Japan Dads

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Comment by stoney conyers on July 17, 2011 at 9:46am

Our son will be in Japan this week to begin his tour, at least he has a buddy from boot camp going with him. have been following this group and want to thank everyone for the insight and good info provided,i.e. phones,contact issues. 

Comment by fishdad on July 14, 2011 at 8:57am

Brandon, what are your thoughts on the hospital in Yokosuka? My son is scheduled for knee surgery on the 28th. I was wondering if there is a way to have someone call us post surgery and let us know how things went? And how is your son feeling? Shoulder surgery is no fun...

 

Comment by Brandon S. on July 14, 2011 at 5:36am

Hope all is well with your daughter Cora. I am sure they are very busy (from what I heard when I was there last week). My son Mike is currently in the Naval hospital in Yoko recovering from shoulder surgery.

Comment by Richard Klein on July 13, 2011 at 10:39pm

Thanks Brad for the info. Do you know if they send any AO's (aviation ordance) men over to the cruisers as well? This my son's first deployment and I'm pretty sure he went on the GW and i doubt that he is even doing his job. He told me before he left that he had to spend some time doing mess duty. He said everyone has to do some of this work at some point in thei career. If he ever gets the urge to get ahold of us sometime i will ask him if he knows your son. Do you have any idea how many sailors are in HS -14??? Thanks again for the info.
Rich

Comment by Brad on July 13, 2011 at 7:11pm

Rich, yes Garrett is assigned to HS-14.  The squadron covers not only the USS George Washington, but also is responsible to put one helo on each of two Guided Missile Cruisers that travels with the GW as a part of the 7th fleet.  The USS Cowpens is one of those Cruisers.  A Detachment of 2 pilots and 4 AW/Rescue Swimmers are assigned to each Cruiser with one helo.  Most AW's consider it an honor to be chosen to be on a Det assignment.  I hope that helps Rich! 

Comment by Richard Klein on July 11, 2011 at 11:09pm

Hello Brad
Is Garrett assigned to hs-14? The last time I talked to Eric he told me he was going out on the Washington. You stated that your son is on the Cowpens. Do they divide squadrons up and send them to different ships?
Rich

Comment by Brad on July 11, 2011 at 7:08pm

Glad it was helpful Grandpa!  Richard, Nice to know your son is with HS-14.  All the best to him.  Let me know if Eric happens to meet my son Garrett with HS-14.  He is on Det Alpha with 3 other AW's on USS Cowpens.

Comment by Richard Klein on July 11, 2011 at 11:03am

Thanks grampa for the post. My son Eric is a AO with hs-14 and it is always nice to hear anything about their sqaudron or anything about the GW which he is working on right now.
Rich

Comment by NavyDads Co-Admin, Calvin on July 10, 2011 at 10:36pm

Brad, Thank You for posting the information on HS-14. It was very interesting and helped me understand how the different Rates interact and help each other in getting the mission completed. I think it is good of each of us to know how everyone interacts with each other to make thinks go smoothly Sometimes we get so caught up in what our guy or gal does we don't stop to think about all the help they get from others parts of the Navy.
Again Thanks for the post.

Comment by Brad on July 10, 2011 at 10:17pm

The following is a great explaination from a Facebook post of what our AW/Resuce Swimmers do as a part of the 7th fleet working with the USS George Washington and the supporting ships also carring HS-14 helos.

HS-14 Performs Invaluable Support to USS George Washington By Mass Communication Specialist Seaman William Gatlin

by USS George Washington (CVN 73) on Friday, July 1, 2011 at 6:10pm

SOUTH CHINA SEA (June 30, 2011) – Aircraft carriers often conjure up images of fighter jets being catapulted off the bow, but aboard USS George Washington (CVN 73) on patrol in the South China Sea,, that wouldn’t happen without the “Chargers” of Helicopter Anti-Submarine Squadron 14 (HS-14) which has a new claim to fame.

