Seahorses put to pasture

Sea Power, Aug 1997

The Navy has retired its second oldest helicopter squadron-Helicopter Antisubmarine Squadron 1 (HS-1), the Seahorses, which became the latest squadron to be disestablished as part of the post-Cold War drawdown. A ceremony at the squadron's base, Naval Air Station Jacksonville, Fla., was held on 19 June to mark the disestablishment, which became official on 30 June.

HS-1, originally established on 3 October 1950 at Naval Air Station Key West, Fla., was the Navy's first operational antisubmarine helicopter squadron, and in 1958 became the Navy's first all-weather helicopter squadron as well. In 1960, HS-1 became the East Coast's fleet readiness squadron (FRS), and was assigned the role of training crews to fly and maintain the Atlantic Fleet's carrier-based antisubmarine helicopters. In July 1970, HSI moved to Naval Air Station Quonset Point, R.I.; the squadron changed its home port again in November 1973, when it moved to NAS Jacksonville.

During the 1990s, the Seahorses trained crews to fly and maintain the Sikorsky-built SH-60F carrier-based anti-submarine helicopter and its strike rescue variant, the HH-60H. Not until last year (October 1996) did the squadron relinquish its role of training crews to fly the Sikorsky-built H-3 Sea King, a helicopter flown by HS-1 since 1961.

Helicopter Combat Support Squadron 2 (HC-2), based in Norfolk, Va., assumed the role of crew training for the few UH3Hs remaining in fleet service. Training for the SH-60F and HH-60H is now consolidated in HS-10, based at Naval Air Station North Island, San Diego, Calif. The consolidation is part of a Navy-wide trend to reduce costs by concentrating training for a given type of aircraft at a single site.

Cdr. Mark K. Adrick was the last commanding officer of the Seahorses.