HS-6

Infobox Military Unit
unit_name=Helicopter Anti-Submarine Squadron Six (HS-6)


caption= HS-6 Insignia
dates= June 1, 1956 - present
country= United States
allegiance=
branch= US Navy
type= Helicopter anti-submarine squadron
role=
size=
command_structure= CVW-11
garrison= NAS North Island
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equipment=
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nickname= Indians
patron=
motto= One Team...One Scream
colors=
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march=
mascot=
battles=
anniversaries=
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aircraft=
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Helicopter Anti-Submarine Squadron Six (HS-6) Indians is a helicopter squadron of the United States Navy established in 1956. Based at Naval Air Station North Island, HS-6 is part of Carrier Air Wing 11 and deploys aboard the USS Nimitz.

History

Helicopter Anti-Submarine Squadron Six was commissioned on June 1, 1956 aboard the USS|Princeton|CVS-37 midway between Formosa and Okinawa. Initially, the squadron flew the HO4S, but two years later transitioned to the new SH-34 and gained a new mission, anti-submarine warfare. In March of 1962 the squadron again changed aircraft when the SH-3H Sea King arrived. The Sea King, incorporating upgrades over the years, would take HS-6 through the 1980s.

Along the way, the squadron built a history and reputation worthy of the name, “World Famous Indians”. HS-6 participated in the recovery of Mercury Program Astronauts Wally Schirra in 1962, and Gordon Cooper in 1963. In 1966, in support of American strikes into Vietnam, the Indians rescued 16 downed aviators. In 1971, the Indians recovered the crew of Apollo 14 returning from the moon.

In 1974, the squadron began to deploy on aircraft carriers, with its first CV cruise on the USS|Constellation|CV-64. In 1975, HS-6 participated in the recovery of the Apollo-Soyuz crew. HS-6 joined the Carrier Air Wing Eleven (CVW-11)/USS|Enterprise|CVN-65 team in 1981. HS-6 and CVW-11 continued to deploy aboard USS Enterprise until 1989 when the team finished with an around the world cruise. On that cruise, HS-6 won the first ever Destroyer Squadron 21 “Order of the Pummeled Dolphin” for excellence in anti-submarine warfare.

In 1990, the squadron transitioned to Sikorsky’s SH-60F and HH-60H helicopters. The SH-60F provides substantially improved anti-submarine detection and tracking capabilities, while the HH-60H is the most advanced and first carrier based Combat Search and Rescue (CSAR) platform. Armed with these two new and potent weapons, the HS-6 Indians completed deployments onboard USS|Abraham Lincoln|CVN-72, USS|Kitty Hawk|CV 63, and USS|Carl Vinson|CVN-70, operating in the Western Pacific, Indian Ocean and the Arabian Gulf. Most recently, the Indians took part in Operation Enduring Freedom. The squadron supported CVW-11 as it flew combat sorties over Afghanistan, and provided CSAR coverage for Pakistan and Afghanistan. To this end, the Indians, along with the HS-11 Dragonslayers, stood up a CSAR detachment on a forward air base in Pakistan, establishing the first long term, HS CSAR detachment since Vietnam.

External Links

* [http://www.hs6.navy.mil/ HS-6 Indians Website]