A U.S. Navy Sikorsky SH-3A <i>Sea King</i> (BuNo 149726) of Helicopter Antisubmarine Squadron HS-6 "Indians" dropping rescue swimmers around a <i>Mercury</i> space capsule mock-up during recovery practice prior to the Mercury-Atlas 9 mission flown by Major Leroy Gordon Cooper, USAF. HS-6 was assigned to Carrier Anti-Sumbarine Air Group 53 (CVSG-53) aboard the aircraft carrier USS <i>Kearsarge</i> (CVS-33) which recovered Cooper on 16 May 1963 at 0273000N 1761500W in the Pacific Ocean, 130 km south east of Midway Atoll.
U.S. Navy
<a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://collections.naval.aviation.museum/emuwebdoncoms/pages/doncoms/AdvQuery.php">U.S. Navy National Museum of Naval Aviation</a> photo No. <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://collections.naval.aviation.museum/emuwebdoncoms/pages/doncoms/Display.php?irn=42723&amp;QueryPage=%2Femuwebdoncoms%2Fpages%2Fdoncoms%2FAdvQuery.php">2008.103.016</a>