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Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron Four (HSC-4) (previously Helicopter Anti-Submarine Squadron Four (HS-4)), also known as the Black Knights, is a multi-role combat helicopter squadron of the
United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the naval warfare, maritime military branch, service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is the world's most powerful navy with the largest Displacement (ship), displacement, at 4.5 millio ...
based at
Naval Air Station North Island Naval Air Station North Island or NAS North Island , at the north end of the Coronado peninsula on San Diego Bay in San Diego, California, is part of the largest aerospace-industrial complex in the United States Navy – Naval Base Coronado (N ...
which operates
Sikorsky MH-60S Seahawk The Sikorsky SH-60/MH-60 Seahawk (or Sea Hawk) is a twin turboshaft engine, multi-mission United States Navy helicopter based on the United States Army UH-60 Black Hawk and a member of the Sikorsky S-70 family. The most significant modificati ...
helicopters deployed aboard
aircraft carrier An aircraft carrier is a warship that serves as a seagoing airbase, equipped with a full-length flight deck and hangar facilities for supporting, arming, deploying and recovering carrier-based aircraft, shipborne aircraft. Typically it is the ...
s. The squadron was originally established as HS-4 on 30 June 1952 at U.S. Naval Auxiliary Landing Field Imperial Beach with the Sikorsky HO3S-1 and was redesignated HSC-4 on 29 March 2012. It is currently assigned to
Carrier Air Wing Two Carrier Air Wing Two (CVW-2) is a United States Navy aircraft carrier air wing based at Naval Air Station Lemoore. The air wing is currently attached to the aircraft carrier . Subordinate units CVW-2 consists of 8 squadrons and 1 detachment (V ...
(CVW-2) which deploys aboard .


History


1952–1968

Helicopter Antisubmarine Squadron FOUR (HS-4) was established on 30 June 1952 aboard Naval Air Station Imperial Beach flying the Sikorsky HO3S-1. It was the first anti-submarine warfare (ASW) helicopter squadron of the U.S. Navy to deploy aboard an aircraft carrier, the escort carrier . In 1954/55 HS-4 was deployed in . In 1956 the squadron transitioned to the dipping sonar equipped
HSS-1 Seabat The Sikorsky H-34 (company designation S-58) is an American piston-engined military utility helicopter originally designed by Sikorsky as an anti-submarine warfare (ASW) aircraft for the United States Navy. A development of the smaller Sikor ...
vastly improving its antisubmarine capability and deployed aboard . This was followed by a cruise aboard ''Princeton'' again in 1958. In 1959 the squadron upgraded to the doppler radar and autopilot equipped HSS-1N Seabat helicopter giving it the ability to operate at night and in marginal weather. HS-4 could be identified at that time by the tail code "TA" (1955–1960). In 1961, it became the first ASW squadron in Commander Naval Air Forces Pacific (COMNAVAIRPAC) to achieve around-the-clock ASW capability, earning HS-4 the name "Black Knights". From 1960 to 1968 HS-4 made six deployments aboard to the Western Pacific as part of Carrier Anti-Submarine Air Group 55 (CVSG-55) (tail code "NU"). In September 1962 the squadron's HSS-1N helicopters were re-designated to the SH-35G Seabat in compliance with the
1962 United States Tri-Service aircraft designation system The Tri-Service aircraft designation system is a unified system introduced in 1962 by the United States Department of Defense for designating all U.S. military aircraft. Previously, the U.S. armed services used United States military aircraft de ...
. In 1964 the squadron converted to the Sikorsky SH-3A Sea King. HS-4 was initiated into combat during its 1966 cruise to
Southeast Asia Southeast Asia is the geographical United Nations geoscheme for Asia#South-eastern Asia, southeastern region of Asia, consisting of the regions that are situated south of China, east of the Indian subcontinent, and northwest of the Mainland Au ...
. While operating in the
Gulf of Tonkin The Gulf of Tonkin is a gulf at the northwestern portion of the South China Sea, located off the coasts of Tonkin ( northern Vietnam) and South China. It has a total surface area of . It is defined in the west and northwest by the northern co ...
, HS-4 pilots and aircrew rescued 24 downed airmen under hostile fire, a record for an ASW squadron in a single deployment. In 1968 HS-4 aboard ''Yorktown'' was part of the
Task Force A task force (TF) is a unit or formation established to work on a single defined task or activity. Originally introduced by the United States Navy, the term has now caught on for general usage and is a standard part of NATO terminology. Many ...
sent to the Sea of Japan at the beginning of the
USS Pueblo incident USS ''Pueblo'' (AGER-2) is a Banner-class environmental research ship, ''Banner''-class technical research ship, placed into service during World War II, then converted to a spy ship in 1967 by the United States Navy. She gathered Military intel ...
.


