See how US fighter pilots, strategists, ship captains, and crews contend with a hostile Iraq in the Persian Gulf.
Category
📺
TVTranscript
00:01During the following program, look for NOVA's webmarkers which lead you to more information at our website.
00:14Since 1991, U.S. Navy battle groups have been stationed in the Persian Gulf.
00:21An aircraft carrier is the centerpiece, surrounded by submarines, cruisers and destroyers.
00:30All armed with the latest weapon technology.
00:35It is a fearsome projection of U.S. military might.
00:41Twice in the last year, the battle group has been brought to the brink of war.
00:50And on December 16th, 1998, the call to strike finally came.
00:56I have ordered a strong, sustained series of airstrikes against Iraq.
01:06The battle group began an aerial assault within hours of the president's order.
01:09One hundred sites were targeted.
01:15And nearly all were hit.
01:22But the crisis that brought coalition forces into war has not been resolved.
01:27After years of working to dismantle Iraq's nuclear, biological and chemical weapons,
01:37UN inspectors are now banished from the country.
01:41And in the skies over Iraq, missile attacks against U.S. and British aircraft continue almost daily.
01:56A renewed conflict is almost assured.
01:59But is the battle group the right force for the job?
02:03In the dramatic months that preceded the latest confrontation with Iraq,
02:12NOVA went behind the scenes to examine the inner workings of this enormous force.
02:17On alert in the Persian Gulf.
02:19On alert in the Persian Gulf.
02:21On alert in the Persian Gulf.
02:22Major funding for NOVA is provided by
02:49The Park Foundation, dedicated to education and quality television.
02:58This program is funded in part by Northwestern Mutual Life,
03:02which has been protecting families and businesses for generations.
03:06Have you heard from The Quiet Company?
03:08Northwestern Mutual Life.
03:11And by iOmega, makers of personal storage solutions for your computer,
03:16so you can create more, share more, save more, and do more of whatever it is you do.
03:23iOmega, because it's your stuff.
03:26And by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and viewers like you.
03:31January 1998, amid growing tensions with Iraq,
03:43the USS Independence is suddenly deployed to the Gulf.
03:47The carrier and its 80 aircraft arrive in the region
03:51with a formidable array of supply ships, cruisers, destroyers,
03:57and hunter-killer submarines.
04:01Together they form a battle group,
04:06one of the most powerful military forces on Earth.
04:09Eight years ago, when Iraqi troops invaded Kuwait,
04:21the Independence was the first carrier on the scene.
04:24Its battle group led the charge that would become Operation Desert Storm,
04:40the largest military encounter since the Vietnam War.
04:44Today, the Independence returns for the last time.
04:59The oldest warship in the Navy,
05:02it is scheduled to retire after this six-month tour of duty.
05:05But as the threat of conflict grows,
05:12the crew is put on maximum alert.
05:25Pilots aboard the Independence are assigned the dangerous mission
05:28of enforcing the no-fly zone.
05:31We're flying Operation Southern Watch missions,
05:33which means we're actually going and enforcing a no-fly zone over Iraq.
05:38We're flying jets over Iraq
05:39and ensuring that the Iraqis don't fly any fixed-wing aircraft
05:43below the 30-second parallel.
05:47The no-fly zone was put in place by U.S., British, and French forces.
05:53It was designed to contain Saddam Hussein's aggression
05:56by limiting the movements of his military.
05:59Following the Gulf War,
06:05coalition forces designated areas in the north and south of the country
06:08where Iraqi planes would not be allowed to fly.
06:13For pilots enforcing the no-fly zone,
06:16missile attacks are a constant threat.
06:18In recent weeks,
06:23Iraq's surface-to-air missiles have targeted U.S. and British aircraft
06:26almost every day.
06:30There's obviously concerns over surface-to-air missile systems
06:34that the Iraqis have.
06:36They have very effective surface-to-air missile systems
06:39such as the SA-2, the SA-3.
06:44Coalition forces have retaliated,
06:46knocking out some of Iraq's missile launch sites.
06:50Target destroyed.
06:51Hard kill, hard kill.
06:52In at least one incident,
06:54missiles have missed their target,
06:56causing civilian casualties.
06:57Aircraft flying missions over to Iraq
07:08are sent out in strike packages,
07:10a mix of planes with different capabilities.
07:19Fighters, bombers,
07:22and electronic warfare aircraft
07:24all work together as a team.
07:26The E-2C Hawkeye,
07:31with its huge dome radar,
07:33tracks all air activity
07:34over a 500-mile radius.
07:37It sends that information electronically
07:39to the other planes and ships of the battle group.
07:44If an airborne threat is detected,
07:47it is the job of the F-14 Tomcat
07:49to shoot it down.
07:51This two-man fighter
07:56is primarily designed for air-to-air combat
07:58and is the carrier's long-range protector.
08:01But it is the F-18 Hornet
08:07that is the carrier's most advanced aircraft.
08:13The Hornet is equipped
08:14to strike both air and ground targets
08:17and requires only one pilot
08:19to operate its navigation
08:21and weapon systems.
08:22Prior to the F-18,
08:27most airplanes in the Navy
08:28had two people working them.
08:30One guy was supposed to fly the plane
08:32and the other guy
08:33was supposed to work
08:34all the weapon systems.
08:35So they developed the plane
08:41to be very user-friendly.
08:44They put some features in the plane
08:45that allow this one person
08:47to do all these different things.
08:49All the information that he needs
08:51from his various gauges
08:52and instrumentation
08:53is projected up onto the glass
08:56and the pilot can see this information
08:57without having to look down
08:59below the glare shield.
09:00The take-off of the strike package
09:05is coordinated through the carrier's tower.
09:12Every 30 seconds,
09:14an aircraft is launched.
09:20Hands out. Thumbs up.
09:22Wins are good.
09:25Pilot salutes.
09:27Return to salute.
09:28He's ready to go.
09:29Salute.
09:31450, clear forward.
09:32Lights, wind, interval, checkers, thumbs.
