Home » Aircraft Models » Bell® UH-1B Huey, HAL-3 Seawolves (1969), 16″ Mahogany Scale Model

Bell® UH-1B Huey, HAL-3 Seawolves (1969), 16″ Mahogany Scale Model

$319.00

Fly with the Seawolves of HAL-3 again with this UH-1B with 1969 markings. Each model is carefully carved from wood and hand painted to provide a very unique piece of art.

  • Length – 16 inches
  • Made from Mahogany
  • US Veteran-Owned Business
  • Officially Licensed by Bell

Available on backorder

Description

HAL-3 Seawolves UH-1B (1969) Model

Fly with the Seawolves of HAL-3 again with this UH-1B with 1969 markings. Each model is carefully carved from wood and hand painted to provide a very unique piece of art.

  • Length – 16 inches
  • Made from Mahogany
  • US Veteran-Owned Business
  • Officially Licensed by Bell
  • The product is not intended to be used by children 12 years and younger.

 

Bell®, emblems, logos, and body designs are trademarks of Textron Innovations Inc. and are used under license by Squadron
Nostalgia LLC.

 

 

As the United States increased its presence in the Republic of Vietnam, the Marine Corps reactivated VMO-3 at Marine Corps Air Station Camp Pendleton on 1 August

The Seawolves would see their first major action while still part of a detachment of HC-1. On 31 October 1966, two Navy boats encountered a superior force of over 80 boats transferring a Viet Cong battalion. Encountering fierce resistance from them, the Navy boat commanders requested close air support (CAS). Scrambling and arriving within approximately fifteen minutes, the Seawolves would claim 16 Viet Cong boats sunk or destroyed.[9] After the commissioning of HA(L)-3, the Seawolves continued to support Navy Operations. Missions included Search and Destroy patrols, reconnaissance, medical evacuation (MEDEVAC), and SEAL Team insertion and extraction. By the time of their decommissioning on 16 March 1972,[10] the Seawolves flew over 120,000 combat sorties over Vietnam and Cambodia. Over 200 Seawolves would be wounded in combat and 44 would be killed in action.

Write up provided by crew member

THE CHARIOT of ANGELS
Seawolf 306 – Peggy Sue

Peggy Sue was a well-armed UH-1B Navy helicopter gunship with a crew of two pilots and two door
gunners. Peggy Sue was more than just a helicopter to us, she was our chariot. Her role was to perform
unbelievable maneuvers when called upon in the time of need. My role as door gunner/Crew chief was
to ensure she was in good enough condition to perform her tasks successfully. Although, age began to
set in and it became harder for her to carry the heavy load for us. The following is a summary of what
led up to a very unfortunate tragedy.
Having spent the night standing guard over the troops, Peggy Sue and her wingman could be spotted
skimming over the treetops of the jungle canopy of South Vietnam. Whenever the troops were engaged in
a firefight, the battled hardened maiden along with her wingman would be called in to engage the enemy
from above. One night our fireteam of two helicopter gunships showed up to a gunfight to take on the
unearthly 51-Cal. As the battle ensued, the 51-Cal’s red hot tracers pierced through the night sky as if they
were streaming up from the bowels of hell below. In return, both aircrews rained down fire from above
with enough force to put the fear of god into anyone on the receiving end of their wrath.
As the smoke cleared, the enemy ended their attack on the outpost and limped away into the darkness
of the night. Peggy Sue, gravely damaged, struggled to bring her crew back home alive. By the grace of
God, Peggy Sue carefully set the crew down onto the darkened landing pad. Severely damaged, the
maintainers worked countless hours to bring her back home again.
Just over a week later, we were happy to see her return to pick up where she left off. She continued to
hold her own as the days went by, until one night she succumbed to the endless beatings that were
inflicted upon her over the years. It was a night I will never forget. It was a moonless night when we
returned home from a firefight. I was sitting in the middle position training a new gunner on the 50 cal.
Ray Winters was manning the M60 on my left. We reloaded our munitions and topped off Peggy Sue
with JP-4. It was when we were taxing back to our staging area when for the very first time Peggy Sue
could no longer carry the tremendous load for us. Her engine failed and she dropped like a rock hitting
one skid on a berm in a shallow pond. Peggy Sue immediately began to roll over onto her left side. In
a split second, the tremendous impact of the rotor blades hitting the ground caused Ray to be thrown
out just as she crashed down upon him. I found myself on the ground, but still inside the cabin, buried
under ammo cans, 50 cal rounds and my trainee lying on top of me. There was no doubt that Ray’s
partially exposed body indicated he was killed instantly upon impact. From then on, our immediate
concern was recovering Ray from underneath Peggy Sue. It quickly became apparent that an engine
fire had begun to consume Peggy Sue. Out of a strong sense of duty, Pilot Bob Baratko knelt next to
Ray’s body refusing to leave Ray behind. Out of concern for Baratko’s life, I forcefully had to pull him
away from the firestorm that ensued.
The morning sunrise revealed nothing was left at the crash site other than a large crater in the ground.
We mourned the loss of Ray, then readied ourselves for the next scramble that we knew was just a
heartbeat away. Both Peggy Sue and Walter were replaced. But Ray will always remain a permanent
fixture in our hearts. If Peggy Sue was truly the Chariot of Angels, then Ray must be flying high
among the clouds smiling down upon us. We miss you Ray. Keep the coffee hot until we meet again.

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