forms were occupied by Iraqi troops who were Iraqis were killed during the engagement. using them as observation posts to gather in- telligence on U.S. and allied aircraft and ship Searchers found caches of shoulder- movements. launched surface-to-air missiles - an Un- pleasant surprise for the Seahawk pilots who In a daring night-time operation, well had flown near the platforms during the past within range of Iraqi Silkworm missiles and two days. Navy demolition teams destroyed near Iraqi combatant ships and aircraft armed the remaining weapons and long-range radio with Exooet ship-killer missiles, NICHOLAS equipment. and ISTIQLAL attacked the enemy positions. MCHOLAS' relatively low-tech victory NICHOLAS crept to within a mile of contrasted vividly the high-tech hailstorm of the south~~nmost platforms under cover of sea-launched mAMs during the opening days darkness. Armed for air-to-surface combat, of DESERT STORM. The Navy's distributed embarked Army AHIP helicopters, joined by firepower concept - of which ThAM is one NICHOLAS' own SH-60 Seahawk helicopter example - was further demonstrated on 19 from HSL-44, headed north - toward the January when a TLAM was fired by the attack enemy's "back door." Once in range, the submarine USS LOUISVILLE (SSN 724) sub- helicopters launched a volley of precision- merged in the Red Sea. By the end of DESERT guided missiles that destroyed enemy posi- STORM's second day,Navy ships in the Middle tions on the two northernmost platforms. Sec- East had launched 216 ThAMs while continu- onds later, as six Iraqi soldiers attempted to ing to conduct maritime intercept and other escape to a waiting small craft, ammunition sea control operations. stockpiled on the platforms exploded, illumi- nating the `night sky. During DESERT SHIELD/STORM at- tack submarines not only fired TIAMs, but NICHOLAS and her Kuwaiti counter- provided an array of multi-mission capabili- part came within range of their objectives. ties to battle group commanders. Prior to and ~rhile Iraqis on the other platforms were star- during hostilities, eight SSNs were involved in ing at their neighbors' flaming fortifications, surveillance and reconnaissance operations. the two ships opened fire, quicklyneutralizing They also provided indications and warning the remaining platforms. No enemy troops for the battle groups. After hostilities began, had returned fire since the beginning of the an additional five submarines bolstered Navy lightning..�~st operation. forces already on station. An Arabic-speaking crewman called-out As Navy A-6 Intruders pounded Iraqi over the ship's loudspeaker that anyone who minelayers on 22 January, NICHOLAS and wished to s~rrender should raise his hands. A her Seahawks were again busy in the northern monitor in NICHOLAS' combat information Persian Gulf. As the northernmost allied ship, center displayed a flickering infrared image of NICHOLAS launched her helicopters to at- an Iraqi waving weakly. Several hours later, tack Iraqi patrol boats operating less than a the first L3 enemy prisoners of war (EPWs) mile from the Kuwaiti coast. In the battle that w~~e taken as teams boarded the platforms to followed, Seahawk gunners sank or heavily destroy the remaining fortifications. Five damaged all four enemy craft. The following -40-
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