Operation Praying Mantis
Encyclopedia
Operation Praying Mantis was an attack on April 18, 1988, by U.S. naval forces
within Iranian territorial waters in retaliation for the Iran
ian mining
of the Persian Gulf
during the Iran Iraq war and the subsequent damage to an American warship.
On 14 April, the guided missile frigate USS Samuel B. Roberts
struck a mine while deployed in the Persian Gulf as part of Operation Earnest Will
, the 1987–88 convoy missions in which U.S. warships escorted reflagged Kuwait
i oil tankers to protect them from Iranian attacks. The explosion opened a 25-foot hole in the Robertss hull and nearly sank it. The crew saved their ship with no loss of life, and Roberts was towed to Dubai
on 16 April. After the mining, U.S. Navy divers recovered other mines in the area. When the serial numbers were found to match those of mines seized along with the Iran Ajr
the previous September, U.S. military officials planned a retaliatory operation against Iranian targets in the Persian Gulf.
The attack by the U.S. helped pressure Iran to agree to a ceasefire with Iraq later that summer, ending the eight-year conflict between the Persian Gulf neighbors.
On November 6, 2003, the International Court of Justice
ruled that "the actions of the United States of America against Iranian oil platforms on 19 October 1987 (Operation Nimble Archer) and 18 April 1988 (Operation Praying Mantis) cannot be justified as measures necessary to protect the essential security interests of the United States of America." The International court of justice also dismissed Iran's claim that the attack by United States Navy was a breach of the 1955 Treaty of Amity between the two countries.
This battle was the largest of the five major U.S. surface engagements since the Second World War, which also include the Battle of Chumonchin Chan during the Korean War
, the Gulf of Tonkin incident
and the Battle of Dong Hoi during the Vietnam War
, and the Action in the Gulf of Sidra
in 1986. It also marked the U.S. Navy
's first exchange of anti-ship missiles by ships.
, and her ASW/AAW escort . The action began with coordinated strikes by two surface groups.
One surface action group, or SAG, consisting of the destroyer
s USS Merrill (DD 976)
and USS Lynde McCormick (DDG 8)
, plus the amphibious transport dock
USS Trenton (LPD-14)
and its embarked Marine Air Ground Task Force, was ordered to destroy the guns and other military facilities on the Sassan oil platform. At 8 am, the SAG commander, who was also the commander of Destroyer Squadron 9, ordered the Merrill to radio a warning to the occupants of the platform, telling them to abandon it. The SAG waited 20 minutes, then opened fire. The oil platform fired back with 8-barrelled 23mm ZSU-23 guns. The SAG's guns eventually disabled some of the ZSU-23s, and platform occupants radioed a request for a cease-fire. The SAG complied. After a tug carrying more personnel had cleared the area, the ships resumed exchanging fire with the remaining ZSU-23s, and ultimately disabled them. Cobra gunships completed the destruction of enemy resistance. The Marines boarded the platform, and recovered a single wounded survivor (who was transported to Bahrain), some small arms, and intelligence. The Marines planted explosives, left the platform, and set them off. The SAG was then ordered to proceed north to the Rakhsh oil platform to destroy it.
As the SAG departed the Sassan oil field, two Iranian F-4s made an attack run, but broke off when the Lynde McCormick locked its fire control radar on the aircraft. Halfway to the Rahksh oil platform, the attack was called off in an attempt to ease pressure on the Iranians and signal a desire for de-escalation.
The other group, which included guided missile cruiser Wainwright and frigate
s Simpson and Bagley, attacked the Sirri
oil platform.
The SEALS were assigned to capture, occupy and destroy the Sirri platform but due to heavy pre-assault damage from Naval Gunfire, it was determined that an assault was not required.
Iran responded by dispatching Boghammar speedboats to attack various targets in the Persian Gulf
, including the American-flagged supply ship Willy Tide, the Panamanian-flagged Scan Bay and the British tanker York Marine. All of these vessels were damaged in different degrees. After the attacks, A-6E Intruder
aircraft from the VA-95 "Green Lizards" were directed to the speedboats by an American frigate. The two aircraft, piloted by Lieutenant Commander James Engler and Lieutenant Paul Webb, dropped Rockeye cluster bomb
s on the speedboats, sinking one and damaging several others, which then fled to the Iranian-controlled island of Abu Musa
.
Action continued to escalate. The Joshan
, an Iranian Combattante II Kaman
-class fast attack craft, challenged USS Wainwright (CG-28) and Surface Action Group Charlie. The commanding officer of USS Wainwright directed a final warning (of a series of warnings) stating that the Joshan
was to "stop your engines, abandon ship, I intend to sink you". Joshan
responded by firing a Harpoon missile at them. The USS Simpson (FFG-56)
responded to the challenge by firing two Standard missiles
, while Wainwright followed with one Standard missile. The attacks destroyed the Iranian ship's superstructure but did not immediately sink it, so USS Bagley (FF-1069)
fired a Harpoon of its own; the missile did not find the target. SAG Charlie closed on the Joshan, with Simpson, then Bagley and Wainwright firing guns to sink the crippled Iranian ship.
