was an amphibious helicopter which featured a powerful search radar protected within a radome
protruding from the left side of the nose. In 1985, the Pelican was phased out in favor of the HH-65 Dolphin
, a helicopter developed by Aérospatiale
's Eurocopter division, based on their popular Dauphin
model.
Today, the USCG reports that 95% of its marine rescues are conducted within 20 miles (32 km) of the shore, and that 90% are purely rescue, as emergency beacons and other information frequently guide the rescuers directly to the location. The cost of searching is high: the other 10% of rescues, the ones requiring an extensive search, cost the Coast Guard $50 million each year.
medium bomber
s were frustrated by low clouds and fog in their mission to bomb Wilhelmshaven
, and they turned for home. The formation attracted the energetic attention of Luftwaffe pilots flying Bf 109 fighter aircraft
as well as Bf 110 heavy fighter
s, and more than half of the Wellingtons went down in the North Sea. German Seenotdienst rescue boats based at Hörnum
worked with He 59s to save some twenty British airmen from the icy water.
In 1940, the Seenotdienst added bases in Denmark, Holland and France. The Heinkel He 59s were painted white in June, with red crosses to indicate emergency services. A few French seaplanes were modified for rescue and attached to the organization. In response to the heavy toll of German air action against Great Britain, Adolf Galland
recommended that German pilots in trouble over the ocean make an emergency water landing
in their aircraft instead of bailing out and parachuting down. The aircraft each carried an inflatable rubber raft which would help the airmen avoid hypothermia
from continued immersion in the cold water, and increase the time available for rescue. British fighters such the Supermarine Spitfire
and the Hawker Hurricane
did not carry inflatable rafts, only lifejackets
which were little help against the cold.
In July 1940, a white-painted He 59 operating near Deal, Kent
was shot down and the crew taken captive because it was sharing the air with 12 Bf 109 fighters and because the British were wary of Luftwaffe aircraft dropping spies and saboteurs. The German pilot's log showed that he had noted the position and direction of British convoys—British officials determined that this constituted military reconnaissance
, not rescue work. The Air Ministry
issued Bulletin 1254 indicating that all enemy air-sea rescue aircraft were to be destroyed if encountered. Winston Churchill
later wrote "We did not recognise this means of rescuing enemy pilots who had been shot down in action, in order that they might come and bomb our civil population again." Germany protested this order on the grounds that rescue aircraft were part of the Geneva Convention agreement stipulating that belligerents must respect each other's "mobile sanitary formations" such as field ambulances and hospital ship
s. Churchill argued that rescue aircraft were not anticipated by the treaty, and were not covered. British attacks on He 59s increased. The Seenotdienst ordered the rescue aircraft armed as well as painted in the camouflage
scheme of their area of operation. Rescue flights were to be protected by fighter aircraft when possible.
In October 1940, yellow-painted Sea Rescue Floats were placed by the Germans in waters where air emergencies were likely. The highly visible buoy-type floats held emergency equipment including food, water, blankets and dry clothing, and they attracted distressed airmen from both sides of the war. Both German and British rescue units checked the floats from time to time, picking up any airmen they found, though enemy airmen were immediately made prisoner of war
.
During the first two years of war, the British had no coordinated air-sea rescue units—only about 28 crash boats and no dedicated aircraft. The ditching of a British aeroplane in the Channel or the North Sea usually doomed its crew. The fate of downed airmen was primarily in the hands of their parent organization, and they had little they could do to help the crash boats locate the accident site. In January 1941, a Directorate of Air-Sea Rescue was formed by the Royal Air Force
for the purpose of saving those in distress at sea, especially airmen. Proper provisioning of rescue squadrons was slow, and it took more than a year for sea-going rescue boats and aircraft to come together in active ASR squadrons. The organization copied much from the successful efforts of the Seenotdienst. British air-sea rescue units began in September 1942 to work with the United States Army Air Forces
to coordinate rescue activities over the Channel and the North Sea. The combined US-UK effort led to the saving of nearly 5,000 American fliers.
, the first purposely assigned rescue aircraft, a PBY Catalina, was given the mission of plucking downed airmen from the ocean in January 1943. From January to August, such rescue flights based at Guadalcanal
saved 161 aviators.
Beginning in November 1943, during the Gilbert and Marshall Islands campaign
, American submarines were tasked with the rescue of U.S. Navy and Marine airmen downed during aircraft carrier
attack operations. Submarines were often vectored to a rescue site by aircraft providing coordinates, but too many layers of command slowed the cooperation considerably. Long-range naval patrol aircraft were fitted with extra radio equipment to allow direct contact with surface and underwater units. By the end of 1944, some 224 airmen had been rescued by submarine.
Dumbo aircraft, converted land-based heavy bomber
s named after Walt Disney
's animated flying elephant, were sent aloft in the Pacific War
to patrol likely areas where American airmen might ditch
. The Dumbo would radio the position of any survivors spotted in the water, and it would drop emergency supplies such as an airborne lifeboat, by parachute. A nearby ship or submarine could be requested to come rescue the survivors, or an air-sea rescue station could be signaled to send a rescue boat or flying boat.
In the last eight months of World War II
, Dumbo operations complemented simultaneous United States Army Air Forces
heavy bombing operations against Japanese targets.
On any one large-scale bombing mission carried out by Boeing B-29 Superfortress
es, at least three submarines were posted along the air route, and Dumbo aircraft sent to patrol the distant waters, and listen for emergency radio transmissions from distressed aircraft. At the final bombing mission on August 14, 1945, 9 land-based Dumbos and 21 flying boats covered a surface and sub-surface force of 14 submarines and 5 rescue ships.
and into the mid-1950s. The SB-17 began serving in Korea, but dropped only a few lifeboats to save several lives before being phased out in late 1951—there were enough SB-29 Super Dumbos and Grumman SA-16A Albatross
flying boats to satisfy the need.
Other air-sea rescue aircraft used in the Sea of Japan
and the Yellow Sea
include the PB-1G
land-based maritime patrol bomber and the Sikorsky H-5
helicopter, and later the H-19. Rafts were often dropped which inflated upon impact with the water. Operating in coordination with the U.S. Navy, the USCG painted their air-sea rescue assets white.
Shortly after the Korean War, some Douglas C-54 Skymaster
s were converted to air-sea rescue work and redesignated SC-54, replacing all the Flying Fortresses and Super Fortresses still in service. The SC-54 sometimes carried an airborne lifeboat and could carry more rescue supplies over longer distances.
