12 Declassified Navy SEAL Missions From Military History That Were Top Secret
Operation Neptune Spear Targeted Osama bin Laden
Photo: CIA / Wikimedia Commons / Public DomainWidely known as the operation that brought about the end of Osama bin Laden, technically Neptune Spear was a CIA operation which happened to feature DEVGRU. To practice for the raid, a full-size replica of the compound was reportedly constructed in North Carolina, which the team used extensively.
DEVGRU, along with members of the US Army 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment, were inserted by helicopter in Bilal, Pakistan. After a brief firefight, Osama bin Laden and several other occupants of the compound were killed. Overall, the entire operation lasted around 40 minutes.
The Battle Of Mogadishu Was Pure Chaos For Our Armed Forces
Photo: U.S. ArmyIf you’ve seen Black Hawk Down, you'll be familiar with the basic story behind this operation. Originally, US forces were in Somalia to suppress forces loyal to Mohamed Farrah Aidid, a Somali faction leader in the Somali Civil War during the early 1990s. The task force was led by Army Rangers and consisted of many infantry units, including DEVGRU. But during an operation in Mogadishu called “Gothic Serpent” that aimed to capture Aidid’s leaders, a Black Hawk helicopter was shot down with RPGs.
The subsequent rescue mission became a fight for survival as the troops were overrun. By the time the fighting ended and the troops reached safety, 18 Rangers were killed and 84 were wounded. 500 Somalis were killed, and 700 more were wounded.
In Operation Urgent Fury, Everything Went Wrong, But The SEALs Were Still Victorious
Photo: Drkreative / Wikimedia Commons / CC BY 3.0In 1983, the United States invaded Grenada to protect the US citizens within its borders. At first, the SEAL team assigned to the action did recon for a force of Marines coming ashore but were later reassigned to two missions: the extraction of Grenada’s Governor-General and the capture of the country’s only radio tower. A lack of intelligence and an insertion during a storm severely hindered the SEALs, resulting in four SEALs being lost off the island’s coast.
The remaining SEALs split off into two teams, one to extract the Governor-General and the other to capture the radio tower. The first team made it to the Governor-General’s mansion but realized they forgot their communication equipment on the helicopter. When they were surrounded by hostile forces, they used the mansion’s phone to call in an AC-130 airstrike to cover their successful escape. The second team was pinned down at the radio station and ended up destroying it. They swam out to open sea and were picked up hours later.
Three Snipers Rescued An American Ship Captain During The Hijacking Of The Maersk Alabama
Photo: Laura A. Moore / Wikimedia Commons / Public DomainA cargo ship, the Maersk Alabama, was captured by Somali pirates in 2009. The pirates eventually fled the ship in a lifeboat with Captain Richard Phillips as a hostage. Naval ships arrived on the scene, and a stand-off started between the pirates and a group of warships led by the USS Bainbridge. DEVGRU operators were flown in and parachuted into the water before being picked up by the Bainbridge.
After a five-day stand-off, the DEVGRU operators killed three of the pirates with sniper shots. Captain Phillips was rescued, and the story inspired a movie starring Tom Hanks.
Octave Fusion Was A Textbook Rescue Mission
Photo: Vladimir Lysenko / Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 4.0When Jessica Buchanan and Poul Hagen Thisted were kidnapped by Somali bandits in 2012, DEVGRU was called in to rescue them. Originally, the American woman and Danish man were in Somalia on an aid mission to remove landmines, but they were taken hostage. The rescue operation had been in planning for weeks, but when Buchanan’s health started to decline, they accelerated their plans.
DEVGRU parachuted in at night two miles away from the hostile encampment and proceeded the rest of the way on foot. While DEVGRU tried to capture the kidnappers, the engagement ended with all the hostiles dead. The hostages were extracted with no injuries.