Two Iranian F-4 Phantom fighters then approached the Wainwright. One fighter left the area soon after the cruiser placed its 55B Fire Control Radar in search mode. The second fighter made a low-altitude approach towards the warship, which responded by firing two SM-2 missiles at the fighter. One hit the Iranian aircraft, blowing off part of its wing and peppering the fuselage with shrapnel. The Iranian pilot managed to land his damaged airplane at Bandar Abbas.
Fighting continued when the Iranian frigate IS Sahand (F74)
departed Bandar Abbas
and challenged elements of an American surface group. The frigate was spotted by two VA-95 A-6Es while they were flying surface combat air patrol for USS Joseph Strauss (DDG-16)
.
Sahand fired missiles at the A-6Es, and U.S. Intruders replied with two Harpoon missiles and four laser-guided Skipper
bombs. USS Joseph Strauss fired a Harpoon. Most, if not all of the shots scored hits, causing heavy damage and fires. Fires blazing on Sahands decks eventually reached her munitions magazines, causing an explosion that sank the vessel. Despite the loss of Sahand, one of Iran's most modern ships, the Iranian Navy continued to fight.
Late in the day, the Iranian frigate IS Sabalan (F73)
, departed from its berth and fired a surface-to-air missile at several A-6Es from VA-95. An A-6 then dropped a Mark 82 laser-guided bomb
into the Sabalans smokestack, crippling the ship and leaving it burning. The Iranian frigate, stern partially submerged, was taken in tow by an Iranian tug, and was repaired and returned to service. VA-95's aircraft, as ordered, did not continue the attack. The A-6 pilot who crippled the Sabalan was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross
by Admiral
William J. Crowe
, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff
, for these actions against the Sabalan and the Iranian gunboats.
Iran may have fired Silkworm missiles from land bases against SAG Delta in the Strait of Hormuz and against in the northern central Persian Gulf
. U.S. officials, in their after-action report, said there was no evidence of this. Lee Allen Zatarain in "Tanker War" presents evidence that Iran did launch missiles, which were engaged by the targeted U.S. Navy ships without damage.
, U.S. naval forces were ordered to assume a de-escalatory posture, giving Iran a way out and avoiding further combat. Iran took the offer and combat ceased, though both sides remained on alert, and near clashes occurred throughout the night and into the next day as the forces steamed within the Gulf. Two days after the battle, the USS Lynde McCormick (DDG 8)
was directed to escort a U.S. oiler out through the Strait of Hormuz. (A Scandinavian flagged merchant remained near, probably for protection.) While the ships remained alert, no hostile indications were received, and the clash was over.
, and sunk at least three armed Iranian speedboats, one Iranian frigate and one fast attack gunboat. One other Iranian frigate was damaged in the battle. Sabalan was repaired in 1989 and has since been upgraded, and is still in service with the Iranian navy. In short, Iran lost one major warship and a smaller gunboat. Damage to the oil platforms was eventually repaired and they are now back in service.
The U.S. side suffered two casualties: the aircrew of a Marine Corps AH-1T Sea Cobra
helicopter gunship. The Cobra, attached to the USS Trenton, was flying reconnaissance from the Wainwright and crashed sometime after dark about 15 miles southwest of Abu Musa
island. The bodies of Capt. Stephen C. Leslie, 30, of New Bern, N.C., and Capt. Kenneth W. Hill, 33, of Thomasville, N.C., were recovered by Navy divers in May, and the wreckage of the helicopter was raised later that month. Navy officials said it showed no sign of battle damage.
The guided missile cruiser USS Vincennes
was called to protect the extraction of the Roberts and arrived a month later. The heightened tensions contributed to the crew of the Vincennes shooting down a commercial airliner on a routine flight, Iran Air Flight 655
, killing all 290 crew and passengers on 3 July, less than two months after their arrival. According to the U.S. government, the Iranian Airbus was mistakenly identified as an attacking military F-14
fighter. The Iranian government, however, maintains that the Vincennes knowingly shot down a civilian aircraft.
Operation Praying Mantis is one of five American naval engagements cited by United States Naval Academy
Prof. Craig L. Symonds in his book Decision at Sea (2005) as being decisive in establishing U.S. naval superiority. The others were the Battle of Lake Erie
(1813), the Battle of Hampton Roads
(1862), the Battle of Manila Bay
(1898), and the Battle of Midway
(1942).