, American naval vessels and aircraft from both the U.S. Navy and the U.S. Air Force participated in air-sea rescue patrols in the Gulf of Tonkin
. The helicopter most closely associated with long-range U.S. air-sea rescue operations in Southeast Asia was the Sikorsky S-61R
, called the "Pelican" or "Jolly Green Giant", a variation of the SH-3 Sea King. First acquired by the U.S. Navy in 1961 for anti-submarine warfare
, variants of the helicopter were quickly utilized for many duties including rescue, and were operated as well by the United States Air Force
(USAF) which developed an in-flight refueling system. In 1970, USAF Air Rescue and Recovery Service (ARRS) Sea Kings flew from the U.S. to France using such refueling methods. At the same time as the Vietnam War, U.S. Navy helicopters were used during the Apollo space missions to pull astronauts and their capsules from the ocean.
SAR helicopters were in operation with the Royal Navy
at the time of the 1982 Falklands War
. SAR helicopters were assigned search and rescue patrols, and Sea King as well as Westland Wessex
aircraft plucked several airmen from the icy waters. Helicopters were also used to transport troops and to rescue Special Air Service
(SAS) troops trapped on a glacier in heavy wind and snow conditions.
Two Royal Air Force
SAR helicopters of No. 1564 Flight
on detached duty continue to provide cover for the Falkland Islands
.
since 1986 when scuba divers
were stationed in shifts at a hangar containing helicopter rescue aircraft. The NYPD Aviation Unit operates night vision-equipped Bell 412
helicopters which fly to rescue locations carrying two pilots, one crew chief and two scuba divers. NYPD motor lifeboats from the Harbor Unit respond as well, meeting the helicopter at the incident site to pick up non-critically injured survivors who don't require air evacuation. After the January 2009 ditching of US Airways Flight 1549
in the Hudson River
, NYPD air-sea rescue units pulled two survivors from the icy river and applied first aid for hypothermia,Solosky, Kenneth J., NYPD. Posted February 19, 2009, at Officer.com. "The Challenge of Air-Sea Rescue: Teamwork, teamwork, teamwork are the watchwords of the day." Retrieved on September 9, 2009. and divers swam through the submerged aircraft cabin
to make certain all passengers were evacuated.
Search and rescue
Search and rescue is the search for and provision of aid to people who are in distress or imminent danger.The general field of search and rescue includes many specialty sub-fields, mostly based upon terrain considerations...
of the survivors of emergency water landing
Water landing
A water landing is, in the broadest sense, any landing on a body of water. All waterfowl, those seabirds capable of flight, and some human-built vehicles are capable of landing in water as a matter of course....
s as well as people who have survived the loss of their sea-going vessel. ASR can involve a wide variety of resources including seaplane
Seaplane
A seaplane is a fixed-wing aircraft capable of taking off and landing on water. Seaplanes that can also take off and land on airfields are a subclass called amphibian aircraft...
s, helicopter
Helicopter
A helicopter is a type of rotorcraft in which lift and thrust are supplied by one or more engine-driven rotors. This allows the helicopter to take off and land vertically, to hover, and to fly forwards, backwards, and laterally...
s, submarine
Submarine
A submarine is a watercraft capable of independent operation below the surface of the water. It differs from a submersible, which has more limited underwater capability...
s, rescue boats and ships. Specialized equipment and techniques have been developed. Military and civilian units can perform air-sea rescue.
History
Hugh Armstrong Robinson
Hugh Armstrong Robinson, born May 13, 1881–1963, Neosho, Missouri. Robinson was pioneer in the earliest days of aviation, combining his skills of inventor, pilot, and daredevil. Among other things, he is said to have been the third person to successfully fly an aircraft after the Wright Brothers...
who landed his Curtiss Aeroplane Company
Curtiss Aeroplane and Motor Company
Curtiss Aeroplane and Motor Company was an American aircraft manufacturer that went public in 1916 with Glenn Hammond Curtiss as president. Throughout the 1920s and 1930s, the company was the largest aircraft manufacturer in the United States...
seaplane on Lake Michigan
Lake Michigan
Lake Michigan is one of the five Great Lakes of North America and the only one located entirely within the United States. It is the second largest of the Great Lakes by volume and the third largest by surface area, after Lake Superior and Lake Huron...
to pull a crashed pilot out of the water. Air-sea rescue by flying boat
Flying boat
A flying boat is a fixed-winged seaplane with a hull, allowing it to land on water. It differs from a float plane as it uses a purpose-designed fuselage which can float, granting the aircraft buoyancy. Flying boats may be stabilized by under-wing floats or by wing-like projections from the fuselage...
or floatplane
Floatplane
A floatplane is a type of seaplane, with slender pontoons mounted under the fuselage; only the floats of a floatplane normally come into contact with water, with the fuselage remaining above water...
was a method used by various nations to pick up aviators or sailors who were struggling in the water. Training and weather accidents could require an aircrew to be rescued, and seaplanes were occasionally used for that purpose. The limitation was that if the water's surface were too rough, the aircraft would not be able to land. The most that could be done was to drop emergency supplies to the survivors, or to signal surface ships or rescue boats to guide them to the correct location.
Seaplane
Seaplanes were the first aircraft used for air-sea rescue. Any other aircraft design had the additional danger of ditching in the water and requiring immediate rescue, but seaplanes could land on the water in an emergency and wait for rescue. Long range, endurance, and the ability to stay on station for long periods of time were seen as essential to naval aviation requirements for rescue aircraft. Robust radio equipment was necessary for contact with land and ocean surface forces.Lifeboat
Fast, rugged, and powerful motorised lifeboatLifeboat (rescue)
A rescue lifeboat is a boat rescue craft which is used to attend a vessel in distress, or its survivors, to rescue crewmen and passengers. It can be hand pulled, sail powered or powered by an engine...
s have been used to perform sea rescues since the late 19th century. These lifeboats are typically 30 to 80 ft (9.1 to 24.4 m) in length and designed to right itself if overturned. Such boats carry life-saving equipment and crew trained in first aid methods specific to sea rescue.
The principles of coordinating small surface boat rescue efforts with direction and assistance from air units were developed in the 1930s by Germany, followed by other nations in the 1940s. A wide variety of powered boats have been used for air-sea rescue, including ones such as minelayer
Minelayer
Minelaying is the act of deploying explosive mines. Historically this has been carried out by ships, submarines and aircraft. Additionally, since World War I the term minelayer refers specifically to a naval ship used for deploying naval mines...
s, torpedo boat
Torpedo boat
A torpedo boat is a relatively small and fast naval vessel designed to carry torpedoes into battle. The first designs rammed enemy ships with explosive spar torpedoes, and later designs launched self-propelled Whitehead torpedoes. They were created to counter battleships and other large, slow and...
s and fast attack boats that were not developed specifically for rescue.
