SEAL Team SIX was responsible for US counterterrorist operations in the maritime environment, and members of the Team participated in a number of operations, both overt and covert, throughout the 1980's.

In 1983, SEAL Team SIX members were responsible for the rescue and evacuation of Governor Sir Paul Scoon from the Caribbean island of Grenada during Operation URGENT FURY. Four SEALs were lost to drowning during helicopter insertion off shore. Other aspects of the operation included the securing of a radio transmitter which resulted in heavy contact with Grenadian forces.

The first and most controversial SEAL mission in Grenada was the Salinas Airfield Operation.

During the predawn hours of October 24, 1983, in high winds, with little intel, 12 operators from SEAL Team SIX and 4 Air Force Combat Control Team (CCT) members were assigned to perform a night combat equipment water jump into the ocean about 40 kilometers off the north-northwest tip of Port Salinas, Grenada.

The SEAL/CCT team was to perform a LAPES (Low Altitude Parachute Extraction System) drop to deploy 2 Zodiac inflatable rubber boats. It was intended that they would subsequently perform an Over the Horizon (OTH) transit approximately 40 kilometers to the vicinity of Port Salinas. Once there, they were to scout out a suitable Beach Landing Site and send swimmer scouts ashore, infiltrate the island and cache the boats. They were then to patrol to the airfield, place marker beacons, find a suitable hiding place and await a follow-on airdrop of Army Rangers... all while sending constant intel reports back to the USS Guam.

Four SEALs were lost during the initial jump. It is not clear why they drowned during the drop, but the hazards of jumping into the sea with a heavy combat load in high winds could have been overwhelming. These men were well trained for this type of operation, but even the best laid plans sometimes go horribly wrong.

The remaining SEALs searched in vain for their teammates. Disheartened, they continued with their primary mission, but half-way to the shore they had to take quick evasive measures to avoid detection by an approaching Grenadan Patrol boat. They cut their engines and successfully avoided detection, but the enemy patrol boat came so close to them that the motors on both SEAL Zodiacs were swamped by the Patrol boat's wake and would not restart.

The SEAL/CCT team then drifted out to sea and made contact with the USS Caron (DD970). The operation was aborted.

Four Who Gave Their Lives In Grenada

~~Let Us NEVER FORGET Their Sacrifice~~