On 6 November 2003 the International Court of Justice
dismissed Iran's claim for reparation against the United States for breach of the 1955 Treaty of Amity between the two countries. The court also dismissed a counterclaim by the United States, also for reparation for breach of the same treaty. The court ruled in favor of neither party, saying that "the actions of the United States of America against Iranian oil platforms on 19 October 1987 (Operation Nimble Archer) and 18 April 1988 (Operation Praying Mantis) cannot be justified as measures necessary to protect the essential security interests of the United States of America." The Court also ruled that it, "...cannot however uphold the submission of the Islamic Republic of Iran that those actions constitute a breach of the obligations of the United States of America under Article X, paragraph 1, of that Treaty, regarding freedom of commerce between the territories of the parties, and that, accordingly, the claim of the Islamic Republic of Iran for reparation also cannot be upheld;"
Surface Action Group Bravo
Surface Action Group Charlie
Surface Action Group Delta
Air support
United States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
within Iranian territorial waters in retaliation for the Iran
Iran
Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
ian mining
Naval mine
A naval mine is a self-contained explosive device placed in water to destroy surface ships or submarines. Unlike depth charges, mines are deposited and left to wait until they are triggered by the approach of, or contact with, an enemy vessel...
of the Persian Gulf
Persian Gulf
The Persian Gulf, in Southwest Asia, is an extension of the Indian Ocean located between Iran and the Arabian Peninsula.The Persian Gulf was the focus of the 1980–1988 Iran-Iraq War, in which each side attacked the other's oil tankers...
during the Iran Iraq war and the subsequent damage to an American warship.
On 14 April, the guided missile frigate USS Samuel B. Roberts
USS Samuel B. Roberts (FFG-58)
USS Samuel B. Roberts is one of the final ships in the United States Navy's Oliver Hazard Perry class of guided missile frigates . The ship was severely damaged by an Iranian mine in 1988, leading U.S. forces to respond with Operation Praying Mantis.-Commissioning and namesake:The frigate was...
struck a mine while deployed in the Persian Gulf as part of Operation Earnest Will
Operation Earnest Will
Operation Earnest Will was the U.S. military protection of Kuwaiti owned tankers from Iranian attacks in 1987 and 1988, three years into the Tanker War phase of the Iran–Iraq War. It was the largest naval convoy operation since World War II.The U.S. Navy warships that escorted the tankers, part of...
, the 1987–88 convoy missions in which U.S. warships escorted reflagged Kuwait
Kuwait
The State of Kuwait is a sovereign Arab state situated in the north-east of the Arabian Peninsula in Western Asia. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to the south at Khafji, and Iraq to the north at Basra. It lies on the north-western shore of the Persian Gulf. The name Kuwait is derived from the...
i oil tankers to protect them from Iranian attacks. The explosion opened a 25-foot hole in the Robertss hull and nearly sank it. The crew saved their ship with no loss of life, and Roberts was towed to Dubai
Dubai
Dubai is a city and emirate in the United Arab Emirates . The emirate is located south of the Persian Gulf on the Arabian Peninsula and has the largest population with the second-largest land territory by area of all the emirates, after Abu Dhabi...
on 16 April. After the mining, U.S. Navy divers recovered other mines in the area. When the serial numbers were found to match those of mines seized along with the Iran Ajr
Iran Ajr
Iran Ajr, formerly known as the Arya Rakhsh, was a Japanese-built landing craft used by Iran to lay naval mines during the Iran–Iraq War. Built in 1978, the 614-ton, 54-meter ship was powered by two diesel engines and featured a bow ramp for unloading cargo...
the previous September, U.S. military officials planned a retaliatory operation against Iranian targets in the Persian Gulf.
The attack by the U.S. helped pressure Iran to agree to a ceasefire with Iraq later that summer, ending the eight-year conflict between the Persian Gulf neighbors.
On November 6, 2003, the International Court of Justice
International Court of Justice
The International Court of Justice is the primary judicial organ of the United Nations. It is based in the Peace Palace in The Hague, Netherlands...
ruled that "the actions of the United States of America against Iranian oil platforms on 19 October 1987 (Operation Nimble Archer) and 18 April 1988 (Operation Praying Mantis) cannot be justified as measures necessary to protect the essential security interests of the United States of America." The International court of justice also dismissed Iran's claim that the attack by United States Navy was a breach of the 1955 Treaty of Amity between the two countries.
This battle was the largest of the five major U.S. surface engagements since the Second World War, which also include the Battle of Chumonchin Chan during the Korean War
Korean War
The Korean War was a conventional war between South Korea, supported by the United Nations, and North Korea, supported by the People's Republic of China , with military material aid from the Soviet Union...
, the Gulf of Tonkin incident
Gulf of Tonkin Incident
The Gulf of Tonkin Incident, or the USS Maddox Incident, are the names given to two incidents, one fabricated, involving North Vietnam and the United States in the waters of the Gulf of Tonkin...
and the Battle of Dong Hoi during the Vietnam War
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...
, and the Action in the Gulf of Sidra
Action in the Gulf of Sidra (1986)
In the Action in the Gulf of Sidra, the United States Navy deployed aircraft carrier groups in the disputed Gulf of Sidra in the Mediterranean Sea. Libya claimed that the entire Gulf was their territory, at 32° 30' N, with an exclusive fishing zone. Libyan leader Muammar al-Gaddafi asserted this...
in 1986. It also marked the U.S. Navy
History of the United States Navy
The history of the United States Navy divides into two major periods: the "Old Navy", a small but respected force of sailing ships that was also notable for innovation in the use of ironclads during the American Civil War, and the "New Navy", the result of a modernization effort that began in the...
