c/n 149

55-3295

•  55-3295 United States Army. Delivered 04-Sep-1956. Designated U-1A.

• 55-3295 Loaned to United States Navy, VX-6 Sqd, Quonset Point, RI,. for crew training prior to them deploying to Antarctica.

Returned to US Army at Fort Riley, KS., and joined the 2nd Aviation Company.

Late-1956. 2nd Aviation Company Illesheim, Germany.

Later 3rd Aviation Company, Illesheim until that Company disbanded in November 1959.

Nov-1959. Southern European Task Force, (SETAF), based at Verona in Italy.

Feb-1963. 48th Transportation Company, Goppingen, Germany.

September 1963. 2nd Military Intelligence Battalion, Sembach Air Base, Germany.

May-1964. Army Aeronautical Depot Maintenance Center (ARADMAC) Depot, Corpus Christi, TX for overhaul prior to service in Vietnam.

Feb-1966.  54th Aviation Company, Vung Tau., Vietnam.

May 1966 Returned to the Army Aeronautical Depot Maintenance Center (ARADMAC) Depot, Corpus Christi, TX.

Aug-1966. 18th Aviation Company, Qui Nhon, Vietnam. in August 1966

Dec 1970. Transferred to the 165th Combat Aviation Group,

May 1971. Put into storage with the 388th Transportation Company, Vung Tau, who were responsible for the disposal of all US Army Otters in Vietnam.

July 1971. Deleted from the Army inventory.

• 53295 Government of Cambodia during 1971. Withdrawn from use and presumed scrapped.

• Scrapped •

Otter 149 was delivered to the United States Army on 4th September 1956 with serial 55-3295 (tail number 53295). Its first posting was in fact to VX-6 Squadron of the United States Navy, to whom it was lent for crew training purposes. It was flown from Downsview by a Navy pilot to the VX-6 base at Quonsett Point Naval Air Station, Rhode Island where it was used for pilot training. VX-6 were working up in preparation for their deployment to the Antarctic. When this training was complete, the Otter flew to Fort Riley, Kansas and joined the 2nd Aviation Company, with whom it deployed to Illesheim, Germany. It was noted visiting Blackbushe airfield near London on 22nd October 1957. It later joined the 3rd Aviation Company, also based at Illesheim until that Company disbanded in November 1959.

53295 then joined SETAF in Italy until February 1963, when it was transferred to the 48th Transportation Company at Goppingen, Germany and in September 1963 it joined the 2nd Military Intelligence Battalion based at Sembach Air Base, Germany. Its stay with this unit was relatively brief and by May '64 it had arrived at the ARADMAC Depot, Corpus Christi, Texas where it was prepared for service in Vietnam. By February 1966 it had arrived with the 54th Aviation Company in Vietnam. In May 1966 it returned to the ARADMAC Depot for maintenance and then went back to Vietnam, joining the 18th Aviation Company in August 1966. On 16th April 1969 it is recorded in the unit's history as returning to Qui Nhon after a loss of RPM during a test flight.

53295 continued flying for the 18th Aviation Company until December 1970, when it was transferred to the 165th Combat Aviation Group, where it flew until May 1971. It was then put into storage with the 388th Transportation Company at Vung Tau, who were responsible for the disposal of all US Army Otters in Vietnam. It was deleted from the Army inventory in July 1971. It was one of 18 Army Otters handed over to the Government of Cambodia during 1971. Their operation was short lived, and the fate of this Otter can only be recorded as “withdrawn from use and scrapped”.

Full history courtesy of Karl E. Hayes © from DHC-3 Otter: A History (2005).