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Lebanon 1983-84
On orders from President Reagan the US military committed troops
ashore in Lebanon to support the Multinational Peacekeeping Force
in Beirut. Its mission to was to be a buffer between rival armed
factions in and around Beirut.
| This resulted in the Mediterranean Cruise of MARG 2-83
( Marine Amphibious Readiness Group comprised of Amphibious
Warfare ships) (on West Coast its called a ARG) On each MARG
is a Naval Special Warfare Task Unit (NSWTU) comprised of a
SEAL Platoon and Special Boat Detachment (SBD) usually with 2
SWCLs during this time frame. The SEAFOXES were tasked with
Day and Night RECON Patrols off Beirut and with the SEALs they
were used to reconfirmed beach gradients for future Landings
of Marines at Black Beach. Later SEALs went Inland with the
Marines and the Seafoxes began Anchorage Protection Patrols
around the anchored ships. This was to keep civilian and
possible Hostile boats away from this restricted anchorage. It
was MARG that requested the relieving MARG include a PBMKIII
Detachment. |
SEAFOX
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MK-III |
Before
the time MARG 1 84 arrived a Suicide bomber drove a
truck bomb into the Marine HQ and Barracks and the explosion
killed 241 Peacekeepers mostly Marines from the 1st Battalion
8th Marines. This effectively ended the US peacekeeping
efforts ashore. When MARG 1 84 arrived they were
already veterans of the Grenada Campaign. The two SWCLs and
PBMKIII (the other PB had been damaged in Grenada) and the
NSWTask Unit Command conducted real Anchorage Patrols and
advised the Amphibious Warfare Commander on Maritime Threats
on ships at anchor. They also pioneered the development of
techniques to counter threats such as high speed boats,
surface and subsurface swimmers and low flying air threats.
This resulted later in Pre-deployment training in these
tactics for all Navy ships. While the tiny Special Boat
Detachment was on Security Patrol the ships at anchor were
never threatened by hostile craft. |
Just as a small note I recall seeing a Photo of one SWCL during
the "Lessons Learned" briefing, sporting a shark mouth painted on
its bow!
[Submitted by
GMCM Jim Gray (CC) ret.]
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