Inside SEAL Team Six(39)

For divers, the vent-and-drain operation was considered routine. But while you’re draining water from any manned space, it is critical that breathable fresh air flows in through a vent pipe to replace the water. Aboard Grayback, a vent valve, operable from the wet or dry side through a linkage, controlled this airflow.

The dry-side supervisor ordered the vent valve to be opened. The BMC in the hangar acknowledged, and the petty officer complied. But when the venting alarm didn’t sound as it should have, neither the BMC nor the petty officer questioned the problem or did anything about it. The dry-side supervisor directed the drain valve to be opened, and draining commenced.

Soon, both the BMC and petty officer felt dizzy and short of breath. The BMC checked valve positions but couldn’t open the vent any farther. Someone in the hangar keyed the microphone but didn’t speak.

Five of the divers in the hangar, including the petty officer, passed out and fell into the water (some possibly losing their scuba-regulator mouthpieces). The BMC managed to hook his arm on or through a pipe to avoid falling, and then he also passed out.

On the dry side, watch standers heard the microphone keying but dismissed it as an inadvertent action. When they didn’t hear the expected reports of water level and when they noted that the usual draining noise had stopped, the watch standers attempted communications with the wet-side occupants. When that failed, they tried standard tap signals, repeating them several times.

Then one dry-side watch stander entered the transfer lock that separated the dry from the wet side and peered through the small deadlight window. He saw only material from a wet suit within.

According to the report of the Navy investigators, after several more minutes of communications attempts, the BMC began to revive and reported that he needed help. Dry-side operators then entered the hangar.

They removed the BMC and the bodies of the ensign, the petty officers, the fireman, and the seaman. For two hours, crewmen tried to revive these men. Five SEALs—William Robinson LT, Chuck Bloomer MM2/DV1, Richard Bond QM3/DV2, Rodney Fitz FN/DV2, and Leslie Shelton SN/DV2—had passed out from lack of oxygen and drowned.

A subsequent investigation revealed several design flaws in the system and concluded that the wet-side operator had opened the vent valve only partway, thereby causing a vacuum to form.

Shortly after the accident, the USS Grayback was decommissioned.



When we weren’t in the water, we practiced on the land and in the air. And we were taught by the best. Harry O’Connor, who did some of the wild James Bond skydiving stunts, worked with us on our free-fall skills. And Jeff Cooper trained us on pistols and shotguns at his Gunsite facility.

Jeff taught us four rules that every gun owner should commit to memory:



All guns are always loaded.

Never let the muzzle cover anything that you are not willing to destroy.

Keep your finger off the trigger until your sights are on the target.

Always be sure of your target.



Fast-roping and close-quarters-battle skills had just started being utilized in Navy special warfare. Many of these new CT techniques we learned from the ■​■​■​■​■​■​■​■​■​■​■​■​■​■​■​■​■​■​■​■​■​■​■​■​■​■​■​■​■​■​■​■​■​■​■​■​■​■​■​■​■​■​■​■​■​■​■​■​■​■​■​■​■​■​■​■​■​■​■​■​■​■​■​■​■​■​■​■​■​■​■​■​■​■​■​■​■​■​■​■​■​■​■​■​■​■​■​■​■​■​■​■​■​■​■​■​■​■​■​■​■​■​■​■​■​■​■​■​■​■​■​■​■​■​■​■​■​■​■​■​■​■​■​■​■​■​■​■​■​■​■​■​■​■​■​■​■​■​■​■​■​■​■​■​■​■​■​■​■​■​■​■​■​■​■​■​■​■​■​■​■​■​■​■​■​■​■​■​■​■​■​■​■​■​■​■​■​■​■​■​■​■​■​■​

Fire movement and fire maneuver quickly evolved. From Jeff Cooper we learned the double-tap (two shots to the chest fired in quick succession to assure maximum incapacitation of a threat). We trained using the modified isosceles stance (which has since been adopted by law enforcement worldwide), and the Mozambique drill used to such effectiveness to this day (two shots to the center of mass followed by one to the head).

As the techniques of urban warfare became more important, we practiced all over the world, breaching building doors, windows, and walls using C4, detonation cord, other specialty demolitions, and rams. We’d rappel or fast-rope down from the roofs and upper decks.