On November 4, 1979, 53 Americans were taken hostage by militant Iranian "students" at the American Embassy in Tehran, Iran. Thus began a period of 444 days in which these Americans were held captive. That same day, the highest levels of the United States government made a commitment to return the Americans to freedom.
It was decided that a combination of helicopters and specialized airlift aircraft would be used to accomplish the planned rescue mission. The military assembled a rescue team comprised of highly skilled personnel from all four military services. All of the men, both aircrew members and the assault force, were volunteers. By the end of November, these men began training at a desert site in the western United States where the terrain and climate were similar to those of Iran. By December, all the various mission components were being integrated into a cohesive rescue force.
As training progressed, the operational plan was to use a remote site well away from Tehran to refuel the helicopters carrying the rescue force for the planned mission. This site became known as Desert One.
Rigorous training and exacting mission practice continued through January, February, and March. Training demands were considerable. Total secrecy was demanded, so special procedures under conditions of radio silence had to be rehearsed and special night visual devices employed. The men's confidence grew, and their readiness was constantly evaluated. At the end of March, the rescue force was alerted to be ready to execute the mission on short notice.
The President gave the authority to launch the mission on the night of April 24, 1980, when visual illumination and weather appeared most favorable. At dusk that evening, eight RH-53 Sea Stallion helicopters took off from the deck of the aircraft carrier Nimitz. Their mission was to fly in darkness at low altitude, in formation, across hostile Iranian territory and rendezvous with the special C-130 aircraft at Desert One. A total of six C-130 aircraft had already departed another location for Desert One.
The mission was about two hours old when the first trouble occurred. Because of severe mechanical problems, one helicopter was forced to land and transfer crew and equipment to another helicopter. A short time later, the C-130s followed by the RH-53s encountered an unexpected dust storm that dangerously degraded visibility and made navigation nearly impossible. As a result, a second helicopter aborted the mission, reversed its course, and returned safely to the carrier Nimitz.
The C-130s arrived first at the Desert One refueling site followed by the six remaining Sea Stallion helicopters. Unfortunately, a third helicopter had developed a hydraulic problem enroute to Desert One. The mission plan required a minimum of six operational helicopters to continue after the planned refueling. With this third helicopter out, the decision was reluctantly made to abort the rescue mission. Preparations were begun to complete the refueling of the helicopters and evacuate the site at Desert One.
Tragically, while an RH-53 helicopter was being repositioned on the ground, its rotary blade struck the fuselage of a C-130, setting the two aircraft ablaze. Though courageous efforts were made to save lives, three Marines in the helicopter were killed, and five Air Force crew members died on the C-130.