Attempted Rescue of Iran Hostages, April 24–25, 1980
SYRIA
TURKMENISTAN
Caspian Sea
Lake
Urmia
Mashhad
Tehran
Garmsar
Hamadan
IRAQ
Hide site
Manzariyeh Air Base
Qom
ZA
G
RO
S
Esfahan
M
TS
Na’in
DA S H- E-K AV IR
(GREAT SALT DESERT)
AFGHANISTAN
Birjand
Desert One
3
Yazd
.
IRAN
Abadan
Shiraz
PAKISTAN
KUWAIT
Pe
ia
rs
n
N
ul
f
BAHRAIN
H
t of
rai
t
S
QATAR
1
Unexecuted Route
Helicopter advance
Helicopter advance
C-130 advance and
retreat
Strategic location
Truck advance
C-141 retreat
0
0
500 miles
500 km
ul
G
Executed Route
Chah
Bahar
uz
orm
SAUDI ARABIA
G
fo
2
f O m an
USS Nimitz
UNITED ARAB
EMIRATES
Arabian
Sea
OMAN
1
Masirah
Operation Eagle Claw, scheduled for April 24–26, 1980, called for eight Sea Stallion helicopters (flying from the USS Nimitz just south
of the Persian Gulf) to rendezvous with refueling aircraft (flying from Masirah Island, Oman) at Desert One and then proceed with the
Delta Force team to a hide site just southeast of Tehran to rendezvous before dawn with agents already inside the country. (A
minimum of six helicopters were necessary for the mission’s successful completion.) On the next night, team members would leave
the hide site to enter Tehran in trucks, infiltrate the embassy, seize the hostages, and take them to a nearby stadium; then the
helicopters would fly in, pick up the hostages and their rescuers, and fly them to Manzariyeh, an abandoned airfield southwest of
Tehran that a force of U.S. Army Rangers were to seize the same night. The helicopters would then be destroyed, and waiting C-141
transport planes would take everyone back to Masirah Island.
3. April 25, 12:20–12:45 P.M.: Six helicopters arrive separately at
Desert One, 50–85 minutes behind schedule. One helicopter
1. April 24, 6:00–7:00 P.M.: Six C-130 aircraft carrying Delta
is damaged on landing, leaving only five usable copters.
Force team members, including mission commander Colonel
Charlie Beckworth, depart from Masirah Island. They arrive
April 25, 2:00 A.M.: The mission is aborted on President
at Desert One on time, 10:00–11:00 P.M.
Carter’s orders. Disaster occurs during the withdrawal when
one of the helicopters clips a C-130 and both aircraft burst
2. April 24, 7:30 P.M.: Eight RH-53D Sea Stallion helicopters deinto flames, killing eight crewmen. The whole team evacpart on time from the USS Nimitz, but because of dust
uates back to Masirah on the remaining C-130s but fail to
storms and mechanical problems, two are forced to abort
destroy the other helicopters before departing, leaving toptheir flights and the rest are delayed.
secret plans to be discovered by the Iranians (thus risking the
exposure of agents inside the country).
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