SEALs Stopped The Mukatayin Dam From Exploding
Photo: United States Navy SEALs / Wikimedia Commons / Public DomainDuring the invasion of Iraq, Coalition forces became worried that the retreating Iraqi forces would destroy a hydroelectric dam to slow the advance of US troops. The worst-case scenario was that the dam would be taken out, which would not only cut off the surrounding area from badly needed power but also cause massive flooding that would lead to countless deaths.
So, a joint mission between the SEALs and GROM (Polish Special Forces) was greenlit to take the dam. After a helicopter insertion, the strike force secured the dam with no casualties.
The 2012 Rescue Of British Aid Workers Showed Great Teamwork
Photo: The U.S. Army / Flickr / CC BY 2.0When four aid workers were kidnapped in Afghanistan, a joint SAS (British Special Forces) and DEVGRU task force initiated an operation to recover them. Intelligence sources used satellites to watch the kidnappers' compound while SAS and DEVGRU forces set up a forward-operating base within striking distance. After negotiations with the kidnappers deteriorated, a two-pronged assault was greenlit.
The SAS and DEVGRU teams would each rescue two targets. The operation took place right after sunset, and the soldiers used silenced weapons to take out the kidnappers. All four hostages were rescued successfully.
The Rescue Of Dr. Dilip Joseph Resulted In The Capture Of Two Taliban Leaders
Photo: Official U.S. Navy Page / Flickr / CC BY 2.0The Taliban kidnapped an American doctor and two Afghan men in 2012 while they were traveling to a rural clinic in Afghanistan. They were taken into the mountains, where the kidnappers demanded ransom. The Afghan men were released but the kidnappers kept Dr. Joseph. Convinced the doctor was in danger, DEVGRU was sent in to rescue him.
The operation ended with six deaths, including a member of the SEAL team, Petty Officer 1st Class Nicolas D. Checque. Two Taliban leaders were also arrested. Dr. Dilip Joseph was successfully rescued.
Operation Celestial Balance Is How You Get the Bad Guys
Photo: U.S. Army / Wikimedia Commons / Public DomainIn 2009, a daylight operation took place in Somalia against Saleh Ali Saleh Nabhan, a terrorist the US government believed had ties to the 2002 attacks in Mombasa, Kenya, and two 1998 embassy bombings. The initial attack on Nabhan’s convoy was conducted by gunships operated by the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment.
After that, helicopters deposited soldiers speculated to be Navy SEALs, who exfiltrated the bodies, one of which was Nabhan’s. Overall, a textbook operation.
NATO's Bosnia Intervention Was A Snatch-And-Grab
Photo: Paalso / Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 3.0In the mid-'90s, a conflict between Bosnia and Herzegovina prompted NATO to intervene. NATO launched airstrikes to curb the offenses, which almost led to a cease-fire. However, hostilities resumed in 1995, which led to more NATO airstrikes and troops on the ground. Some of these troops were DEVGRU, who carried out “snatching” jobs of war criminals.
These covert operations were done in cooperation with NATO units, and the captured war criminals eventually stood trial.
Operation Just Cause Was Almost A Complete Disaster
Photo: U.S. ArmyIn 1989, a group of Navy SEALs were just one part of the US invasion of Panama. The SEAL team had two objectives: disable the boat and plane the president of Panama might use to escape. While the SEALs had no trouble disabling the boat, they ran into serious trouble at the airfield.
After coming under fire, eight SEALs were wounded. The SEALs then took out the plane with a rocket. Overall, four SEALs were killed and nine more were wounded, but the objectives were completed.
The Establishment Of Camp Rhino Gave The USA Major Foothold In The Middle East
Photo: U.S. Navy / Wikimedia Commons / Public DomainAt the start of Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan, the coalition forces needed places to build Forward Operating Bases. So, Navy SEALs were sent on a reconnaissance mission to an abandoned airstrip in the Registan Desert.
After they were inserted, the SEALs watched the airstrip for days until a Marine unit came in and secured the area. The base became known as Camp Rhino.
