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 ...

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 ...

San Diego, California San Diego ( , ) is a city on the Pacific coast of Southern California, adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a population of over 1.4 million, it is the List of United States cities by population, eighth-most populous city in t ...

CVW-11 Carrier Air Wing Eleven (CVW-11) is a United States Navy aircraft carrier air wing based at Naval Air Station Lemoore, California. The air wing is attached to the aircraft carrier .

History

HSC-8 traces its lineage to the second of two squadrons which bore the designation Helicopter Antisubmarine Squadron EIGHT (HS-8). That Squadron which has become HSC-8 was established on 1 November 1969. The first squadron designated HS-8 was established at

Naval Auxiliary Air Station Ream Field Naval Outlying Landing Field (NOLF) Imperial Beach is a United States Navy facility for helicopters, situated on approximately south of San Diego and within the city limits of Imperial Beach, California. It is known as "The Helicopter Capital of ...

,

Imperial Beach, California Imperial Beach is a beach city in San Diego County, California, United States, with a population of 26,137 as of the 2020 census. It is in the South Bay area of San Diego County, south of downtown San Diego and northwest of downtown Tiju ...

on 1 June 1956. The first helicopters employed by the command were the HSS-1N Seabat. In September 1962 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 ...

the HSS-1N was redesignated the SH-34J Seabat. At the end of 1962 the squadron transitioned to the SH-3A Sea King. The squadron performed eight Western Pacific (WESTPAC) deployments between 1957 and 1968 including combat tours in Vietnam. Notable achievements included a 1,200 mile medical evacuation (

MEDEVAC Medical evacuation, often shortened to medevac or medivac, is the timely and efficient movement and en route care provided by medical personnel to patients requiring evacuation or transport using medically equipped air ambulances, helicopters an ...

) made by helicopter, the longest in history. Other squadron achievements included participation in the

Apollo 6 Apollo 6 (April 4, 1968), also known as AS-502, was the third and final uncrewed flight in the United States' Apollo Program and the second test of the Saturn V launch vehicle. It qualified the Saturn V for use on crewed missions, and it was us ...

space vehicle/crew recovery and performing more than 30

Combat Search and Rescue Combat search and rescue (CSAR) are search and rescue operations that are carried out during war that are within or near combat zones. A CSAR mission may be carried out by a task force of helicopters, ground-attack aircraft, aerial refueling ta ...

missions in North Vietnam. The squadron was disestablished in December 1968. A year later on 1 November 1969, a new squadron was established and designated HS-8. Although the two squadrons are separate squadrons and the lineage of the first does not transfer to the second, the newly established squadron adopted the former squadron's name, insignia and traditions in its honor. With the new squadron came new helicopters, namely the SH-3D Sea King. Notable achievements during the next decade included site surveys for the U.S. Atomic Energy Commission, a study of blue whale migration patterns, supporting President Richard Nixon during his working vacation aboard and deploying in response to the

Iranian hostage crisis The Iran hostage crisis () began on November 4, 1979, when 66 Americans, including diplomats and other civilian personnel, were taken hostage at the Embassy of the United States in Tehran, with 52 of them being held until January 20, 1981. T ...

. In 1975 the squadron transitioned to the SH-3H Sea King. In 1976 the American Bicentennial Committee honored HS-8 as a bicentennial command. The squadron's 19th deployment came in response to

Desert Shield , combatant2 = , commander1 = , commander2 = , strength1 = Over 950,000 soldiers3,113 tanks1,800 aircraft2,200 artillery systems , page = https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GAOREPORTS-PEMD-96- ...

/Desert Storm in December 1990. This deployment was the last for HS-8 in the SH-3. On 2 April 1993 HS-8 completed transition from the SH-3H into the new SH-60F and HH-60H Seahawk helicopters. The squadron's 20th WESTPAC deployment was from February to August 1994. HS-8 was a member of Carrier Air Wing 14 (CVW-14) aboard . The 21st WESTPAC was concluded in May 1996 followed in September 1997 by an "Around the World Cruise" with . Deployments after this were routine until 11 September 2001. From November 2001 to May 2002 HS-8 and Carrier Air Wing Nine deployed in

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 ...

. There they played a vital role in the campaign that ended with the removal of the Taliban government in Afghanistan. HS-8 made another WESTPAC deployment from January to September 2003 followed by their second "Around the World Cruise" from January to August 2005 aboard USS ''Carl Vinson''. The squadron earned the Carrier Air Wing Nine Golden Wrench Award for superior maintenance and mission completion percentages as well as the

Battle E Device A battle is an occurrence of combat in warfare between opposing military units of any number or size. A war usually consists of multiple battles. In general, a battle is a military engagement that is well defined in duration, area, and force c ...

(Navy Battle Efficiency Award) for the 2005 World Cruise. In early December 2005 an HS-8 helicopter and aircrew participated in filming a portion of the television show ''24'' where the helicopter was transporting the fictitious Russian president and his wife to the American presidents ranch. On 28 September 2007, 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 ...

