I just posted this on another thread, and I’m reposting it here. Folks still seem to think the boats were on a covert op. This was my reply.
They were NOT dropping off, or picking up. These were just ten random sailors assigned to the bottom-rung of USN boats, the Riverine Squadron. They were created to replace the USCG who had been doing duty watching river inlets and ports in our areas of interest in the Persian Gulf.
It’s SWCC that supports the SEALs, not RS. That’s why there was even a lady sailor on board. Just pick ten random sailors off a ship, put them on boats, that is RS.
SWCC is part of NavSpecWar, they support the SEALs. SWCC sailors go through a mini-BUD/S. Their mission means they have to put their bows on the beach and shoot it out unto the death, while recovering SEALs who are being pursued by any number of enemy. SWCCs are warriors, shooters.
These RS guys were just on a routine transit/redeployment between Kuwait and Bahrain. Those boats have a standard crew of five, and that is what was on each boat: the normal crew, no troops, no spooks, no SEALs.
Even if they were dropping off some spooks or SEALs (NOT their mission, NOT their training) they would have had more than five crew on the boats. Even when SWCC is tasked to insert SEALs, some SEALs are still on the SWCC boat for comms and other support.
This theory would have a tiny air of plausibility if they had had more than five crew on the boats. They didn’t. They even had their PASSPORTS with them, because they were on a routine inter-national redeployment. On “cover ops,†you do NOT bring your fracking PASSPORTS!!!
So, Travis, exactly what were the two boats’ mission?
I wonder if it wasn’t simply a piece of theater to show the world how nice the Iranians are. If that’s the case, would the sailors know they’re being used? Or did they volunteer?
I'm seriously disappointed in Thomas Lifson, both for "repurposing" your content and for his complete misunderstanding of the situation. A retraction and an apology would be appropriate.
Thanks for the details!
One of my first thoughts when I saw the news story was, “Passports? Who carries passports on an OP? Things have REALLY changed since I got out!”
This may be of interest to the former MI Freepers.
Travis McGee, a Seal, has some excellent insight into what happened with our two Navy Riverine boats and our 10 sailors seized by the Iranians,
Below is the recruiting video for SWCC. Not even close to the Riverine mission.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QfiJ8c1Tr_M