In November 1958, this Vertol 44A, the predecessor of the Piasecki H-21 Workhorse, was acquired by the Swedish Navy and designated Hkp1, for helicopter 1, the first type of helicopter in use by the Swedish armed forces. It served at Bromma, later at Torslanda and Berga, until 1971 when it was retired and flown to Malmen, with 3094 hours. The Hkp 1 was succeeded by the Hkp4. In May 1989, serial 01001 was first reported with the Flygvapenmuseum.

There are two different versions that ended up with this Hkp1 being scrapped at ESGP. The first is that in 1971 the helicopter made an emergency landing in the sea outside Grebbestad because a crack in the exhaust system released exhaust gases into the air intake. The frame was subsequently discarded due to corrosion damage. The other version is that after the filming of the film "Marine's Wings" it had an engine failure and made an emergency landing in the ice forest at Värmdö, ending up on its side. The cockpit was initially preserved at the Naval Museum in Karlskrona but is now at Aeroseum.

Movement related to the funeral of UN Secretary General Dag Hammarskjöld at the Old Cemetery in Uppsala on 29 September 1961. Photo from: Upplandsmuseet

A Flying Banana photographed from a minesweeper near the Karlskrona naval base. Photo by: Gustav Roland Nilsson / Marinmuseum

Construction number also given as 498. Name of the ship not given. Photo from: Marinmuseum

Autumn exercise at Skredsvik, a naval facility on the Gullmarn Fjord. 01008, marked as belonging to 2. Helikopterdivisionen, is taking off. The full photo also shows 01001 / 1-01, wearing the same camouflage. Photo by: Svante Warfvinge / Marinmuseum

c/n is also reported as 497 but that is the line number. Delivered to the Swedish Navy as 01001 in 1958. Preserved at the Flygvapenmuseum by 1979.

Piasecki, later Vertol, were based in Morton near Philadelphia and did much of their flying at PHL. The hangars seen here stood at the northeast corner of the airport. This apron was also used by the Air National Guard. Photo from: Sjöhistoriska Museet

The Piasecki H-21 Work Horse, or Flying Banana, was delivered to Sweden as the Vertol 44 from 1958. Receiving the local designation Hkp1, the type was used mainly by the Marinen (Navy) for transport, rescue, anti-submarine and minesweeping duties.