's first exchange of anti-ship missiles by ships.
Battle
On 18 April, the U.S. Navy attacked with several groups of surface warships, plus aircraft from the carrier USS Enterprise (CVN-65)USS Enterprise (CVN-65)
USS Enterprise , formerly CVA-65, is the world's first nuclear-powered aircraft carrier and the eighth US naval vessel to bear the name. Like her predecessor of World War II fame, she is nicknamed the "Big E". At , she is the longest naval vessel in the world...
, and her ASW/AAW escort . The action began with coordinated strikes by two surface groups.
One surface action group, or SAG, consisting of the destroyer
Destroyer
In naval terminology, a destroyer is a fast and maneuverable yet long-endurance warship intended to escort larger vessels in a fleet, convoy or battle group and defend them against smaller, powerful, short-range attackers. Destroyers, originally called torpedo-boat destroyers in 1892, evolved from...
s USS Merrill (DD 976)
USS Merrill (DD-976)
USS Merrill , named for Rear Admiral Aaron Stanton Merrill USN , was a laid down 16 June 1975 by the Ingalls Shipbuilding Division of Litton Industries at Pascagoula, Mississippi.She was launched 1 September 1976 and commissioned 11 March 1978.-History:USS Merrill had the distinction of being the...
and USS Lynde McCormick (DDG 8)
USS Lynde McCormick (DDG-8)
USS Lynde McCormick was a Charles F. Adams-class destroyer in the United States Navy.Lynde McCormick was laid down 4 April 1958 by Defoe Shipbuilding Company, Bay City, Michigan; launched 28 July 1959; sponsored by Mrs. Lillian McCormick, wife of Admiral McCormick; and commissioned at Boston 3...
, plus the amphibious transport dock
Amphibious transport dock
An amphibious transport dock, also called a landing platform/dock , is an amphibious warfare ship, a warship that embarks, transports, and lands elements of a landing force for expeditionary warfare missions. Several navies currently operate this kind of ship...
USS Trenton (LPD-14)
USS Trenton (LPD-14)
USS Trenton , an Austin-class amphibious transport dock, was the third ship of the United States Navy to be named for the capital of New Jersey.-Building process:...
and its embarked Marine Air Ground Task Force, was ordered to destroy the guns and other military facilities on the Sassan oil platform. At 8 am, the SAG commander, who was also the commander of Destroyer Squadron 9, ordered the Merrill to radio a warning to the occupants of the platform, telling them to abandon it. The SAG waited 20 minutes, then opened fire. The oil platform fired back with 8-barrelled 23mm ZSU-23 guns. The SAG's guns eventually disabled some of the ZSU-23s, and platform occupants radioed a request for a cease-fire. The SAG complied. After a tug carrying more personnel had cleared the area, the ships resumed exchanging fire with the remaining ZSU-23s, and ultimately disabled them. Cobra gunships completed the destruction of enemy resistance. The Marines boarded the platform, and recovered a single wounded survivor (who was transported to Bahrain), some small arms, and intelligence. The Marines planted explosives, left the platform, and set them off. The SAG was then ordered to proceed north to the Rakhsh oil platform to destroy it.
As the SAG departed the Sassan oil field, two Iranian F-4s made an attack run, but broke off when the Lynde McCormick locked its fire control radar on the aircraft. Halfway to the Rahksh oil platform, the attack was called off in an attempt to ease pressure on the Iranians and signal a desire for de-escalation.
The other group, which included guided missile cruiser Wainwright and frigate
Frigate
A frigate is any of several types of warship, the term having been used for ships of various sizes and roles over the last few centuries.In the 17th century, the term was used for any warship built for speed and maneuverability, the description often used being "frigate-built"...
s Simpson and Bagley, attacked the Sirri
Sirri Island
Sirri Island , is an island in the Persian Gulf belonging to Iran.Sirri island is situated 76 km from Bandar-e Lengeh and 50 km east of Abu Musa island. The island is one of six in the Abu Musâ Island Group ....
oil platform.
The SEALS were assigned to capture, occupy and destroy the Sirri platform but due to heavy pre-assault damage from Naval Gunfire, it was determined that an assault was not required.
Iran responded by dispatching Boghammar speedboats to attack various targets in the Persian Gulf
Persian Gulf
The Persian Gulf, in Southwest Asia, is an extension of the Indian Ocean located between Iran and the Arabian Peninsula.The Persian Gulf was the focus of the 1980–1988 Iran-Iraq War, in which each side attacked the other's oil tankers...