09:35Head steady, goodbye.
09:45In the Gulf,
09:46it is not just the air wing
09:47that is vulnerable
09:48to enemy missile attack.
09:54Reportage back, two-thirds.
09:55Ships must be constantly on alert.
09:58If an air assault ever got by
10:03the carrier's fighter jets,
10:05the independence on its own
10:07would be virtually defenseless.
10:09The carrier must be constantly guarded.
10:14One ship in particular
10:16is assigned this role.
10:18The guided missile cruiser,
10:20San Jacinto.
10:21Our job is to make sure that nothing touches the carrier at all.
10:26Even if a small boat came in in the middle of the night
10:30and got close enough to the carrier
10:31to splash a can of red paint on the side of her,
10:34then the United States loses.
10:36So we're here to make sure that that doesn't happen.
10:38While the San Jacinto never leaves the carrier's side,
10:43the John S. McCain,
10:45the battle group's most modern warship,
10:47patrols a much larger region.
10:53Equipped with an arsenal of weapons,
10:56it uses more advanced technology
10:57and fewer crew compared to the cruiser.
11:00The destroyer also protects the carrier
11:07from enemy attack,
11:09both from the air
11:10and the sea.
11:14The battle group is not impenetrable.
11:18The people who run
11:19the submarine warfare operation
11:21know very well through their own drills
11:23that they can be hit.
11:26That's why they drill and drill and drill.
11:30Today, it is the carrier's own
11:32hunter-killer submarine,
11:34the USS Tucson,
11:36that is preparing to strike.
11:49As part of an unscheduled exercise
11:51to test the battle group's defenses,
11:54the Tucson tracks the carrier undetected.
11:57We've got an escort over here.
12:00It is the McCain's job
12:02to monitor the movements of submarines
12:04throughout the Gulf.
12:06Failure to detect the Tucson
12:08would suggest that the battle group
12:10is vulnerable to a real attack.
12:16The McCain's sonar team
12:18is searching for any unusual sound
12:20that may signal a potential threat.
12:2263 feet below the surface,
12:29the Tucson hides in the carrier's wake,
12:32an area known as the Baffles.
12:35This confuses the McCain's sonar picture.
12:38We have as a carrier to the north,
12:55his only escort to the south,
12:58two merchants to the east.
12:59Upsco.
13:00We're coming right now to clear Baffles,
13:02get a good solution on the aircraft carrier,
13:03and engage you with a 1 Mark 48 torpedo.
13:10The submarine is penetrating
13:11the battle group's defenses.
13:14If it succeeds,
13:15the implications are serious.
13:17Captain request photos.
13:18Photos.
13:22Photos.
13:25That's an easy target.
13:26Observation master 5-1,
13:29number 2 scope.
13:304.
13:31Set starboard 9-0.
13:32Set starboard 9-0, I too.
13:33End of observation.
13:35Cap range to status is 5,000 yards.
13:37Range rate is closing
13:384-5-0 yards per minute.
13:41Recommend final bearing and shoot.
13:42Time is 22 minutes after the hour.
13:45Very well.
13:47Flying point procedures,
13:48master 5-1,
13:49tube 1.
13:51Flying point procedures,
13:52master 5-0, tube 1.
13:54Status of weapons ready?
13:56Launcher primary launcher.
13:57Launcher primary launcher.
13:58Launcher primary launcher.
13:59Off scope.
14:01Soda according to right.
14:02Soda reports passive
14:03initialization complete.
14:05We're on.
14:05Cross the part 1.
14:07Normal launch, tube 1.
14:14A little bit lower.
14:16Soda reports loud explosion
14:17bearing a CR-87.
14:20She sleeps with the fishes.
14:21That was the flare that we shot.
14:27It's a green flare,
14:28and that's what we use
14:29in exercises to signal
14:30we fired a torpedo.
14:34Would have exploded
14:34beneath the keel
14:35and caused considerable damage.
14:37The carrier's sense
14:40of invulnerability
14:41has been destroyed.
14:48Alerted by the submarine's flares,
14:50its helicopters from the carrier
14:52begin a frantic search.
14:57They chase down the submarine
14:59using dipping sonar,
15:01placing it in the water
15:02in an ever-shrinking circle.
15:10In the restricted waters
15:11of the Gulf,
15:12options for escape are limited.
15:17Stung by the fact
15:18that the Tucson
15:19got through her defenses,
15:21the John S. McCain sonar team
15:23zeroes in on the submarine.
15:29The noose is tightening.
15:32The submarine crew
15:36is running out of places
15:38to hide.
15:47They're not going to be easy
15:48to get away with at all.
15:49They're professionals
15:50and they're good at this.
15:51And with the limitations
15:53of the shallow water,
15:53it'll be tough to get away with.
15:552GB, eye, door open.
15:57The McCain has found
15:58its target.
15:59Weapon away.
16:00And launches
16:02its own dummy torpedo
16:04at the submarine.
16:06This is where we're glad
16:07that we're on their side.
16:09We would have been
16:10killed once or twice.
16:12My criteria for success
16:13is we got the first shot off
16:14and they didn't find us
16:15until then,
16:16so pretty happy with that.
16:20Attacks by enemy submarines
16:21are not the only threat
16:23these warships must face.
16:24In the Gulf,
16:27where naval forces patrol
16:28close to shore,
16:30missiles launched from land
16:31also pose
16:33a significant risk.
16:36To help counter
16:38such an attack,
16:39the Independents,
16:40its cruisers
16:41and destroyers
16:42are equipped
16:43with all-directional
16:44defense radar
16:45called Aegis.
16:48The Aegis system
16:50links the battle group
16:51electronically.
16:52As each ship
16:56monitors activities
16:57in the Gulf,
16:58its information
16:59is shared
17:00with all the others.
17:01All of these screens
17:04are essentially
17:05networked computer systems
17:07where we feed
17:08everybody's picture in.
17:09And that includes
17:10information we get
17:11out of satellites,
17:12information we get
17:13from signal intelligence.
