A Dream Comes to Fruition

In 2021, CAPT Bill Personius, USN (Ret.) was asked by RADM Mac McLaughlin, USN (Ret.), the USS Midway Museum President and CEO, if he would be willing to take on getting a helicopter mounted at the front gate of North Island. RADM Mac felt that the Master Helicopter Base should have a helicopter at the Stockdale Gate. What better choice could there be than the SH-60F Medal of Honor Commemorative Helicopter flown during the Centennial of Naval Aviation Flyover in 2011?

The actual lift and mounting of the helicopter began in three places on Saturday morning at 0730, January 11, 2025. These places included the Double Domes Hangar Stockdale Gate at North Island, and with the Amphibious Construction Battalion ONE (ACB-1) from the Amphibious Base of NAB Coronado. A move team from HSCWINGPAC began the final move of the aircraft from the Double Domes Hangars at North Island, with a NORIS security escort as the aircraft was moved to the front gate, positioning the aircraft abeam the stanchion. The ACB-1 Team (Seabees) began their movement at 0730 of equipment and a 65-ton crane moved from the Amphibious Base, through Coronado to the Stockdale Gate where the crane was setup in lanes 4 and 5 of the Stockdale Gate as well as the commercial truck entry lanes abeam the stanchion.

The crane team was led by ENS Tieu, EOC Ellorin, EO1 Zimmergarger, and EO2 Villalon with support from EO2 Cole, EO2 Zhao, CM3 Fornaro, CM2 Albrecht, EO2 Gutierrez, and EO3 Blanchard. A final briefing was held on site with all parties involved in the lift including LCDR Matt

Bettencourt, USN from HSC-3 who brought several high-end drones for use during the lift. Since the base would not allow flight, the drones were positioned on 20’ tripods which could be moved and positioned around the stanchion. These drones and their close in video capabilities proved instrumental in the successful mounting of the helicopter and were used throughout the lift process because no one could be under the helicopter.

NATEC Leadership to include Bob Thompson, Jeff Coskey, and Whalon Hooker, AD2 Mendez (HSC-6), and Chief Kayla Douglas (HSC-3) were involved in the movement, hookup of the lifting sling, and leading the effort on the ground to guide location of the aircraft for the ACB-1 Crane Operator, EO2 Cole, which led to the attachment of the aircraft to the stanchion. Waylon Hooker handled the various wrenches and devices to bolt the aircraft to the stanchion with Chief Douglas running the manlift.

The manlift was graciously donated for this event and for the last two years for various activities to include restoration and aircraft maintenance at Flag Circle by Chuck Graff of Sunbelt Rentals, Inc. of Chula Vista. The crane operator from ACB-1 did an outstanding job of positioning this aircraft in spite of the light wind (7-8 knots at times). He was very skilled with the controls, and so precise many times you could not see the movement when in fact he was actually moving that aircraft. The lift strain on the crane’s gauges indicated about 16,000 lbs. End result: Aircraft safe on stanchion at 11:47 AM!