Armed Forces: Modern Spanish Armada

A U.S. Navy Skyhawk darted above the calm waters off Spain’s Mazagón beach, its lights flashing in the early dawn. On that cue, 84 U.S. Navy ships, ten U.S. merchant ships and 14 small Spanish vessels began churning about in the largest military landing operation since World War II. This was Steel Pike I—the Navy’s attempt to prove that old-fashioned assault by sea still holds some advantages over the modern trend toward movement of men by air.

For two hours, 95 helicopters took off from the decks of the carriers Guadalcanal, Boxer and Okinawa to fly 1,300 sorties over the beach, land U.S.

marines and light equipment behind theoretical enemy lines. Some 100 Skyhawks and Phantoms flew protective cover as hundreds of amphibious craft lunged toward the yellow sand to discharge their troops. A giant causeway, assembled at sea, was towed ashore by launches. Aircraft even took off from portable aluminum runways laid down in the sand by Seabees.

“Incredibly Complex.” The landings continued throughout the morning as the troops pushed inland to seize assigned objectives. In all, 28,000 U.S.

marines and 2,000 Spanish marines were deployed. High atop a yellow cliff, a Spanish admiral looked down at the smooth flow of men and machines and termed it “an incredibly complex, perfectly organized and flawless operation.” It was not entirely flawless. Marine Lieut. Colonel James B. Ord, at an inland command post, noted a column of smoke twisting over pine trees on the horizon. Grumbled Ord: “Some damn fool started a forest fire. I hope they get it out quickly.” Then his walkie-talkie man reported: “Two helicopters have collided and crashed.” The H-34 choppers, carrying 22 men, had smashed together some 600 ft. above ground. One burst into flames in the air, the other burned after crashing into a small ravine. Nine enlisted men died.

Next day, a Navy Grumman aircraft on antisubmarine patrol from the carrier Lake Champlain crashed at sea, killing all four crewmen.* Change of Plans. Navy admirals grumbled that they needed faster transport vessels; they had been able to move across the Atlantic at a top speed of only 14 knots. But they proudly pointed out that they had put 28,000 men ashore at a cost of $10,300,000, given them enough supplies to fight self-sufficiently for nearly a month. The Air Force’s Operation Big Lift in October 1963 had required $20 million to fly some 15,000 soldiers in 63 hours from the U.S. to Europe, where they picked up pre-positioned supplies.

Perhaps more significantly, this 1964 Spanish Armada, operating in the same area from which Columbus sailed on his discovery voyage in 1492, demonstrated anew the extent of U.S. military cooperation with Spain. The U.S. has also completed a deal to deliver non-nuclear Hawk antiaircraft missiles and some 1,400-m.p.h. F-104 jet fighters to Franco. All of this is at the displeasure of NATO allies of the U.S., who do not want Franco’s Spain in NATO, and who last week canceled their plans to send observers to Steel Pike I.

* In other U.S. military air accidents last week, a Navy jet bomber buzzed California’s El Centro Naval Air Facility in a Navy Day show, clipped a power pole and slammed into a recreation center. Nine persons were killed.

Two Army transports collided in maneuvers near Augusta, Ga., killing three crewmen in each aircraft.