, Helicopter Antisubmarine Squadron Eight was redesignated as Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron Eight and received its first

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 ...

with the armed helo kit. In January 2009, HSC-8 went on its first deployment with the MH-60S where it was joined by HSM-71 flying the

MH-60R 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 ...

aboard . During this deployment, HSC-8 assisted in the filming of '' Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen''.Navy.mil
Navy News Stand Starting the first of two back-to-back eight-month deployment cycles, HSC-8 embarked on a WESTPAC deployment in July 2011. During deployment, the Eightballers accomplished the first-ever MH-60S Cruiser/Destroyer (CRUDES) detachment when they embarked in . HSC-8 also assisted in counter

piracy Piracy is an act of robbery or criminal violence by ship or boat-borne attackers upon another ship or a coastal area, typically with the goal of stealing cargo and valuable goods, or taking hostages. Those who conduct acts of piracy are call ...

operations, successfully aiding in the capture of fifteen suspected pirates. After a short turn around, HSC-8 departed on an eight-month surge deployment to the 5th Fleet Area of Responsibility in September 2012. HSC-8 deployed as part of Carrier Air Wing NINE (CVW-9) aboard USS ''John C. Stennis'' in support of Operation Enduring Freedom, maritime security operations, and theater security exercises. One of the highlights of the deployment was the rescue of a drowning man in the

Straits of Malacca The Strait of Malacca is a narrow stretch of water, long and from wide, between the Malay Peninsula to the northeast and the Indonesian island of Sumatra to the southwest, connecting the Andaman Sea (Indian Ocean) and the South China Sea (Pa ...

- the Eightballer’s first overwater rescue in several years. HSC-8 also participated in Operation Beacon Flash, a joint security exercise with the Royal Omani Air Force.

Squadron aircraft

US Navy 030219-N-7265L-057 SAR swimmer training

First squadron designated HS-8 (1 June 1956 to 31 Dec 1968) * HSS-1N Seabat, (redesignated SH-34J in 1962): 1956–1962 * SH-3A Sea King, 1962–1968 (squadron disestablished) Second squadron designated HS-8/HSC-8 (1 Nov 1969 to present) * SH-3D Sea King, 1969–1975 * SH-3H Sea King, 1975–1992 * SH-60F Seahawk, 1992–2007 * SH-60H Seahawk, 1992–2007 *

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 ...

, 2007–present (redesignated HSC-8 in 2007)

Squadron awards

*National Bicentennial Command **1976 *

Navy Unit Commendation The Navy Unit Commendation (NUC) is a United States Navy and United States Coast Guard unit award that was established by order of the Secretary of the Navy James Forrestal on 18 December 1944. History Navy A navy, naval force, military m ...

**1990 *

Meritorious Unit Commendation The Meritorious Unit Commendation (MUC; pronounced ''muck'') is a mid-level unit award of the United States Armed Forces. The U.S. Army awards units the Army MUC for exceptionally meritorious conduct in performance of outstanding achievement or ...

**1985 **1987 **1996 **2003 *

Battle E Device A battle is an occurrence of combat in warfare between opposing military units of any number or size. A war usually consists of multiple battles. In general, a battle is a military engagement that is well defined in duration, area, and force c ...

(Navy Battle Efficiency Award) **1980 **1983 **1986 **1995 **2005 **2009 **2012 **2017 *Captain Arnold Jay Isbell Trophy for Antisubmarine Warfare Excellence **Eight Awards **2006 *Admiral Jimmy Thach Award for Best Carrier Antisubmarine Warfare Squadron in the Navy **Five Awards **2006 *Top Torpedo Award for Antisubmarine Warfare Excellence **1982 **1983 **1984 **1991 **1992 *Sikorsky Superior Maintenance Award **1983 **1984 **1985 **2003 **2012 *Navy Golden Anchor Award **1991 **1997 **2016 **2017 *

Chief of Naval Operations The chief of naval operations (CNO) is the highest-ranking officer of the United States Navy. The position is a statutory office () held by an Admiral (United States), admiral who is a military adviser and deputy to the United States Secretary ...

Safety Award **1983 **1985 **1986 **1990 **1994 **2002 "for 22 years and 72,000 flight hours without a Class 'A' mishap." **2012 *Naval Air Forces Medical Readiness Award **2012 **2016 **2017

Ships deployed aboard

* 1958–1968 * 1958–1968 * 1960–1974 * * 1970 * * 1983–1984 * 1984–1990 * 1990–1993 * 1995–2000, 2013-2017 * 1993–1994, 2003–2005 * 2000–2003, 2006–2015 * 2011–2012 * 2012–2013 * 2019-current

External links

http://www.public.navy.mil/airfor/hsc8 {{DEFAULTSORT:Hsc-8 Helicopter sea combat squadrons of the United States Navy Military units and formations in California

Squadron aircraft

Squadron awards

Ships deployed aboard

See also

External links