Helicopter Mine Countermeasures Squadron 14 (HM-14) is a
United States Navy helicopter squadron established in 1978 based at
Naval Station Norfolk, Virginia. Nicknamed the ''Vanguard'' and flying the
MH-53E Sea Dragon, it comprises both active duty and reserve personnel. It is the sister squadron to
HM-15, the ''Blackhawks'', based at NS Norfolk.
History
HM-14 was established at NAS, Norfolk, on 12 May 1978 as the world's first fully self-contained
Airborne Mine Countermeasures (AMCM) squadron. The squadron was outfitted with eight
RH-53D
The CH-53 Sea Stallion (Sikorsky S-65) is an American family of heavy-lift transport helicopters designed and built by the American manufacturer Sikorsky Aircraft.
It was originally developed in response to a request from the United States ...
aircraft from
HM-12 and with Vietnam War legacy minesweeping equipment from AMCM Unit Alpha, including five Mk-105 sleds.
1980s
In April 1981, the squadron deployed to Europe for 5 months as the AMCM element of the first integrated MCM Task Group, along with surface and underwater MCM units. They participated in multi-national exercises and demonstrations in several countries to show the capabilities of an AMCM squadron.
In June 1984, HM-14 took delivery of the AN/AQS-14 Mine Hunting
Sonar and established the Fleet's first operational airborne mine hunting capability. This new asset was put to use in the
Red Sea during
Operation Intense Look
Operation or Operations may refer to:
Arts, entertainment and media
* ''Operation'' (game), a battery-operated board game that challenges dexterity
* Operation (music), a term used in musical set theory
* ''Operations'' (magazine), Multi-Man ...
while the squadron conducted split-site operations, with the main body of the squadron deploying on and Detachment One operating out of
Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
The squadron received its first
MH-53 Sea Dragon
The Sikorsky CH-53E Super Stallion is a heavy-lift helicopter operated by the United States military. As the Sikorsky S-80, it was developed from the CH-53 Sea Stallion, mainly by adding a third engine, adding a seventh blade to the main rotor, ...
E-model helicopter on 9 April 1989. A variant of the CH-53E, this model was the first aircraft designed specifically for AMCM. The MH-53E includes
Precision Navigation System
Precision, precise or precisely may refer to:
Science, and technology, and mathematics Mathematics and computing (general)
* Accuracy and precision, measurement deviation from true value and its scatter
* Significant figures, the number of digit ...
for minefield navigation, a dedicated
hydraulic system for MCM operations, and a greater fuel capacity for extended on-station time while conducting sweeps.
1990s
In October 1990, HM-14 Detachment One forward deployed in support of
Operation Desert Shield, becoming the first U.S. Navy squadron to do so. With six aircraft, 300 personnel, and all associated support equipment, this was the largest detachment in community history. The squadron set up a forward operating presence in
Abu Dhabi, UAE
Abu Dhabi (, ; ar, أَبُو ظَبْيٍ ' ) is the capital and second-most populous city (after Dubai) of the United Arab Emirates. It is also the capital of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi and the centre of the Abu Dhabi Metropolitan Area.
...
, at the
Sheikh Zayed MCM Base Abu Dhabi (SZMBAD) from which they provided AMCM coverage of the entire Gulf in coordination with the surface MCM Fleet under COMUSMCMGRU.
In January 1992, six containers of arsenic were swept overboard from a freighter during a severe storm off the coast of
New Jersey. HM-14 self-lifted to New Jersey to support the
U.S. Coast Guard
The United States Coast Guard (USCG) is the maritime security, search and rescue, and law enforcement service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the country's eight uniformed services. The service is a maritime, military, multi ...
in searching for the containers during Operation Toxic Look. HM-14 swept over 305 linear miles using the AQS-14 sonar system before finding all six containers and preventing an ecological disaster. The detachment was awarded the Coast Guard Meritorious Unit Award for this action.
In 1995, HM-14 was integrated with
USNR sister squadron HM-18. Following fellow squadrons HM-15 and HM-19 as the first squadrons to integrate active and reserve elements into a single squadron, over 200 personnel from HM-18 boosted the manning of HM-14 to almost 700, making it one of the largest operational squadrons in the U.S. Navy. Regular Navy, Temporary Active Reserve (now FTS), and Selected Reserve pilots, aircrew, maintenance and administrative personnel deploy and work side by side with no distinction made between them.