1968–1990

In 1968 the squadron transitioned to the multi-sensor equipped SH-3D Sea King. From 1968 to 1970 HS-4 was assigned to Carrier Anti-Submarine Air Group 59 (CVSG-59) (tail code "NT") aboard . From late 1968 through the spring of 1970, the ''Black Knights'' of HS-4 participated in and pioneered techniques for the Apollo capsule recoveries. HS-4 was on scene for Apollo missions 8, 10, 11, 12, and 13. The recovery was always made by "
Helicopter 66 Helicopter 66 was a United States Navy Sikorsky Sea King helicopter used during the late 1960s for the water recovery of List of Apollo astronauts, astronauts during five missions of the Apollo program. It has been called "one of the most famo ...
". The helicopter's side number was changed from "66" to "740" after the Apollo 11 recovery as the U.S. Navy had switched to a three digit aircraft number system – but the helicopter was repainted with the number "66" for each recovery thereafter for public relations reasons. HS-4 earned a Meritorious Unit Commendation (MUC) for these recoveries. For the recovery of
Apollo 13 Apollo 13 (April 1117, 1970) was the seventh crewed mission in the Apollo program, Apollo space program and would have been the third Moon landing. The craft was launched from Kennedy Space Center on April 11, 1970, but the landing was abort ...
in April 1970, HS-4 was assigned to the Amphibious Assault Ship . In 1971 HS-4 was deployed for the last time in an anti-submarine carrier, . Between 1973 and 1979, HS-4 made three cruises aboard and as a part of Carrier Air Wing 11 (CVW-11) where they helped to develop the CV concept which integrated the former "Anti-Submarine Air Group" and "Attack Carrier Air Wing" into the new "Carrier Air Wing". They briefly sifted to Carrier Air Wing Two (CVW-2) for the second cruise but shifted back to CVW-11 afterwards. On 15 October 1976, HS-4's official homeport changed from NAS Imperial Beach to
NAS North Island Naval Air Station North Island or NAS North Island , at the north end of the Coronado peninsula on San Diego Bay in San Diego, California, is part of the largest aerospace-industrial complex in the United States Navy – Naval Base Coronado ...
. In 1977 the squadron's SH-3D helicopters were replaced by the SH-3H Sea King which the squadron would fly for the next decade and a half. HS-4 was then assigned to Carrier Air Wing Fifteen (CVW-15) and made one more deployment aboard ''Kitty Hawk'', followed by seven cruises aboard between 1983 and 1990. HS-4 won numerous awards during this period: seven-time winner of the Chief of Naval Operations Aviation Safety Award, Arleigh Burke Fleet trophy in 1978, five-time winner of the Battle 'E' ( Battle Efficiency), three-time winner of the Captain Arnold J. Tobell trophy for ASW excellence and the Sikorsky 'Excellence in Maintenance' Award for 1979, 1982 and 1983.


