In 1988, the Iran-Iraq War raged in the treacherous combat zones of the Persian Gulf.
Amidst the chaos, no foreign ship, merchant or military, was safe.
Not even US Navy ships were immune. In a stunning event, the USS Samuel B. Roberts was nearly blown
apart by a mysterious unidentified naval mine. US Navy Explosive Ordnance Disposal divers scoured
the area for evidence and eventually stumbled upon an astonishing truth.
Serial numbers on the mines matched those from an Iranian ship stormed by Navy SEAL commandos.
America vowed revenge, and launched Operation Praying Mantis to knock Iran back in its place.
It would be one of the largest US Naval surface operations since WW2. The primary
mission would be to decimate Iranian Naval power in the region, but the US Navy also had
its eyes set on an unexpected and unconventional target… one that might have even been illegal.
The Powder Keg
In 1979, the pro–American Shah of Iran was overthrown in a violent revolution that
resulted in the creation of the Islamic Republic of Iran, led by Grand Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini.
This uprising ended a close relationship the US Navy had forged with the Iranian
Navy and the Shah to become Cold War allies against the Soviet Union.
As part of this alliance, the US had supplied Iran with the latest weaponry available,
including F-14 Tomcat fighters armed with Phoenix long-range air-to-air missiles,
P-3 Orion ASW aircraft, and Harpoon anti-ship missiles.
As if that was not enough, the Navy was about to build four destroyers
for the Iranian Navy that were left incomplete after the uprising. These
ships were often referred to as the Ayatollah or the Khomeini class.
In September 1980, Iraq's dictator, Saddam Hussein, launched a large-scale military offensive
into Iran to make the most out of the chaos that had engulfed Iran due to the revolution.
Long-standing border disputes, territorial ambitions, and ideological differences regarding
religion and politics were also reasons behind the clash between both nations.
Iraq and Iran sought the upper hand by deploying numerous armies,
advanced weapons, and brutal tactics to maintain or reconquer more territory.
The war raged for almost a decade and began to wane in
1988 when cease-fire negotiations commenced.
Trench warfare, chemical attacks, and indiscriminate bombings resulted in
numerous civilian casualties, displacement, and entire cities reduced to rubble. Iran and
Iraq suffered heavily, leaving behind a trail of destruction.
The Tanker War
International powers, especially the United States, played a significant role in the conflict.
The US government and other Western nations, including the Soviet Union,
provided Iraq with weapons, supplies,
diplomatic support, intelligence sharing, and economic flow to finish off Iran.
The ongoing conflict quickly spread to the Persian Gulf, where the US-trained Iranian Navy and Air
Force gained the edge. In retaliation, Iraq began to attack Iranian shipping in the Northern Gulf.
This gave way to the Tanker War. By 1987, Iran had conducted 168 attacks against merchant shipping,
while Iraq had performed over 283. Soon, the entire Persian Gulf was in flames.
In response, Kuwait called for international assistance to protect its tankers,
which were targeted by Iranian ships and aircraft. Some tankers
were allowed to employ the US flag to protect them from escalating attacks.
US Navy vessels were also deployed in the Persian Gulf as part of Operation
Earnest Will to escort reflagged Kuwaiti oil tankers through the Persian Gulf to
protect them from being attacked by Iraqi and Iranian military personnel.
Deadly Ambush
Tensions between the US and Iran increased in late 1987 and 1988. Iran began to lay hundreds of
minefields in the Arabian Gulf. Some tankers were struck by mines, causing international outrage
and leading to the capture of the Iran Ajr, the vessel responsible for laying mines in the Gulf.
In early 1988, the US Navy was given more liberal rules of engagement to
interfere against engagements on neutral ships, deterring possible attacks from Iran or Iraq.
In February, the frigate USS Samuel B. Roberts was deployed to the Gulf
to assist the US Navy Task Force. The frigate kept Iranian warships
and aircraft away from tankers and supported secret mobile operating bases.
More importantly, she kept the Iranian frigate Sabalan at bay from attacking merchant vessels.
On April 14, USS Samuel B. Roberts was returning from a successful escort when one of her lookouts
spotted three mines ahead. The ship stopped, and Commander Paul Rinn ordered every sailor
available to reach the main deck. While backing down, the vessel struck
an Iranian moored contact mine. An explosion destroyed the keel, flooding the ship with over
2,000 tons of water. A massive fireball went up through the ship's stack.
The crew miraculously fought the fire and cabled the superstructure together. The Iranian Sabalan
showed up late at night but kept her distance. The ship barely stayed afloat and was then towed away.
Ten crewmen required MEDEVAC but survived. This incident was enough for the US Navy. It was
time to retaliate and hunt down the Iranian ships laying mines across the Persian Gulf.
Praying Mantis
While Iranian and Iraqi ground troops were engaged in al-Faw
Peninsula after Saddam Hussein launched a massive counter-offensive led by the Republican Guard,
the US Navy launched Operation Praying Mantis on April 18, 1988.