In 1999, HM-14 established the first permanent AMCM detachment in
Manama, Bahrain. They maintained this detachment until 2003, when it was turned over to sister squadron HM-15. During this time, HM-14 Det One participated in numerous exercises, logistics and AMCM support of
Operation Iraqi Freedom
{{Infobox military conflict
, conflict = Iraq War {{Nobold, {{lang, ar, حرب العراق (Arabic) {{Nobold, {{lang, ku, شەڕی عێراق (Kurdish languages, Kurdish)
, partof = the Iraq conflict (2003–present), I ...
and routine AMCM training.
2000s
In 2001, HM-14 took over the flight training of Fleet Replacement Pilots and Aircrew from
HMT-302. While the
Airborne Mine Countermeasures Weapon Systems Training School (AWSTS) in Norfolk conducts all ground training of student pilots and aircrew, HM-14 maintains the aircraft that are used for their training.
At the beginning of the
2003 invasion of Iraq
The 2003 invasion of Iraq was a United States-led invasion of the Republic of Iraq and the first stage of the Iraq War. The invasion phase began on 19 March 2003 (air) and 20 March 2003 (ground) and lasted just over one month, including 26 ...
, a detachment from HM-14 along with Naval Special Clearance Team ONE de-mined the waterway leading into the port of
Umm Qasr, reopening the port to serve an important role in the shipment of humanitarian supplies to Iraqi civilians.
["Iraq aid confined to south", The Guardian, 2 April 2003]
From 2005 to 2007, HM-14 participated in numerous operations worldwide, including Operation New Horizon in
Haiti
Haiti (; ht, Ayiti ; French: ), officially the Republic of Haiti (); ) and formerly known as Hayti, is a country located on the island of Hispaniola in the Greater Antilles archipelago of the Caribbean Sea, east of Cuba and Jamaica, and ...
,
Joint Task Force Katrina {{no footnotes, date=December 2016
Joint Task Force Katrina was a joint operation between the United States Department of Defense and the Federal Emergency Management Agency created on September 1, 2005, at Camp Shelby, Mississippi to organize re ...
in Louisiana,
Joint Task Force Lebanon
{{refimprove, date=March 2012
Joint Task Force Lebanon (JTF-L) is a U.S. European Command (EUCOM) operational unit established in 2006 and assigned responsibility for U.S. military support to the American Embassy in Beirut and to help U.S. Departm ...
, and two presidential visits to
Mexico and
Uruguay. They used the capabilities of the MH-53E helicopters to provide heavy lift logistical support for cargo and personnel movement. In 2007 and 2008, HM-14 participated in the humanitarian missions
Pacific Partnership and Continuing Promise aboard and respectively. These extended operations went to multiple countries in the Eastern Pacific and Western Pacific areas, providing medical services and
Seabee support to impoverished areas.
In September 2007, HM-14 established the community's second permanent detachment, this time at
MCAS Iwakuni
is a United States Marine Corps air station located in the Nishiki river delta, southeast of Iwakuni Station in the city of Iwakuni, Yamaguchi Prefecture, Japan.
History
The Japanese government bought a large portion of what is today MCAS ...
, Japan. This detachment provided
7th Fleet with a forward-deployed AMCM and heavy-lift asset to parallel HM-15 Det Two in Manama, Bahrain. The location in Iwakuni also allowed for sharing of assets and training with the
Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force squadron HM-111, the only dedicated AMCM squadron outside of the United States and the only other squadron in the world that flies the MH-53E.
In October 2008, HM-14 DET 1 MCAS Iwakuni, Japan relocated to
Pohang, Korea continuing to provide the 7th Fleet with AMCM and heavy-lift support and performs operations in multiple countries in the Eastern Pacific.
Operations and Organization
HM-14's mission is to stand ready to deploy anywhere in the world within 72 hours via
US Air Force C-5 Galaxy to provide airborne mine countermeasures and vertical onboard delivery support. Additionally, humanitarian and disaster relief tasking has been increasing in recent years. Recognizing the capabilities of the MH-53E, the squadron can also provide platforms for
United States Navy EOD and
Force Recon paratroopers.
The squadron has 17 MH-53E Sea Dragon aircraft and 700 total members including pilots, aircrew, maintainers, and administrative personnel. The squadron has all of the typical departments of an aviation squadron, as well as a dedicated AMCM department, responsible for maintaining the minehunting and minesweeping gear and the
RHIBs used for tending them.
See also
*
History of the United States Navy
*
List of United States Navy aircraft squadrons
*
List of inactive United States Navy aircraft squadrons
References
External links
, url=https://www.airlant.usff.navy.mil/hm14/
Official Web Site
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hm-14
Helicopter mine antimeasures squadrons of the United States Navy