HSM-73

No June Gloom here!😎 Lots of smiles were had as we celebrated reenlistments, awards, and promotions the past few weeks. There was also a slushie day for our Aircrew shop to end their time as the shop in the spotlight🍧

This Memorial Day, the Battlecats are deployed, continuing the work of those who served before us. We remember those who made the ultimate sacrifice while defending our freedoms and hope to honor their legacies through our actions.

The next Shop in the Spotlight is
AIRCREW! An MH-60R Aircrewman, specifically Naval Aircrewman Tactical Helicopter (AWR), is primarily responsible in assisting the detection, classification, and attack of enemy submarines, while also operating various tactical systems. Not only do they need to be technically proficient, these men and women are trained as rescue swimmers in order to perform a search and rescue if the call is made. Their skills are essential to our crew and mission sets!

You can’t spell “Teamwork Makes the Dream Work” without DEMOT! 🚁🔧

Yesterday, we spoke with a dynamic duo in our AIRFRAMES shop, AM3 Diaz and AM3 Connaughton! When asked what they liked most about their job, AM3 Diaz said that the MH-60R is the largest and most impressive piece of machinery he’s worked on and he feels like he’s solving a new puzzle every day. AM3 Connaughton enjoys working on the Romeo so much, he feels like he’s playing adult legos! As a kid, AM3 Connaughton said he would take radios apart and put them back together; he loves working with his hands and he said this was the best job to do so. They both agree, the most difficult part of the helicopter to maintain is the bridge. The bridge helps to transfer flight control inputs from the cockpit all the way to the main rotor head. Sometimes AMs have to replace the bridge, which is about 100 pounds! Keep up the great work!!

May has been exciting so far because it’s the start of our new series “Shops in the Spotlight”! A series which shines the spotlight on the different workcenters that make HSM-73 a capable, war-fighting, multifaceted helicopter squadron.

The first shop is AIRFRAMES! The Sailors in this shop are designated Aviation Structural Mechanics, also known as Framers. They maintain aircraft structures, hydraulic power systems, actuating subsystems, and landing gear. We can also thank the Framers for the awesome tiger paint scheme seen on our tail bird!! Stick along with us as we continue to highlight this awesome shop throughout the next couple weeks.

Attention to Award! HSM-73 had its first All Hands call onboard USS NIMITZ to announce the awards for FY25Q2.

The following Battlecats received Good Conduct Awards: PS2 Armstrong, PR3 Caldwell, AWR3 Collodel, AWR3 Espinoza, LS3 Luna, and AWR3 Romano.

The following Battlecats received Sailors of the Quarter:
-Senior Sailor: AM1 Tagutchi
-Sailor: AWR2 Gomez
-Junior Sailor: AWR3 Romano
-Blue Jacket of the Quarter: AMAN Castro Santos

In addition to these quarterly awards, AT3 Altman had the distinct honor of being Meritoriously Advanced to Second Class!

BZ to all! We would not be the high-performing squadron we are without the exceptional effort and dedication seen from our Cats!

HSM-73 featured on U.S. Navy page

The U.S. Navy is making waves in the U.S. 7th Fleet area of operations, ensuring a free and open Indo-Pacific.

1️⃣ USS Savannah (LCS 28) trains in the South China Sea, 2️⃣ USS Milius (DDG 69) steams in the Philippine Sea, 3️⃣ + 4️⃣ USS Gridley (DDG 101) and USS Nimitz (CVN 68) conduct in the Pacific Ocean.

Happy Friday!! Today we’re celebrating the sailors who were awarded Sailors of the Quarter for FY24 Q3! Not pictured is our Plane Captain of the Quarter, AD3 Chunn.
AM2 Condon was also given the Navy-Marine Corps Achievement Medal for his exceptional attention to detail, possibly saving lives of crew. BZ to these exemplary Cats!!

BRAVO ZULU to Skipper Matt “Hambino” Henrich on taking command of the HSM-73 Battlecats today and THANK YOU to CDR Scott “Ace” Lippincott for a successful tour as our previous Commanding Officer! Congratulations are also in order for our new Executive Officer, CDR Dane “Bo” Mutschler! The Cats are in amazing hands.

Congratulations to our Skipper, CDR Lippincott, on his LFF! The Battlecats will miss you, Sir!
The Change of Command will be this Friday, which will be live streamed on our page for those who won’t be able to attend.