Their orders were to evacuate the assault team and sink the ship with well-placed missiles. They would await the word that the ship had been secured, or that the mission had failed. The helicopters darted off like startled dragonflies and hovered a few hundred yards from the ship on either side. The first four men down adopted a circular formation that was reinforced as the others joined them. As soon as they hit the deck, the boarders threw their gloves away. Over and out."īoth helicopters were emptied within ninety seconds. He said he would call as soon as he was aboard the LZ, military shorthand for landing zone, and quickly slipped his phone back into its pouch. He called the other teams to report visual contact. He made out the silhouette of an enormous ship plowing wake through the sea. Mason donned his night-vision goggles and ordered his platoon to do the same. After a thorough search, they climbed back to the main deck. The squads continued into the ship, and still they encountered no one. In addition, the helicopter had sharp teeth: two M-60 machine guns and a Hellfire missile system. It was relatively quiet, had an infrared jammer and suppressor system, a radar threat-warning receiver and other electronic eyes and ears. The HH 60-H helicopter was ideal for the job. The mission depended on delaying detection until the last possible moment. They had rehearsed boarding vessels at sea dozens of times, but this was the real McCoy. Mason knew from hard experience that dropping out of the sky onto a huge and possibly heavily armed moving ship in open ocean and disarming an unknown explosive was not exactly a piece of cake. "Lieu tenant, I think you should get up to the bridge as quickly as possible." The voice of the 2IC came onto Mason's radio. Radio talk would be kept to a minimum as they swept the ship from one end to the other. He waved the light stick to let the port team know all was well. The lieutenant pulled a light stick from his vest and snapped it back and forth so that the chemicals inside mixed and glowed a cold blue. Mason could handle explosives in a pinch, but Baron was a pro. He was glad to see that the ordnance expert, Joe Baron, had made it safely. Then the assault team became the fire team and the other squad leapfrogged ahead in a maneuver that quickly covered ground. One squad formed the base element, taking up firing positions to protect the other group as it raced forward. They broke into two squads on both sides.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |