To its builder, Sikorsky
Aircraft, it was the Model S-55.
To the Army and the USAF, it was the
H-19.
To the Navy and the Coast Guard, the H04S.
To the Marines, it
was known as the HRS.
WELCOME TO THE USMC SIKORSKY HRS DATABASE
You likely came to this site via a web search or via a link on another website dedicated in some way to Marine Corps helicopter aviation.
The purpose of this site is to enlist your aid in helping to compile as complete a database as possible for the over 250 HRS-1, HRS-2, and HRS-3 helicopters planned for delivery to the USMC.
(H)helicopter, (R)transport, (S) Sikorsky
As both the history of the Sikorsky S-55 / HRS and its use by the Marine Corps is told so well on other sites, I won't attempt to duplicate those efforts here. Instead, I'll provide links wherever possible.
My goal is to attach a squadron (or squadrons) to as many Bureau
Numbered HRS helicopters as possible and then to attach an individual
squadron identifier (e.g., HS-4, HP-8) to each Bureau Number. It's
reasonable to expect that any given HRS would have been assigned to
many squadrons and therefore, carried many different markings during
its career . There were at least ten Marine squadrons which flew
the HRS:
HMR-161, HMR-162, HMR-163, HMR-261, HMR-262, HMR-263,
HMR-361, HMR-362, HMR-363, and HMX-1.
Compiling this data can
only readily be done through photographs, personal logbook entries,
and through accurate personal recall. Can you help?
WHY THE INTEREST?
My
father, Roy N. Thorson was a PBJ (B-25) pilot in WWII. When he
was recalled for