The primary objective of Mantis was to sink the Iranian frigate Sabalan,
held responsible for the damage to USS Samuel Roberts. The broader objective was to inflict
enough damage on the Iranian Navy to deter it from laying more mines in the Arabian Gulf.
Praying Mantis was the largest of five US Navy surface operations since World War 2.
Rear Admiral Anthony Less was the commander of Mantis and had Joint
Task Force Middle East aboard USS Coronado under his command.
The task force was supported by Battle Group Foxtrot under Rear Admiral Guy Zeller,
Commander Cruiser-Destroyer Group Three, on USS Enterprise.
Mantis began at 8:00am when Surface Action Group Bravo
reached Iran’s Sassan oil platform with a one-time warning. USS Merrill
told the Iranians they had 20 minutes to abandon the platform before destroying it.
Some Iranians refused and opened fire with their anti-aircraft guns. A Marine AH-1 helicopter
intervened to finish off resistance and clear the area for US Marines that boarded the platform.
They captured one prisoner, gathered intelligence, and placed explosives
for detonation. Group Bravo then advanced towards the Rakhsh oil platform with the same objective.
While on the way, SAG Bravo, which comprised USS Merrill, USS Trenton,
and USS Lynde McCormick, was attacked by two Iranian F-4 Phantoms. The attack ended abruptly,
however, when Lynde McCormick locked into the aircraft with missile fire control radar.
Oil Platforms
In an attempt to de-escalate, the attack on the Rakhsh oil
platform was called off before SAG Bravo arrived at the location.
Nevertheless, SAG Charlie continued their objective: destroy the Sirri Oil Platform.
After the expected warning to leave the platform, USS Wainwright, USS Simpson,
and USS Bagley opened fire. One shell hit a compressed-gas tank,
caused a massive fireball, and took the lives of an Iranian gun crew.
While the two task groups attacked the oil platforms, Iran deployed several speedboats
from its naval forces and ordered them to attack any non-Iranian vessel in their path.
Armed with Soviet RPGs and different types of machine guns and assault rifles,
the speedboats damaged one American, one British, and one Panamanian merchant vessel.
As the operation progressed, a VA-95 A-6E Intruder aircraft from USS Enterprise took off
to engage four enemy speedboats. The Intruder had a tough time targeting the small and fast
boats but sank one with a Rockeye cluster bomb during its second pass. The rest fled the scene.
Besides the speedboats, Iran also deployed the Kamen-class missile patrol boat Joshan
under the command of Captain Abbas Mallek. Although her orders were unclear regarding
what to do when faced with American ships, Joshan approached the location of Sirri Oil Platform.
The stage was set for a naval engagement.
Last Warning
Three hours later, the Iranian ship was detected by USS Wainwright. Captain Chandler,
who commanded the vessel, knew through intelligence reports that
Joshan was carrying the last Harpoon anti-ship missile on Iran's inventory.
Knowing he could not engage unless fired upon, Captain Chandler broadcasted several
warnings to Joshan, ordering her to turn away or face the consequences.
Captain Mallek answered by radio: (QUOTE) “I am doing my duty. I am
in international waters and will commit no provocative attack.”
Joshan kept advancing toward USS Wainwright. At 13 miles, the US Navy ship issued more warnings
but received no response. Instead, Joshan locked on to USSS Wainwright with her fire-control radar.
Captain Chandler made one last warning: (QUOTE) “Stop engines, abandon ship,
I intend to sink you.”
Joshan immediately launched the last Harpoon missile at Wainwright, who fired one standard
missile in surface-to-surface mode. USS Simpson, which was nearby, also opened
fire. After four hits, Joshan's superstructure was left in critical condition but did not sink.
Miraculously, the Harpoon's missile failed to activate and passed close
to Wainwright's starboard side. In the chaos, two enemy F-4 Phantom
fighter bombers showed up, and Wainwright directly engaged them with two missiles.
One took evasive maneuvers, and the other was left with a large hole in one wing and limped
back to base. SAG Charlie then turned its attention to Joshan and finished the job.
The Price of Victory
Later in the day, the Saam-class frigate Sahand engaged aircraft
from USS Joseph Strauss with SAM fire. The US Navy vessel retaliated
with Harpoon and Skipper missiles that sank the Iranian ship after a massive explosion.
Meanwhile, other Navy ships from SAG Delta approached Bandar Abbas base,
from which Sabalan quickly departed. The Iranian ship
was detected by an A-6 aircraft flown by Lieutenant Commander James Engler.
After verifying her identity, Engler approached the enemy ship and fired
a laser-guided bomb that crippled the ship, leaving her dead in the water.
This marked the last engagement of Operation Praying Mantis and triggered a cease-fire.
Sabalan was towed back to her base, and the US task force returned to neutral waters.
The only American casualty was a Marine Corps
AH-1T Sea Cobra helicopter gunship that crashed near Abu Musa Island.
Despite the cease-fire, the US and Iran would face each other again
in July 1988 during the tragic shootdown of Iran Air Flight 655 by USS Vincennes.
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