The Sea King was initially designated HSS-2, which was intended to imply a level of commonality to the earlier HSS-1; it was subsequently re-designated as the SH-3A during the early 1960s.
O Sea King foi inicialmente designado HSS-2 coa intención de implicar un certo grao de puntos en común co anterior HSS-1, posteriormente recibiu a designación SH-3A a principios dos anos 60.