Free First SEALs by Patrick K. O'Donnell Page B

establish a base there to service Yugoslav partisans.”
    As Taylor was leaving for his new post in Italy, additional Maritime Unit men from Washington arrived at the Greek Desk in Cairo to augment Taylor’s command of one. Along with the men, word came that the long-awaited high-speed boat would also arrive, on loan from the U.S. Army. Taylor’s parting words to his replacements were “sign for it in my name before they change their mind.”

    T AYLOR WOULDN’T BE heading to Italy alone: Hayden, Tofte, and Smith would accompany him, although it looked at first as though Hayden would be taking part in a very different mission. Initially Hayden received orders for a proposed mission in the Greek isles. Handing the former leading man “a formidable sheaf of documents, Colonel Guenther advised, ‘I suggest, lieutenant, that you study these intelligence reports. Familiarize yourself with the situation in Greece. But I warn you, you will find it a most complex situation.’”
    Weeks passed, and no one in command followed up with Hayden, who was under the impression he was taking “a group of escapees from Greece fitting out a cargo ketch, and running her up through the Greek Islands.” Guenther, after returning from Washington, finally informed him that “The British have that mission sewn up.”
    â€œI see,” responded Hayden.
    â€œWell, [Hayden], a report has just come in that there is a man named Tito up in Yugoslavia. They say he’s a Communist, but apparently he’s in control of quite a large guerrilla organization, so why don’t you hop up to Bari, Italy . . . and see whether you can be of some service.”
    With a “fistful of orders,” Hayden joined Taylor, Smith, and Tofte, and they departed for Bari.

    * The Italians, who had broken from the Axis not long after the Allies landed at Salerno, Italy, on September 9, 1943, surrendered to the Allies. To prevent Italy’s collapse, the Germans quickly occupied Rome and other portions of the country with their forces. For several weeks the Italians were unsure of their alliances. Later the Italian change of allegiance would provide a unique opportunity for MU’s underwater operations.

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    TREASURE ISLAND
    B ACK IN THE U NITED S TATES , under Woolley’s direction, the original handful of combat swimmers multiplied, morphing into Operational Swimmer Groups I, II, and L, comprised of thirty to forty men per unit. * Woolley’s vision of creating combat swimmers on par with the Italians was becoming a reality. With Christian Lambertsen finally graduated from medical school, the newly minted naval captain joined the OSS on a full-time basis. He would play a key role in the swimmer groups’ ongoing development as well as the continuing development of the LARU.
    Recruiting men to utilize the rebreather equipment proved a challenge. Instead of looking for former Navy divers, who often used hardhat-like diving equipment and worked on everything from submerged wrecks to ship repairs below the waterline, the OSS wanted expert swimmers. The MU didn’t want average swimmers who needed instruction; they sought out the best in the world—Olympic-caliber swimmers and national champions. The OSS knew these men were in excellent physical condition and were experienced in the use of swim fins and face masks. A large number of these world-class swimmers were, infact, Southern California “beach rats.” Undoubtedly spurred on by Taylor’s early experience testing the rebreather in the waters of Santa Monica with Wadley and Peterson, OSS combed the beaches as well as the Coast Guard and Navy ranks, looking to recruit lifeguards and expert swimmers. One Southern California beach rat, James Eubanks, later reflected,
    I was a lifeguard in L.A. County. If you’ve seen Baywatch on TV, it was Baywatch minus the babes. We had a boat named Baywatch , but we didn’t have girls in the