Earlier variants of the Sea King also saw service in the Vietnam War, where the type was widely used for search-and-rescue missions recovering downed aircrew under combat conditions. The Sikorsky SH-3G Sea King BuNo 148987/AB 011 served with Helicopter Combat Support Squadron 2 (HC-2) “Fleet Angels” during a pivotal era of U.S. Navy rotary-wing operations in the 1970s.