17:15Do you have any
17:15hydrophone effects?
17:16You name it,
17:17we collect it
17:17and we collate it
17:18and we pass it around
17:20all the units.
17:21Start up.
17:21What can start up?
17:22Bus by own ship weapon.
17:24When you have
17:2510 or 12 ships
17:26that are combining
17:27their picture
17:27and passing
17:28that information around,
17:29you get a very good
17:31picture of activity
17:32in the Gulf.
17:34The backbone
17:35of the Aegis system
17:36is a specially designed
17:37radar
17:38that can track
17:39even baseball-sized
17:40targets
17:41over a 100-mile radius.
17:43If an airborne threat
17:46is detected,
17:48the Aegis system
17:48then guides
17:49the battle group's
17:50own weapons
17:51in a defensive
17:52counterattack.
17:54The Aegis weapon system
17:56is a thinking system.
17:58All the information
17:58comes through
17:59this umbilical
18:00into the can,
18:01into the missile.
18:02Spins the missile up
18:03appropriate
18:04to the approximate
18:05range in azimuth
18:06towards whatever target
18:08we're interrogating
18:09and should it deem
18:10necessary to shoot
18:11the missile
18:12or shoot it.
18:14Since the Gulf War,
18:15many more weapons
18:16are now equipped
18:17with guidance systems.
18:20In Desert Storm,
18:22only 9%
18:23of the weapons
18:24delivered
18:25against Iraq
18:26were in the category
18:27of precision-guided munitions.
18:29But there has been
18:34a tremendous
18:35improvement
18:36and an increase
18:37in our capabilities,
18:38our lethality,
18:39our combat power
18:40since then.
18:52One standard Navy missile
18:54costs over $400,000.
18:59At almost a million dollars,
19:02the newest generation
19:03of Tomahawk missiles
19:04is guided by satellite
19:06and can travel
19:07up to 1,000 miles
19:09to reach a target.
19:15Advances in weapon technology
19:17have enhanced
19:18the battle group's capabilities.
19:201,400 yards.
19:22But its ultimate strength
19:23resides in the configuration
19:25of its ships.
19:27A strategy that is not
19:29changed for over 50 years.
19:36The concept of the battle group
19:38was forged in World War II
19:40when, for the first time,
19:42sea battles were fought
19:44by a force made up
19:45of different ships
19:46grouped around
19:47an aircraft carrier.
19:50This replaced
19:51the traditional order
19:52of battle
19:53where ships lined up
19:55to confront their enemies.
19:56in the battle group.
19:57This flexible concept
20:01was first used
20:02in the battles
20:03of Coral Sea
20:03and Midway
20:04where the new battle group
20:06outflanked
20:07and outmaneuvered
20:07the Japanese Navy.
20:10During the war,
20:12as America's power
20:13and influence expanded,
20:15naval bases
20:16were established
20:17throughout the world.
20:18The U.S. Navy divided
20:23the globe
20:23into spheres of influence
20:25with a fleet
20:25based in each area.
20:28At the heart
20:29of every fleet
20:30is a battle group.
20:33The Navy relied
20:35on this force
20:35to counter the Soviets
20:37throughout the Cold War.
20:38In many ways,
20:42carrier battle groups
20:43were designed
20:43to be highly predictable.
20:45We wanted our adversary,
20:46the Soviet Union,
20:47and remember,
20:47that's what the battle group
20:48was designed to confront,
20:49to know about the power
20:51of the battle group,
20:51to know where it was deployed,
20:53what its weaponry was,
20:54so that there'd be
20:54no surprises,
20:55no miscalculations.
20:58With the Cold War over,
21:00shifting regional crises
21:02replaced a global Soviet threat.
21:06The mobility of the battle group
21:07appeared to be an answer
21:08to new strategic demands.
21:12Today,
21:1312 U.S. Navy carrier
21:15battle groups
21:15are able to project
21:16an American presence
21:18anywhere in the world.
21:20But are they the right force
21:22for every jump?
21:26Battle groups were built
21:28to operate
21:29in the deep oceans
21:30of the world.
21:32The Persian Gulf
21:33is a very different environment.
21:36It's the best tool
21:37we've got.
21:38It isn't a perfect tool
21:39for this.
21:40This is not a place
21:42where the U.S. Navy
21:43is really comfortable.
21:44It's a big,
21:45blue water machine
21:46we've got,
21:47and the truth is
21:49that the littoral coastline
21:50is really,
21:51in many ways,
21:52more like what you want
21:53to have brown water navy,
21:54small ships,
21:55quick acting.
21:56The brown water or littoral zone
21:59is any area of the sea
22:01close to shore.
22:03In the Gulf,
22:04the coastal region
22:05is full of territorial claims,
22:08no fly zones,
22:09and disputed international boundaries.
22:11It's a very compressed
22:15battle space area.
22:17I mean,
22:17there's relatively shallow water.
22:19There's all sorts of things
22:20in the water,
22:21oil derricks
22:22and stuff left over
22:23from the Gulf War.
22:24In addition to that,
22:25just a routine amount
22:26of traffic going on.
22:27There has been a navy presence
22:35in the Gulf
22:36for over 20 years.
22:39They were there
22:40when Iranians
22:40took American hostages
22:42in 1979,
22:43and they have been there
22:44ever since.
22:48Supporting friendly Arab nations
22:50and protecting the flow of oil
22:52have been the U.S. Navy's
22:53primary objectives.
22:54And for the last 10 years,
22:58it has been Iraq,
22:59not Iran,
23:00that has most disrupted
23:01the region.
23:03First drawing fire in 1991
23:05after its invasion of Kuwait.
23:13But the war did not end
23:15with Iraq's defeat.
23:18Saddam Hussein's weapons
23:19of mass destruction
23:21were still a threat.
23:23The United Nations
23:24mandated that they be found
23:26and destroyed.
