Sailors set out to WESTPAC

Photo By Staff Sgt. Brittney Vella | Lt. j.g. Austin Wood, a copilot from Detachment 5, Helicopter Maritime Strike Squadron 27, looks out the window of an MH-60R Seahawk while doing a flight check before takeoff, March 24, 2015. The unit is going on a seven-month deployment to the Western Pacific aboard the guided-missile destroyer USS Preble. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Brittney Vella/Released)  

MARINE CORPS AIR STATION KANEOHE BAY, HI, UNITED STATES

03.24.2015

Story by Lance Cpl. Brittney Vella 

Marine Corps Base Hawaii

MARINE CORPS AIR STATION KANEOHE BAY, Hawaii - Helicopter Maritime Strike Squadron 37, otherwise known as the “Easyriders,” sent off Detachment 5 to embark on a seven-month deployment to the Western Pacific aboard the guided-missile destroyer USS Preble, Tuesday. While deployed, the detachment of 28, including pilots and air crew, will join more than 300 sailors aboard the vessel to be a vital role in theater security cooperation and maritime presence operations with partner nations.

The “Easyriders” have been a part of Marine Corps Air Station Kaneohe Bay since 1999 and as of last year, began primarily flying the MH-60R Seahawk, the Navy’s submarine hunter and anti-surface warfare helicopter. Its mission is anti-submarine warfare, anti-surface warfare, surveillance, communications relay, combat search and rescue, Naval gunfire support and logistics support.

This deployment is a huge part in the development of the junior pilots and a chance for the more senior Sailors to pass on their experiences.

“We are constantly sending detachments out on deployments,” said Lt. Cmdr. Kenneth Scheffield, the officer in charge of Det. 5. “This is a vital part of our training pipeline. For our junior and senior pilots, our goal is to have each pilot do two deployments: one as a more junior pilot and one as an aircraft commander.”

The detachment has prepared for more than a year for this deployment and the junior pilots spent the last two years learning how to properly fly an MH-60R.

“I am looking forward to detaching from the day-to-day life here and focus(ing) on the mission,” said Lt. j.g. Austin Wood, a co-pilot for Det. 5. “There are a lot of distractions here; life simplifies when you get out to sea. Plus, it’s fantastic because we are deploying as a detachment, so we will become very close and tight knit.”

The detachment is an essential component of the ship, and the deployment is paramount for the sailors to get the necessary training and experience they need to be successful.

“We need to become part of the ship and integrate, Scheffield said. “The goal is to integrate seamlessly into the ship. We improve what (the Sailors aboard USS Preble are) able to do, and they improve what we are able to do.”

Scheffield said this deployment is the reason the unit is based in Hawaii; this is their purpose. Not only does this deployment train and better prepare the junior Sailors, it also helps maintain good relationships with partner nations such as Japan, South Korea, Australia, the Philippines and Taiwan.

• Date Taken: 03.24.2015
• Date Posted: 03.27.2015 17:56
• Story ID: 158398
• Location: MARINE CORPS AIR STATION KANEOHE BAY, HI, US