A helicopter hovered 30 feet above the main deck of the battleship USS New Jersey Tuesday, just a few feet from the long skyward barrels of the ship's biggest turret guns.
Once the chopper inched into a stationary mid-air position, a rope was dropped onto the forward deck of the ship just in front of the three barrels.
In 15 seconds or less, and one at a time, seven to eight men in battle dress camouflage slid down onto the deck amid the swirling winds created by the copters.
The "assault" team remained crouched until the helicopter crew drew the rope back up and flew off less a minute after dropping the men down.
It was all part of a training exercise conducted by New Jersey State Police, along with U.S. Navy SEALs, on the forecastle of the ship, now retired as a museum on the Delaware River waterfront in Camden.
Sources close to the exercise said the SEALs were members of elite Team Six — the same secret operations assault group that killed al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden at his walled compound in Pakistan on Sunday.
SEAL stands for Sea, Air and Land and is a group descendant from the Navy frogmen of World War II. The Navy never confirms the existence of Team Six and information from the Navy about the battleship exercise was not available Tuesday night.
James Schuck, president and CEO of the Battleship New Jersey Museum and Memorial, said the State Police called late Monday and asked him if the ship would be available for a joint exercise with the SEALs.
"We were happy to accommodate," he said.
Museum officials sent a written advisory to the media Monday night advising that SEALs would take part in an exercise on the battleship the most decorated in Navy history. As media arrived Tuesday, ship staff refused to confirm or deny that, reportedly at the request of the State Police.
But sources close to the exercise confirmed SEALs were on board to help train the State Police and that one was retired. Some museum staff even had a private photo taken with SEAL members.
Once the chopper inched into a stationary mid-air position, a rope was dropped onto the forward deck of the ship just in front of the three barrels.
In 15 seconds or less, and one at a time, seven to eight men in battle dress camouflage slid down onto the deck amid the swirling winds created by the copters.
The "assault" team remained crouched until the helicopter crew drew the rope back up and flew off less a minute after dropping the men down.
It was all part of a training exercise conducted by New Jersey State Police, along with U.S. Navy SEALs, on the forecastle of the ship, now retired as a museum on the Delaware River waterfront in Camden.
Sources close to the exercise said the SEALs were members of elite Team Six — the same secret operations assault group that killed al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden at his walled compound in Pakistan on Sunday.
SEAL stands for Sea, Air and Land and is a group descendant from the Navy frogmen of World War II. The Navy never confirms the existence of Team Six and information from the Navy about the battleship exercise was not available Tuesday night.
James Schuck, president and CEO of the Battleship New Jersey Museum and Memorial, said the State Police called late Monday and asked him if the ship would be available for a joint exercise with the SEALs.
"We were happy to accommodate," he said.
Museum officials sent a written advisory to the media Monday night advising that SEALs would take part in an exercise on the battleship the most decorated in Navy history. As media arrived Tuesday, ship staff refused to confirm or deny that, reportedly at the request of the State Police.
