Sikorsky UH-34D

by Ben Kristy, Aviation Curator

National Museum of the Marine Corps visitors will notice that a new helicopter display has been installed in Leatherneck Gallery. Replacing the Korean War era Sikorsky HRS-1, which had to be removed from display due to its deteriorating condition, the new Sikorsky UH-34D display depicts the opening morning of Operation Starlite in Vietnam in August 1965.

In 1998, Alan Weiss, a retired USMC Vietnam-era HMH-361 Sikorsky CH-53 crew chief attended a USMC Helicopter Association reunion, during which a Sikorsky UH-34D did a fly-by. Seeing the very emotional reaction of the other veterans around him, Weiss became determined to purchase and operate a UH-34D as a flying memorial. Thus started a 13-year journey to acquire, restore, and operate a veteran UH-34D. Weiss and a small band of supporters formed the Marine Helicopter Squadron 361 Veterans Association and located UH-34D BuNo 150570, then nothing more than a hulk, in an Arizona aircraft salvage yard. The helicopter’s logbooks revealed that it had served in Vietnam almost continuously from July 1964 to May 1969, including three tours with HMM-361. Weiss and the Association purchased the helicopter and moved it to their workshop on Long Island in July 2001.

Although the UH-34D wasn’t the assault helicopter that the Marine Corps wanted, its service in Vietnam would assure its legacy in Marine Corps aviation history. First introduced in 1954 by the US Navy as the HSS-1 Seabat to hunt Soviet submarines, the USMC procured the HUS-1 Sea Horse (though the helicopter was rarely referred to by its official name) in 1957 as an interim medium-lift assault helicopter to replace the Korea War-era Sikorsky HRS. In the 1950s, the Marine Corps was much more interested in developing large assault helicopters that could carry 20-24 fully loaded Marines over beachhead defenses from well off-shore. While Sikorsky struggled to develop the massive HR2S-1 (later CH-37) heavy-lift assault helicopter, the Corps procured the smaller HUS-1s (designated the UH-34D after 1962) as a temporary fill-in. HMRL-261 and -363 received the Corps' first HUS-1s in 1957 and less than a year later the Corps announced plans for their replacement! [This effort ultimately led to the development of the Boeing-Vertol CH-46 Sea Knight, but that is a different story!]

The UH-34D went to Vietnam in 1962 with HMM-362 and became the Marine Corps' work horse helicopter flying troop transport, assault, cargo, medevac, and other missions. True to its Sikorsky heritage, the UH-34D was tough, dependable, and adaptable. Positioned low in the nose, the UH-34D's Wright R-1820-84 engine provided a measure of protection for the flight crew and could get the helicopter out of a hot landing zone even after having sustained heavy damage. With the arrival of the larger turbine powered CH-46 in 1966, the UH-34D began to be phased out of front line service only to return to prominence while the Marine’s fleet of CH-46s underwent modifications in the fall of 1967 to address a structural design flaw. The final flight of a Marine UH-34 occurred in October 1973. While the UH-34D's career was short compared to its replacement—the CH-46 "Phrog"—it earned its place in Marine aviation history with its work during some of the heaviest fighting in Vietnam. During the war "Huss" became synonymous for being good, valuable, or doing a favor for a buddy—high praise for the helicopter that was originally acquired as a stop-gap!

With BuNo 150570 now in their barn/hangar in Long Island, New York, the members of the Marine Helicopter Squadron 361 Association set to work in 2001 to get the helicopter back in the air. Association president Alan Weiss estimates that fully restoring the helicopter to flight worthy status took more than 40,000 hours (Weiss stopped counting at that point) and over $350,000 worth of parts and services—much of which was donated by other H-34 operators, individuals, or other businesses with some connection to the Marine Corps. BuNo 150570 flew again on 13 November 2005, almost 30 years after its previous flight, resplendent in Vietnam era HMM-361 markings (identified as YN-19, the same ship number it carried in 1965). YN-19 appeared at dozens of air shows, military funerals, unit reunions, and Veterans Day events. However, due to escalating operating costs, the Marine Helicopter Squadron 361 Association made the decision to bring its flight operations with YN-19 to a close and donate the helicopter to NMMC. YN-19 made her final flight to Quantico on 8 November 2013.