Airborne lifeboat
Airborne lifeboat
Airborne lifeboats were powered lifeboats that were made to be dropped by fixed-wing aircraft into water to aid in air-sea rescue operations. An airborne lifeboat was to be carried by a heavy bomber specially modified to handle the external load of the lifeboat...
was British, a 32 feet (10 m) reinforced wooden canoe-shaped boat designed in 1943 by Uffa Fox
Uffa Fox
Uffa Fox CBE was an English boat designer and sailing enthusiast.-Life:Uffa Fox was born on the Isle of Wight and was raised in East Cowes. He lived for a while in Puckaster on the Isle of Wight.-Work:...
to be dropped by Avro Lancaster
Avro Lancaster
The Avro Lancaster is a British four-engined Second World War heavy bomber made initially by Avro for the Royal Air Force . It first saw active service in 1942, and together with the Handley Page Halifax it was one of the main heavy bombers of the RAF, the RCAF, and squadrons from other...
heavy bomber
Bomber
A bomber is a military aircraft designed to attack ground and sea targets, by dropping bombs on them, or – in recent years – by launching cruise missiles at them.-Classifications of bombers:...
s for the rescue of aircrew downed in the English Channel
English Channel
The English Channel , often referred to simply as the Channel, is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean that separates southern England from northern France, and joins the North Sea to the Atlantic. It is about long and varies in width from at its widest to in the Strait of Dover...
. The Mark I lifeboat's descent to the water was slowed by parachutes.
In the United States, Andrew Higgins
Andrew Higgins
Andrew Jackson Higgins was the founder and owner of Higgins Industries, the New Orleans-based manufacturer of "Higgins boats" during World War II. General Dwight Eisenhower is quoted as saying, "Andrew Higgins ... is the man who won the war for us. .....
evaluated the Fox boat and found it too weak to survive mishap in emergency operations. In November 1943, Higgins assigned engineers from his company to make a sturdier version with two engines that would right itself if it landed upside down. Higgins Industries
Higgins Industries
Higgins Industries was the company owned by Andrew Higgins based in New Orleans, Louisiana, United States. Higgins is most famous for the design and production of the Higgins boat, an amphibious landing craft referred to as LCVP, which were used extensively in D-Day Invasion of Normandy...
, known for making landing craft (LCVP
LCVP
The Landing Craft, Vehicle, Personnel or Higgins boat was a landing craft used extensively in amphibious landings in World War II. The craft was designed by Andrew Higgins of Louisiana, United States, based on boats made for operating in swamps and marshes...
) and PT boat
PT boat
PT Boats were a variety of motor torpedo boat , a small, fast vessel used by the United States Navy in World War II to attack larger surface ships. The PT boat squadrons were nicknamed "the mosquito fleet". The Japanese called them "Devil Boats".The original pre–World War I torpedo boats were...
s, produced the A-1 lifeboat
A-1 lifeboat
The A-1 lifeboat was a powered lifeboat that was made to be dropped by fixed-wing aircraft into water to aid in air-sea rescue operations. The sturdy airborne lifeboat was to be carried by a heavy bomber specially modified to handle the external load of the lifeboat...
, a 1½-ton (1400 kg), 27 feet (8 m) airborne lifeboat with waterproof internal compartments so that it would not sink if swamped or overturned. Intended to be dropped by modified Boeing B-17 Flying Fortresses, it was ready for production in early 1944. Later, the EDO
EDO Corporation
EDO Corporation was an American company, which was acquired by ITT Corporation in 2007. EDO designed and manufactured products for defense, intelligence, and commercial markets, and provided related engineering and professional services. It employed 4,000 people worldwide and had revenues of $715...
A-3 lifeboat
A-3 lifeboat
The A-3 lifeboat was an airborne lifeboat developed by the EDO Corporation in 1947 for the United States Air Force as a successor to the Higgins Industries A-1 lifeboat...
with an inboard motor
Inboard motor
An inboard motor is a marine propulsion system for boats. As opposed to an outboard motor where an engine is mounted outside of the hull of the craft, an inboard motor is an engine enclosed within the hull of the boat, usually connected to a propulsion screw by adriveshaft.-History:The first...
, fuel, water and food was introduced as a replacement for the Higgins. Both airborne lifeboats required parachutes to slow their descent. As well, inflatable life rafts could be dropped without a parachute.
Helicopter
HelicopterHelicopter
A helicopter is a type of rotorcraft in which lift and thrust are supplied by one or more engine-driven rotors. This allows the helicopter to take off and land vertically, to hover, and to fly forwards, backwards, and laterally...
s have taken a primary role in air-sea rescue since their introduction in the 1940s. Helicopters can fly in rougher weather than fixed-wing aircraft
Fixed-wing aircraft
A fixed-wing aircraft is an aircraft capable of flight using wings that generate lift due to the vehicle's forward airspeed. Fixed-wing aircraft are distinct from rotary-wing aircraft in which wings rotate about a fixed mast and ornithopters in which lift is generated by flapping wings.A powered...
, and they can deliver injured passengers directly to hospitals or other emergency facilities. Helicopters can hover above the scene of an accident while fixed-wing aircraft must circle, or for seaplanes, land and taxi toward the accident. Helicopters can save those stranded among rocks and reefs, where seaplanes are unable to go. Landing facilities for helicopters can be much smaller and cruder than for fixed-wing aircraft. Additionally, the same helicopter that is capable of air-sea rescue can take part in a wide variety of other operations including those on land. Disadvantages include the loud noise causing difficulties in communicating with the survivors and the strong downdraft that the hovering helicopter creates which increases wind chill
Wind chill
Wind chill is the felt air temperature on exposed skin due to wind. The wind chill temperature is always lower than the air temperature, and the windchill is undefined at the higher temps...
danger for already-soaked and hypothermic
Hypothermia
Hypothermia is a condition in which core temperature drops below the required temperature for normal metabolism and body functions which is defined as . Body temperature is usually maintained near a constant level of through biologic homeostasis or thermoregulation...
patients. Helicopters also tend to have limited range and endurance.
United States Coast Guard
The United States Coast Guard is a branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven U.S. uniformed services. The Coast Guard is a maritime, military, multi-mission service unique among the military branches for having a maritime law enforcement mission and a federal regulatory agency...