23:30Weapons inspectors
23:31were put to the task
23:33while battle group forces
23:34in the Gulf remain
23:35to help ensure
23:37that Iraq would not
23:38obstruct their efforts.
23:41U.S. troops also stayed
23:43to enforce trade sanctions
23:44against Iraq.
23:48Sailors like those
23:49aboard the destroyer
23:50John S. McCain
23:51search merchant ships
23:53in an effort to stop the flow
23:54of restricted goods.
23:57One of the things
23:58that the U.N. Security Council
23:59did is they established
24:00a list of cargoes
24:01that are allowed into Iraq,
24:03food and medicine principally,
24:05and they embargoed anything else.
24:07So technology
24:07and anything that has
24:09any sort of war fighting potential,
24:10basically anything
24:11except food and medicine.
24:12And then that's only allowed
24:13under U.N. charter.
24:15So we're out here
24:17intercepting merchant vessels,
24:20boarding merchant vessels
24:21to make sure
24:21that they're complying
24:22with the U.N. resolution.
24:23So we're out here
24:24every day doing this
24:25day and night.
24:27Watch that.
24:28We're the cop on the block,
24:29so to speak.
24:30You got your gear already?
24:32Oh, you got a hand on it.
24:33Okay.
24:3426-year-old Lieutenant Vince Watson
24:37is in charge
24:37of the ship's boarding team.
24:39This will be the crew's
24:41first interdiction of the day.
24:43Okay.
24:44The main vessel
24:44we're going to be doing
24:45the first one,
24:46the name is the Luke Nam.
24:47She's home ported
24:48out of Haiphong,
24:49which is in Vietnam.
24:51However,
24:52her crew is mainly Indian.
24:53We're having a few
24:53language problems
24:54when we're talking
24:55over bridge to bridge,
24:56so just take care
24:57and speak slowly
24:58when you have to speak to them.
24:59Always have your head
25:00turned around backwards
25:01to maximize your field of view
25:02when you're going up ladders.
25:07We train our boarding teams.
25:08They go through
25:09a rigorous training cycle
25:10before they get here
25:11to do the actual
25:12real thing
25:13when they get here.
25:14And sometimes
25:15they get to go bad,
25:16so they've got to be
25:17prepared for that.
25:18They depart
25:19the relative safety
25:20of the ship,
25:22wearing bulletproof
25:23vests and weapons.
25:29Although routine,
25:31these boardings
25:32are never without danger.
25:35Like a police officer
25:36stopping a car,
25:37the team expects
25:38that the crew
25:39of the LUC-NAM
25:40will cooperate.
25:42But all of them know
25:43anything could happen.
25:58Captain.
25:58The captain has been ordered
26:06to move the ship's crew
26:07above deck
26:08and to open
26:09all cabins
26:10for inspection.
26:11orders that clearly
26:16were not followed.
26:19This is the umpire
26:20of 4-2-1.
26:28Anybody in there?
26:30Oh, God.
26:31All right.
26:32Fortunately,
26:33no weapons are raised
26:34in this encounter.
26:35During the search,
26:41this radio is discovered.
26:43Too powerful
26:45for conventional use,
26:46the boarding team
26:47suspects that it may
26:48be intended
26:49for Iraqi military
26:50communications.
26:52Referee umpire,
26:53I'm in the radio room
26:54at this time.
26:55Since he has
26:56pretty sophisticated
26:56equipment,
26:57we need to take
26:58an inventory
26:58of what he has.
26:59The ship will be detained
27:00until an explanation
27:02for the radio
27:03is provided.
27:03We query any ship
27:06that's going
27:07to the northern
27:08Arabian Gulf
27:09and we'll see,
27:11oh, anywhere
27:11on a slow day
27:12three or four queries
27:13and maybe as many
27:15as 10 or 12
27:16on a busy day
27:16because there's a lot
27:18of merchant traffic
27:18that goes up there.
27:21U.S. forces
27:22have been controlling
27:22Iraq's trade
27:24and military movements
27:25ever since the Gulf War.
27:28After eight years
27:29of sanctions,
27:31Saddam Hussein
27:31announced a year ago
27:33that he will
27:34tolerate them
27:35no more.
27:38In defiance,
27:40he ejects
27:41United Nations
27:42weapon inspectors,
27:44a direct provocation
27:46to which the United States
27:47quickly responds.
27:50Within weeks,
27:52the United Nations
27:53authorizes the use
27:54of force against Iraq
27:55and a second battle group
27:57is quickly deployed
27:58to the region.
27:59It centers around
28:02the John C. Stennis,
28:04America's newest carrier
28:05on her maiden voyage.
28:07It will join the
28:08independents
28:09and her battle group.
28:10as tensions mount,
28:14war seems imminent.
28:22Stennis left
28:23on the 26th of February
28:25and with less than two weeks
28:26she was on station
28:28ready to go
28:29averaging around
28:3030 knots or so.
28:31We bring to the region
28:42all kinds of capabilities.
28:45We're doubling up
28:47UL of the carrier
28:48battle group's potential
28:49here with us
28:50joined together
28:51as a big,
28:52awesome team.
28:55After so many years
28:56of using these warships
28:57to enforce sanctions
28:59it may now be time
29:01to use them
29:02to actually fight a war.
29:13Coordinator,
29:13our booster ignition
29:142-1-3.
29:25But in a last minute effort
29:27by the United Nations
29:28a strike
29:28is narrowly averted.
29:32Saddam Hussein
29:33steps back
29:34from the edge
29:34allowing UN weapon
29:36inspections
29:37to continue.
29:41After the biggest
29:42military buildup
29:43since the Gulf War
29:44peace is restored
29:46for the moment.
29:50Across the battle group
29:51on every ship
29:52there is a collective
29:53sigh of relief.
29:54It's a moment
29:58to slow down
29:58reflect
29:59and attend
30:00to personal business.
30:04You ready?
30:05Some men and women
30:06take time to record
30:07a video message
30:08to send home.
30:09Get you all set up.
30:11Okay.
30:12Hi Josie.