 

HS-14 is the U.S. Navy’s largest Anti-Submarine Warfare Squadron, first in the air and the last to land on the deck during the continuous flight operations aboard the Navy’s only fulltime forward-deployed nuclear-powered aircraft carrier. 

 

“Our primary mission is to provide plane guard and search and rescue (SAR) assets during flight operations and protect the inner zone by making sure the area remains clear from any potential threats,” said Lt. Cmdr. Ryan Hayes, HS-14’s Operations Officer. “The fixed wing aircraft are not going to fly unless we are up in the air to provide them with SAR.”

 

To be ready to execute in a moment’s notice when called upon, HS-14 conducts extensive SAR training day and night, for both peacetime and at times of conflict.  By being able to complete this mission, HS-14 can support the Air Wing and increases the overall readiness of the Strike Group.

 

In addition, HS-14 has mission capabilities for Anti-submarine (ASW) and Anti-surface (ASUW) warfare, anti-ship missile defense, Combat Search and Rescue (CSAR) and Special Operations Forces (SOF) support.  The squadron maintains and flies two versions of the H-60 Seahawk: the SH-60F for ASW and the HH-60H for CSAR and SOF missions.

 

“Our squadron is tasked daily to support each Warfare Commander across all mission areas.  It is exciting to fly a platform that is multi-mission capable,” said Hayes. 

 

In 2010, USS George Washington navigated more than 50,000 nautical miles across the western Pacific Ocean.  During that time, North Korea sank the South Korean ship, Cheonan, taking tensions between the two nations to the tipping point.  While those tensions have de-escalated, the incident demonstrated the need for anti-surface and anti-submarine warfare capabilities in the western Pacific.  With George Washington once again underway, HS-14 fulfills that mission critical need.

 

“The Chargers coordinate with the surface assets of the Carrier Strike Group to investigate surface threats near the operating area as well is any indication that a submerged threat is operating in the carrier strike group’s vicinity,” said LT Brian Carnes.  “Helicopters in their nature are a flexible asset, so as a squadron we have to remain flexible to the needs of the strike group.”

 

That flexibility is plain to see when George Washington is conducting a vertical replenishment-at-sea (RAS).  While fixed wing aircraft stand down during this evolution, the helicopters of HS-14 are still in the air, moving hundreds of pallets back and forth between the supply ship and George Washington’s flight deck.

 

Vertical replenishments are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the logistical support capabilities HS-14 brings to the fight.  HS-14 also conducts medical evacuations, personnel transfers between ships and shore and deliver mission essential parts among the strike group.

 

“Our missions might not always be as cool as others, but we play a vital role in the strike group and do a lot of behind the scenes grunt work.  I like to think of us as a lineman on a Super Bowl winning team,” said Hayes.

In the aftermath of Japan’s massive 9.0 magnitude earthquake that rocked in the nation in March, HS-14 was among the first U.S. Navy assets on the frontlines, delivering life-saving supplies to thousands of homeless people in need. 

 

“Being able to assist our Japanese neighbors during Operation Tomodachi was incredibly rewarding.  It was an All Hands effort to respond as quickly as we did.  We flew in tremendously challenging environments: winter storms in the mountains, coupled with the potential for radiation contamination from the Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant,” said Hayes.

But the squadron was ready to meet those challenges when called upon.  Throughout Operation Tomodachi, HS-14 flew more than 500 hours and delivered over 62,000 pounds of life-saving relief supplies directly to those hit the hardest. 

 

George Washington returned to patrolling the waters of the Western Pacific ocean on June 12, 2011, departing her forward operating base of Commander, Fleet Activities Yokosuka.  Onboard are more than 5,500 Sailors from George Washington and Carrier Air Wing Five. George Washington’s mission is to ensure security and stability in the Western Pacific and to be in position to work with our allies and regional partners to respond to any crisis across the operational spectrum as directed.

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