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| Experience with the Grumman Goose, which served throughout World War II with great reliability, prompted the US Navy to procure a somewhat larger amphibian with greater range capability. In 1944 the company initiated design of its Grumman G-64 aircraft, which was to be named Albatross, and which saw service with the US Air Force, US Coast Guard and US Navy. The prototype was flown first on 24 October 1947, and was of generally similar configuration to its predecessor. Fixed underwing floats were retained, but these and the entire structure had been considerably refined to reduce drag. Other changes included the provision of a cantilever, instead of strut-braced, tailplane; tricycle type retractable landing gear; and pylons beneath the wing, outboard of the engines, which could carry weapons, or drop-tanks to increase range. Additional fuel could also be carried in the underwing floats. Accommodation was provided for a crew of four and the cabin could accommodate 10 passengers, stretchers, or cargo, according to requirements.
The prototype ordered by the US Navy for service as a utility aircraft had the designation XJR2F-1, and flew for the first time on 24 October 1947. Initial production was of the UF-1 model, and a modified version introduced in 1955 was the UF-2. This latter aircraft had increased span, a cambered wing leading edge, ailerons and tail surfaces of increased area, and more effective de-icing boots for all aerofoil leading edges. In the tri-service rationalisation of designations in 1962, these aircraft became HU-16C and HU-16D respectively. Winterised aircraft for Antarctic service were designated UF-1L (later LU-16C), and five UF-1T dual-control trainers were rede-signated TU-16C.
The USAF found the G-64 attractive for rescue operations, the majority of the 305 ordered serving with the MATS Air Rescue Service under the designation SA-16A. An improved version, equivalent to the US Navy's UF-2, entered service in 1957 as the SA-16B; in 1962 these became HU-16A and HU-16B respectively. HU-16E was the designation (originally UF-1G) of Albatross aircraft operated by the US Coast Guard, and 10 supplied to Canada were designated CSR-110. An anti-submarine version with nose radome, retractable MAD gear, ECM radome and searchlight was introduced in 1961, and was equipped to carry a small number of depth charges. The versatile Albatross continues in service with a few air forces and navies, but its powerful and fuel-hungry engines have meant that surplus aircraft which became available for use were not a particularly attractive proposition to airline operators, and in consequence few were adapted for such a role.
| CREW | 2-4 |
| PASSENGERS | 10-22 |
| ENGINE | 2 x Wright R-1820-76A, 1050kW |
| WEIGHTS |
| Take-off weight | 14500-17000 kg | 31967 - 37479 lb |
| Empty weight | 10350 kg | 22818 lb |
| DIMENSIONS |
| Wingspan | 29.5 m | 97 ft 9 in |
| Length | 19.2 m | 63 ft 0 in |
| Height | 7.9 m | 26 ft 11 in |
| Wing area | 96.2 m2 | 1035.49 sq ft |
| PERFORMANCE |
| Max. speed | 379 km/h | 236 mph |
| Cruise speed | 360 km/h | 224 mph |
| Ceiling | 7600 m | 24950 ft |
| Range w/max.fuel | 5000 km | 3107 miles |
| ARMAMENT | bombs, missiles, torpedos |
| TJ HARRIS CMSGT RET, e-mail, 18.08.2010 19:25 I WAS A CREW CHIEF 0N HU-16' AT EGLIN AFB,FL,48TH AIR RESCUE SQDN AND DANANG AB VIETNAM 37 ARRS 1966-1967.
LOVED THE AIRCRAFT . NOTHING LIKE LANDING IN THE OPEN SEAS.SAVED A FEW LIVES AND I LOST SOME GOOD FRIENDS IN VIETNAM. reply | | John Jacobs, e-mail, 28.05.2010 02:30 Something I wrote some time ago about flying in the HU-16 s.
Flying Search and Rescue in the Bermuda Triangle
By
John Jacobs
When I arrived at the USCG Air Station in Bermuda in 1963, everyone was talking about
the extended search for the 'Sulfur Queen'. In those days the term "Bermuda Triangle"
was known, but it wasn't really taken seriously. The 'Sulfur Queen' was just a ship that
had sunk without a trace. For those who had spent long hours searching an endless
ocean, this was not particularly hard to believe. Its disappearance seemed to become a
mystery when it was written about a few years later.
