Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron Eight (HSC-8) "Eightballers" is a

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...

helicopter squadron based at

Naval Air Station North Island Naval Air Station North Island or NAS North Island , at the north end of the Coronado peninsula on San Diego Bay in San Diego, California, is part of the largest aerospace-industrial complex in the United States Navy – Naval Base Coronado (N ...

San Diego, California San Diego ( , ; ) is a city on the Pacific Ocean coast of Southern California located immediately adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a 2020 population of 1,386,932, it is the eighth most populous city in the United States ...

. HSC-8 is attached to Carrier Air Wing 11 (

CVW-11 Carrier Air Wing Eleven (CVW-11) is a United States Navy aircraft carrier air wing based at Naval Air Station Lemoore, California. The air wing is attached to the aircraft carrier .

History

HSC-8 traces its lineage to the second of two squadrons which bore the designation Helicopter Antisubmarine Squadron EIGHT (HS-8). That Squadron which has become HSC-8 was established on 1 November 1969. Helicopter Anti-Submarine Squadron 8 (US Navy) insignia, 1956

Helicopter Anti-Submarine Squadron 8 (US Navy) insignia, 1956

The first squadron designated HS-8 was established at Naval Auxiliary Air Station Ream Field,

Imperial Beach, California Imperial Beach is a residential beach city in San Diego County, California, with a population of 26,324 at the 2010 census. The city is the southernmost city in California and the West Coast of the United States. It is in the South Bay area ...

on 1 June 1956. The first helicopters employed by the command were the HSS-1N Seabat. In September 1962 in compliance with the

1962 United States Tri-Service aircraft designation system The Tri-Service aircraft designation system is a unified system introduced in 1962 by the United States Department of Defense for designating all U.S. military aircraft. Previously, the U.S. armed services used separate nomenclature systems. ...

the HSS-1N was redesignated the SH-34J Seabat. At the end of 1962 the squadron transitioned to the SH-3A Sea King. The squadron performed eight Western Pacific (WESTPAC) deployments between 1957 and 1968 including combat tours in Vietnam. Notable achievements included a 1,200 mile medical evacuation (

MEDEVAC Medical evacuation, often shortened to medevac or medivac, is the timely and efficient movement and en route care provided by medical personnel to wounded being evacuated from a battlefield, to injured patients being evacuated from the scene of a ...

) made by helicopter, the longest in history. Other squadron achievements included participation in the

Apollo VI Apollo 6 (April 4, 1968), also known as AS-502, was the third and final uncrewed flight in the United States' Apollo Program and the second test of the Saturn V launch vehicle. It qualified the Saturn V to be used on crewed missions, as happen ...

space vehicle/crew recovery and performing more than 30 Combat Search and Rescue missions in North Vietnam. The squadron was disestablished in December 1968. A year later on 1 November 1969, a new squadron was established and designated HS-8. Although the two squadrons are separate squadrons and the lineage of the first does not transfer to the second, the newly established squadron adopted the former squadron's name, insignia and traditions in its honor. With the new squadron came new helicopters, namely the SH-3D Sea King. Notable achievements during the next decade included site surveys for the

U.S. Atomic Energy Commission The United States Atomic Energy Commission (AEC) was an agency of the United States government established after World War II by U.S. Congress to foster and control the peacetime development of atomic science and technology. President ...

, a study of blue whale migration patterns, supporting President Richard Nixon during his working vacation aboard and deploying in response to the

Iranian hostage crisis On November 4, 1979, 52 United States diplomats and citizens were held hostage after a group of militarized Iranian college students belonging to the Muslim Student Followers of the Imam's Line, who supported the Iranian Revolution, took over ...

. In 1975 the squadron transitioned to the SH-3H Sea King. In 1976 the American Bicentennial Committee honored HS-8 as a bicentennial command. The squadron's 19th deployment came in response to Desert Shield/Desert Storm in December 1990. This deployment was the last for HS-8 in the SH-3. On 2 April 1993 HS-8 completed transition from the SH-3H into the new SH-60F and HH-60H Seahawk helicopters. The squadron's 20th WESTPAC deployment was from February to August 1994. HS-8 was a member of Carrier Air Wing 14 (CVW-14) aboard . The 21st WESTPAC was concluded in May 1996 followed in September 1997 by an "Around the World Cruise" with . Deployments after this were routine until 11 September 2001. From November 2001 to May 2002 HS-8 and Carrier Air Wing Nine deployed in

Operation Enduring Freedom Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) was the official name used synonymously by the U.S. government for both the War in Afghanistan (2001–2014) and the larger-scale Global War on Terrorism. On 7 October 2001, in response to the September 11 at ...

. There they played a vital role in the campaign that ended with the removal of the Taliban government in Afghanistan. HS-8 made another WESTPAC deployment from January to September 2003 followed by their second "Around the World Cruise" from January to August 2005 aboard USS ''Carl Vinson''. The squadron earned the Carrier Air Wing Nine Golden Wrench Award for superior maintenance and mission completion percentages as well as the

Battle E Device The Navy "E" Ribbon or Battle Efficiency Ribbon (informally the Battle "E" ribbon) was authorized on March 31, 1976, by Secretary of the Navy J. William Middendorf as a unit award for battle efficiency competition. The service ribbon replaced th ...

