Posted 12/29/2009
NAVAL AIR STATION PATUXENT RIVER, Md. (Jan. 22, 2009) A UH-3H Sea King helicopter flies a search and rescue training mission at Naval air Station Patuxent River, Md. The Navy retired the UH-3H Sea King helicopter Dec. 11, 2009 after more than 50 years in service, making the Sea King the longest serving operational helicopter model in Navy history. The first Sea King flew on March 11, 1959 and the last one was manufactured in 1986. (U.S. Navy photo by Kelly Schindler)