1991–2006

In 1991, HS-4 transitioned from the SH-3H Sea King to the Sikorsky SH-60F and HH-60H Seahawk helicopters and returned to ''Kitty Hawk'' as part of CVW-15 for three deployments between 1991 and 1994. They supported Operations Restore Hope and
Southern Watch Operation Southern Watch was an air-centric military operation conducted by the United States Department of Defense from August 1992 to March 2003. United States Central Command's Joint Task Force Southwest Asia (JTF-SWA) had the mission of moni ...
in 1994, and supported the carrier battle group during Korean contingency operations with detachments to both Korea and Japan. When CVW-15 was deactivated, HS-4 was reassigned to
CVW-14 Carrier Air Wing Fourteen (CVW-14), was a United States Navy aircraft carrier air wing based at Naval Air Station Lemoore, California. Mission To conduct carrier air warfare operations and assist in the planning, control, coordination and integ ...
in January 1995. In 1996 HS-4 made a single deployment aboard ''Carl Vinson'' before CVW-14 and the ''Black Knights'' were assigned to from 1998 to 2003. Their duties included military operations in
Pakistan Pakistan, officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of over 241.5 million, having the Islam by country# ...
, detachments in
Kuwait Kuwait, officially the State of Kuwait, is a country in West Asia and the geopolitical region known as the Middle East. It is situated in the northern edge of the Arabian Peninsula at the head of the Persian Gulf, bordering Iraq to Iraq–Kuwait ...
and combat search and rescue training in
Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...
, all in support of "Operation Southern Watch" and
Operation Enduring Freedom Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) was the official name used by the U.S. government for both the first stage (2001–2014) of the War in Afghanistan (2001–2021) and the larger-scale Global War on Terrorism. On 7 October 2001, in response ...
. During
Operation Iraqi Freedom The Iraq War (), also referred to as the Second Gulf War, was a prolonged conflict in Iraq lasting from 2003 to 2011. It began with the invasion by a United States-led coalition, which resulted in the overthrow of the Ba'athist governm ...
, HS-4 supported
Navy SEAL The United States Navy Sea, Air, and Land (SEAL) Teams, commonly known as Navy SEALs, are the United States Navy's primary special operations force and a component of the United States Naval Special Warfare Command. Among the SEALs' main funct ...
,
British Commando The Commandos, also known as the British Commandos, were formed during the World War II, Second World War in June 1940, following a request from Winston Churchill, for special forces that could carry out Raid (military), raids against German-occ ...
and Polish
GROM The GROM Military Unit ( Polish: ''Jednostka Wojskowa GROM''), is a Polish special forces unit and forms part of the Special Troops Command of the Polish Armed Forces. It is believed to consist of around 250 operatives plus support personnel. G ...
forces in Kuwait and
Iraq Iraq, officially the Republic of Iraq, is a country in West Asia. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to Iraq–Saudi Arabia border, the south, Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq border, the east, the Persian Gulf and ...
. The nine and one half month deployment (a record since the Second World War) included 1283 sorties and 3228 flight hours flown. In 2004, HS-4 and CVW-14 were reassigned to . On board ''Stennis'', HS-4 completed a cruise to the Western Pacific, which took the squadron from San Diego, to
Alaska Alaska ( ) is a non-contiguous U.S. state on the northwest extremity of North America. Part of the Western United States region, it is one of the two non-contiguous U.S. states, alongside Hawaii. Alaska is also considered to be the north ...
,
Victoria, British Columbia Victoria is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of British Columbia, on the southern tip of Vancouver Island off Canada's Pacific Ocean, Pacific coast. The city has a population of 91,867, and the Gre ...
,
Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...
,
Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...
,
Malaysia Malaysia is a country in Southeast Asia. Featuring the Tanjung Piai, southernmost point of continental Eurasia, it is a federation, federal constitutional monarchy consisting of States and federal territories of Malaysia, 13 states and thre ...
and Australia. In 2006 HS-4 and CVW-14 transferred to for her maiden deployment. On this deployment HS-4 detached its HH-60Hs into
Basra, Iraq Basra () is a port city in southern Iraq. It is the capital of the eponymous Basra Governorate, as well as the third largest city in Iraq overall, behind Baghdad and Mosul. Located near the Iran–Iraq border at the north-easternmost extent ...
to support coalition troops in the region.


2007–2016

HS-4 deployed in 2007 and again in 2008 when the squadron supported the
Typhoon Fengshen Typhoon Fengshen, known in the Philippines as Typhoon Frank, was the deadliest typhoon to hit the Philippines since Typhoon Durian in 2006. It was the sixth named storm and the fourth typhoon recognised by the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA). T ...
survivors in the Philippines before heading to the North Arabian Sea to support U.S. and Coalition forces on the ground in Afghanistan. In 2009, HS-4 completed a Surge deployment, supporting operations in Afghanistan. From 12 MAR to 4 MAY 2011, the ''Black Knights'' participated in Operation Tomadochi in Japan to help the stricken country by airlifting medical supplies and food. The 9.0 earthquake and tsunami that struck Japan had the helicopters assigned to working around the clock. This humanitarian relief effort and subsequent movement to the 5th fleet AOR for Operations New Dawn and Enduring Freedom, completed the final SH-60F/HH-60H deployment for HS-4. On 29 March 2012, Helicopter Anti-Submarine Squadron Four (HS-4) became Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron Four (HSC-4) in conjunction with its transition to the
MH-60S Seahawk The Sikorsky SH-60/MH-60 Seahawk (or Sea Hawk) is a twin turboshaft engine, multi-mission United States Navy helicopter based on the United States Army UH-60 Black Hawk and a member of the Sikorsky S-70 family. The most significant modificati ...
. Upon completion of the transition, the squadron was reassigned to Carrier Air Wing Two (CVW-2). The inaugural deployment of the MH-60S with HSC-4 is on the horizon for 2017.


See also

*
History of the United States Navy The history of the United States Navy divides into two major periods: the "Old Navy", a small but respected force of sailing ships that became notable for innovation in the use of ironclads during the American Civil War, and the "New Navy" ...
*
List of United States Navy aircraft squadrons This is a list of active United States Navy aircraft squadrons. ''Deactivated'' or ''disestablished'' squadrons are listed in the list of inactive United States Navy aircraft squadrons. The U.S. Navy uses the term "squadron" only to describe uni ...


References


Official website


External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:HS-4 Military units and formations established in 1952 Helicopter anti-submarine squadrons of the United States Navy