Even after a decade of flight operations, YN-19 was in good condition and the only major restoration work required before the helicopter could be placed on display was to repaint it. As the Marine Helicopter Squadron 361 Association had marked the helicopter as it appeared in 1965, only minor revisions to the tactical and maintenance markings were required. The original "Glorious Bev" nose art added by Alan Weiss as a tribute to his very understanding wife was left in place. YN-19's service record shows that it participated in Operation Starlite in August 1965, first of the major battles between the Marine Corps and the Viet Cong. Thus, NMMC decided to depict the helicopter inserting Marines (and an USN corpsman) from H Company, 2d Battalion, 4th Marines into Landing Zone Blue, 18 August 1965, the opening morning of the operation. LZ Blue happened to be inside the perimeter of the 60th VC Battalion and saw some of the heaviest fighting of Operation Starlite.

Interviews with members of HMM-361 and Hotel Company 2/4 who fought during Operation Starlite helped guide the curator's efforts to accurately equip the cast figures. The summer of 1965 marked a period of transition for USMC uniforms and equipment, making the search for accurate replicas more difficult! The Marine figures on the ground are wearing replica first pattern Tropical Combat and Hot Weather uniforms. This uniform, developed by the US Army in the early 1960s, began to replace the well-known Marine sateen utility uniform in 1965 and was easily identifiable in pictures taken during Operation Starlite by the lapels and exposed pocket buttons (both features were dropped in later patterns of the uniform). The field gear on the cast figures is a combination of WWII, Korean War, and post-Korean War era items – typical of the Marine Corps! The field packs were custom made for this exhibit as replicas of the correct 1950s produced packs were not available. The bulk of the Marines’ helmet covers are replica US Army "Mitchell" type covers, which also first appeared in the Corps in 1965. However, as WWII helmet covers remained in the Marine supply system through the late 1960s, one of cast figures has one. Sharp eyed visitors will note that none of the Marines on the ground are wearing flak vests. First person accounts of the battle indicated that the Marines of H Company, 2/4 elected not to wear their flak vests because of the stifling heat and humidity of the South Vietnamese summer. Similarly, the M-60 machine gun team figures have extra ammunition belts and boxes, but only 2 canteens (which proved to not be enough). Finally, the cast figures are fairly "clean" as new uniforms and field equipment were issued to H Company, 2/4 only days before the start of Operation Starlite.

The completed display of YN-19 is a tribute to all USMC UH-34 squadrons, the members of the Marine Helicopter Squadron 361 Association, and the efforts of the NMMC curatorial, exhibits, and restoration teams.

Operation Starlite—UH-34D helicopters from HMM-361 transported 107mm Howtars (a 107mm mortar tube mounted on a pack howitzer chassis) from 3d Battalion, 12th Marines, into position. This image was used during the re-painting of YN-19 to determine size and placement of various markings. USMC Photograph.

YN-19 arrives at NMMC—YN-19’s second career as a flying memorial came to a close with the helicopter’s arrival at the National Museum of the Marine Corps on 8 November 2013. The helicopter was greeted by hundreds of Vietnam-era veterans and on-lookers.

Installation—Like NMMC’s Douglas SBD-3 Dauntless, some of the final preparation work on YN-19 was done at the Smithsonian Institution’s Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center. The helicopter fit through NMMC’s removed “front door” with a few inches to spare!

Applying the Final Touches—Restoration specialists Vibol Svy and Shaun Petit applied various maintenance and tactical markings to YN-19 after the aircraft was positioned on its display stand, but before the ground terrain had been installed.

On Display—The installation of YN-19’s rotor blades is delayed until the temporary construction wall in Leatherneck Gallery is removed during the winter of 2017.