HS-11 completes 2006 summer deployment

Normally, East Coast squadrons deploy to the Mediter-ranean Sea and then head to the Middle East. This time, the ship conducted a Western Pacific tour.

The first real tasking for the Dragonslayers came in mid-May when the Enterprise Strike Group transited the Straits of Gibraltar. HS-11 plays a vital role in all straits transits by providing anti-terrorism force protection air cover for the aircraft carrier. A few days later, USS Enterprise made its first port call to Split, Croatia. The Sailors had an opportunity to get off the ship and enjoy a foreign culture that most had never experienced.

Less than a week later, the carrier made its second port call to Souda Bay, Crete. Shortly after the boat was being moored to the pier, the Dragonslayers were called into action. Two foreign jets had collided off the coast and HS-11 immediately launched a search and rescue mission. While ships that were already on station recovered the survivors, HS-11 proved they are ready to launch at a moments notice.

As USS Enterprise headed to the Middle East, HS-11 squadron members were given an opportunity to fly into the small African nation of Djibouti before reaching the Arabian Gulf. This gave the squadron the chance to fly some overland training flights while simultaneously working on the laser range that was available. The environment was a perfect warm-up for the mission the Dragonslayers would perform in the upcoming weeks.

Many members of HS-11 and VS-32 returned home to that long-awaited kiss. Photo by MC3 David Didier

Once the strike group was in the northern Arabian Gulf, the squadron departed for its first detachment of the deployment. Three crews and 16 maintainers flew into the southern Iraqi city of Al Basra to assist the Joint Helicopter Forces, Iraq in maintaining peace and stability. For almost four weeks, HS-11 worked side-by-side with British forces carrying out several missions including reconnaissance, armed convoy escort and troop transport. The Dragonslayers successfully completed more than 90 sorties in the challenging environment. The talent and professionalism of the maintainers showed as they worked night and day to keep two HH-60H's flying in the extreme heat and sandstorms of the Iraqi desert.

After supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom, USS Enterprise departed the Middle East for the Western Pacific. The change of scenery was welcomed as the entire ship was relieved from the brutal heat of the Middle East. After some training flights on the Japanese island of Okinawa, the ship made port calls to Busan, South Korea, Hong Kong and Singapore. These unique ports had something to offer for everyone with nice hotels and restaurants, great shopping and sightseeing and some much needed time off.

Prior to heading to the next port call, the ship participated in one of the older traditions in the Navy, the 'Crossing the Line' ceremony, which occurs when a ship crosses the equator. Sailors who have already participated in this tradition are known as Shellbacks, while those that have not are Pollywogs. After a couple of hours of fun, King Neptune and his court converted more than180 Dragonslayers from Pollywogs to Shellbacks. The carrier then transited the Straits of Malacca en route to its next port call. Once again, HS-11 was called into duty by providing force protection as USS Enterprise pulled into Port Kelang, Malaysia. Most Sailors enjoyed liberty in Kuala Lumpur, about an hour bus ride from the port. One of the highlights of this port call was the Petronas Towers, currently one of the tallest buildings in the world. This was another beautiful port that offered great shopping and sightseeing.

AM2 Matthew Castleberry gives his son, Mason a big hug after landing on one of the HS-11 helicopters. Photo by MC3 David Didier

After returning to the Middle East, USS Enterprise conducted operations in the northern Arabian Sea. HS-11 took advantage of the close proximity to the mountains of Pakistan and conducted daily training flights to maintain their readiness to operate in any environment. They wrapped up their time in the Middle East with a port call to Jebel Ali, United Arab Emirates prior to the transit back through the Suez Canal. For their eighth and final port call, the ship pulled into Lisbon, Portugal before transiting the Atlantic back to Norfolk, Va.

Along with providing assistance during straits transits and helping the British in Al Basra, the Dragonslayers also performed daily missions of search and rescue, medical evacuations and vertical replenishment. HS-11 successfully transported hundreds of thousands of pounds of food and spare parts from supply ships to USS Enterprise.

When HS-11 completed the 2006 deployment they traveled more than 25,000 miles, flew more than 2,600 flight hours and will have had members of the squadron in 17 foreign countries. For most of the 200 Sailors in the squadron, this was their first deployment.