CSAR during the Korean War

HU-1 Unit 18 USS Iowa LT Robert L. Dolton, USNR July 15, 1952

There were 446 rescues during this timeframe.  One rescue was 118 people evacuated from a grounded Royal Thai frigate where the crew had to be removed to shore before the ship broke up on the rocks along the enemy coast.  So subtracting them (although they were under “distant” fire (distant fire is fire NOT aimed at YOU, just like LIGHT hostile fire is fire not aimed at you) during the transfers to the shore)that’s 328 basically one at a time (mostly) in 36 months.  Different days.

During the Korean War, Navy rescues were by my best guess/research, the totals shown below in the table.

I don’t have handy the total which were under fire, but virtually all from BHTL were, and many of the ones coastal over water also were.

So the total was in the neighborhood of 121.  Some of these were HU-2, however.  I have never found a count of USN rescues during the Korean War in any material anywhere.  Weird, that.  Why isn’t that public knowledges and well-known in the helo community.  Same for Vietnam.

Table III-C   U.S. Navy Aircrew Rescues
Helicopter     Coastal Over Water           57 Plane Guard                       166
Ship              Coastal Over Water           77          – HO3S-1                   105
Behind the Lines    Overland               64          – Ship                           61
 Total 364