HS-11 to return home Sunday

The 176 squadron members with their seven SH-60F/H aircraft, will return to NAS Jacksonville's Hangar 115 for their long awaited 'breather.' They will participate in a short Tiger Cruise Dec. 17-19, move into their new hangar and then take their well deserved post operational movement leave.

While embarked on board USS Enterprise, HS-11 provided the carrier strike group with a wide range of services, allowing them to complete their mission safely and more efficiently.

According to HS-11 commanding officer, Cmdr. Mike Michel, the Battle "E" award winning squadron did it all.

They supported personnel recovery during a man overboard, provided aerial security for Commander Task Force 158, Iraq's oil platform and offered cover for boarding teams working out of rigid hull inflatable boats.

"We supported the full spectrum of combat operations," said Michel. "One of our primary missions was standard plane guard operations in support of aircraft launch and recoveries. In the event that one of the jet pilots ejected or crashed we would be the first on scene. Additionally, we flew approximately 16 rescue flights in support of our fixed wing brethren. If one of their jets had system or mechanical malfunctions and had to divert, we planned and organized a flight to transfer their maintainers and parts to the beach in order to fix their broken aircraft."

"Our helicopters are a great platform for anti-surface warfare. They can carry Hellfire missiles and .50 caliber guns, providing the strike group with the ability to sink a medium size ship. During strait transits and pulling in and out of port, USS Enterprise used our helicopters and crews as a means for antiterrorism force protection," he continued.

"During the six months we spent out at sea, our squadron flew numerous medical evacuations supporting all the ships in our battle group. The strike group didn't employ all our mission areas, but we also have the capability to carry special forces and insert them using either a raft which we can carry underneath the helicopter or "fast-roping" them onto land."

Michel expressed that HS-11's goal was to meet all operational requirements as dictated by the warfare commanders.

"We did just that," said CMDCM(AW/SW) Terry Stickles, the Dragonslayer's command master chief. "We provided a 99 percent or better sortie completion rate."

Stickles credits the squadron's operational success to the Sailors who provided continual maintenance allowing the Dragonslayer's helicopters to be the first to take off and last to land.

He mentioned, "We have some of the hardest working Sailors in the Navy. HS-11 is currently the only helo squadron that has deployed two years in a row. We have been away from our families and friends for 17 out of the last 24 months.

That is a feat in itself. Without the good working relationship between our chief's mess and our officers, our accomplishments would have been unattainable. Our return home will give us some of our well earned rest and relaxation."

HS-11 will return home after having accomplished milestones that no other HS Squadron has. They will be the first HS squadron to advance the Fleet Readiness Plan sustainment model from theory to reality doing back-to-back combat deployments.

During their detachments and deployments, the Dragonslayers will have flown more than 7,500 flight hours while conducting combat operations in southern Iraq supporting British ground forces and the territorial waters of southern Iraq protecting the vital oil infrastructure.

In the last two years, the squadron has operated in the Atlantic, Pacific, and IndianOceans, and the Mediterranean, Red, Arabian, Andaman, South and East China and Philippine Seas.

Squadronpersonnel conducted operations or visited the Bahamas, Portugal, Spain, France, Albania, Greece, Djibouti, Oman, Qatar, Pakistan, Kuwait, Iraq, United Arab Emirates, Malaysia, Singapore, China, South Korea and Japan. In the United Statesthe squadrondetached to Fallon, Nev. twice and Hurlburt Field in Pensacola.