I was a 21-year old third class Aviation Machinist Mate (an airplane mechanic) with only
several months experience with the SU16E (previously UF2G or the AF designation
SA16) Grummon Albatross seaplane. We had three aircraft and a hanger near the end of
the peninsula that was the US Navy base on the west end of the island. There was a large
ramp into the Great Sound, which we used as for takeoffs and landings. The SU16E had
retractable landing gear, so it could taxi into the sound, retract the gear, and become a
flying boat. It could also operate off of a normal runway. The navy was flying P5Ms,
which were a large flying boat that did not have landing gear. They had to attach wheels
to its fuselage in order to bring it ashore. The P5Ms were used primarily for submarine
patrols, an important Navy function during the Cold War.
The Vietnam War was beginning to build. There was quite a bit of military traffic flying
aircraft in that direction, many of which needed to be refueled over the ocean. The Air
Force had large refueling aircraft in Bermuda for that purpose. One morning I was
working on the apron and heard a noise. I looked up and saw a smoke trail going directly
overhead and into the ocean a couple of miles away. It was an A.F. KB50 (a B50 that
had been converted to a mid air refueler). It had taken off from Kindly A.F. Station on
the other end of the island, caught fire, and crashed into the ocean.
The SU16E was capable of landing in the open sea under favorable conditions. On
landing, the pilot had to calculate the direction and speed of the swells and land at an
angle so that the airplane rode the top of a swell until it slowed to a safe speed. On
takeoff, it had to perform a similar stunt, but it needed extra power to get airborne
quickly. To supplement the power, we used JATO, which were rocket engines that we
mounted on either side of the fuselage just ahead of the tail. The JATO bottles were
carried in the airplane and were attached on mounts on the rear hatches, which swung
into the cabin. We practiced this (in the sound, not in the ocean) and it was a bit scary.
First you had to mount the bottles (inside the cabin) and attach the detonator wire. You
had to be really careful to make sure that the wire was not energized and that any static
electricity was grounded and bled off before hooking it up. Then the hatches were swung
out and locked shut. The pilot would put on full throttle, get the airplane up on the step
(planed out), and then fire the bottles. It was quite a ride.
A seaman on a cargo ship got into a fight and was stabbed several hundred miles east of
Bermuda. We were asked to evacuate him to a medical facility. Two airplanes were sent
out. I did not get to go. One of the airplanes made a successful landing and was able to
get the wounded man on board. On the JATO takeoff, it caught a wave wrong and
actually bent a wing enough to wrinkle the aluminum skin and damage one of the flaps.
It got airborne and flew back to Bermuda, but the damage was fairly extensive. We did
some preliminary repairs and it was flown to the overhaul facility in Elizabeth City, NC.
That was the only open sea rescue with an HU16E that I was aware of during my time in
CG aviation.
After I had been in Bermuda for several months, we moved the USCG Air Station from
the Navy Base to Kendly AFS (commercial airport) on the east end of the island.
Operating in salt water was hard on the airplanes and there were runways at the AFS. By
this time I was qualified as a Search and Rescue Air Crewman and flew as crew chief.
The crew chief was always an Aviation Machinist Mate, even though other specialist
crew members may be higher grades, because we were trained to be responsible for
everything on the aircraft. One day I had the ready crew chief duty and was working on
my airplane out on the apron. There was a loud explosion. I looked up and saw the
smoke trails of two aircraft crashing into the ocean. I immediately cranked the engines
and got the aircraft ready to take off. We were soon flying over the wreckage of two AF
transport aircraft. They had been practicing nose cone recovery on a Mercury nose cone.
Several paramedics were parachuting from the rear cargo platform of one plane and the
other was flying close behind photographing the exercise. For some reason, the ... reply | | Jim Huhta, e-mail, 08.05.2010 01:01 Flew H-19B (pilot)Helicopters out of Ashiya AB, Kyushu, Japan 1956-57, in the 39th Air Rescue Squadron. I am writing this to try to contact George Groh who was a USAF Navigator there at the same time as I. Was on a "Dumbo" and was passenger being transported to Formosa for TDY duty there when over halfway there the port engine failed (severe oil leak) and we went into Taipai airport on a single engine. LT. Engelbretson was the AC, and I believe "Beetle" Bailey was CP. Can't remember any others. Anyone knows how to activate the E-mail by each posting? jwhuhta@yahoo.com reply | | LLOYD SCIDMORE, e-mail, 08.04.2010 06:02 I FLEW THE UF-1 AS A FLIGHT MECH AT NAF ANNAPOLIS MD. 1957-58.ALL WATER TAKEOFFS & LANDINGS IN THE SEVERN RIVER GREAT AIRCRAFT LOTS OF GOOD TIMES. EVEN FLEW THE NAVY GOAT TO SEVERAL NAVY FOOTBALL GAMES. reply | |
| | Andrew Campbell, e-mail, 10.03.2010 18:31 I was the lead electrician for Grumman in the converting 13 HU-16's to G-111's for Resorts International. It proved to be the most fun job in my career with Grumman.