, including the American-flagged supply ship Willy Tide, the Panamanian-flagged Scan Bay and the British tanker York Marine. All of these vessels were damaged in different degrees. After the attacks, A-6E Intruder
A-6 Intruder
The Grumman A-6 Intruder was an American, twin jet-engine, mid-wing attack aircraft built by Grumman Aerospace. In service with the U.S. Navy and U.S. Marine Corps between 1963 and 1997, the Intruder was designed as an all-weather medium attack aircraft to replace the piston-engined A-1 Skyraider...
aircraft from the VA-95 "Green Lizards" were directed to the speedboats by an American frigate. The two aircraft, piloted by Lieutenant Commander James Engler and Lieutenant Paul Webb, dropped Rockeye cluster bomb
Cluster bomb
A cluster munition is a form of air-dropped or ground-launched explosive weapon that releases or ejects smaller sub-munitions. Commonly, this is a cluster bomb that ejects explosive bomblets that are designed to kill enemy personnel and destroy vehicles...
s on the speedboats, sinking one and damaging several others, which then fled to the Iranian-controlled island of Abu Musa
Abu Musa
Abu Musa is a 12-km² island in the eastern Persian Gulf, part of a six-island archipelago near the entrance to the Strait of Hormuz. The island is administered by Iran as part of the Iranian province of Hormozgan, but is also claimed by the United Arab Emirates .Abu Musa's inhabitants call it...
.
Action continued to escalate. The Joshan
Joshan
Joshan has been the name of a number of Iranian naval vessels.The latest Joshan is P225, an Iranian fast attack/patrol missile boat claimed by the Iranian government as one of the best PT boats in the world...
, an Iranian Combattante II Kaman
FACM Class La Combattante IIa
Fast Attack Craft Missile Class La Combattante IIa were originally built for the German Navy as Type 148 Tiger class fast attack craft. They were later transferred to Hellenic Navy and the class was renamed Combattante IIa, as with similar French made ships. All the ships were under mid-life...
-class fast attack craft, challenged USS Wainwright (CG-28) and Surface Action Group Charlie. The commanding officer of USS Wainwright directed a final warning (of a series of warnings) stating that the Joshan
Joshan
Joshan has been the name of a number of Iranian naval vessels.The latest Joshan is P225, an Iranian fast attack/patrol missile boat claimed by the Iranian government as one of the best PT boats in the world...
was to "stop your engines, abandon ship, I intend to sink you". Joshan
Joshan
Joshan has been the name of a number of Iranian naval vessels.The latest Joshan is P225, an Iranian fast attack/patrol missile boat claimed by the Iranian government as one of the best PT boats in the world...
responded by firing a Harpoon missile at them. The USS Simpson (FFG-56)
USS Simpson (FFG-56)
USS Simpson is an Oliver Hazard Perry-class guided missile frigate of the United States Navy, named for Rear Admiral Rodger W. Simpson.-History:...
responded to the challenge by firing two Standard missiles
RIM-66 Standard
The RIM-66 Standard MR is a medium range surface-to-air missile originally developed for the United States Navy . The SM-1 was developed as a replacement for the RIM-2 Terrier and RIM-24 Tartar that were deployed in the 1950s on a variety of USN ships...
, while Wainwright followed with one Standard missile. The attacks destroyed the Iranian ship's superstructure but did not immediately sink it, so USS Bagley (FF-1069)
USS Bagley (FF-1069)
USS Bagley was a Knox-class frigate of the United States Navy. She was the 18th ship of the Knox class, built as a destroyer escort and redesignated as a frigate in the 1975 USN ship reclassification...
fired a Harpoon of its own; the missile did not find the target. SAG Charlie closed on the Joshan, with Simpson, then Bagley and Wainwright firing guns to sink the crippled Iranian ship.
Two Iranian F-4 Phantom fighters then approached the Wainwright. One fighter left the area soon after the cruiser placed its 55B Fire Control Radar in search mode. The second fighter made a low-altitude approach towards the warship, which responded by firing two SM-2 missiles at the fighter. One hit the Iranian aircraft, blowing off part of its wing and peppering the fuselage with shrapnel. The Iranian pilot managed to land his damaged airplane at Bandar Abbas.
Fighting continued when the Iranian frigate IS Sahand (F74)
Iranian frigate Sahand
Iranian frigate Sahand , a British-made Vosper Mark V class frigate , was commissioned as part of a four-ship order. The ship was originally called Faramarz, named after a character in Ferdosi's Shahnameh...
departed Bandar Abbas
Bandar Abbas
Bandar-Abbas or Bandar-e ‘Abbās , also Romanized as Bandar ‘Abbās, Bandar ‘Abbāsī, and Bandar-e ‘Abbās; formerly known as Cambarão and Port Comorão to Portuguese traders, as Gombroon to English traders and as Gamrun or Gumrun to Dutch merchants) is a port city and capital of Hormozgān Province on...
and challenged elements of an American surface group. The frigate was spotted by two VA-95 A-6Es while they were flying surface combat air patrol for USS Joseph Strauss (DDG-16)
USS Joseph Strauss (DDG-16)
The USS Joseph Strauss , named for Admiral Joseph Strauss USN , was a Charles F. Adams-class guided missile armed destroyer of the United States Navy....
.