(USCG) was the first agency to evaluate the potential of helicopter rescue assistance, beginning in 1938. Two early Sikorsky R-4
Sikorsky R-4
The Sikorsky R-4 was a two-place helicopter designed by Igor Sikorsky with a single, three-bladed main rotor and powered by a radial engine. The R-4 was the world's first large-scale mass-produced helicopter and the first helicopter to enter service with the United States Army Air Forces, Navy, and...
s were acquired in 1941, and training was initiated at Coast Guard Station Brooklyn
Floyd Bennett Field
Floyd Bennett Field is New York City's first municipal airport. While no longer used as an operational commercial, military or general aviation airfield, the New York Police Department still flies its helicopters from its heliport base there...
in New York. In 1942, Royal Air Force
Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Formed on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world...
and Royal Navy
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
fliers trained in Brooklyn after which the British bought a large number of "hoverflies"
Sikorsky R-4
The Sikorsky R-4 was a two-place helicopter designed by Igor Sikorsky with a single, three-bladed main rotor and powered by a radial engine. The R-4 was the world's first large-scale mass-produced helicopter and the first helicopter to enter service with the United States Army Air Forces, Navy, and...
from Sikorsky to re-organize 705 Naval Air Squadron
705 Naval Air Squadron
705 Naval Air Squadron was first formed in 1936 from No 447 Flight Royal Air Force and operated Swordfish torpedo bombers from battlecruisers. It was disbanded in 1940, but was re-formed in 1947 as a Fleet Requirements Unit to evaluate naval use of helicopters...
. The first helicopter air-sea rescue was carried out in 1946 when a Sikorsky S-51
Sikorsky H-5
The Sikorsky H-5, is a helicopter built by Sikorsky Aircraft Corporation, formerly used by the United States Air Force, and its predecessor, the United States Army Air Forces, as well as the United States Navy and United States Coast Guard The Sikorsky H-5, (aka R-5, S-51, HO3S-1, or Horse) (R-5...
being demonstrated to the U.S. Navy was used in an emergency to pull a downed Navy pilot from the ocean.
The first peace-time air-sea rescue squadron exclusively using helicopters was No. 275 Squadron RAF
No. 275 Squadron RAF
No. 275 Squadron RAF was a Royal Air Force air-sea rescue squadron that served between 1941 and 1959.-History:No. 275 Squadron RAF was formed at RAF Valley on 15 October 1941 for air-sea rescue duties in the Irish sea, the first aircraft being Lysanders Mk.IIIa's...
re-organized in 1953 at Linton-on-Ouse
RAF Linton-on-Ouse
RAF Linton-on-Ouse is a Royal Air Force station at Linton-on-Ouse near York in Yorkshire, England. It is currently a major flying training centre, one of the RAF's busiest airfields...
. The unit painted their Bristol Sycamore
Bristol Sycamore
-See also:-External links:* on the Bristol Sycamore* on the Bristol Sycamore*...
aircraft all yellow, with lettering on the side reading "RESCUE"—a paint scheme that has continued to the present.
In the 1950s, some models of helicopter such as the Bell 47
Bell 47
The Bell 47 is a two-bladed, single engine, light helicopter manufactured by Bell Helicopter. Based on the third Model 30 prototype, Bell's first helicopter designed by Arthur M. Young, the Bell 47 became the first helicopter certified for civilian use on 8 March 1946...
and 48
Bell H-12
-See also:-References:* Andrade, John M. U.S.Military Aircraft Designation and Serials since 1909. Leicester, UK: Midland Counties Publications, 1979. ISBN 0-904597-22-9....
were fitted with pontoons so that they could rest on both water and land. Other helicopters such as the Sea King and the Seaguard were made with a water-resistant hull which allowed them to settle directly onto the water for long enough to effect a rescue. Such amphibious helicopter
Amphibious helicopter
An amphibious helicopter is a helicopter that is intended to rest and take off from either land or water. Amphibious helicopters are used for a variety of specialized purposes including air-sea rescue, marine salvage and oceanography, in addition to other tasks that can be accomplished with any...
s came to the fore in the 1960s but have been largely replaced by helicopters unable to land on water, due to high aircraft development costs. Amphibious helicopters paid dividends for rescue personnel who enjoyed greater safety and success during operations. Operations that use non-amphibious helicopters rely to a higher degree on hoist
Hoist (device)
A hoist is a device used for lifting or lowering a load by means of a drum or lift-wheel around which rope or chain wraps. It may be manually operated, electrically or pneumatically driven and may use chain, fiber or wire rope as its lifting medium. The load is attached to the hoist by means of a...
s, rescue basket
Helicopter rescue basket
A helicopter rescue basket is a basket suspended below a helicopter in order to rescue people from a fire or other disaster site.-Uses:There are two main types of helicopter baskets. The smaller, more common type is used by rescuers to lift a person up from ground or water into the helicopter.The...
s, and rescue swimmers.
Rescue swimmer
Rescue swimmers have been used for air-sea rescue work to assist in picking up survivors who are not able to reach the rescue craft, especially those incapacitated by exposure to cold water. Since the mid-1980s when standards were set down for their instruction and implementation, rescue swimmers have deployed from rescue helicopters or rescue boats and have been trained to extricate downed airmen from fouled parachute lines and ejection seats. Rescue swimmers must meet a number of difficult requirements: their physical conditioning must be kept at a high level, they must be expert in first aid treatment methods, and they are often highly trained technicians crucial to the operation of the rescue craft.
Military operations
Air-sea rescue operations carried out during war can save valuable trained and experienced airmen. Moreover, the knowledge that such operations are being carried out can greatly enhance the morale of the combat aircrew faced not only with the expected hostile reaction of the enemy but with the possible danger of aircraft malfunction during long overwater flights.World War I
Dedicated air-sea rescue units were not organized by any nation during World War IWorld War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
. Some rescues were performed, however, by individuals and groups acting on their own initiative. Near the end of the Adriatic Campaign
Adriatic Campaign of World War I
The Adriatic Campaign of World War I was a naval campaign fought during World War I between the Central Powers, and the Mediterranean squadrons of Great Britain, France, the Kingdom of Italy, Australia and the United States.-Characteristics:...
, United States Navy Reserve
United States Navy Reserve
The United States Navy Reserve, until 2005 known as the United States Naval Reserve, is the Reserve Component of the United States Navy...
pilot Ensign Charles Hammann
Charles Hammann
Charles Hazeltine Hammann was an officer in the United States Navy, an early naval aviator, and a recipient of the Medal of Honor.-Biography:...
flew his U.S. Navy seaplane to land on the Adriatic Sea
Adriatic Sea
The Adriatic Sea is a body of water separating the Italian Peninsula from the Balkan peninsula, and the system of the Apennine Mountains from that of the Dinaric Alps and adjacent ranges...
near Pula
Pula
Pula is the largest city in Istria County, Croatia, situated at the southern tip of the Istria peninsula, with a population of 62,080 .Like the rest of the region, it is known for its mild climate, smooth sea, and unspoiled nature. The city has a long tradition of winemaking, fishing,...
and rescue a fellow aviator who had been shot down by enemy action. Hamman's aircraft was only designed to hold one person, the pilot, but, under the constant threat of enemy fire, he was able to complete the rescue and land at his base at Port Corsini in Italy. Hamman received the Medal of Honor
Medal of Honor
The Medal of Honor is the highest military decoration awarded by the United States government. It is bestowed by the President, in the name of Congress, upon members of the United States Armed Forces who distinguish themselves through "conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his or her...
for this action.
