Aircraft Gallery
H-34 Seabat
SPECIFICATIONS:
Crew: 2
Capacity: 12 (A Model) 18 (C Model) troops or 8 stretchers
Length: 56 ft 8.5 in (17.28 m)
Rotor diameter: 56 ft 0 in (17.07 m)
Height: 15 ft 11 in (4.85 m)
Disc area: 2,463 ft² (228.85 m²)
Empty weight: 7,900 lb (3,583 kg)
Max. takeoff weight: 14,000 lb (6,350 kg)
Powerplant: 1 × Wright R-1820-84 radial engine, 1,525 hp (1,137 kW)
Maximum speed: 173 mph (150 kn, 278 km/h)
Range: 293 km (182 mi)
Service ceiling: 4,905 ft (1,495 m)
The HSS-1 (later H-34) Seabat was a pioneering design in the 1950s that helped turn the helicopter into an effective anti-submarine weapon. Powered by the World War II-era R-1820 piston engine, the H-34 became famous in its troop carrying role for the Marines and Mercury astronaut recovery in NASA’s early years.