AGM-123 Skipper
AGM-123 Skipper II is a short-range laser-guided missile developed by the U.S. Navy.-Overview:The Skipper is a short range missile intended for precision strikes. It is composed of a Mark 83 bomb, fitted with a Paveway kit, and an attached rocket propulsion system to allow it to be dropped at...
bombs. USS Joseph Strauss fired a Harpoon. Most, if not all of the shots scored hits, causing heavy damage and fires. Fires blazing on Sahands decks eventually reached her munitions magazines, causing an explosion that sank the vessel. Despite the loss of Sahand, one of Iran's most modern ships, the Iranian Navy continued to fight.
Late in the day, the Iranian frigate IS Sabalan (F73)
Iranian frigate Sabalan
Iranian frigate Sabalan , a British-made Vosper Mark V class frigate , was commissioned in June 1972 as part of a four-ship order....
, departed from its berth and fired a surface-to-air missile at several A-6Es from VA-95. An A-6 then dropped a Mark 82 laser-guided bomb
Laser-guided bomb
A laser-guided bomb is a guided bomb that uses semi-active laser homing to strike a designated target with greater accuracy than an unguided bomb. LGBs are one of the most common and widespread guided bombs, used by a large number of the world's air forces.- Overview :Laser-guided munitions use a...
into the Sabalans smokestack, crippling the ship and leaving it burning. The Iranian frigate, stern partially submerged, was taken in tow by an Iranian tug, and was repaired and returned to service. VA-95's aircraft, as ordered, did not continue the attack. The A-6 pilot who crippled the Sabalan was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross
Distinguished Flying Cross (United States)
The Distinguished Flying Cross is a medal awarded to any officer or enlisted member of the United States armed forces who distinguishes himself or herself in support of operations by "heroism or extraordinary achievement while participating in an aerial flight, subsequent to November 11, 1918." The...
by Admiral
Admiral
Admiral is the rank, or part of the name of the ranks, of the highest naval officers. It is usually considered a full admiral and above vice admiral and below admiral of the fleet . It is usually abbreviated to "Adm" or "ADM"...
William J. Crowe
William J. Crowe
Admiral William James Crowe, Jr. was a United States Navy Admiral who served as Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff under Presidents Ronald Reagan and George H. W. Bush, and as the ambassador to the United Kingdom under President Bill Clinton.-Biography:Crowe was born in La Grange, Kentucky...
, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff
Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff
The Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff is by law the highest ranking military officer in the United States Armed Forces, and is the principal military adviser to the President of the United States, the National Security Council, the Homeland Security Council and the Secretary of Defense...
, for these actions against the Sabalan and the Iranian gunboats.
Iran may have fired Silkworm missiles from land bases against SAG Delta in the Strait of Hormuz and against in the northern central Persian Gulf
Persian Gulf
The Persian Gulf, in Southwest Asia, is an extension of the Indian Ocean located between Iran and the Arabian Peninsula.The Persian Gulf was the focus of the 1980–1988 Iran-Iraq War, in which each side attacked the other's oil tankers...
. U.S. officials, in their after-action report, said there was no evidence of this. Lee Allen Zatarain in "Tanker War" presents evidence that Iran did launch missiles, which were engaged by the targeted U.S. Navy ships without damage.
Disengagement
Following the attack on the IS SabalanIranian frigate Sabalan
Iranian frigate Sabalan , a British-made Vosper Mark V class frigate , was commissioned in June 1972 as part of a four-ship order....
, U.S. naval forces were ordered to assume a de-escalatory posture, giving Iran a way out and avoiding further combat. Iran took the offer and combat ceased, though both sides remained on alert, and near clashes occurred throughout the night and into the next day as the forces steamed within the Gulf. Two days after the battle, the USS Lynde McCormick (DDG 8)
USS Lynde McCormick (DDG-8)
USS Lynde McCormick was a Charles F. Adams-class destroyer in the United States Navy.Lynde McCormick was laid down 4 April 1958 by Defoe Shipbuilding Company, Bay City, Michigan; launched 28 July 1959; sponsored by Mrs. Lillian McCormick, wife of Admiral McCormick; and commissioned at Boston 3...
was directed to escort a U.S. oiler out through the Strait of Hormuz. (A Scandinavian flagged merchant remained near, probably for protection.) While the ships remained alert, no hostile indications were received, and the clash was over.
Aftermath
By the end of the operation, American ships and aircraft had damaged Iranian naval and intelligence facilities on two inoperable oil platforms in the Persian GulfPersian Gulf
The Persian Gulf, in Southwest Asia, is an extension of the Indian Ocean located between Iran and the Arabian Peninsula.The Persian Gulf was the focus of the 1980–1988 Iran-Iraq War, in which each side attacked the other's oil tankers...
, and sunk at least three armed Iranian speedboats, one Iranian frigate and one fast attack gunboat. One other Iranian frigate was damaged in the battle. Sabalan was repaired in 1989 and has since been upgraded, and is still in service with the Iranian navy. In short, Iran lost one major warship and a smaller gunboat. Damage to the oil platforms was eventually repaired and they are now back in service.
