The 55th Rescue Squadron is an aviation unit of the United States Air Force. It operates the Sikorsky HH-60G Pave Hawk helicopter and provides rapidly deployable combat

search and rescue Search and rescue (SAR) is the search for and provision of aid to people who are in distress or imminent danger. The general field of search and rescue includes many specialty sub-fields, typically determined by the type of terrain the search ...

forces to theater commanders worldwide. They tactically employ the HH-60G helicopter and its crew in hostile environments to recover downed aircrew and isolated personnel during day, night, or marginal weather conditions. The squadron also conducts military operations other than war including civil search and rescue,

disaster relief Emergency management or disaster management is the managerial function charged with creating the framework within which communities reduce vulnerability to hazards and cope with disasters. Emergency management, despite its name, does not actuall ...

, international aid, emergency medical evacuation, and counter-drug activities. Since 2003, the squadron provided rapidly deployable combat search and rescue forces worldwide; and deployed aircraft and crews in response to national disasters, domestic search and rescue, and medical evacuation ("MEDEVAC") missions.

History

North Atlantic Rescue

The 55th Air Rescue Squadron was activated on 14 November 1952, at

Thule Air Force Base Thule Air Base (pronounced or , kl, Qaanaaq Mitarfik, da, Thule Lufthavn), or Thule Air Base/Pituffik Airport , is the United States Space Force's northernmost base, and the northernmost installation of the U.S. Armed Forces, located north o ...

, Greenland, where it replaced Flight E, 6th Air Rescue Squadron, when Air Rescue Service expanded its squadrons to groups and replaced their flights with new squadrons. It remained at Thule and trained and performed rescue and recovery missions until March 1960, when it moved to Kindley Air Force Base, Bermuda , where it was inactivated on 18 June 1960.

Reactivation

The squadron was reorganized at Kindley on 18 June 1961. Until January 1966 the unit supported crewed spacecraft recovery operations. In January 1966, it was renamed the 55th Aerospace Rescue and Recovery Squadron. It moved to McCoy Air Force Base, Florida in February 1970. From McCoy, and after June 1971, from

Eglin Air Force Base Eglin Air Force Base is a United States Air Force (USAF) base in the western Florida Panhandle, located about southwest of Valparaiso in Okaloosa County. The host unit at Eglin is the 96th Test Wing (formerly the 96th Air Base Wing). The ...

, Florida it provided coverage for Apollo missions through the early 1970s.

Special operations

In 1988 the rescue role changed to special operations missions. During Operation Just Cause the 55th SOS performed combat search and rescue in Panama between 20 December 1989 and 14 January 1990. This was repeated during the

1991 Gulf War The Gulf War was a 1990–1991 armed campaign waged by a 35-country military coalition in response to the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait. Spearheaded by the United States, the coalition's efforts against Iraq were carried out in two key phases: ...

between January and March 1991, and again in the Persian Gulf region and the Kosovo, in 1998-1999. On 25 February 1993, the 55th moved to Hurlburt Field, Florida, where the squadron was inactivated on 11 November 1999.

Return to rescue mission

On 22 January 2003, the squadron was reactivated at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Arizona (USA). Since 2003, the squadron provided rapidly deployable combat search and rescue forces worldwide; and deployed aircraft and crews in response to national disasters, domestic search and rescue, and medical evacuation missions, like during

Hurricane Katrina Hurricane Katrina was a destructive Category 5 Atlantic hurricane that caused over 1,800 fatalities and $125 billion in damage in late August 2005, especially in the city of New Orleans and the surrounding areas. It was at the time the cost ...

Lineage

* Constituted as the 55th Air Rescue Squadron on 17 October 1952 : Activated on 14 November 1952 : Discontinued and inactivated on 18 June 1960 * Activated on 10 May 1961 (not organized) : Organized on 18 June 1961 : Redesignated 55th Aerospace Rescue and Recovery Squadron on 8 January 1966 : Redesignated 55th Special Operations Squadron on 1 March 1988 : Inactivated on 11 November 1999 * Redesignated 55th Rescue Squadron on 22 January 2003 : Activated on 14 March 2003

Assignments

* 6th Air Rescue Group, 14 November 1952 * Air Rescue Service, 18 February 1958 – 18 June 1960 *

Military Air Transport Service The Military Air Transport Service (MATS) is an inactive Department of Defense Unified Command. Activated on 1 June 1948, MATS was a consolidation of the United States Navy's Naval Air Transport Service (NATS) and the United States Air Force's ...

