US Navy SPH-3 Vietnam War Era Flight Helmet Named Andrea Doria Search & Rescue

Description: Up for purchase is a Vietnam War era flight helmet. This example is named to a three war veteran who was assigned to flight training in September of 1943 and commissioned as an Ensign in October of 1945. He flew various planes with the United States Navy, including being a test pilot for the FJ-4 Fury in which he broke the sound barrier. He was helicopter instructor of the year in 1957. This pilot served on various US Navy aircraft carriers, including Valley Forge, Wright, FD Roosevelt, Independence, Enterprise, Antietam, and Lexington, including as the Search and Rescue Officer in Charge. While flying search and rescue, he participated in the Apollo splashdowns, as well as rescuing 26 passengers off the Andrea Doria ocean liner wreck. In total, he survived 9 plane crashes and retired as Search and Rescue Lt. Commander Officer in Charge for NAS Sherman Field Pensacola. No doubt, this veteran had an impressive service history and an incredible life. The helmet itself has his name on the front visor. As the photos show, the helmet shows rather heavy wear on the exterior, including scuffing and some paint loss consistent with use. The front has remnants of anU.S. Naval Aviator wing decal. The interior shows corrosion and discoloration, as well as deterioration to the foam. Based on the corrosion and deterioration on the interior, I suspect that this helmet was exposed to saltwater at some time during its life, which leads me to believe that it might have been with the veteran when he either splashed down in a crash or during a search and rescue mission. Both visors are present, with no cracks that I can see. The visor knobs do function, but they are somewhat sticky, as is typical of these old flight helmets. Also included is a plaque from the veteran, highlighting his service at NAS Pensacola conducting Search and Rescue. While not included with this listing, I do have his wooden trunk that has his name and previous duty station painted on the lid. Should the buyer of this helmet wish to purchase that as well, I will offer it to that buyer. It is large and will be expensive to ship. All of the above information was obtained from the veterans obituary. The full name and obituary will be provided electronically to the buyer. I do not have any physical documentation. Should the buyer choose to research this veteran further, I would not be surprised if more information would be brought to light. eBay limits the amount of photographs I can upload in each listing, so naturally on some items, I cannot take as many photos as I would like. If you are looking for more pictures or details of any particular area, feel free to ask. As with anything, pictures tell the best story, so please see the pictures for exact condition details. Feel free to contact me anytime with any questions. Please read the information below, it contains important administrative and shipping information.I do combine shipping. If you win multiple items, please wait for my invoice to combine the shipping. If you do not wait to pay until I send the invoice, then I cannot combine shipping, so it is important that if you purchase multiple items, please wait until the shipping amount is properly adjusted. Sometimes eBay automatically does this, so please check before paying. International shipping will depend on the location and method of shipment chose. If you are located at an address outside of the United States, and would like your item shipped a specific way, please contact me. There are certain countries that I will not ship to, no matter the circumstance. If you live in one of those countries, I am still willing to sell to you as long as you have a shipping address within the United States. I will ship to only the address that is on the eBay system. 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Price: 1499.99 USD

Location: Navarre, Florida

End Time: 2024-07-15T16:05:22.000Z

Shipping Cost: 25.5 USD