Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron (HSC) 7 arrives at Naval Station Norfolk Saturday after a long deployment defending the Red Sea from relentless Houthi rebel attacks.
NORFOLK, Va. — Saturday is day two of a three-day homecoming in Hampton Roads for service members assigned to the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower Carrier Strike Group.
The group of four ships, nine squadrons, and 6,500 sailors is returning after a nine-month deployment defending the Red Sea from relentless Houthi rebel attacks, in the midst of the Israel-Hamas war.
Several Navy Super Hornet squadrons returned Friday. The aircraft carrier USS Dwight D. Eisenhower, cruiser USS Philippine Sea and destroyer USS Gravely will return Sunday.
Today, the “Dusty Dogs” of Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron (HSC) 7 arrive at Naval Station Norfolk.
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The helicopter squadron operates the Sikorsky MH-60S Knighthawk and is part of Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 3.
According to the Navy’s description of the squadron, HSC-7 provides a number of services to the Eisenhower carrier strike group: essential search and rescue, anti-surface warfare, personnel recovery, Naval Special Warfare support, combat logistics, antiterrorism force protection, vertical replenishment, medical evacuations, and other various overland and maritime capabilities.
After shipping out last Oct. 14 and having the deployment extended twice, the group spent most of the past nine months in the Middle East engaged in combat operations at a tempo not seen since World War II.
The Eisenhower Carrier Strike Group escorted 28 vessels, launching hundreds of missiles. Ike aircrews flew more than 13,000 sorties, accumulated more than 31,000 flight hours, and completed more than 10,000 aircraft launches and recoveries.
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