30:13Hi RJ.
30:14I love you.
30:15I miss you.
30:17As you can see
30:17I got package number one.
30:19I got
30:20what looked like
30:21the remnants
30:22of package number two
30:23which had
30:23a little bit
30:24of melted chocolate
30:25on the bottom.
30:25It's hot over here.
30:27I'm doing fine.
30:28Everything's going well.
30:30Kyle,
30:31just be careful.
30:33The skateboard
30:33and the roller blades
30:35really, really
30:36will hurt you
30:36if you're not careful.
30:38Hi mom.
30:40See you later.
30:41And this is for you, baby.
30:46Mahalo.
30:47I love you.
30:48Thank you for loving me
30:50and I love you back.
30:52See you.
30:53I hope you write
30:54write me soon
30:55because I didn't have
30:57any letters
30:57and I need one.
31:00Mail arrives at the ship
31:06almost every day.
31:09It is a time
31:10of great anticipation.
31:13Jordan misses you so much.
31:16He says,
31:17Daddy points to your car.
31:18These seamen
31:30and their families
31:30know only too well
31:32the dangers they face
31:34with Saddam Hussein
31:35and his arsenal
31:36of deadly weapons.
31:39Troops are vaccinated
31:40against anthrax,
31:42a germ agent
31:43that attacks the lungs.
31:45It is clear
31:46that we all face
31:47the threat.
31:48The threat of chemical
31:50or biological weapons
31:51on the battlefield
31:52is real.
31:54They're out there.
31:54We know they're out there
31:55and we are likely
31:56to have to deal with them
31:57for the foreseeable future.
32:01An anthrax comes
32:02in a six-shot series
32:03done over an 18-month period.
32:06It's been ordered
32:07to be given
32:08to the entire military,
32:10so the entire
32:10Department of Defense,
32:12starting with the ones
32:14who are most likely
32:15to have a threat
32:16of anthrax
32:17being the people
32:18on the go.
32:19Moving south.
32:20Aboard the Independence,
32:21Lieutenant Schnurr
32:22is the only woman.
32:24He's pulling on the box.
32:26The USS Saturn arrives
32:46to resupply
32:47the carrier
32:48and its warships.
32:4950 tons of essential items
32:53can be airlifted
32:54by these huge
32:55sea stallion helicopters
32:56in less than three hours.
33:02Every week,
33:04sailors of the battle group
33:05will consume
33:0640,000 eggs,
33:085,300 gallons of milk
33:10and 15,000 boxes of cereal.
33:19The independents
33:21and the Stennis
33:21have their own
33:22fuel requirements, too.
33:23The differences
33:29between the ships
33:30are tremendous, actually.
33:32They look almost the same.
33:34The acreage here
33:35is about the same,
33:36four and a half acres
33:37or so
33:37of non-skid steel,
33:39American turf,
33:40if you will.
33:41The airplanes
33:42look the same.
33:43The capabilities
33:43are about the same.
33:45The strike potential
33:46for both air wings
33:47is about the same,
33:49but they're an awful
33:50a lot of differences
33:51as well.
33:52On the independents,
33:53the steam boilers
33:54that run its engine
33:55consume 100,000 gallons
33:57of oil
33:58every four days.
34:01The steam's pretty old
34:03and a lot of people
34:03look at the independents
34:04and say she's
34:0539 years old.
34:07We look at her
34:08and say she's a classic
34:09and believe me,
34:10she can do everything
34:10today that she did
34:1139 years ago
34:12when she came off the line.
34:16The Stennis
34:16is nuclear power.
34:18It can dedicate
34:19its entire
34:20store of fuel
34:21all four million gallons
34:23to its airway.
34:26This allows the Stennis
34:27to keep its jets
34:28flying twice as long.
34:35The Stennis
34:36also has facilities
34:37to accommodate women.
34:41They comprise
34:426% of her crew
34:43and are involved
34:44in all aspects
34:45of carrier activity.
34:47Last day for anthrax.
34:48Jennifer Kiefer
34:54is training
34:55to become a yellow shirt.
34:58Yellow shirts
34:59are responsible
35:00for getting
35:00these multi-million dollar
35:02planes on
35:03and off the deck.
35:07Airman Kiefer
35:08is UI
35:09under instruction.
35:12Her every move
35:13is shadowed
35:13by her supervisor.
35:16I get here
35:17and I start off
35:17as a blue shirt
35:18and what they do
35:19is they chalk and chain.
35:21Then I went from
35:21blue shirting
35:22and I became
35:23a tractor driver.
35:23I did throw tractors
35:25for like a total
35:25of a week.
35:28After I got off work there
35:29I went up on the flight
35:29to work to let them know
35:30hey I'm here
35:31I mean business
35:32I'm ready to rock and roll.
35:33And so then from there
35:35I made yellow
35:36and I made yellow
35:37in a total of
35:38six months.
35:40Quickest yellow shirt
35:41on the deck.
35:43My responsibility
35:44is to get it
35:45all the way
35:46to that line
35:46parked
35:47chalked and chained
35:48without hitting
35:49anything else.
35:51On the flight deck
35:52the yellow shirts
35:53have the power.
35:54Even the pilots
35:55all officers
35:56take direction
35:57and occasional
35:58admonition
35:59from the yellows.
36:00And we had an E-2
36:03come in
36:04and he would have
36:05hit somebody
36:05and I was like
36:06you know stop
36:07come on
36:08listen to me buddy.
36:11Kiefer has one last
36:12step on her journey
36:13to be a qualified
36:14yellow shirt.
36:16A test conducted
36:17by her senior
36:18petty officers
36:19that is now
36:20only weeks away.
36:24Flight deck operations
36:25are never without danger.
36:30One of the most
36:32hazardous moments
36:33aboard any carrier
36:34is when aircraft
36:35return from a mission.
36:47Pilots rely
36:48on the air traffic
36:49controller
36:49to orchestrate
36:50the carefully
36:51sequenced return
36:52of the planes.