(Navy Battle Efficiency Award) for the 2005 World Cruise. In early December 2005 an HS-8 helicopter and aircrew participated in filming a portion of the television show ''24'' where the helicopter was transporting the fictitious Russian president and his wife to the American presidents ranch. On 28 September 2007, at

, Helicopter Antisubmarine Squadron Eight was redesignated as Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron Eight and received its first

MH-60S Seahawk The Sikorsky SH-60/MH-60 Seahawk (or Sea Hawk) is a twin turboshaft engine, multi-mission United States Navy helicopter based on the United States Army UH-60 Black Hawk and a member of the Sikorsky S-70 family. The most significant modificatio ...

with the armed helo kit. In January 2009, HSC-8 went on its first deployment with the MH-60S where it was joined by

HSM-71 Helicopter Maritime Strike Squadron Seven One (HSM-71) is a United States Navy helicopter squadron based at Naval Air Station North Island, San Diego, California. Nicknamed the "Raptors", they are attached to Carrier Air Wing Nine (CVW-9) and dep ...

flying the MH-60R Seahawk aboard . During this deployment, HSC-8 assisted in the filming of '' Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen''.Navy.mil
Navy News Stand Starting the first of two back-to-back eight-month deployment cycles, HSC-8 embarked on a WESTPAC deployment in July 2011. During deployment, the Eightballers accomplished the first-ever MH-60S Cruiser/Destroyer (CRUDES) detachment when they embarked in . HSC-8 also assisted in counter

piracy Piracy is an act of robbery or criminal violence by ship or boat-borne attackers upon another ship or a coastal area, typically with the goal of stealing cargo and other valuable goods. Those who conduct acts of piracy are called pirates, v ...

operations, successfully aiding in the capture of fifteen suspected pirates. After a short turn around, HSC-8 departed on an eight-month surge deployment to the 5th Fleet Area of Responsibility in September 2012. HSC-8 deployed as part of Carrier Air Wing NINE (CVW-9) aboard USS ''John C. Stennis'' in support of Operation Enduring Freedom, maritime security operations, and theater security exercises. One of the highlights of the deployment was the rescue of a drowning man in the

Straits of Malacca The Strait of Malacca is a narrow stretch of water, 500 mi (800 km) long and from 40 to 155 mi (65–250 km) wide, between the Malay Peninsula (Peninsular Malaysia) to the northeast and the Indonesian island of Sumatra to the southwest, connec ...

- the Eightballer’s first overwater rescue in several years. HSC-8 also participated in Operation Beacon Flash, a joint security exercise with the Royal Omani Air Force.

Squadron aircraft

US Navy 030219-N-7265L-057 SAR swimmer training

First squadron designated HS-8 (1 June 1956 to 31 Dec 1968) * HSS-1N Seabat, (redesignated SH-34J in 1962): 1956–1962 * SH-3A Sea King, 1962–1968 (squadron disestablished) Second squadron designated HS-8/HSC-8 (1 Nov 1969 to present) * SH-3D Sea King, 1969–1975 * SH-3H Sea King, 1975–1992 * SH-60F Seahawk, 1992–2007 * SH-60H Seahawk, 1992–2007 *

, 2007–present (redesignated HSC-8 in 2007)

Squadron awards

*National Bicentennial Command **1976 *

Navy Unit Commendation The Navy Unit Commendation (NUC) is a United States Navy unit award that was established by order of the Secretary of the Navy James Forrestal on 18 December 1944. History Navy and U.S. Marine Corps commands may recommend any Navy or Marine Co ...

**1990 *

Meritorious Unit Commendation The Meritorious Unit Commendation (MUC; pronounced ''muck'') is a mid-level unit award of the United States Armed Forces. The U.S. Army awards units the Army MUC for exceptionally meritorious conduct in performance of outstanding achievement or s ...

**1985 **1987 **1996 **2003 *

(Navy Battle Efficiency Award) **1980 **1983 **1986 **1995 **2005 **2009 **2012 **2017 *Captain Arnold Jay Isbell Trophy for Antisubmarine Warfare Excellence **Eight Awards **2006 *Admiral Jimmy Thach Award for Best Carrier Antisubmarine Warfare Squadron in the Navy **Five Awards **2006 *Top Torpedo Award for Antisubmarine Warfare Excellence **1982 **1983 **1984 **1991 **1992 *Sikorsky Superior Maintenance Award **1983 **1984 **1985 **2003 **2012 *Navy Golden Anchor Award **1991 **1997 **2016 **2017 *

Chief of Naval Operations The chief of naval operations (CNO) is the professional head of the United States Navy. The position is a statutory office () held by an admiral who is a military adviser and deputy to the secretary of the Navy. In a separate capacity as a memb ...

Safety Award **1983 **1985 **1986 **1990 **1994 **2002 "for 22 years and 72,000 flight hours without a Class 'A' mishap." **2012 *Naval Air Forces Medical Readiness Award **2012 **2016 **2017

Ships deployed aboard

* 1958–1968 * 1958–1968 * 1960–1974 * * 1970 * * 1983–1984 * 1984–1990 * 1990–1993 * 1995–2000, 2013-2017 * 1993–1994, 2003–2005 * 2000–2003, 2006–2015 * 2011–2012 * 2012–2013 * 2019-current

External links

http://www.public.navy.mil/airfor/hsc8 {{DEFAULTSORT:Hsc-8 Helicopter sea combat squadrons of the United States Navy Military units and formations in California

Squadron aircraft

Squadron awards

Ships deployed aboard

See also

External links