I'm looking for a production date for unit 51-7228 or CGNR 7228 for a museum display. I'm running out of places to look. reply | | Terry Post, e-mail, 05.09.2010 01:47 Ex USCG aviator; flew uf2g /hu16e'c CGAS San Diego,CGAD Annette Isl, CGAS Brooklyn; early 60's went on to cmcl NEA,PAA,ONA. Have facebook pages with many pics of CG acft,ariel pics of CGAS's. email me direct if you can prove yourself, I'll give access reply | | Don Davis, e-mail, 11.01.2010 23:52 I was a flight mec on the SA-16 from 1952- 1961. Served with the 580 ARS in Tripoli, 1707 Amph Sqdn,Palm Beach Florida and 31 ARS Clark AFB, PI. Have 1500 hours and over 8000 water landings. Instructor at PBIA for 4 years Helped train crews from Germany, Italy, Formosa, Great to find this info. reply | | Jack Voigt, USCG (Ret.), e-mail, 05.01.2010 16:54 Spent many hours flying onboard HU16s at USCG Air Station Miami. Flew as both radio operator and navigator. Low and slow is a valid description of the "Goat" which made it an ideal search platform for the Coast Guard. Can attribute several great RONs to search activities in the "Goat". Chief Furqueron, good to see your name. We were at Miami at same time and flew together. I was AT3 at the time. reply | | John Furqueron AEC-USCG, e-mail, 24.12.2009 16:18 Flew as crewchief on them out of CGAD Corpus in 1963 and again at CGAS Miami in 1971-73. Could always depend on it to get you there and back. Saw one being was being restored at Edwards AFB airshow a few years ago in AF colors. Am always looking for pictures of them in Coast Guard colors. reply | | Steve Mattox, e-mail, 23.12.2009 04:17 My father Willliam Thomas Weaks flew as a navigator on the SA-16; he was stationed in Edenburgh, Scotland and went down on a flight back to the States in the fall of 1953, Their plane went down near Iceland and I do not believe was ever found. I was born in 1948 and my mother has been dead for over 20 years and I don't know where to find information on my father's military past or information about their crash. Any help would be appreciated. Steve Mattox reply | | JACK, e-mail, 10.12.2009 22:13 I just discoveed this site. I am a card-carrying SA-16 fan! I spend three years as aircraft commander flying the SA-16 in the 56th Air Rescue Squadron at Sidi Slimane, Morocco. Best duty I ever had. We were responsible for supporting SAC and TAC deployments, and our area of resonsibility covered much of the North African Med coast, Spain, Portugal, and a good stretch of the Atlantic. One memorable month-long trip to Athens in support of a NATO fighter-day exercise. Strip alert all day, sitting under the wing playing cards, then off to Athens at night. A less pleasant memory: an emergency landing at Gibraltar. Low overcast, driving rain. The one runway lies over a sea-wall just under the sheer 1500 foot cliff of the rock. I forgot that the beacon was on the very top of the damn rock! Diverted at the last possible minute and pulled up over the sea wall and plunked onto the runway. Tower had the crash boats out for us. No fun. But all in all I loved the airplane, (deaf tho I am) After I left the service I went to work for Grumman. Any readers who were in the 56th Air Rescue Squadron at Sidi Slimane AFB in the 50's, leave a coment. reply | | a2c r burnham, e-mail, 23.11.2009 01:30 Ya, My Roomie was CC on one of these back on Goose when we were Det 2 48th; Then we changed over to the 54th back in 60. I was CC of RC54D tail 7236. We caught hell after the C-133 went down off the Azoes, because she was just out of Depot and we landed at Frobisher Bay. The brought a radome for a 121 and couldn't figure which engine to put it under.
My Roomies bird (don't remember the tail) broke though the ice on Carol Lake during Col Mudge "Snow" exercises.