36:54Lens on
36:55landing lights on.
36:56Pilots are guided
37:00by landing
37:01signal officers
37:02on deck.
37:06Pilots themselves
37:08the LSOs
37:09mark and grade
37:11every landing.
37:16In a delicate
37:17and difficult
37:18maneuver
37:18the pilot
37:19must use
37:20his plane's
37:21tail hook
37:21to snag
37:22one of four
37:23wires
37:24that extend
37:24only six inches
37:25off the deck.
37:27Catching the third
37:28wire will get
37:29him the best
37:30grade.
37:31But hooking
37:31any one of them
37:32will achieve
37:33the essential goal
37:34a safe landing.
37:37It's a little
37:37steeper than
37:38most airports.
37:39They usually
37:40use two and a half
37:40or three degrees
37:41for their glide
37:41sub.
37:43And then everybody
37:44flares.
37:44Here's a controlled
37:45crash.
37:46Study approach
37:47Tomcat on
37:48Bravo!
37:49Bravo!
37:49Bravo!
37:49Okay.
37:50Have a while guys.
37:59When a plane's
38:01tail hook
38:01misses the wire
38:02the pilot
38:03is forced
38:04to bolter.
38:05Shove open
38:06the throttle
38:06and blast off
38:07the bow
38:08before coming
38:08around to do
38:09it again.
38:13Bolters
38:13are serious
38:14business.
38:16One too many
38:17on the next flight
38:18the pilot
38:18will take
38:19is back
38:19to shore
38:20to re-qualify
38:21for carrier
38:22operations.
38:25F-A-18 pilot
38:27Jesse King
38:27returns
38:28after another
38:29mission over
38:30Iraq.
38:32When you're
38:33coming back
38:33to the carrier
38:34you're always
38:34a little apprehensive.
38:36There's a little
38:36tension that builds
38:36up because
38:37landing is the
38:38most dangerous
38:38part of the
38:39flight.
38:43Today
38:44Jesse lands
38:45successfully.
38:48Tomorrow
38:48he will do
38:49it all again.
38:55Looks on going.
38:56Never stop.
38:57Day in, day out
38:58like Groundhog Day.
39:00Good luck, Jesse.
39:03Flight operations
39:05continue around
39:06the clock.
39:09As the day ends
39:10a new group
39:11of aviators
39:12prepare for
39:13a nighttime
39:13intelligence
39:14operation.
39:15First we'll
39:17go over
39:17the overall
39:17picture.
39:18This crew
39:19will search
39:19the electronic
39:20signals that
39:21may indicate
39:21the presence
39:22of Iraqi
39:23missile sites.
39:24We do see
39:24any contacts
39:25down there
39:25that we
39:26haven't
39:26identified
39:27electronically.
39:29When we
39:29come back
39:30there's going
39:30to be
39:31eight people
39:31below us
39:32in the overhead
39:32stack.
39:33There'll be
39:33two Tomcats
39:34and two Hornets
39:36at 2,000 feet.
39:37Lieutenant John
39:39Abamondi is
39:40an electronics
39:41warfare officer.
39:43He and three
39:44other crew
39:44members are
39:45flying the
39:46night shift.
39:47Seat taken?
39:48Oh, same.
39:49Just for you.
39:53Lieutenant
39:54Hewing is
39:54the pilot.
39:56What's that?
39:57The unfortunate
39:57part about that
39:58is now I do
39:59have to go
39:59and fly at night
39:59which is not
40:01so fun.
40:02Beautiful day
40:02out there.
40:03Nice day to fly.
40:04Not a nice night
40:04to fly.
40:05There's no moon.
40:05I think the
40:07percent illumination
40:08from the moon
40:08tonight is 2%
40:09and when I deal
40:11it's 100%
40:11so it's going
40:13to be a dark
40:13night out there.
40:14It was all dark
40:15last night.
40:15Thanks.
40:17The fighter's job
40:18is to protect
40:19the bomb droppers
40:21from getting shot
40:21down by other
40:22airplanes.
40:23Our job is to
40:24keep them from
40:24getting shot down
40:25by enemy SAMs.
40:26So we have
40:28jamming pods
40:29on the aircraft
40:29that I'll show you
40:30and they're capable
40:33of blinding
40:34the enemy radars
40:35the airplane
40:37they fly
40:38the four-seat
40:39prowler
40:40is a relatively
40:41new addition
40:41to the battle
40:42group.
40:45Sent out ahead
40:47it is the prowler's
40:48job to locate
40:49and jam Iraqi
40:50radar.
40:53Iraqi missiles
40:54will then be
40:55unable to locate
40:56and attack
40:57the aircraft
40:58that follow.
40:58unlike the
41:04fighter jets
41:05it protects
41:06the prowler
41:07has no
41:07air-to-air
41:08weapons of
41:08its own.
41:10This leaves
41:10the crew
41:11defenseless
41:12to enemy
41:12aircraft
41:13during its
41:14missions
41:15over to Iraq.
41:17When I was
41:17here in
41:17Desert Storm
41:18I had a couple
41:19airplanes in my
41:19squadron shot
41:20down.
41:21Two of those
41:22guys were
41:22POWs.
41:23Two other
41:24airplanes in my
41:25wing were
41:26shot down.
41:27One guy was
41:28killed.
41:29We have a
41:30normal survival
41:31vest that we
41:32carry.
41:32That's this thing
41:32that Weed's got
41:33on here.
41:34It's got everything
41:34from a survival
41:36radio and
41:36flares and that
41:38kind of stuff.
41:39I carry hard
41:40currency in my
41:41pocket when I
41:42fly over Iraq
41:42just in case.
41:43Visa, baby.
41:44Visa, too.
41:46And the other
41:47thing they give us
41:47is what we
41:49aviators refer
41:49to as a
41:50blood shit.
41:51Essentially,
41:52as you can see,
41:52it's got some
41:52serial numbers on
41:53here and a bunch
41:54of different
41:54languages.
