Death Before Dishonour - True Stories of The Special Forces Heroes Who Fight Global Terror by Davies Nicholas

Author:Davies, Nicholas [Nicholas Davies]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781782196440
Publisher: John Blake Publishing
Published: 2013-09-11T14:00:00+00:00

One of the SEALs’ classic exploits – code-named Task Unit Whiskey – took place in December 1989, when they were involved with the capture and removal of General Manuel Noriega, leader of the Republic of Panama, from his seat of power. The overall operation, code-named Operation Just Cause, was ordered by President George Bush on the advice of the CIA, because they believed Noriega had become a threat to the stability of Central America and a danger to the United States.

The mission of the team of US Navy SEALs assigned to Task Unit Whiskey was to find and immobilise General Noriega’s personal patrol boat, the Presidente Porras, which the CIA had identified as his principal plan of escape should the United States forces invade Panama and start looking for him.

Launched from Rodman Naval Station in Balboa Harbour – one of many US naval depots in the Panama Canal area – the twenty-one divers, swimmers and boat men in their two Combat Rubber Raiding Craft (CRRC) headed slowly and silently out to sea just before midnight. The men had back-up in case the Panama Defence Force deployed heavy firepower.

Within range of the port where the Presidente Porras was berthed a fire-support team manning .50-calibre heavy machine guns, Mk 19 automatic grenade-launchers and 60mm mortars, all equipped with night sights. Before dark their targets had been selected and the guns trained on the objectives. Two more patrol boats carried more SEALs in case their comrades ran into serious trouble and needed rescuing.

The plan was for the underwater swimmers to be dropped off their patrol boats about half a mile from the target, swim to Noriega’s boat, silently place and arm the demolition explosives on the hull and then swim back to their waiting craft without being noticed.

Everything went according to plan except for the fact that the high-powered, high-revving engines weren’t designed for slow, gentle travel. The engines began coughing and spluttering, drawing the attention of fishing smacks that were heading out to sea. But they kept going and made it safely to the tree-lined shore without being noticed by the patrol guards on duty.

Then they saw patrol boats crossing the harbour and from that distance they had no idea whether one was Noriega’s escape boat making a leisurely dash for the open sea or Panama Defence Force patrol boats checking that no US Navy vessels – big or small – were anywhere in the vicinity.

Then, through their wireless headphones, the SEALs team were advised that the operation would now start thirty minutes earlier than scheduled, which gave them no chance of carrying their carefully prepared plans. But they were ordered to detonate the Presidente Porras whatever happened. The only way to blast the explosives on time was to take their CRRCs closer to the target and risk being spotted and shot at. There was no other choice.

The boat men fired the engines but Boat Number 1 refused to start, so they had only one manageable CRRC with which to make good their escape.

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