History 

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History 

Marine Fighting Squadron 461 (VMF-461) was commissioned on 15. March 1944, at MCAS El Centro, California as part of Marine Base Defense Group 43. The newly formed squadron flew the Vought F4U Corsair and its callsign was "Red Raider". In January 1945, the squadron was relocated to MCAS El Toro, assigned to Marine Aircraft Group 46 (MAG 46), and designated as a replacement training squadron for the remainder of the war.

On 25. February 1946, VMF-461 sailed onboard the CVE-122 USS Palau during her initial shakedown cruise and on 16. March 1946 the squadron departed NS San Diego headed for the east coast of the United States. Arriving at NS Norfolk on 16. March 1946, VMF-461 flew south to MCAS Cherry Point, NC for temporary duty with Marine Aircraft Group 11 (MAG-11). From May - August 1947 the squadron again sailed on the USS Palau visiting Guantánamo Bay, Monrovia, Liberia, Recife, Brazil, and Dakar, French West Africa. From February-March 1948 VMF-461, took part in Fleet Exercises, this time operating from Roosevelt Roads Naval Station. The squadron again boarded the USS Palau in August 1948 for a three-week cruise to Guantánamo Bay and in November 1948 took part in arctic exercises. The squadron boarded the USS Midway (CV-41) in January 1949 for a two month Mediterranean Cruise and took part in multiple shorter cruises between March-June 1949 onboard the USS Midway and the USS Franklin D. Roosevelt. On 1. July 1949, VMF-461 was assigned to MAG-11 at MCAS Cherry Point. From September 1949 until January 1950, the squadron deployed on a Mediterranean Cruise as part of Marine Aircraft Group 11 onboard the USS Leyte (CV-32). On 28. February 1950 VMF-461 was decommissioned.

On January 1957, the squadron was reactivated at MCAS New River, North Carolina as Marine Helicopter Transport Squadron (Medium) 461, HMR(M)-461, assigned to Marine Aircraft Group 26. The squadron was equipped as the initial squadron with the HR2S-1 (later to be designated as the CH-37), then the newest and largest helicopter in the Marine Corps inventory.  In February 1962, HMR(M)-461 was redesignated Marine Heavy Helicopter Squadron-461 (HMH-461).

While deployed aboard USS Boxer and USS Guadalcanal from 1962 to 1965, HMH-461 participated in various deployments and exercises in the Mediterranean Sea and Caribbean Sea. In February 1966, the squadron was reduced to cadre status to await arrival of the CH-53A helicopter, which replaced the CH-37. In November 1970, the CH-53A was replaced by the CH-53D helicopter. Throughout the 1970s, HMH-461 continued its support of Fleet Marine operations in such places as the Mediterranean and Caribbean Seas, Scandinavia, Northern Europe and Great Britain.

New CH-53E Super Stallion helicopters marked another chapter in HMH-461 history with the first operational flight in October 1987. In September 1988, HMH-461 took delivery of its first lot of eleven CH-53Es from Sikorsky Aircraft and would go on to make history as the first Marine Corps aviation unit to aerial refuel using night vision goggles, perform Hover In-flight Refueling (HIFR) over a naval vessel, externally lift a Riverine Assault Craft, load a CH-53E into a C-17 Globemaster, and lift two HMMWVs simultaneously.