Divestiture, disposition, or whatever is the latest official term for retiring a U.S. military aircraft, the end of the life of the CH-46 Sea Knight was a slow death, taking almost a decade.
U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Corporal Jason Jimenez.
An HH-46D Phrog, officially named Pedro, joins other rescue Phrogs on their final journey from Marine Corps Air Station (MCAS) Cherry Point, North Carolina, 25SEP2015.
USMC photo by Corporal Andrea Cleopatra Dickerson, 2013.
Between August and the end of September 2015, the last of the Phrogs made their final official flights.
U.S. Marine Corps photo by Sergeant Orlando Perez.
Helicopter Marine Medium-lift (HMM) 774 says goodbye to its Phrogs, 05AUG2015, MCAS Cherry Point.
04AUG2015 U.S. Marine Corps (USMC) video report by Sergeant Kathryn K. Bynum, in which its revealed the final Phrogs will not be scrapped but sold to the highest bidder:
U.S. Marine Corps photo by Corporal Cuong Le.
Made by Boeing-Vertol, the U.S. Marine Corps (USMC) nicknamed it The Phrog. It began its USMC career in 1964, and flew missions during campaigns in Vietnam, Lebanon, Iraq and Afghanistan.
USMC photo by Corporal Cuong Le.
On 01AUG2015, HMM-774, 4th Marine Aircraft Wing Marine Corps Forces Reserve, flew their flag-ship Phrog to the Smithsonian Institution National Air and Space Museum’s Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center, in Chantilly, Virginia.
USMC photo by Corporal Cuong Le.
It took just short of a decade, but slowly the CH-46 was replaced by the Bell-Boeing MV-22B Osprey.
2015 USMC video report by Corporal Cameron Storm, history of CH-46:
USMC photo by Corporal Owen Kimbrel.
29OCT2014, an HMM-364 ‘Purple Foxes’ Phrog takes its final flight to Davis-Monthan Air Force Base (boneyard), in Arizona.
USMC photo by Corporal Owen Kimbrel.
USMC photo by Sergeant Keonaona C. Paulo.
On 31MAR2014, HMM-364, Marine Aircraft Group 39, 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing (MAW), conducted a mass-fly-over (aka Flying the Barn) of San Diego, California.
USMC photo by Sergeant Keonaona C. Paulo.
USMC video, by Corporal Raquel Barraza, of a Plague of twelve Phrogs flying over the metro-area of San Diego:
In 2014, the U.S. Air Force issued a premature video report declaring the Phrog retired:
USMC photo by Lance Corporal Natalie M. Rostran.
On 30SEP2013, on Camp Kinser, Okinawa, Japan, HMM-262 ‘Flying Tigers’ conducted final flights of their CH-46Es. This is a look at their tiger striped flag ship; 00.
USMC photo by Lance Corporal Donald Peterson.
USMC photo by Lance Corporal Christopher Johns.
In February 2013, on Camp Pendleton, California, eight enlisted Marines became the last to be trained as CH-46 Crew Chief maintainers.
USMC video report by Lance Corporal Elizabeth Case, at the end of November 2012, HMM-265 shipped-off their CH-46Es:
USMC photo by Sergeant Justin M. Martinez.
In May 2012, First Lieutenant Zerbin Singleton became the last pilot to attend CH-46 flight school.
U.S. Navy photo dated 01SEP1987, an HMM-263 Phrog aboard USS Guadalcanal (LPH-7).
The first USMC Phrogs to get deactivated were those of HMM-263, in March 2006. HMM-263 then became Vertical Marine Medium-lift (VMM) 263, the first USMC unit flying the MV-22B Osprey.
The U.S. Navy retired its final Phrog in September 2004, in favor of the MH-60H Sea Hawk.
Final Flight:
Weapon I-D:
USMC photo.
DOOR GUNNER .50 CAL (including video of the last .50 -cal gun-run for HMM-774’s Phrogs)