1953 Bell HSL-1 Helicopter - Lost To History.

In the early development of tandem-rotor aircraft, there were several manufacturers competing for success with their own designs. For a brief period, Bell Aircraft Company was among them.

The aircraft, which first flew in March 1953, represented Bell’s first departure from the single-rotor helicopter design it had produced since 1942.

The Bell HSL-1 Helicopter became the first helicopter specifically designed for anti-submarine warfare.

The HSL-1 was developed to combat the threat of the Soviet Union’s submarine fleet, which had been growing rapidly since the end of World War II.

By April, 12, 1950 companies had bid on the contract, including Bell, Curtis-Wright/Doman, Gyrodyne, Hughes, Kellett, McDonnell, Piasecki, Sikorsky, Hiller, and several small companies that had never even built a helicopter before. In June 1950, the Bell Aircraft Company was named the winner.

The primary job of the Bell HSL-1 was to detect, identify, track and/or destroy enemy submarines. It was designed to operate from ships in all weather conditions, and was expected to be used in both a search and an attack role, with two aircraft working in tandem.

The Bell HSL-1 was equipped with dipping sonar for tracking, and was capable of carrying both torpedoes and missiles when required to attack.

The HSL-1 was powered by the proven Pratt & Whitney 2400hp engine. Including the sonar equipment, the helicopted weighed 12020 kilograms. It was designed to operate with a crew of 4 (a pilot, co-pilot, and two sonar operators), and was the largest four-person helicopter Bell had designed to that point. The aircraft had a cruising speed of 161km/h, and a range of 563 kilometers.

The first prototype started ground runs in April 1952. The noise and vibration in the cockpit was particularly noticeable. Flying continued throughout the year, with Bell’s engineers gradually correcting initial problems with low speed and hovering. By December 1953, three aircraft were flying in the air.

Around this time, Bell received an order for 78 HSL-1 helicopters for the U.S. Navy. Of these, 18 HSL-1 helicopters were to go to the British Royal Navy.

In early 1954, Bell developed an autopilot system for the HSL-1. Another major success for the program was the development of autorotation techniques.

In April 1955, HSL-1 crashed during a Navy acceptance flight at the Hurst plant, killing one pilot and badly burning the other. The helicopter’s nose suddenly dipped during a low hover, resulting in the front main rotor hitting the ground. The aircraft caught fire in the resulting crash.

The HSL-1’s introduction into the Navy fleet was terminated. And the Navy officially cancelled HSL production after 50 ships were built.

Sadly, no HSL-1s appear to have survived to this day.