Seenotdienst
Luftwaffe
Luftwaffe is a generic German term for an air force. It is also the official name for two of the four historic German air forces, the Wehrmacht air arm founded in 1935 and disbanded in 1946; and the current Bundeswehr air arm founded in 1956....
), a supply officer based at the port of Kiel
Kiel
Kiel is the capital and most populous city in the northern German state of Schleswig-Holstein, with a population of 238,049 .Kiel is approximately north of Hamburg. Due to its geographic location in the north of Germany, the southeast of the Jutland peninsula, and the southwestern shore of the...
, was given the task of organizing the Seenotdienst (Sea Rescue Service), an air-sea rescue organization focusing on the North Sea
North Sea
In the southwest, beyond the Straits of Dover, the North Sea becomes the English Channel connecting to the Atlantic Ocean. In the east, it connects to the Baltic Sea via the Skagerrak and Kattegat, narrow straits that separate Denmark from Norway and Sweden respectively...
and the Baltic Sea
Baltic Sea
The Baltic Sea is a brackish mediterranean sea located in Northern Europe, from 53°N to 66°N latitude and from 20°E to 26°E longitude. It is bounded by the Scandinavian Peninsula, the mainland of Europe, and the Danish islands. It drains into the Kattegat by way of the Øresund, the Great Belt and...
. Goltz gained coordination with aircraft units of the Kriegsmarine
Kriegsmarine
The Kriegsmarine was the name of the German Navy during the Nazi regime . It superseded the Kaiserliche Marine of World War I and the post-war Reichsmarine. The Kriegsmarine was one of three official branches of the Wehrmacht, the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany.The Kriegsmarine grew rapidly...
as well as with civilian lifeboat societies. Early in 1939, with the growing probability of war against Great Britain, the Luftwaffe carried out large-scale rescue exercises over water. Land-based German bombers used for search duties proved inadequate in range, so bomber air bases were constructed along the coast to facilitate an air net over the Baltic and North seas. Following this, the Luftwaffe determined to procure a purpose-built air-sea rescue seaplane, choosing the Heinkel He 59
Heinkel He 59
|-See also:-Bibliography:* Green, William.War Planes of the Second World War: Volume Six: Floatplanes. London: Macdonald, 1962.* Green, William. Warplanes of the Third Reich. New York: Doubleday, 1972. ISBN 0-385-05782-2....
, a twin-engine biplane with pontoons. A total of 14 He 59s were sent to be fitted with first aid equipment, electrically heated sleeping bags, artificial respiration equipment, a floor hatch with a telescoping ladder to reach the water, a hoist, signaling devices, and lockers to hold all the gear.
U.S. Coast Guard
The United States Coast GuardUnited States Coast Guard
The United States Coast Guard is a branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven U.S. uniformed services. The Coast Guard is a maritime, military, multi-mission service unique among the military branches for having a maritime law enforcement mission and a federal regulatory agency...
acquired its first seaplanes in 1925 at Air Station Gloucester
Coast Guard Air Station Gloucester
United States Coast Guard Air Station Gloucester was a United States Coast Guard air station located in Gloucester, Massachusetts. It was replaced by Coast Guard Air Station Salem in 1935. Today, the site is home to Coast Guard Station Gloucester....
, and used them for coastal patrol as well as single, uncoordinated air rescue units. The air complement grew in the 1930s with the establishment of Air Station Salem
Coast Guard Air Station Salem
Coast Guard Air Station Salem was a United States Coast Guard air station located in Salem, Massachusetts. It operated from New York City to the Canadian Border.-Mission:...
and in the 1940s with the first formation of a dedicated U.S. domestic air-sea rescue service on the East Coast
East Coast of the United States
The East Coast of the United States, also known as the Eastern Seaboard, refers to the easternmost coastal states in the United States, which touch the Atlantic Ocean and stretch up to Canada. The term includes the U.S...
in 1944 at Salem.
Igor Sikorsky
Igor Sikorsky , born Igor Ivanovich Sikorsky was a Russian American pioneer of aviation in both helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft...
, flying the Vought-Sikorsky VS-300. By 1941, Sikorsky had equipped the helicopter with pontoon
Pontoon
Pontoon may refer to:* Float , an air-filled structure providing buoyancy* Pontoon , the Australian/Malaysian casino game* Pontoon , a chiefly British version of the card game blackjack...
s for water landing
Water landing
A water landing is, in the broadest sense, any landing on a body of water. All waterfowl, those seabirds capable of flight, and some human-built vehicles are capable of landing in water as a matter of course....
s. Kossler saw at once the advantages of helicopter operations, and began to plan for helicopter-equipped search and rescue squadrons. In June 1942, USCG Lieutenant Commander F. A. Erickson proposed both submarine hunting and air-sea rescue duties for helicopters and in July, the U.S. Bureau of Aeronautics called for four Sikorsky helicopters to be studied by the U.S. Navy and the Coast Guard. The first USCG helicopter detachment was formed in mid-1943. In the following years, various makes and models of helicopter were obtained, including the Sikorsky HUS-1 Seahorse in 1956 and the HH-52A Seaguard in 1962. The Seaguard was amphibious—it allowed both land and water landings.
In 1965, the USCG ordered the Sikorsky S-61R
Sikorsky S-61R
The Sikorsky S-61R is a twin-engine helicopter used in transport or search and rescue roles. A developed version of the S-61/SH-3 Sea King, the S-61R was also built under license by Agusta as the AS-61R...
, designated HH-3F Sea King, or Pelican. The Pelican was an amphibious helicopter which featured a powerful search radar protected within a radome
Radome
A radome is a structural, weatherproof enclosure that protects a microwave or radar antenna. The radome is constructed of material that minimally attenuates the electromagnetic signal transmitted or received by the antenna. In other words, the radome is transparent to radar or radio waves...
protruding from the left side of the nose. In 1985, the Pelican was phased out in favor of the HH-65 Dolphin
HH-65 Dolphin
The Eurocopter HH-65 Dolphin is a twin-engined, single main rotor, MEDEVAC-capable Search and Rescue helicopter operated by the United States Coast Guard...
, a helicopter developed by Aérospatiale
Aérospatiale
Aérospatiale was a French aerospace manufacturer that built both civilian and military aircraft, rockets and satellites. It was originally known as Société Nationale Industrielle Aérospatiale...
's Eurocopter division, based on their popular Dauphin
Eurocopter Dauphin
The Eurocopter SA 365/AS365 Dauphin 2 is a medium-weight multipurpose twin-engine helicopter manufactured by Eurocopter .-Design and development:...
model.
Today, the USCG reports that 95% of its marine rescues are conducted within 20 miles (32 km) of the shore, and that 90% are purely rescue, as emergency beacons and other information frequently guide the rescuers directly to the location. The cost of searching is high: the other 10% of rescues, the ones requiring an extensive search, cost the Coast Guard $50 million each year.
