The "Fighting Escarots" was a United States Navy Reserve Carrier Airborne, Early Warning Squadron [= a unit, originally designated for anti-submarine warfare]. Later, this unit was used for relief activities related to floods in the USA, for Search and Rescue support for space-shuttle landings, and interdiction of drug runners in the Caribbean Sea.
The nickname "Slugs" was a “tongue-in-check” moniker for the slower speed of the airplanes used for this unit, in contrast to the super fast fighter jets on the same carrier (ship).
The unit was established on July 1, 1970 and was deactivated on March 31, 2005.
The airplanes used were the E-2C Hawkeyes. They had a distinctive, large flat pad mounted on the top of the plane. This pad was used for tracking use (i.e., radar instrumentation).
I cannot remember how I came across this pristine shoulder patch (shown below) many years ago, but because I have always been interested in mollusks, I kept the patch and have taken good care of it.
Figure 1. A "uniform patch" of the Fighting Escargots.
Figure 2. E-2C An Hawkeye air plane used by the "Fighting Escargots." (This is a public domain, picryl image).
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