The U.S. side suffered two casualties: the aircrew of a Marine Corps AH-1T Sea Cobra
AH-1 SuperCobra
The Bell AH-1 SuperCobra is a twin-engine attack helicopter based on the US Army's AH-1 Cobra. The twin Cobra family includes the AH-1J SeaCobra, the AH-1T Improved SeaCobra, and the AH-1W SuperCobra...
helicopter gunship. The Cobra, attached to the USS Trenton, was flying reconnaissance from the Wainwright and crashed sometime after dark about 15 miles southwest of Abu Musa
Abu Musa
Abu Musa is a 12-km² island in the eastern Persian Gulf, part of a six-island archipelago near the entrance to the Strait of Hormuz. The island is administered by Iran as part of the Iranian province of Hormozgan, but is also claimed by the United Arab Emirates .Abu Musa's inhabitants call it...
island. The bodies of Capt. Stephen C. Leslie, 30, of New Bern, N.C., and Capt. Kenneth W. Hill, 33, of Thomasville, N.C., were recovered by Navy divers in May, and the wreckage of the helicopter was raised later that month. Navy officials said it showed no sign of battle damage.
The guided missile cruiser USS Vincennes
USS Vincennes (CG-49)
The fourth USS Vincennes is a U.S. Navy Ticonderoga class Aegis guided missile cruiser. On July 3, 1988, the ship shot down Iran Air Flight 655 over the Persian Gulf, killing all 290 civilian passengers on board, including 38 non-Iranians and 66 children.The ship was launched 14 April 1984 and...
was called to protect the extraction of the Roberts and arrived a month later. The heightened tensions contributed to the crew of the Vincennes shooting down a commercial airliner on a routine flight, Iran Air Flight 655
Iran Air Flight 655
Iran Air Flight 655 was a civilian jet airliner shot down by U.S. missiles on 3 July 1988, over the Strait of Hormuz, toward the end of the Iran–Iraq War...
, killing all 290 crew and passengers on 3 July, less than two months after their arrival. According to the U.S. government, the Iranian Airbus was mistakenly identified as an attacking military F-14
F-14 Tomcat
The Grumman F-14 Tomcat is a supersonic, twin-engine, two-seat, variable-sweep wing fighter aircraft. The Tomcat was developed for the United States Navy's Naval Fighter Experimental program following the collapse of the F-111B project...
fighter. The Iranian government, however, maintains that the Vincennes knowingly shot down a civilian aircraft.
Operation Praying Mantis is one of five American naval engagements cited by United States Naval Academy
United States Naval Academy
The United States Naval Academy is a four-year coeducational federal service academy located in Annapolis, Maryland, United States...
Prof. Craig L. Symonds in his book Decision at Sea (2005) as being decisive in establishing U.S. naval superiority. The others were the Battle of Lake Erie
Battle of Lake Erie
The Battle of Lake Erie, sometimes called the Battle of Put-in-Bay, was fought on 10 September 1813, in Lake Erie off the coast of Ohio during the War of 1812. Nine vessels of the United States Navy defeated and captured six vessels of Great Britain's Royal Navy...
(1813), the Battle of Hampton Roads
Battle of Hampton Roads
The Battle of Hampton Roads, often referred to as either the Battle of the Monitor and Merrimack or the Battle of Ironclads, was the most noted and arguably most important naval battle of the American Civil War from the standpoint of the development of navies...
(1862), the Battle of Manila Bay
Battle of Manila Bay (1898)
The Battle of Manila Bay took place on 1 May 1898, during the Spanish-American War. The American Asiatic Squadron under Commodore George Dewey engaged and destroyed the Spanish Pacific Squadron under Admiral Patricio Montojo y Pasarón...
(1898), and the Battle of Midway
Battle of Midway
The Battle of Midway is widely regarded as the most important naval battle of the Pacific Campaign of World War II. Between 4 and 7 June 1942, approximately one month after the Battle of the Coral Sea and six months after Japan's attack on Pearl Harbor, the United States Navy decisively defeated...
(1942).
On 6 November 2003 the International Court of Justice
International Court of Justice
The International Court of Justice is the primary judicial organ of the United Nations. It is based in the Peace Palace in The Hague, Netherlands...
dismissed Iran's claim for reparation against the United States for breach of the 1955 Treaty of Amity between the two countries. The court also dismissed a counterclaim by the United States, also for reparation for breach of the same treaty. The court ruled in favor of neither party, saying that "the actions of the United States of America against Iranian oil platforms on 19 October 1987 (Operation Nimble Archer) and 18 April 1988 (Operation Praying Mantis) cannot be justified as measures necessary to protect the essential security interests of the United States of America." The Court also ruled that it, "...cannot however uphold the submission of the Islamic Republic of Iran that those actions constitute a breach of the obligations of the United States of America under Article X, paragraph 1, of that Treaty, regarding freedom of commerce between the territories of the parties, and that, accordingly, the claim of the Islamic Republic of Iran for reparation also cannot be upheld;"
U.S. naval order of battle
- Officer in Tactical CommandOfficer in Tactical CommandOfficer in Tactical Command is a NATO term used to designate the naval officer exercising tactical command of a group of ships in a tactical formation such as a task unit, task group, or task force....