Germany and Great Britain
The first multiple air-sea rescue operation occurred on December 18, 1939. A group of 24 British Vickers WellingtonVickers Wellington
The Vickers Wellington was a British twin-engine, long range medium bomber designed in the mid-1930s at Brooklands in Weybridge, Surrey, by Vickers-Armstrongs' Chief Designer, R. K. Pierson. It was widely used as a night bomber in the early years of the Second World War, before being displaced as a...
medium bomber
Medium bomber
A medium bomber is a bomber aircraft designed to operate with medium bombloads over medium distances; the name serves to distinguish them from the larger heavy bombers and smaller light bombers...
s were frustrated by low clouds and fog in their mission to bomb Wilhelmshaven
Wilhelmshaven
Wilhelmshaven is a coastal town in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is situated on the western side of the Jade Bight, a bay of the North Sea.-History:...
, and they turned for home. The formation attracted the energetic attention of Luftwaffe pilots flying Bf 109 fighter aircraft
Fighter aircraft
A fighter aircraft is a military aircraft designed primarily for air-to-air combat with other aircraft, as opposed to a bomber, which is designed primarily to attack ground targets...
as well as Bf 110 heavy fighter
Heavy fighter
A heavy fighter is a fighter aircraft designed to carry heavier weapons or operate at longer ranges. To achieve acceptable performance, most heavy fighters were twin-engined, and many had multi-place crews....
s, and more than half of the Wellingtons went down in the North Sea. German Seenotdienst rescue boats based at Hörnum
Hörnum
Hörnum is a municipality in the district of Nordfriesland, in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany. It is located on the southern headland of the island of Sylt...
worked with He 59s to save some twenty British airmen from the icy water.
In 1940, the Seenotdienst added bases in Denmark, Holland and France. The Heinkel He 59s were painted white in June, with red crosses to indicate emergency services. A few French seaplanes were modified for rescue and attached to the organization. In response to the heavy toll of German air action against Great Britain, Adolf Galland
Adolf Galland
Adolf "Dolfo" Joseph Ferdinand Galland was a German Luftwaffe General and flying ace who served throughout World War II in Europe. He flew 705 combat missions, and fought on the Western and the Defence of the Reich fronts...
recommended that German pilots in trouble over the ocean make an emergency water landing
Water landing
A water landing is, in the broadest sense, any landing on a body of water. All waterfowl, those seabirds capable of flight, and some human-built vehicles are capable of landing in water as a matter of course....
in their aircraft instead of bailing out and parachuting down. The aircraft each carried an inflatable rubber raft which would help the airmen avoid hypothermia
Hypothermia
Hypothermia is a condition in which core temperature drops below the required temperature for normal metabolism and body functions which is defined as . Body temperature is usually maintained near a constant level of through biologic homeostasis or thermoregulation...
from continued immersion in the cold water, and increase the time available for rescue. British fighters such the Supermarine Spitfire
Supermarine Spitfire
The Supermarine Spitfire is a British single-seat fighter aircraft that was used by the Royal Air Force and many other Allied countries throughout the Second World War. The Spitfire continued to be used as a front line fighter and in secondary roles into the 1950s...
and the Hawker Hurricane
Hawker Hurricane
The Hawker Hurricane is a British single-seat fighter aircraft that was designed and predominantly built by Hawker Aircraft Ltd for the Royal Air Force...
did not carry inflatable rafts, only lifejackets
Personal flotation device
A personal flotation device is a device designed to assist a wearer, either conscious or unconscious, to keep afloat.Devices designed and approved by authorities for use by...
which were little help against the cold.
In July 1940, a white-painted He 59 operating near Deal, Kent
Deal, Kent
Deal is a town in Kent England. It lies on the English Channel eight miles north-east of Dover and eight miles south of Ramsgate. It is a former fishing, mining and garrison town...
was shot down and the crew taken captive because it was sharing the air with 12 Bf 109 fighters and because the British were wary of Luftwaffe aircraft dropping spies and saboteurs. The German pilot's log showed that he had noted the position and direction of British convoys—British officials determined that this constituted military reconnaissance
Reconnaissance
Reconnaissance is the military term for exploring beyond the area occupied by friendly forces to gain information about enemy forces or features of the environment....
, not rescue work. The Air Ministry
Air Ministry
The Air Ministry was a department of the British Government with the responsibility of managing the affairs of the Royal Air Force, that existed from 1918 to 1964...
issued Bulletin 1254 indicating that all enemy air-sea rescue aircraft were to be destroyed if encountered. Winston Churchill
Winston Churchill
Sir Winston Leonard Spencer-Churchill, was a predominantly Conservative British politician and statesman known for his leadership of the United Kingdom during the Second World War. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest wartime leaders of the century and served as Prime Minister twice...
later wrote "We did not recognise this means of rescuing enemy pilots who had been shot down in action, in order that they might come and bomb our civil population again." Germany protested this order on the grounds that rescue aircraft were part of the Geneva Convention agreement stipulating that belligerents must respect each other's "mobile sanitary formations" such as field ambulances and hospital ship
Hospital ship
A hospital ship is a ship designated for primary function as a floating medical treatment facility or hospital; most are operated by the military forces of various countries, as they are intended to be used in or near war zones....
s. Churchill argued that rescue aircraft were not anticipated by the treaty, and were not covered. British attacks on He 59s increased. The Seenotdienst ordered the rescue aircraft armed as well as painted in the camouflage
Camouflage
Camouflage is a method of concealment that allows an otherwise visible animal, military vehicle, or other object to remain unnoticed, by blending with its environment. Examples include a leopard's spotted coat, the battledress of a modern soldier and a leaf-mimic butterfly...
scheme of their area of operation. Rescue flights were to be protected by fighter aircraft when possible.
In October 1940, yellow-painted Sea Rescue Floats were placed by the Germans in waters where air emergencies were likely. The highly visible buoy-type floats held emergency equipment including food, water, blankets and dry clothing, and they attracted distressed airmen from both sides of the war. Both German and British rescue units checked the floats from time to time, picking up any airmen they found, though enemy airmen were immediately made prisoner of war
Prisoner of war
A prisoner of war or enemy prisoner of war is a person, whether civilian or combatant, who is held in custody by an enemy power during or immediately after an armed conflict...
.
