Crewmembers from HSL-48, Detachment Five perform a Vertical Replenishment. Photo courtesy of HSL-48

HSL-48 Answers the Call

By Lt. Asheton Sawyer
HSL-48 Detachment Eight

When the members of HSL-48 Detachment Eight left Mayport on Jan. 7 earlier this year, they had little idea what the future would hold for them. The ''Replacement Killers'' only knew that they were leaving for COMPTUEX with the possibility of deploying directly for long cruise in support of the global war on terrorism and the impending conflict with Iraq. After successful completion of COMPTUEX onboard USS Anzio (CG-68), the Theodore Roosevelt Strike Group proceeded to the Eastern Mediterranean.

As political tensions continued to rise, Detachment Eight supported the Roosevelt and the Harry S. Truman Strike Groups as both a tactical and logistics platform. Operating from the ''shotgun'' cruiser they conducted Surface Surveillance Coverage and also provided an invaluable asset for the necessary logistics associated with strike group operations. Once the decision was made to take military action against Iraq, Anzio contributed to the opening ''Shock and Awe'' campaign by launching multiple Tomahawk missile strikes from their position in the Eastern Med.

After participating in the opening strikes of Operation Iraqi Freedom, Anzio detached from the TR Strike Group and proceeded to the North Arabian Gulf operating area in support of the Abraham Lincoln and Nimitz strike groups. While on station in the NAG, Detachment Eight was tasked with performing Armed Surveillance and Reconnaissance of the Khawr Abd Allah (KAA) and Shatt-al-Arab (SAA) waterways and over the port city of Umm Qasr. The Replacement Killers flew nineteen combat missions in support of coalition ground and naval units helping to secure the waterways and port of Umm Qasr ensuring the expeditious flow of humanitarian supplies to the people of Iraq.

Upon completing operations in the Arabian Gulf, Anzio and Detachment Eight were tasked with providing reconnaissance of a Russian Surface Action Group conducting a missile firing exercise in the Northern Arabian Sea.

This was an excellent opportunity for the Replacement Killers to employ the SH-60B against the navy that it was originally designed to face. With it's tasking from 5th Fleet complete, it was back to the Mediterranean where they participated in several joint exercises.

The first, the Joint Civilian Orientation Course (JCOC), allowed them to demonstrate the SH-60B's capability as a SEAL Sniper platform during Maritime Interdiction Operations. During the second exercise, NEO TAPON 03, a Spanish exercise, they provided support in the form of ASUW and ASW search and attack.

The Replacement Killers also cross-decked a pilot to serve as a liaison officer onboard the Principe De Asturias, the Spanish navy's only carrier. They conducted deck landing qualifications and plane guard missions with the Spanish ship as well. While in the Mediterranean they were rewarded with some well-deserved liberty ports in Augusta Bay, Sicily and Palma, Spain.

Although challenging due to a compressed pre-deployment schedule, the cruise was nevertheless a great success for HSL-48 Detachment Eight. In addition to flying in excess of 700 flight hours and supporting the workload required to maintain and operate two aircraft at sea, the Replacement Killers also found the time to qualify 13 Sailors as Enlisted Aviation Warfare Specialists and one Sailor as an Enlisted Surface Warfare Specialist. Anzio returned to her homeport of Norfolk, VA on the 3rd of July allowing Detachment Eight to be home in time to celebrate Independence Day on the 4th of July.