@ Santa Rosa, CA
September 2016
This example of the U.S. Coast Guard Albatross is part of the collection at the Pacific Coast Air Museum. In the early fifties the Grumman HU-16E Albatross replaced the San Francisco air station’s aging WWII fixed wing inventory. This general purpose amphibian, affectionately known as the “Goat”, proved to be a highly adaptable platform for SAR and LE until it was supplanted by the HU-25 Guardian and HC-130 Hercules. USCG fixed wing aircraft operated from San Francisco until 1978 when fixed wing operations moved to Sacramento. First flown in 1947, 466 were produced from 1949-1961. Designed to land in four foot open-ocean conditions for performing rescues, the Albatross incorporated a deep-V hull cross-section and long keel length. Takeoff in 8–10-foot seas required the use of JATO units. The final USCG HU-16 flight was at CGAS Cape Cod in March 1983, when the aircraft type was retired by the USCG. The Albatross continued to be used in the military service of other countries, the last being retired by the Hellenic Navy (Greece) in 1995.