During the first two years of war, the British had no coordinated air-sea rescue units—only about 28 crash boats and no dedicated aircraft. The ditching of a British aeroplane in the Channel or the North Sea usually doomed its crew. The fate of downed airmen was primarily in the hands of their parent organization, and they had little they could do to help the crash boats locate the accident site. In January 1941, a Directorate of Air-Sea Rescue was formed by the Royal Air Force
Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Formed on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world...
for the purpose of saving those in distress at sea, especially airmen. Proper provisioning of rescue squadrons was slow, and it took more than a year for sea-going rescue boats and aircraft to come together in active ASR squadrons. The organization copied much from the successful efforts of the Seenotdienst. British air-sea rescue units began in September 1942 to work with the United States Army Air Forces
United States Army Air Forces
The United States Army Air Forces was the military aviation arm of the United States of America during and immediately after World War II, and the direct predecessor of the United States Air Force....
to coordinate rescue activities over the Channel and the North Sea. The combined US-UK effort led to the saving of nearly 5,000 American fliers.
United States
In the Pacific Ocean theaterPacific Ocean theater of World War II
The Pacific Ocean theatre was one of four major naval theatres of war of World War II, which pitted the forces of Japan against those of the United States, the British Commonwealth, the Netherlands and France....
, the first purposely assigned rescue aircraft, a PBY Catalina, was given the mission of plucking downed airmen from the ocean in January 1943. From January to August, such rescue flights based at Guadalcanal
Guadalcanal campaign
The Guadalcanal Campaign, also known as the Battle of Guadalcanal and codenamed Operation Watchtower by Allied forces, was a military campaign fought between August 7, 1942 and February 9, 1943 on and around the island of Guadalcanal in the Pacific theatre of World War II...
saved 161 aviators.
Beginning in November 1943, during the Gilbert and Marshall Islands campaign
Gilbert and Marshall Islands campaign
In the Pacific Theater of World War II, the Gilbert and Marshall Islands campaign, from November 1943 through February 1944, were key strategic operations of the United States Pacific Fleet and Marine Corps in the Central Pacific. The campaign was preceded by a raid on Makin Island by U.S...
, American submarines were tasked with the rescue of U.S. Navy and Marine airmen downed during aircraft carrier
Aircraft carrier
An aircraft carrier is a warship designed with a primary mission of deploying and recovering aircraft, acting as a seagoing airbase. Aircraft carriers thus allow a naval force to project air power worldwide without having to depend on local bases for staging aircraft operations...
attack operations. Submarines were often vectored to a rescue site by aircraft providing coordinates, but too many layers of command slowed the cooperation considerably. Long-range naval patrol aircraft were fitted with extra radio equipment to allow direct contact with surface and underwater units. By the end of 1944, some 224 airmen had been rescued by submarine.
Dumbo
Dumbo aircraft, converted land-based heavy bomber
Heavy bomber
A heavy bomber is a bomber aircraft of the largest size and load carrying capacity, and usually the longest range.In New START, the term "heavy bomber" is used for two types of bombers:*one with a range greater than 8,000 kilometers...
s named after Walt Disney
Walt Disney
Walter Elias "Walt" Disney was an American film producer, director, screenwriter, voice actor, animator, entrepreneur, entertainer, international icon, and philanthropist, well-known for his influence in the field of entertainment during the 20th century. Along with his brother Roy O...
's animated flying elephant, were sent aloft in the Pacific War
Pacific War
The Pacific War, also sometimes called the Asia-Pacific War refers broadly to the parts of World War II that took place in the Pacific Ocean, its islands, and in East Asia, then called the Far East...
to patrol likely areas where American airmen might ditch
Water landing
A water landing is, in the broadest sense, any landing on a body of water. All waterfowl, those seabirds capable of flight, and some human-built vehicles are capable of landing in water as a matter of course....
. The Dumbo would radio the position of any survivors spotted in the water, and it would drop emergency supplies such as an airborne lifeboat, by parachute. A nearby ship or submarine could be requested to come rescue the survivors, or an air-sea rescue station could be signaled to send a rescue boat or flying boat.
In the last eight months of World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, Dumbo operations complemented simultaneous United States Army Air Forces
United States Army Air Forces
The United States Army Air Forces was the military aviation arm of the United States of America during and immediately after World War II, and the direct predecessor of the United States Air Force....
heavy bombing operations against Japanese targets.
On any one large-scale bombing mission carried out by Boeing B-29 Superfortress
B-29 Superfortress
The B-29 Superfortress is a four-engine propeller-driven heavy bomber designed by Boeing that was flown primarily by the United States Air Forces in late-World War II and through the Korean War. The B-29 was one of the largest aircraft to see service during World War II...
es, at least three submarines were posted along the air route, and Dumbo aircraft sent to patrol the distant waters, and listen for emergency radio transmissions from distressed aircraft. At the final bombing mission on August 14, 1945, 9 land-based Dumbos and 21 flying boats covered a surface and sub-surface force of 14 submarines and 5 rescue ships.
Korean War
Toward the end of World War II, several B-29 bombers on each large-scale bombing mission were emptied of ammunition, filled with rescue supplies and rotated through Super Dumbo patrol duty as their squadron mates lumbered off filled with bombs. Following that conflict, 16 B-29 bombers were converted to full-time air–sea rescue duty and redesignated SB-29 Super Dumbo. The SB-29 served throughout the Korean WarKorean War
The Korean War was a conventional war between South Korea, supported by the United Nations, and North Korea, supported by the People's Republic of China , with military material aid from the Soviet Union...
and into the mid-1950s. The SB-17 began serving in Korea, but dropped only a few lifeboats to save several lives before being phased out in late 1951—there were enough SB-29 Super Dumbos and Grumman SA-16A Albatross
HU-16 Albatross
The Grumman HU-16 Albatross is a large twin-radial engine amphibious flying boat that was utilized by the U.S. Air Force, the U.S. Navy and the U.S. Coast Guard, primarily as a search and rescue and combat search and rescue aircraft...
flying boats to satisfy the need.
Other air-sea rescue aircraft used in the Sea of Japan
Sea of Japan
The Sea of Japan is a marginal sea of the western Pacific Ocean, between the Asian mainland, the Japanese archipelago and Sakhalin. It is bordered by Japan, North Korea, Russia and South Korea. Like the Mediterranean Sea, it has almost no tides due to its nearly complete enclosure from the Pacific...
and the Yellow Sea
Yellow Sea
The Yellow Sea is the name given to the northern part of the East China Sea, which is a marginal sea of the Pacific Ocean. It is located between mainland China and the Korean Peninsula. Its name comes from the sand particles from Gobi Desert sand storms that turn the surface of the water golden...
include the PB-1G
B-17 Flying Fortress variants
The following is an extensive catalogue of the variants and specific unique elements of each variant and/or design stage of the Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress heavy bomber...
land-based maritime patrol bomber and the Sikorsky H-5
Sikorsky H-5
The Sikorsky H-5, is a helicopter built by Sikorsky Aircraft Corporation, formerly used by the United States Air Force, and its predecessor, the United States Army Air Forces, as well as the United States Navy and United States Coast Guard The Sikorsky H-5, (aka R-5, S-51, HO3S-1, or Horse) (R-5...
helicopter, and later the H-19. Rafts were often dropped which inflated upon impact with the water. Operating in coordination with the U.S. Navy, the USCG painted their air-sea rescue assets white.