, 10 May 1961 (not organized) * Air Rescue Service (later Aerospace Rescue and Recovery Service), 18 June 1961 * 39th Aerospace Rescue and Recovery Wing (later 39th Special Operations Wing), 1 January 1970 *

1st Special Operations Wing The 1st Special Operations Wing (1 SOW) at Hurlburt Field, Florida is one of three United States Air Force active duty Special Operations wings and falls under the Air Force Special Operations Command (AFSOC). The 1st Special Operations Wing is ...

, 18 April 1989 * 1st Special Operations Group (later 16th Operations Group), 22 September 1992 – 11 November 1999 *

355th Operations Group The 355th Operations Group (355 OG) is a United States Air Force unit, assigned to the 355th Wing. It is stationed at Davis–Monthan Air Force Base, Arizona. Units The 355th Operations Group consists of five squadrons and over 450 personn ...

, 14 March 2003 *

563d Rescue Group The 563rd Rescue Group is a United States Air Force unit stationed at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Arizona. The group also controls the rescue squadrons at Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada. It is assigned to the 355th Wing. The group direct ...

, 1 October 2003 – present

Stations

* Thule Air Force Base, Greenland, 14 November 1952 * Kindley Air Force Base, Bermuda, 17 March – 18 June 1960 * Kindley Air Force Base, Bermuda, 18 June 1961 * McCoy Air Force Base, Florida, 27 February 1970 * Eglin Air Force Base, Florida, 25 June 1971 * Hurlburt Field, Florida, 25 February 1993 – 11 November 1999 * Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Arizona, 14 March 2003 – present

Aircraft

* Boeing SB-17 Flying Fortress (1952–1955) *

Douglas SC-47 Skytrain The Douglas C-47 Skytrain or Dakota (RAF, RAAF, RCAF, RNZAF, and SAAF designation) is a military transport aircraft developed from the civilian Douglas DC-3 airliner. It was used extensively by the Allies during World War II and remained in f ...

(1952–1954) * Sikorsky H-19 (later SH-19, HH-19)(1953–1957, 1961–1963) *

Grumman SA-16A Albatross The Grumman HU-16 Albatross is a large, twin–radial engined amphibious seaplane that was used by the United States Air Force (USAF), the U.S. Navy (USN), and the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG), primarily as a search and rescue (SAR) aircraft. Original ...

(1953–1959) * Piasecki YH-21 Work Horse (1953–1955) * Piasecki SH-21 Work Horse (1956–1960) * Douglas SC-54 Skymaster (later HC-54) (1956–1957, 1959–1960, 1961–1964) * Kaman HH-43 Huskie (1963–1964) *

Boeing HC-97 Stratofreighter The Boeing C-97 Stratofreighter was a long-range heavy military cargo aircraft developed from the B-29 and B-50 bombers. Design work began in 1942, the first of three prototype XC-97s flew on 9 November 1944 (none saw combat), and the first of s ...

(1964–1966) * Lockheed HC-130 Hercules (1966–1988) * Sikorsky HH-53 Super Jolly Green Giant (1973–1980) *

Sikorsky HH-3 Jolly Green Giant The Sikorsky SH-3 Sea King (company designation S-61) is an American twin-engined anti-submarine warfare (ASW) helicopter designed and built by Sikorsky Aircraft. A landmark design, it was one of the first ASW rotorcraft to use turboshaft engin ...

(1980–1982) * Sikorsky MH-60G Pave Hawk (1982–1999) * Sikorsky HH-60 Pave Hawk (2003 – present)

References

Notes

Bibliography

External links

55th SOS history on globalsecurity.org
{{USAF Air Force Special Operations Command Military units and formations in Arizona 055