In May 1971, I went to sea again, but for a much shorter time than while on USS Biddle. Naval Special Warfare Group Pacific held an exercise and, as part of it, several of us from the staff embarked on an amphibious ship and spent a few days, I believe, in the waters off San Clemente Island, 50-60 miles off Coronado.
Some weeks before, I was responsible for writing up the exercise scenario. I recall it very vaguely, something perhaps about the opposition seizing the embassy on Freelandia, or otherwise threatening us or a friendly nation. I drew up orders of battle, describing the types of forces, their armaments, location of bases, etc.
While on the ship, I provided Intel briefings to SEAL platoons, which were to achieve various objectives, all of them forgotten by me now.
I’m very surprised I have no photos from this activity. Perhaps it was because most SEAL actions, in an exercise as in reality, took place in the dark. But I coulda/shoulda taken pictures of the ship, the island, etc.
Colleagues, such as LTJG Palmore, were out there, too. Fred’s fitness report for the period singles out his performance as a bridge officer, though I assume most of the activities there were fulfilled by ship’s crew.
San Clemente Island is the southernmost of the Channel Islands, a set of eight islands off the coast of Southern California. Best-known among them is Santa Catalina.
Twenty-one miles long and narrow, San Clemente has about 57 square miles of land. It ha been owned by the Navy since 1934 and remains an active site for training by a wide range of units, including SEALs and other Special Warfare elements.