Shortly after the Korean War, some Douglas C-54 Skymaster
C-54 Skymaster
The Douglas C-54 Skymaster was a four-engined transport aircraft used by the United States Army Air Forces and British forces in World War II and the Korean War. Besides transport of cargo, it also carried presidents, British heads of government, and military staff...
s were converted to air-sea rescue work and redesignated SC-54, replacing all the Flying Fortresses and Super Fortresses still in service. The SC-54 sometimes carried an airborne lifeboat and could carry more rescue supplies over longer distances.
Vietnam War
In the Vietnam WarVietnam War
The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...
, American naval vessels and aircraft from both the U.S. Navy and the U.S. Air Force participated in air-sea rescue patrols in the Gulf of Tonkin
Gulf of Tonkin
The Gulf of Tonkin is an arm of the South China Sea, lying off the coast of northeastern Vietnam.-Etymology:The name Tonkin, written "東京" in Hán tự and Đông Kinh in romanised Vietnamese, means "Eastern Capital", and is the former toponym for Hanoi, the capital of Vietnam...
. The helicopter most closely associated with long-range U.S. air-sea rescue operations in Southeast Asia was the Sikorsky S-61R
Sikorsky S-61R
The Sikorsky S-61R is a twin-engine helicopter used in transport or search and rescue roles. A developed version of the S-61/SH-3 Sea King, the S-61R was also built under license by Agusta as the AS-61R...
, called the "Pelican" or "Jolly Green Giant", a variation of the SH-3 Sea King. First acquired by the U.S. Navy in 1961 for anti-submarine warfare
Anti-submarine warfare
Anti-submarine warfare is a branch of naval warfare that uses surface warships, aircraft, or other submarines to find, track and deter, damage or destroy enemy submarines....
, variants of the helicopter were quickly utilized for many duties including rescue, and were operated as well by the United States Air Force
United States Air Force
The United States Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the American uniformed services. Initially part of the United States Army, the USAF was formed as a separate branch of the military on September 18, 1947 under the National Security Act of...
(USAF) which developed an in-flight refueling system. In 1970, USAF Air Rescue and Recovery Service (ARRS) Sea Kings flew from the U.S. to France using such refueling methods. At the same time as the Vietnam War, U.S. Navy helicopters were used during the Apollo space missions to pull astronauts and their capsules from the ocean.
Falklands War
Sixteen Westland Sea KingWestland Sea King
The Westland WS-61 Sea King is a British licence-built version of the American Sikorsky S-61 helicopter of the same name, built by Westland Helicopters. The aircraft differs considerably from the American version, with Rolls-Royce Gnome engines , British made anti-submarine warfare systems and a...
SAR helicopters were in operation with the Royal Navy
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
at the time of the 1982 Falklands War
Falklands War
The Falklands War , also called the Falklands Conflict or Falklands Crisis, was fought in 1982 between Argentina and the United Kingdom over the disputed Falkland Islands and South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands...
. SAR helicopters were assigned search and rescue patrols, and Sea King as well as Westland Wessex
Westland Wessex
The Westland Wessex is a British turbine-powered version of the Sikorsky S-58 "Choctaw", developed under license by Westland Aircraft , initially for the Royal Navy, and later for the Royal Air Force...
aircraft plucked several airmen from the icy waters. Helicopters were also used to transport troops and to rescue Special Air Service
Special Air Service
Special Air Service or SAS is a corps of the British Army constituted on 31 May 1950. They are part of the United Kingdom Special Forces and have served as a model for the special forces of many other countries all over the world...
(SAS) troops trapped on a glacier in heavy wind and snow conditions.
Two Royal Air Force
Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Formed on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world...
SAR helicopters of No. 1564 Flight
No. 1564 Flight RAF
-1564 Flight in World War II:No. 1564 Flight was first formed at RAF Mellaha, near Tripoli, Libya, on 1 February 1943, flying Hawker Hurricanes and Supermarine Spitfires, and was disbanded at Istres, France on 15 June 1946....
on detached duty continue to provide cover for the Falkland Islands
Falkland Islands
The Falkland Islands are an archipelago in the South Atlantic Ocean, located about from the coast of mainland South America. The archipelago consists of East Falkland, West Falkland and 776 lesser islands. The capital, Stanley, is on East Falkland...
.
New York City Police Department
The New York Police Department has operated a coordinated air-sea rescue program out of Floyd Bennett FieldFloyd Bennett Field
Floyd Bennett Field is New York City's first municipal airport. While no longer used as an operational commercial, military or general aviation airfield, the New York Police Department still flies its helicopters from its heliport base there...
since 1986 when scuba divers
Scuba diving
Scuba diving is a form of underwater diving in which a diver uses a scuba set to breathe underwater....
were stationed in shifts at a hangar containing helicopter rescue aircraft. The NYPD Aviation Unit operates night vision-equipped Bell 412
Bell 412
The Bell 412 is a utility helicopter manufactured by Bell Helicopter. It is a development of the Bell 212 model, the major difference being the composite four-blade main rotor.-Design and development:...
helicopters which fly to rescue locations carrying two pilots, one crew chief and two scuba divers. NYPD motor lifeboats from the Harbor Unit respond as well, meeting the helicopter at the incident site to pick up non-critically injured survivors who don't require air evacuation. After the January 2009 ditching of US Airways Flight 1549
US Airways Flight 1549
US Airways Flight 1549 was US Airways' scheduled domestic commercial passenger flight from LaGuardia Airport in New York City to Charlotte/Douglas International Airport, Charlotte, North Carolina...
in the Hudson River
Hudson River
The Hudson is a river that flows from north to south through eastern New York. The highest official source is at Lake Tear of the Clouds, on the slopes of Mount Marcy in the Adirondack Mountains. The river itself officially begins in Henderson Lake in Newcomb, New York...
, NYPD air-sea rescue units pulled two survivors from the icy river and applied first aid for hypothermia,Solosky, Kenneth J., NYPD. Posted February 19, 2009, at Officer.com. "The Challenge of Air-Sea Rescue: Teamwork, teamwork, teamwork are the watchwords of the day." Retrieved on September 9, 2009. and divers swam through the submerged aircraft cabin
Aircraft cabin
An aircraft cabin is the section of an aircraft in which passengers travel. At cruising altitudes of modern commercial aircraft the surrounding atmosphere is too thin to breathe without an oxygen mask, so cabins are pressurized at a higher pressure than ambient pressure at altitude.In commercial...
to make certain all passengers were evacuated.