Navarre knew the geography, the currents, the politics of the region as well as the Order of Battle of the navies operating in the Gulf. That education began when studying the world’s bottlenecks at the Naval Academy and had been a subject of continuing education. Although the map was firmly in his mind, he glanced at it for a visual. The Dulles was now immediately south of Bandar Abbas, the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy Headquarters.
“Yes Sir,” Lt. Pelletier replied. “The latest information is four FPB’s heading this way at high speed, 230 degrees and 32 miles, coming from Abu Musa. One second Sir, I’m getting more data,” and he looked at the computerized screen in front of him. “Five boats now.”
Abu Musa was a strategically located five-square-mile island at the mouth of the Gulf. Its ownership was a matter of dispute between Iran and the United Arab Emirates, but Iran had squatter’s rights, enforced by a military presence.
After hearing from the Combat Information Center’s SPY-1, which could manage hundreds of simultaneous contacts at ranges greater than one hundred nautical miles, Pelletier said, “They’re moving right along, sir. We’ll be closing in less than half an hour.”
Navarre, tall with short black hair and a solid build, planted himself firmly. “Let the show begin,” he said quietly. He called down to the Tactical Action Officer to get the ship’s helicopters up and, in a few minutes, the two Sikorsky SH-60 Seahawk LAMPS III helicopters were flying to meet the Iranians.
“Deploy our patrol boats as needed,” he added crisply. The Dulles’ Phalanx, Bushmaster 20 mm cannon and the .50-calibre machine guns were already manned.
When the FPB’s were ten thousand yards away, Navarre directed Pelletier to try to communicate to their crews.
“This is Coalition Warship 252 engaged in peaceful transit in international waters. Inbound small craft: your identity is not known; your intentions are unclear, please identify yourselves and your intention, over.”
The boats continued on their course, and the Officer of the Deck repeated his request.
When they were five thousand yards away, he warned, “If you do not steer clear, you will be subject to defensive measures. Request that you alter course immediately.”
At that point, the Tactical Action Officer ordered the ship’s own speedboats to put out to sea.
The Iranians split up into two groups of three and two and kept heading straight for the cruiser. Suddenly, Pellettier tensed. “Say again -say again, over,” and he switched to speakerphones. “I am coming at you. I say again, I am coming at you. You will explode in two minutes.”
“Take evasive action, lieutenant.” Navarre told Pelletier, He then ordered the TAO, “Fire warning shots.”
The four General Electric LM2500 gas turbines powered the Dulles into a thirty degrees starboard turn forcing the small boats on the right to adjust their heading to their left to pass behind the Dulles. Those on the port side increased their speed. The sounds of their engines were like giant angry wasps trying to protect the hive.
At the same time, the Dulles’s 50-caliber guns let loose several bursts ahead of the closest FPB’s, which veered off and retreated back.
The dangerous maneuvers continued for another fifteen minutes. The only communications from the Iranian crews were similar to their first message, “I am going to explode you.” The Dulles repeated its identification and asked the Iranians to reciprocate but in vain.
Captain Brian Navarre transmitted the threats to the Reagan Carrier Task Force in Manama, “And one of the boats is flying the Iranian flag so their identification is not in doubt,” he reported. “Four out of five were armed only with heavy machine guns, and one with missiles. Seems to have been a dry run to test our reactions. Repeat: seems to have been a dry run.”
After the fast boats pulled away, Navarre said, “They’re getting closer and closer. Either they attack us with missiles from over the horizon, or they do a U.S.S. Cole on us.”
“I’ll be glad to get to Manama,” the Lieutenant said simply.
Everyone remembered that on 12 October 2000, terrorists attacked the destroyer U.S.S. Cole in Aden, Yemen, by exploding a bomb in a small boat that had been allowed to approach its hull. The explosion killed seventeen American sailors.
40. Washington: U.S. Capitol Building
The noise level from the conversations among the reporters in the small room decreased as Dorothea Langdon made her way to the microphone-studded podium. As the Chair of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, and a senior member of Congress, Langdon could usually draw a crowd, and the room was full.
She blinked a bit at the bright lights focused on her, looked to the left, looked to the right, smiled and said, “In 1975, the CIA’s many transgressions were brought to the attention of the American people through the Church Committee hearings. We learned of assassinations. Luckily, they were mostly bungled.” Several in the audience laughed.
“The special tools of assassinations, covert actions run rampant, things that all came together to help the agency truly earn the rogue-elephant label. As result, Congress set up an oversight system to keep the CIA in check and under control. I have been honored by my party to chair the House’s intelligence oversight. It is in that capacity that I speak to you today.”
One reporter whispered to his neighbor, “Is she going to get to it? I’m having lunch with the new special assistant to our editor in an hour. Wait ‘till you see her.”
“Take it easy, she’s leading up to something, and it won’t be good for the CIA. That’s always gotten me front page
