Haditha Dam
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| Also known as | Qadisiya Dam; Sadd Haditha |
|---|---|
| Location | Euphrates River north of Haditha, Anbar Governorate |
| Type | Dam complex used as a Marine battalion headquarters and outpost |
| Category | U.S. installation in Iraq |
| Opened | April 2003 (seized by U.S. forces; dam completed 1987) |
| Closed or transferred | December 2008, control returned to Iraq; listed by Multi-National Force-West on 12 January 2009 among Anbar bases already turned over |
| Coordinates | 34.20694, 42.35500 (34°12′25.0″N 42°21′18.0″E) |
Overview
Haditha Dam is an earth-fill dam on the Euphrates north of Haditha, just over 9 kilometers long and 57 meters high, that forms Lake Qadisiyah. Built between 1977 and 1987 with Soviet design and Yugoslav contractors, its six-turbine power station is the second-largest hydroelectric contributor to Iraq's grid after Mosul Dam. In 2003 the complex supplied about a third of Iraq's electrical load and offered the only other Euphrates crossing west of Baghdad.
U.S. special operations forces seized the dam during the invasion to keep it from being destroyed. On 1 April 2003, C Squadron of Delta Force and the 3rd Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment assaulted the complex at night, backed by M1A1 tanks of C Company, 2nd Battalion, 70th Armor. Rangers held the dam for days against artillery, mortar fire and infantry counterattacks, and three Rangers were killed by a car bomb at a blocking position on 3 April. The HIMARS rocket system saw its first combat use there, firing counter-battery missions.
After the invasion, a succession of Marine units used the dam as a headquarters and base for operations in the Haditha area, with a small Azerbaijani detachment providing security from August 2003. Marines lived and worked inside the massive structure, running river patrols from it and naming facilities after fallen comrades.
In 2004 the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Gulf Region Division restored a turbine, and on 3 June 2004 the power station ran at full capacity for the first time since 1990. A new 223-kilometer, 400 kV line was built to carry power from Haditha to Baghdad. Marines of Regimental Combat Team 5 returned control of the dam to Iraq in December 2008.
Timeline
| When | What happened |
|---|---|
| 1977-87 | Dam and power station built north of Haditha. |
| 24 Mar 2003 | 3rd Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment parachuted onto H-1 Air Base to stage operations in western Iraq. |
| 1 Apr 2003 | Delta Force and Rangers seized the Haditha Dam complex in a night assault. |
| 3 Apr 2003 | Three Rangers were killed by a car bomb at a blocking position near the dam. |
| Aug 2003 | Azerbaijani forces began providing security at the dam. |
| Jun 2004 | A restored turbine let the power station run at full capacity for the first time since 1990. |
| 2005 | 3rd Battalion, 25th Marines and 1st Battalion, 23rd Marines were based at the dam during 2005. |
| 2006 | 3rd Battalion, 3rd Marines made the dam its headquarters and ran river patrols on the Euphrates. |
| Dec 2008 | Regimental Combat Team 5 Marines returned control of the dam to Iraq. |
Units stationed at Haditha Dam
Units documented in public sources as based at or operating from Haditha Dam. This list is not complete; units rotated frequently and many smaller elements were never reported. Veterans can add their unit on the message board below.
| # | Unit | When | Role at the base | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 3rd Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment | March - April 2003 | Seized and held the dam complex | link |
| 2 | C Squadron, Delta Force | April 2003 | Night ground assault on the dam with the Rangers; earlier reconnaissance of Iraqi defenses | link |
| 3 | C Company, 2nd Battalion, 70th Armor Regiment | April 2003 | M1A1 tanks supporting the dam seizure | link |
| 4 | Azerbaijani military contingent | August 2003 - 2008 | Security at Haditha Dam | link |
| 5 | U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Gulf Region Division | 2004 | Restored a turbine and helped build a new Haditha-Baghdad power line | link |
| 6 | 1st Battalion, 23rd Marines | 2005 | Marine Reserve infantry battalion stationed inside the dam | link |
| 7 | 3rd Battalion, 25th Marines | 2005 | Marine Reserve infantry battalion based at the dam | link |
| 8 | Combat Logistics Battalion 2, 2nd Marine Logistics Group (Forward) | December 2005 | Logistics during Operation Liberty Express III | link |
| 9 | 3rd Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment | 2006 | Battalion headquarters at Haditha Dam | link |
| 10 | Dam Security Unit, Company B, 4th Assault Amphibian Battalion | 2006 | Boat patrols on the Euphrates, attached to 3rd Battalion, 3rd Marines | link |
| 11 | 3rd Battalion, 23rd Marines | 2007 | Marine Reserve battalion at the dam | link |
| 12 | Combat Logistics Battalion 4, 2nd Marine Logistics Group (Forward) | October 2007 (per photo caption) | Fuel point and logistics for forces in the Haditha area | link |
| 13 | Headquarters Company, Regimental Combat Team 5 | December 2008 | Returned control of the dam to Iraq | link |
Notable events and facts
- In 2003 the dam supplied about one-third of Iraq's electrical grid load.
- The HIMARS rocket system saw its first combat deployment at Haditha Dam in April 2003, firing counter-battery missions.
- Three Rangers were killed on 3 April 2003 by a vehicle-borne bomb at a blocking position near the dam.
- On 3 June 2004 the power station operated at full capacity for the first time since 1990.
- Marines of 3rd Battalion, 3rd Marines dedicated a gym inside the dam to a fallen comrade on 20 August 2006.
- Cartoonist and journalist Joe Sacco spent time with 1st Battalion, 23rd Marines inside the dam in 2005.
Photographs
Roll call: who served at Haditha Dam
No names have been added yet. This roll call is built from the people who served here, one post at a time.
Message board: Haditha Dam
Served here? Share a memory, name your unit, or send a correction. Posts are reviewed before they appear. The full community board is on the Message Board page.
Sources
- Haditha Dam - Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haditha_Dam
- Battle of Haditha Dam - Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Haditha_Dam
- MNF-W signs over Camp Fallujah to GoI control (MNC-I release via GlobalSecurity.org, 12 January 2009). https://www.globalsecurity.org/wmd/library/news/iraq/2009/01/iraq-090112-mnfi01.htm
- Wikimedia Commons: 3rd Battalion, 3rd Marines - Haditha Dam. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:3rd_Battalion,_3rd_Marines_-_Haditha_Dam.jpg
- Wikimedia Commons: USMC-17935 (Ram's Dam Gym). https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:USMC-17935.jpg
- Wikimedia Commons: Azerbaijani soldiers in Iraq 27. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Azerbaijani_soldiers_in_Iraq_27.jpg