HS - 4 Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron 4 ( HSC - 4 ) is a helicopter squadron of the United States Navy established in 1952 as Helicopter Anti - Submarine Squadron 4 ( HS - 4 ) . HS - 4 was commissioned on 30 June 1952 at U . S . Naval Auxiliary Landing Field , Imperial Beach , California , equipped with the Sikorsky HO4S - 3 . On 29 March 2012 , HS - 4 was recomissioned as HSC - 4 . History . 1952 – 1968 . HS - 4 was the first anti - submarine warfare ( ASW ) helicopter squadron of the U . S . Navy to deploy aboard an aircraft carrier , the escort carrier . In 1954 / 55 HS - 4 was deployed on the . Afterwards the squadron converted to the Sikorsky HSS - 1 " Seabat " helicopter and first deployed aboard the in 1956 . This was followed by a cruise aboard the " Princeton " again in 1958 . HS - 4 could be identified at that time by the tail code " TA " ( 1955 - 1960 ) . In 1961 , it became the first ASW squadron in Commander Naval Air Forces Pacific ( COMNAVAIRPAC ) to achieve around - the - clock ASW capability , earning HS - 4 the title " Black Knights " . From 1960 to 1968 HS - 4 made six deployments aboard the to the Western Pacific as part of Carrier Anti - Submarine Air Group 55 ( CVSG - 55 ) ( tail code " NU " ) . In 1964 the squadron converted to the Sikorsky SH - 3A " Sea King " . HS - 4 was initiated into combat during its 1966 cruise to Southeast Asia . While operating in the Gulf of Tonkin , HS - 4 pilots and aircrew rescued 24 downed airmen under hostile fire , a record for an ASW squadron in a single deployment . In 1968 HS - 4 aboard " Yorktown " was part of the Task Force sent to the Sea of Japan at the beginning of the USS Pueblo incident . 1968 – 1990 . From 1968 to 1970 HS - 4 was assigned to Carrier Anti - Submarine Air Group 59 ( CVSG - 59 ) ( tail code " NT " ) aboard the . From late 1968 through the spring of 1970 , the " Black Knights " of HS - 4 participated in and pioneered techniques for the Apollo capsule recoveries . HS - 4 was on scene for Apollo missions 8 , 10 , 11 , 12 , and 13 . The recovery was always made by " Helicopter 66 " . The helicopter ' s flight number was changed from " 66 " to " 740 " , as after the Apollo 11 recovery the U . S . Navy had switched to a three number squadron designator - but the helicopter was repainted with the number " 66 " for each recovery thereafter for public relations reasons . HS - 4 earned a Meritorious Unit Commendation ( MUC ) for these recoveries . For the recovery of Apollo 13 in April 1970 , HS - 4 was assigned to the helicopter carrier . In 1971 HS - 4 was deployed for the last time on an anti - submarine carrier , the . In 1973 / 74 the " Black Knights " were aboard the during a cruise to the Western Pacific where they helped to develop the CV concept , which integrated the former " Anti - Submarine Air Group " and " Attack Carrier Air Wing " into the new " Carrier Air Wing " . For this deployment HS - 4 was assigned to Carrier Air Wing 11 ( CVW - 11 ) . Between 1976 and 1979 HS - 4 made two cruises aboard the as part of Carrier Air Wing 2 ( CVW - 2 ) , before being reassigned to Carrier Air Wing 15 ( CVW - 15 ) . The first deployment was made aboard the " Kitty Hawk " , followed by seven cruises aboard the between 1983 and 1990 . HS - 4 had numerous awards since its inception : seven - time winner of the Chief of Naval Operations Aviation Safety Award , Arleigh Burke Fleet trophy in 1978 , five - time winner of the Battle ' E ' ( Battle Efficiency ) , three - time winner of the Captain Arnold J . Tobell trophy for ASW excellence and the Sikorsky ' Excellence in Maintenance ' Award for 1979 , 1982 and 1983 . 1991 – 2006 . In 1991 , HS - 4 transitioned from the SH - 3H Sea King to the Sikorsky SH - 60F and HH - 60H helicopters and returned to the USS " Kitty Hawk " as part of CVW - 15 for three deployments between 1991 and 1994 . They supported Operations Restore Hope and Southern Watch in 1994 , and supported the carrier battle group during Korean contingency operations with detachments to both Korea and Japan . When CVW - 15 was deactivated , HS - 4 was reassigned to CVW - 14 in January 1995 . In 1996 HS - 4 made a single deployment aboard the " Carl Vinson " before CVW - 14 and the " Black Knights " were assigned to the from 1998 to 2003 . Their duties included military operations in Pakistan , detachments in Kuwait and combat search and rescue training in Australia , all in support of " Operation Southern Watch " and Operation Enduring Freedom . During Operation Iraqi Freedom , HS - 4 supported Navy SEAL , British Commando and Polish GROM forces in Kuwait and Iraq . HS - 4 was awarded the Sikorsky Maintenance and Battle “ E ” maintenance awards for excellence and achieved the retention honor roll . The nine and one half month deployment ( a record since the Second World War ) included 1283 sorties and 3228 flight hours flown . In 2004 , HS - 4 and CVW - 14 were reassigned to the . On board the " Stennis " , HS - 4 completed a cruise to the Western Pacific , which took the squadron from San Diego , to Alaska , Victoria , British Columbia , Canada , Japan , Malaysia and Australia . In 2006 HS - 4 and CVW - 14 transferred to the for her maiden deployment . On this deployment HS - 4 detached its HH - 60Hs into Basra , Iraq to support coalition troops in the region .