Retirement ceremony honors half a century of service by USMC’s much loved Phrog.
CHANTILLY, VIRGINIA – More than 50 years after entering service with the US Marine Corps, the Boeing Vertol CH-46 Sea Knight — the “Phrog” — has made its final flight.
A public ceremony yesterday at the Smithsonian National Air & Space Museum’s Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly, VA, began with a joint flypast of CH-46E Bu No 153369 and the type’s replacement, a Bell Boeing MV-22B Osprey. Once both aircraft had landed, they formed the centerpiece of the formal retirement ceremony, which honored not only the CH-46 but also the men and women whose service careers had been spent in whole or in part with this venerable workhorse. In a tribute to the Phrog, Deputy Commandant Marine Corps Aviation Lt Gen Jon Davis noted: “We like to say in the Marines [that] there is no better friend, no worse enemy.”
CH-46E and MV-22B approach NASM Udvar-Hazy Center prior to CH-46 retirement ceremony
Photo: Phil Rose.
CH-46E 153369 was flown in by a crew from Marine Corps Reserve Medium Helicopter Squadron 774 (HMM-774), based at NAS Norfolk. The squadron is transitioning to the MV-22, and will be redesignated Medium Tiltrotor Squadron 774 (VMM-774) in October.
USMC CH-46D.”
Photo: Phil Rose.
Production of the H-46 utility helicopter ended in 1971 after more than 500 had been built. Principal military users were the US Navy and Marine Corps, although the type also saw service with several foreign military users.
The CH-46 featured in yesterday’s ceremony was donated by the USMC to the National Museum of the Marine Corps, a major expansion of which is scheduled for completion in 2017. In the meantime, it is being loaned to the NASM for display at the Udvar-Hazy Center.
USMC MV-22B Osprey.
Photo: Phil Rose.
Phil Rose is an aviation writer and editor living in northern Virginia. He also works as a photographer and musician.
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