41:55basically explains
41:56that I'm an
41:58American and
41:58I'm not going
41:59to hurt you.
41:59I had to be
42:00separated from
42:01my aircraft and
42:02it offers the
42:03guy a reward if
42:05he helps us out.
42:06So we'll carry
42:07this.
42:07It's kind of a
42:08last resort.
42:10It's a good
42:10thing to have
42:11with you.
42:12John explains
42:13how he got
42:14his nickname.
42:16It's an
42:16Italian thing.
42:17It's one of
42:19those stupid
42:20things that you
42:20would never
42:20think would
42:21stick.
42:22But the more
42:22you protest it,
42:23the more it
42:23does.
42:24Do you think
42:25they're going to
42:25call you
42:25killer or
42:27maverick or
42:29something like
42:30that?
42:30I got eggplant.
42:39As night
42:39descends on the
42:40gulp, operations
42:42begin on board
42:43the Independence
42:44with the launch
42:45of the prowler.
42:45just off the
42:52carrier's
42:53starboard stern,
42:54the guided
42:55missile cruiser
42:55San Jacinto
42:56prepares for a
42:58mission of its
42:59own.
43:03Our helo's headed
43:04up into the
43:05northern Arabian
43:06Gulf, looking for
43:07merchant ships
43:07either inbound or
43:08exiting from Iraq.
43:09We find that
43:13these smugglers
43:14have a tendency
43:14to leave at
43:15night.
43:16Of course,
43:16they've got a
43:16better chance
43:17of trying to
43:18get through at
43:19night, they
43:19think, but we
43:20have all kinds
43:20of equipment
43:21that can detect
43:22them, light or
43:23dark.
43:25Attached to the
43:25front of the
43:26helicopter is a
43:27specially designed
43:27camera called
43:29FLIR, short for
43:31forward-looking
43:32infrared.
43:32It can turn
43:36night into day.
43:39This image was
43:40taken from over
43:41two miles away.
43:47Tonight, one of
43:48the helicopters
43:48sees a large
43:49cargo vessel
43:50traveling suspiciously
43:52close to Iranian
43:53shores.
43:56Images of the
43:57ship are instantly
43:58relayed to the
43:59destroyer, the
44:00John S. McCain.
44:02If the vessel is
44:03suspected of
44:04smuggling, it
44:05will be the
44:05destroyer that
44:06sends out a
44:07boarding crew to
44:08search it.
44:12During nighttime
44:13interdictions, the
44:14ship is dark.
44:16Even on the
44:17bridge, no lights
44:18are allowed.
44:21This scene was
44:22filmed using a
44:23night vision camera.
44:28Concealed by
44:29darkness, the
44:30McCain will
44:31track the
44:31suspect vessel.
44:32An Iranian
44:41warship pulls up
44:42next to the
44:43vessel.
44:47But almost as
44:47quickly, it
44:48departs.
44:50Oops, there
44:51he goes out
44:51the back.
44:52Do they give us
44:53a track number?
44:54They have
44:55several kinds.
44:56suspecting some
44:58kind of covert
44:59activity, the
45:00captain reluctantly
45:01gives the order to
45:02board the ship.
45:04We don't like to
45:04board at night.
45:06It tends to be
45:07dangerous and it's a
45:08risk that we don't
45:08really need to take.
45:09back to the boarding
45:16team, sir.
45:18The boarding
45:19team's on board.
45:21Dressed in body armor
45:22and armed with
45:23submachine guns, the
45:24boarding team begins a
45:25search of the ship.
45:26They take no chances.
45:35They take no chances.
45:35The search party hits
45:41paydirt.
45:42Crowder.
45:42That's Crowder.
45:43Right there.
45:43Crowder.
45:44I'm sorry.
45:45In one of the biggest
45:45finds since the embargo
45:47against Iraq began,
45:4820,000 tons of smuggled
45:51oil is discovered on
45:52board.
45:52The ship will be
45:57detained, its cargo sold
45:59and the proceeds will go
46:01in part to fund the
46:02UN operation in the
46:03Gulf.
46:12Back on the
46:13independence, the
46:13prowler crew returns at
46:153 a.m.
46:17For pilots, night
46:18landings are a
46:19tremendous challenge.
46:22Jesse King knows the
46:25risks involved.
46:28You're coming in and
46:29you're seeing this deck
46:29and it's kind of floating
46:30in space and doing some
46:32weird things, rolling out
46:33there and you get the
46:35sense of vertigo and so
46:38you're not sure when your
46:39wings are level and when
46:39they're not and you're
46:42concentrating so hard and
46:43yeah, I would say it's
46:47fear.
46:52On his first attempt,
46:55Lieutenant Ewing does a
46:56bolter and is forced to
46:57go around again.
46:58night ops are always
47:21terrible.
47:22See, I gave you a little
47:23extra time to set up so I
47:25took it around another
47:25time.
47:27Yeah, well, I think it
47:29was actually a hook
47:29skip.
47:30I hope.
47:31We'll see.
47:35A hook skip occurs when
47:37the plane's tail hook
47:38bounces over the
47:39arresting wire.
47:42One of the LSOs will let
47:44Spew know whether he or
47:46his tail hook is to
47:47blame.
47:47Fly through up on
47:48start, a little high in
47:49the middle.
47:50Little enough power to
47:50come down close, we'll
47:51fly through out the ramp,
47:52skip to two for the OK
47:53three wire.
47:53You're awful kind.
47:54His relief is
48:00understandable.
48:01As a naval aviator,
48:03Spew knows that he is
48:04only as good as his last
48:06landing.
48:07The next morning aboard the
48:15tennis, it is crunch time
48:16for Jennifer Kiefer.
48:19Today, she goes before her
48:20superiors to take her final
48:22test to become a fully
48:24qualified aircraft handler, a
48:26yellow shirt.
48:29Right now, I'm about ready to
48:30take my board.
48:31And the board means I'm going
48:33go in the yellow shirt locker
48:34and there's going to be
48:35their boatswain, all the
48:37chiefs in my division, all
48:39the fly POs and a couple
48:40of the second classes, and
48:42they're going to be throwing
48:42questions at me.
