Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron 11 (United States Navy)
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Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron 11 | |
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Naval Air Station Norfolk | |
Nickname(s) | "Dragonslayers" or "Slayers" |
Commanders | |
Current commander | Commander P.D. Morley |
Notable commanders | Commander T. F. Kinsella, Jr. |
Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron 11 (HSC-11), also known as the Dragonslayers, is a
History
Helicopter Anti-Submarine Squadron 11 was established on 27 June 1957 at Naval Air Station (NAS) Quonset Point, Rhode Island. The squadron's nickname was the Sub Seekers and it first flew the Sikorsky HSS-1 Seabat helicopter under the radio call sign "Snowbound". The primary mission of the Seabat was antisubmarine warfare (ASW) and it carried dipping sonar. In 1959 the squadron transitioned to the HSS-1N Seabat which was upgraded with Doppler radar and automatic stabilization and hover capabilities for all-weather operations. The HS-11 Sub Seekers were assigned to Carrier Anti-Submarine Air Group 52 (CVSG-52) with tail code AS and deployed on board USS Wasp (CVS-18). In September 1962 the squadron's HSS-1N helicopters were re-designated the SH-34J Seabat in compliance with the 1962 United States Tri-Service aircraft designation system.
At the end of 1962, the squadron transitioned to the Sikorsky twin engine
The Dragonslayer history has many distinguished highlights. The squadron played a leading role in astronaut recovery operations during the Gemini missions, plucking from the sea such famed astronauts as White, McDivitt, Lovell, and Aldrin. In 1976, the squadron was awarded the Navy Unit Commendation for saving countless lives after ship collisions at sea while attached to USS John F. Kennedy (CV-67). Over the years, HS-11 has answered the domestic call for help numerous times in support of hurricane relief efforts, including Hurricane Andrew in 1993 and in 1999 the squadron rescued nine men whose ship was sunk during Hurricane Floyd in winds over 50 knots and seas measuring 30 feet. HS-11 was the first Navy squadron on-station just hours after Hurricane Ike swept through Galveston, Texas, in September 2008. More recently, HS-11 was one of the first units to respond to the earthquake as part of Operation unified response in Haiti in January 2010.[citation needed]
Since 1985, HS-11 has participated in Operation Ocean Safari in the northern Atlantic,
In 1994, HS-11 transitioned to the Sikorsky
On 1 June 2016, HS-11 completed transition to the
See also
External links
References
- ^ "cvw1.navy.mil: CVW-1". Archived from the original on 4 April 2008. Retrieved 13 November 2008.
- ^ Public.Navy.mil - HS-11[permanent dead link]
- ^ Atchley, George (6 April 2016). "'Dragonslayers' prep for move to NAS Norfolk". Jacksonville.com. Retrieved 6 March 2017.