SAR - Recovering large numbers of survivors.

[Lt.Fubar]

A lesson in history ? ;)

Crab... actually first to use aircraft for sea rescue missions in Europe were the Germans - 1935 "Luftkreis-Kommando VI" was formed operating out of Kiel, first used Krigsmarine planes for search - and surface vessels for rescue ops, but from 1938 they had Heinkels He59 for both. Before marching into Poland, Germany as first in Europe, had operational maritime aviation SAR unit. Although it was for military purposes only, just like early RAF, RN, USN and other navies units.

Across the pond, since 1932 USCG (still under USN jurisdiction) was already using "flying lifeboats" PJ-1 and RD-4 in a true SAR role out off Naval Station Dinner Key rescuing both military, and civilian life.

Many Navies across the world were using seaplanes, and sometimes used them as SAR, or medevac platform (several cases even in Polish Navy between 1920 and 1939) but SAR was never their main role, until after the war, when with the development of helicopters, maritime aviation SAR flourished across the globe.

It doesn't really matters today - past is the past, interesting facts though

[Um... lifting...]

(still under USN jurisdiction)

Lt F.-

Not quite sure where you got that bit, but the rest is pretty much correct so far as I can tell. In general, the USCG only has gone under USN control during time of war and did so in 1941, having been returned to the Treasury Department (its then home) in 1916 after WWI. As far as I am aware, it wasn't done between the wars nor since WWII. They probably would have told me if it had.

The Coast Guard hangar at Dinner Key is still there (was once based in Miami, then (and probably yet) the busiest air-sea rescue unit in the world, but Dinner Key had closed some years prior), and the business that now owns the hangar has been good enough to paint the embossed concrete CG emblem over the doors in CG colors. The seaplane ramp was even there some years back, though it was launching pleasure craft. May still be for all I know.

Since the famous picture of Orville Wright sailing off on his first powered flight was taken by Surfman John T. Daniels from the Kill Devil Hills Life Saving Station, arguably the USCG has been there from the start.

It also isn't entirely clear when CG aviation SAR began, but I think you're in the general timeframe. CG Aviator #1 was Elmer Stone, and he went to the Naval Aviation School in Pensacola in April 1916. There were some abortive starts of air stations in 1916 and 1920.
The first trans-atlantic flight of a heavier-than-air craft was in May, 1919, in the NC-4. LT Elmer F. Stone USCG first pilot, LCDR A. C. Read USN, aircraft captain.

In 1925 LCDR C.G. von Paulsen borrowed a Vought UO-1 from the Navy (things were easier then, apparently) to demonstrate the use of aircraft in enforcing Prohibition. So, law enforcement was the first real USCG aviation mission.

The earliest date I can find for aviation SAR for the USCG is around 1928, flying PJ-1s and Grumman JF-2 Ducks were based aboard ship by the late 1930s. There were some crazy missions capturing German weather stations in Greenland during the war and numerous rescue missions of ferry crews who'd crashed on the ice cap. I don't know how well any of that is documented, as my history book on it is somewhat disorganized and vague (History of U.S. Coast Guard Aviation by Arthur Pearcy... who is a British fellow, so highly credible... also he's one of the few who bothered to write anything at all... though his book is now 20 years old so the contemporary bits are off now).

What little helicopter training was done by the Allies during WWII was all done at Brooklyn, NY, by the USCG (who controlled almost all U.S. Naval helicopters during that time), though the British were indeed there for the start of things with helicopters around February, 1943. In November 1943, shipboard helicopter trials were conducted in Long Island Sound with two YR-4B helicopters, one U.S. Navy, one Royal Navy. On 2 January 1944, the British Helicopter Service Trial Unit embarked aboard the merchant vessel Daghestan at Bridgeport, Connecticut with two helicopters. The ship proceeded to New York where USCG and USN observers boarded. The ship joined a convoy on 6 January for Liverpool, which apparently was eventful for weather and a couple of short flights mid-Atlantic. Apparently there were wartime helicopter rescue missions completed in Burma. While my reference doesn't say who flew those, one would think it was the British.

There were plenty of strange machines along the entire way, including 18 B-17s which were acquired from the USAF in 1945 which had lifeboats fitted to the belly.

The point of this enormous post is that it doesn't really matter who did what first. In many cases the documentation seems to be so poor that no one really knows anyway. The point is that the history of airborne SAR is one of inventiveness, adaptation, and shameless borrowing from one another. Long may it continue.

[Cabe LeCutter]

Well I see that this has become the usual P**ing contest. Sorry late into the fray.

Crab, the RAF winchmen do come off the wire in the water when needed, take the calm morning scenario in Cyprus, done it loads of times, and a couple in UK.

The large rescue basket does have it's advantages in certain circumstances, but there are lots of bits of kit that would be great, once in a blue moon. If we stored all the kit that fit in that bracket we would have hangars full of old kit that most people had forgotten how to use. If it was stored on an oil rig you can bet that it would be the one that had just caught fire.

I am all for thinking outside the box and trying out new kit and techniques, but at the end of the day, value for money and practicalities have to be taken into account. My experience of winches is that unless well planned, using both winches at the same time would put excess drain on whatever was powering them.

Heads down, look out for the flack.

[Winch-control]

Whilst it is frowned upon unless in the right situation, SAR UK winchmen do come off the wire, pretty frequently. Yes only when its safe, but thats their call to do so. Generally most mountain ops in Wales or Scotland, and most boat jobs. In addition, cave jobs (Devon).
Come off the wire and go diving (using the 'stass') will get you a talking to..(Harbour in Wales).
Crab is correct in saying 90% of the time the winchman is deployed direct to the casualty, I might add the other 10% of the time the winchman will adapt the situation to achieve a result and its probably less than 0.1% of the time that it can't be achieved.
I am a firm believer that equipement should not be withheld because it may be only needed Once, and a sixteen man basket should, for all the minimal cost involved probably be kept at each SAR station in the UK.
A conventional basket ala US is really no more than the double strop lift developed to reduce the impact of lifing a person submerged in the water, which arose from the Fastnet race in 1979. The double strop placement does not require the winchmen to come off the hook, and allows the cas to be lifted semi-recumbent.
All in all the present UK system is pretty good, not with standing it needs some decent (sic) pilots to hover the a/c!