As the last OSPREY went feet wet and cleared Nusa Funata, the pilot radioed a report from Roland that all SEALs and hostages were safe and accounted for. Almost as a postscript, he added that all facilities on the island were completely destroyed.
23 Jun 2000, 1430LT (0630Z)
“XO, get into radio and get SUBPAC on the horn!” Hunter yelled frantically. “We’ve got to tell them that the mission was completely successful! Make it a Flash Priority message and Code Word it “Golden Dawn.” God, I hope we’re in time!”
“Skipper, calm down. I’ll get it out right away,” Fagan answered.
He had been in control, but hurried to the CO Stateroom when he heard the Skipper shout.
“In time for what?”
“XO, I can’t tell you. It is that Special Appendix that I couldn’t show you. Just get the damn message out as fast as you possibly can. As soon as you get it out, get COMSUBPAC on Secure Voice. I need to talk to the Admiral. Use every precedence you can think of to get through. This is really, really important!” Jon Hunter was so excited he was shaking.
23 Jun 2000, 1515LT (0715Z)
The return flight, although flown down on the deck and all-out, was uneventful. As the two grey birds passed over the ESSEX, the passengers fortunate enough to be seated by the small porthole like windows saw that the deck was cleared. There were neither helicopters nor people on the flight deck. All the external doors and hatches were shut, too. For a warm tropical morning, this was very unusual. Normally there would be a dozen or more helicopters parked topside, some being readied to fly, some parked there for rapid use if needed. There would be dozens of crewmembers in brightly colored jerseys moving about the flight deck, each performing some vital function in the operation of this sea-going heliport.
Vulture’s row was empty. The bridge and the Flag Bridge were both closed up. If they could have seen inside the ESSEX, they would have been even more surprised to find that Condition Zebra was set. All access to the outside was secured. The atmosphere inside the ship was being maintained at a twelve-ounce overpressure so that any air leakage was from inside the ship to outside. The only air entering the ship passed through several levels of filtration and was monitored continuously to make sure it remained pure.
The OSPREYs swooped down and squatted for a landing on the empty flight deck. They taxied so they were parallel to the island and parked nose to tail. As their massive turbine powered propellers spun to a stop, sailors in full NBC gear raced out of a large set of double doors in the side of the island, dragging a large plastic tent-like structure from the door to the side hatch of the forward OSPREY. They taped the plastic decontamination chute to the plane, forming an air-tight seal. The chute made a plastic tunnel all the way from the plane to the island doors. As this was happening, another group of NBC-clad sailors, standing at a discreet distance, continuously hosed down the first set with a mist of clean seawater.
Finally, the sailors stepped away from the plane. Only then was the pilot told by radio that he and his passengers could deplane. The aircrew and Marines, who had all stayed in their NBC clothing for the entire ordeal, left first. They entered the island and were directed through a series of chemical showers before they were allowed to remove their protective clothing. Even then they were isolated in a separate, sealed contagious disease ward in the ship’s hospital.
When the last of the NBC-clad crew departed, the hostages and SEALs walked down the chute. Roland and Jankowski gently carried the stretcher bearing Boats.
They were sent through a different path. Two NBC-clad corpsmen relieved Roland and Jankowski of the stretcher and carried Boats into an isolation ward operating room where surgeons were waiting to attend to his wounds.
The rest walked into shower facilities. They disposed of all their clothing into plastic burn bags. They then showered, scrubbing vigorously with harsh antiseptic soap. As each emerged from the shower, they were given a hospital gown, several shots and directed to a bed in a second isolation ward.
When the last person on the first OSPREY had entered the island, the chute was collapsed, sealed shut and placed in a barrel for disposal. Another decontamination chute was rigged to the second OSPREY. The whole procedure was again completed.
When all the new arrivals were safely inside the ship, one of the deck crew entered each plane and disengaged the wheel brakes. The crews then pushed each plane over the side, into the water.
High up on the island, out of sight from the flight deck, Admiral Schwarz and General Kendall observed the operation. As the OSPREYs splash into the three-mile deep Timor Sea, General Kendall commented, “There go two $25 million-dollar birds. How are we going to explain this back in Coronado?”
Admiral Schultz shrugged and replied, “It was a deck handling accident. They weren’t properly secured and rolled off the deck in heavy seas. That’s the way it will be logged and that’s what the investigation that I am about to start will find.”
23 Jun 2000, 1520LT (0720Z)
“XO, we have a problem,” RMC Tyler said over the 21MC to Fagan, who was standing in control. “We can’t synch with the satellite. We’re troubleshooting, but I can’t find the problem.”
“Did you get the message out?" Fagan queried.
“No, sir. We’re down on all satellite channels. No SSIXS, No Satellite Voice, nothing,” Chief Tyler replied. “Looks like it is going out. Standing wave on the BRA-34
