Helicopter Mine Countermeasures Squadron 14 (HM-14) 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 established in 1978 based at

Naval Station Norfolk Naval Station Norfolk is a United States Navy base in Norfolk, Virginia, that is the headquarters and home port of the U.S. Navy's Fleet Forces Command. The installation occupies about of waterfront space and of pier and wharf space of the Hampt ...

, Virginia. Nicknamed the ''Vanguard'' and flying the

MH-53E 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, ...

, it comprises both active duty and reserve personnel. It is the sister squadron to

HM-15 Helicopter Mine Countermeasures Squadron 15 (HM-15) is a United States Navy helicopter squadron established in 1987 and based at Naval Station Norfolk. Nicknamed the "Blackhawks" and flying the MH-53E Sea Dragon, it is staffed by both active du ...

, 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 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 Sonar (sound navigation and ranging or sonic navigation and ranging) is a technique that uses sound propagation (usually underwater, as in submarine navigation) to navigate, measure distances (ranging), communicate with or detect objects on o ...

and established the Fleet's first operational airborne mine hunting capability. This new asset was put to use in the

Red Sea The Red Sea ( ar, البحر الأحمر - بحر القلزم, translit=Modern: al-Baḥr al-ʾAḥmar, Medieval: Baḥr al-Qulzum; or ; Coptic: ⲫⲓⲟⲙ ⲛ̀ϩⲁϩ ''Phiom Enhah'' or ⲫⲓⲟⲙ ⲛ̀ϣⲁⲣⲓ ''Phiom ǹšari''; ...

during Operation Intense Look 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 Jeddah ( ), also spelled Jedda, Jiddah or Jidda ( ; ar, , Jidda, ), is a city in the Hejaz region of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) and the country's commercial center. Established in the 6th century BC as a fishing village, Jeddah's promi ...

. The squadron received its first MH-53 Sea Dragon 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 for minefield navigation, a dedicated

hydraulic system Hydraulics (from Greek: Υδραυλική) is a technology and applied science using engineering, chemistry, and other sciences involving the mechanical properties and use of liquids. At a very basic level, hydraulics is the liquid coun ...

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 The Gulf War was a 1990–1991 armed campaign waged by a Coalition of the Gulf War, 35-country military coalition in response to the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait. Spearheaded by the United States, the coalition's efforts against Ba'athist Iraq, ...

, 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, at the

Sheikh Zayed Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan ( ar, زَايِد بِن سُلْطَان آل نَهْيَان, Zāyed bin Sulṭān Āl Nahyān; 6 May 1918 – 2 November 2004) was an Emirati politician, statesman, and philanthropist who served as ...

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 New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delaware ...

. 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, mul ...

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 Manama ( ar, المنامة ', Bahrani pronunciation: ) is the capital and largest city of Bahrain, with an approximate population of 200,000 people as of 2020. Long an important trading center in the Persian Gulf, Manama is home to a very d ...

. 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 and routine AMCM training.

2000s

USN MH-53E lands supplies at Port-au-Prince 2010-01-16

In 2001, HM-14 took over the flight training of Fleet Replacement Pilots and Aircrew from

HMT-302 Marine Heavy Helicopter Training Squadron 302 (HMHT-302), is a United States Marine Corps helicopter training squadron stationed at Marine Corps Air Station New River, North Carolina. Known as the "Phoenix", HMHT-302 trains newly designated Naval ...

. While the

Airborne Mine Countermeasures Weapon Systems Training School Airborne Mine Countermeasures Weapon Systems Training School (AWSTS) was a United States Navy helicopter training squadron stationed at Naval Station Norfolk, Virginia. AWSTS trained newly commissioned Naval Aviators, conversion pilots, refresher ...

(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 Umm Qasr ( ar, أم قصر, also transliterated as ''Um-qasir'', ''Um-qasser, Um Qasr'') is a port city in southern Iraq. It stands on the canalised Khawr az-Zubayr, part of the Khawr Abd Allah estuary which leads to the Persian Gulf. It is se ...

, 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, Joint Task Force Katrina in Louisiana, Joint Task Force Lebanon, and two presidential visits to

Mexico Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...

and

Uruguay Uruguay (; ), officially the Oriental Republic of Uruguay ( es, República Oriental del Uruguay), is a country in South America. It shares borders with Argentina to its west and southwest and Brazil to its north and northeast; while bordering ...

. 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 Pacific Partnership is an annual deployment of forces from the Pacific Fleet of the United States Navy (USN), in cooperation with regional governments and military forces, along with humanitarian and non-government organizations. The deploymen ...

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 , colors = , mascot = Bumblebee , battles = Guadalcanal, Bougainville, Cape Gloucester, Los Negros, Guam, Peleliu, Tarawa, Kwajalein, Saipan, Tinian, Iwo Jima, Philippin ...

support to impoverished areas. In September 2007, HM-14 established the community's second permanent detachment, this time at MCAS Iwakuni, Japan. This detachment provided

7th Fleet The Seventh Fleet is a numbered fleet of the United States Navy. It is headquartered at U.S. Fleet Activities Yokosuka, in Yokosuka, Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan. It is part of the United States Pacific Fleet. At present, it is the largest of ...

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 , abbreviated , also simply known as the Japanese Navy, is the maritime warfare branch of the Japan Self-Defense Forces, tasked with the naval defense of Japan. The JMSDF was formed following the dissolution of the Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN) ...

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 The United States Air Force (USAF) is the air service branch of the United States Armed Forces, and is one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Originally created on 1 August 1907, as a part of the United States Army Sig ...

C-5 Galaxy The Lockheed C-5 Galaxy is a large military transport aircraft designed and built by Lockheed, and now maintained and upgraded by its successor, Lockheed Martin. It provides the United States Air Force (USAF) with a heavy intercontinental-rang ...

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 United States Navy Explosive Ordnance Disposal technicians render safe all types of ordnance, including improvised, chemical, biological, and nuclear. They perform land and underwater location, identification, render-safe, and recovery (or dis ...

and

Force Recon Force Reconnaissance (FORECON) is one of the United States Marine Corps' special operations capable forces (SOC) which supplies military intelligence to the command element of the Marine Air-Ground Task Force (MAGTF). Force Reconnaissance compa ...

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

RHIB A rigid inflatable boat (RIB), also rigid-hull inflatable boat or rigid-hulled inflatable boat (RHIB), is a lightweight but high-performance and high-capacity boat constructed with a rigid hull bottom joined to side-forming air tubes that are i ...

s used for tending them.

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