: Commander Joint Task Force Middle EastU.S. Naval Forces Central CommandUnited States Naval Forces Central Command is the United States Navy element of United States Central Command . Its area of responsibility includes the Red Sea, Gulf of Oman, Persian Gulf, and Arabian Sea...
(aboard USS CoronadoUSS CoronadoUSS Coronado may refer to:, a patrol frigate, served in World War II as a convoy escort., an auxiliary command ship, hosted the Navy's Sea Based Battle Lab ., the fourth littoral combat ship named on 12 March 2009...
) - Battle Group Commander: Commander, Cruiser/Destroyer Group Three (aboard USS Enterprise)
Surface Action Group Bravo
- On Scene Commander: Commander, Destroyer Squadron Nine (Embarked on the Merrill)
- USS Merrill (DD-976)USS Merrill (DD-976)USS Merrill , named for Rear Admiral Aaron Stanton Merrill USN , was a laid down 16 June 1975 by the Ingalls Shipbuilding Division of Litton Industries at Pascagoula, Mississippi.She was launched 1 September 1976 and commissioned 11 March 1978.-History:USS Merrill had the distinction of being the...
– destroyer - USS Lynde McCormick (DDG-8)USS Lynde McCormick (DDG-8)USS Lynde McCormick was a Charles F. Adams-class destroyer in the United States Navy.Lynde McCormick was laid down 4 April 1958 by Defoe Shipbuilding Company, Bay City, Michigan; launched 28 July 1959; sponsored by Mrs. Lillian McCormick, wife of Admiral McCormick; and commissioned at Boston 3...
– guided missile destroyer - USS Trenton (LPD-14)USS Trenton (LPD-14)USS Trenton , an Austin-class amphibious transport dock, was the third ship of the United States Navy to be named for the capital of New Jersey.-Building process:...
– amphibious transport dock - Marine Air-Ground Task ForceMarine Air-Ground Task ForceThe Marine Air-Ground Task Force is a term used by the United States Marine Corps to describe the principal organization for all missions across the range of military operations. MAGTFs are a balanced air-ground, combined arms task organization of Marine Corps forces under a single commander that...
(MAGTF) 2–88 (4 AH-1T, 2 UH-1, 2 CH-46)
Surface Action Group Charlie
- OSC: CO, USS Wainwright
- USS Wainwright (DLG/CG-28) – guided missile cruiser
- USS Bagley (FF-1069)USS Bagley (FF-1069)USS Bagley was a Knox-class frigate of the United States Navy. She was the 18th ship of the Knox class, built as a destroyer escort and redesignated as a frigate in the 1975 USN ship reclassification...
– frigate - USS Simpson (FFG-56)USS Simpson (FFG-56)USS Simpson is an Oliver Hazard Perry-class guided missile frigate of the United States Navy, named for Rear Admiral Rodger W. Simpson.-History:...
– guided missile frigate - SEALUnited States Navy SEALsThe United States Navy's Sea, Air and Land Teams, commonly known as Navy SEALs, are the U.S. Navy's principal special operations force and a part of the Naval Special Warfare Command as well as the maritime component of the United States Special Operations Command.The acronym is derived from their...
platoon
Surface Action Group Delta
- OSC: Commander Destroyer Squadron Twenty Two (Embarked on the Jack Williams)
- USS Jack Williams (FFG-24)USS Jack Williams (FFG-24)USS Jack Williams , sixteenth ship of the Oliver Hazard Perry class of guided-missile frigates, was named for Pharmacist's Mate Second Class Jack Williams, who was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor for his heroism in the Battle of Iwo Jima.Ordered from Bath Iron Works on 28 February 1977 as...
– guided missile frigate - USS O'Brien (DD-975)USS O'Brien (DD-975)USS O'Brien was a built by the Ingalls Shipbuilding Division of Litton Industries at Pascagoula, Mississippi. It was named for Captain Jeremiah O'Brien USN and his five brothers: Gideon, John, William, Dennis and Joseph. The O'Briens were crew members on board the sloop Unity, which captured HMS...
– destroyer - USS Joseph Strauss (DDG-16)USS Joseph Strauss (DDG-16)The USS Joseph Strauss , named for Admiral Joseph Strauss USN , was a Charles F. Adams-class guided missile armed destroyer of the United States Navy....
– guided missile destroyer
Air support
- Elements of Carrier Air Wing ElevenCarrier Air Wing ElevenCarrier Air Wing Eleven is a United States Navy aircraft carrier air wing based at Naval Air Station Lemoore, California. The air wing is attached to the aircraft carrier USS Nimitz.-Mission:...
operating from aircraft carrier USS Enterprise (CVN-65)USS Enterprise (CVN-65)USS Enterprise , formerly CVA-65, is the world's first nuclear-powered aircraft carrier and the eighth US naval vessel to bear the name. Like her predecessor of World War II fame, she is nicknamed the "Big E". At , she is the longest naval vessel in the world...