48:44Opportunity for her to show
48:45her stuff and to see if
48:46she's really ready to do
48:47what she needs to do.
48:48Kiefer faces a tough crowd.
48:54Their standards are high.
48:57Even though she has worked
48:58hard to get here, they have
49:00no intention of just giving
49:01these yellow shirts away.
49:05Explain to me the procedures
49:06of moving a no-brake
49:08aircraft.
49:09So you'll have your tractor
49:10driver, your yellow shirt
49:12directing.
49:14If you're tractor driver,
49:15yellow shirt directing, you're
49:16going to have your chalk
49:16walkers, whistles in their
49:18mounts, chalk's fully
49:19extended, paying attention.
49:21You're also going to have a
49:22safety on the back and two
49:26sectors on the side.
49:28Now what part did you leave
49:29out?
49:34I can tell you.
49:39You're a gear puller.
49:40I'm the gear puller.
49:41I'm going to say hold the
49:42retract.
49:44The dude's going to hold
49:45the retract.
49:45Why?
49:46Why?
49:47Because if not, you're just
49:47going to pull him back.
49:49Why?
49:51You have to understand why.
49:53That's the key to all of this.
49:54Okay.
49:54Not just knowing the
49:55procedures, but why the
49:56procedure.
49:58Why?
49:59What?
50:00Despite some difficulties,
50:01Airman Kiefer does manage to
50:03pass the test.
50:05She doesn't know everything she
50:07needs to know.
50:07She knows enough to, as we say,
50:09to be dangerous.
50:10She knows enough where she can
50:11go out here and effectively do
50:12what she needs to do and do it
50:15correctly.
50:16I came to the Navy to be a yellow
50:19shirt.
50:19I'm finally a yellow shirt.
50:21I feel really good.
50:22You're going to be able to take
50:23that UI off your helmet?
50:24Yeah.
50:26As soon as my paperwork comes back,
50:28I'm going to rip it off.
50:30I can't wait.
50:31I can't wait.
50:32For the 25,000 men and women
50:37working aboard these ships of
50:38war, their six-month tour of
50:40duty ended before the call to
50:42strike ever came.
50:46Aboard the Independence, their
50:47departure is particularly
50:48meaningful.
50:50After 39 years, this will be the
50:52carrier's last patrol.
50:56It's a different thing in your
50:57life.
50:58When you've been assigned to a
51:00ship, then you know that you're
51:02going to be put out of service.
51:04You become tuned in with the ship,
51:07especially as much time as I've
51:09spent with this carrier and the
51:12people that are associated with it.
51:14You get tuned into the steel, so to
51:16speak, is the way I put it.
51:20The Indy has been around since the
51:22days of the Cuban Missile Crisis.
51:25Her missions have included Vietnam,
51:27Lebanon, and Granada.
51:32Many pilots have flown off her deck,
51:35never to return.
51:43The Independence battle group will
51:45soon be replaced by another.
51:51A new group of pilots spends its days
51:53and nights gathering information about
51:56Iraqi troop movements, surveying missile
52:00sites, and identifying locations of
52:03Iraqi weapons programs.
52:06They are laying the groundwork for the
52:08strike that is soon to come.
52:10Tensions with Iraq escalate once again in
52:15November 1998, and it is the USS
52:18Enterprise that is sent to reinforce troops
52:21already in the region.
52:22But this time, Saddam does not back down.
52:32And in the early morning of December 16th,
52:35the battle group begins to rain down
52:37Tomahawk cruise missiles on Iraq.
52:42And during it all, Saddam Hussein remains defiant.
52:46This is a very dangerous man across the horizon
52:54of threat.
52:56This threat is going to continue,
52:58and it is going to expand,
52:59and we have to be ready for it.
53:03For the past 10 years, hundreds of thousands
53:06of troops have served in the Gulf,
53:09working aboard the most advanced warships ever built.
53:12Okay, it's another busy day here in the Arabian Gulf.
53:15We'll continue with our U.N. Security Council
53:17resolutions, enforcement, and sanctions against Iraq.
53:21And until the crisis ends, they will continue
53:25to cycle through these waters.
53:32Presently, there is no alternative to the battle group.
53:37This blue-water navy may not be comfortable
53:40in the shallow brown water of the Gulf.
53:43But for now, it is the best there is.
53:58Navigate your own way through the battle group.
54:00Get the facts on each member of the fleet.
54:03Log on to NOVA's website at www.pbs.org.
54:10To order the show for $19.95, plus shipping and handling,
54:30call 1-800-255-9424.
54:34And, to learn more about how science can solve
54:37the mysteries of our world,
54:39ask about our many other NOVA videos.
54:59NOVA is a production of WGBH Boston.
55:02Major funding for NOVA is provided by
55:10The Park Foundation,
55:12dedicated to education and quality television.
55:17And by iOmega,
55:19makers of the zip drive and 100 megabyte zip disks.
55:23Your universe is expanding,
55:25but you can save it
55:26in your own personal space.
55:29iOmega, because it's your stuff.
55:32This program is funded in part
55:36by Northwestern Mutual Life,
55:38which has been protecting families
55:40and businesses for generations.
55:43Have you heard from the quiet company?
55:45Northwestern Mutual Life.
55:48And by
55:48the Corporation for Public Broadcasting
55:50and viewers like you.
56:00This is PBS.
56:01To learn more about NOVA,
56:08you can order the NOVA Reader,
56:10the series companion book.
56:12This hardcover edition is available for $24.95,
56:15plus shipping and handling.
56:17To order,
56:18call 1-800-255-9424.
56:27Next time on NOVA.
56:30Is Earth on the verge of a catastrophic flood?
56:33Or the next ice age?
56:36Antarctica could hold the answer.
56:38Warnings from the ice.
56:47Which means noves.
56:49Thanks to everyone for the aik jeep.
56:51Because...