Anyone in that arena, happy to hear from you. Got caught up at my Grandson's Veterans Apprciation nite when I met a couple guys from up at Goose in the 60's reply | | John Gould, e-mail, 03.10.2009 17:36 My new email is now homebrewer7@gmail.com My comment is above and still looking to lacate anyone stationed at Goose Bay 1955-57. I spent my time in the usaf and then went into the army but my favoite time was with the 54th ARS as RO. John still in Payson, AZ reply | | Richard Butler, e-mail, 03.10.2009 07:23 I spent three glorious years at USCG Air Station at Annette ALaska (1969-19720). I ended up an AT1, flew as a navigator on HU16Es (7228 & 7254). Every week we flew an Alaska Patrol 800 miles up the coast to Kayak Island, one mile off shore on the way up and 60 miles offshore on the way back, usually under 100' in altitude. It was wonderful! Once in a blue moon we would catch a fishing violator, orbit them until relieved by a C130 out of Kodiak, then go to the nearest airport, usually Sitka, and end up in a bar full of fishermen in search of something to eat at two in the moring. When they heard about the violator, they would line up the drinks up till dawn. Annette was very close to heaven.
Richard Butler reply | |
| | Robert Calladine, e-mail, 01.10.2009 13:59 Hi, I'm researching the history of HU-16D BuNo 137899. Originally built as a UF-1 and delivered in 1954 At some point it would have received the long wing conversion as it is listed as a HU-16D. Disappeared /Crashed in Caroline Islands but I do not know the date... Any help is most appreciated!
Cheers,
Robert reply |
| Mesmer, e-mail, 24.07.2009 04:41 Yessss....As soon as I can put the $3m it will take to do it right. I'm gonna saddle up with a legend. I'm liken the plane gussied up in Blue Angels colors #00 (double goose eggs). reply | | merrill k wood, USCG, e-mail, 27.04.2009 18:10 I can't hear you........what did you say? Oh, yes I'm wearing hearing aids.......why? Because like Jim Osborn I flew the UF -1G, UF-2G, HU-16.....whatever they called them
.....for 5000+ hours. Spending a tour where we did an abundant amount of water work brings the plane close to your heart (once you learn how easy it is to overcome a wild porpoise). As an aircraft maintenance officer working with some of the best people in the world, we knew that, treated right, it would bring you home. reply | | Capt Jim Osborn, USCG (ret), e-mail, 09.04.2009 22:39 I flew the HU16E (UF2G) for the entire decade of the 60's and mostly off of the water. Water landings and take offs were a real blast that provided any number of adrenaline rushes (especially night and rough water work). When the Coast Guard restricted the HU16E to just land use because of some wing spar corrosion, the Albatross lost most of its allure to me and simply became a VERY noisy beast of burden. Overall many fond memories. If anyone buys one and needs some help ferrying it, give me a jingle. reply | | George Groh, e-mail, 20.01.2009 03:29 I was a navigator in the SA16 in the 39th Air Rescue Squadron at Ashiya AFB Kyushu Japan. 1956-57. It was a fun time. The B model went 10 knots faster than the A model at the same weight and power setting. Would like to hear from anybody who was there in that period. reply | | Rob Blackford, e-mail, 15.01.2009 23:20 I was a Coast Guard AT2 stationed on Annette Island, Alaska, from 1969-1972 and flew both as radio operator and as navigator throughout the Gulf of Alaska during those years. JATO takeoffs from Ward Cove in Ketchikan were a real experience. When you land on water, the aft windows were under water. We flew a rescue mission to Baranoff Island in January once and one of the props froze in reverse. It took awhile to break it loose. Lost an engine on the way home, radar became intermittent because the antenna jumped the stops, and we couldn't maintain altitude. We barely cleared the landing lights on approach.
I have a painting of an Albartoss above my desk in my office. Nobody can truly appreciate the risk Coasties take unless they've been through weather no one would fly in except us. reply |
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Rob Blackford
If you are still pursuing this, I may be able to help.
I was the duty flight surgeon and accompanied the last flight of 137899 to Kusaie ECI (now Kosrae), where the crash occurred, June 25th, 1973.
Sadly, we lost a patient, the patient's husband, and a crewman in the crash. I sustained some significant lacerations and a fractured clavicle, and we had several other crew with lacerations.
Please e-mail me at the above if I can help. I would be interested to hear what else you have learned.
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