14 April, 1988- the Persian Gulf. Iran and Iraq have been locked in a deadly war for years,
and in an attempt to harm each other's economies both sides have begun to launch
attacks on shipping moving through the Persian Gulf- specially oil tankers. Using speed boats
equipped with heavy machine guns and rocket launchers, Exocett anti-ship missiles,
and Silkworm shore-based missile batteries both sides have been taking a serious toll
on both friendly and neutral shipping moving through the area. Many nations have called
on the Soviet Union and the United States to protect their ships, prompting the Soviets to
sponsor several vessels personally and the US to move its navy into the area.
But there's a fourth weapon that Iran has deployed- anti-ship mines,
and these are indiscriminate killers. Without any warning, the guided missile frigate USS Samuel B
Roberts strikes an Iranian mine, blowing a huge hole in the hull. Incredibly nobody is killed,
but multiple crew members are seriously burned and the ship is taking on water at a tremendous
rate. The expertly trained crew however rapidly conducts damage control measures and the ship
manages to limp back to a friendly port, where it will later be shipped back to the US via a
recovery vessel. Navy divers meanwhile recover multiple mines from the area, and trace the serial
numbers to a ship seized by the US a year earlier which had been converted by Iran to lay mines.
The infamous Tanker War being waged between Iran and Iraq has now caught
the full attention of the United States of America, and three separate Surface Action
Groups are quickly organized. The US Navy will undertake what President Ronald Reagan
considers a “proportionate response” meant to deter the Iranians from further aggression in
the region. The end result will be a 24 hour war between the US and Iran.
Four days later, on April 18th, the Navy prepares to strike. Backed up
by aircraft flying from the aircraft carrier Enterprise, the SAGs have two objectives. First,
sink the Iranian Saam-class frigate Sabalan or a suitable substitute of equal military value. This
will severely hamper Iran's ability to threaten shipping in the gulf, and impose a significant
cost to the Iranian regime for their ongoing attacks against shipping. Objective number two
is the destruction of Iranian surveillance posts on the Sassan, sirri, and Rahkish oil platforms.
These platforms have long stopped producing oil but are now being used by Iranian forces to
coordinate attacks in the gulf. Their destruction will make it much more difficult for Iran to
vector in shore-based fire or guide its fleet of small attack craft to waiting targets. Lastly,
the navy is to do everything in its power to avoid or limit civilian casualties,
and to limit any potential environmental effects that attacks on the old oil platforms may cause.
Surface Action Group Bravo is assigned the Sassan and Rahkish platforms, with SAG Charile the Sirri
platform. SAG Delta will take on the Sabalan and ensure it is destroyed. The USS Gary,
a Perry-class frigate, will remain on-call to provide direct support to any of the three
SAGs while providing security for transiting civilian traffic in case of Iranian retaliation.
At 0800 hours, SAG Bravo approaches the Sassan platform. US Marines load up onto
transport helicopters and take to the air, as the Iranian platform is given a radio warning
that it is about to be attacked. The Americans order the Iranians to evacuate the platform,
and are given 20 minutes to do so. However, the Iranian defenders appear
to be in no mood for surrender, and move to man several 23mm Zu-23 guns.
As the deadline comes and passes, the US ships begin to open fire with their main
guns. Explosive shells smash into the superstructure of the platform,
tearing and twisting metal and sending deadly splinters flying across each platform. The Iranian
defenders fire back with their AA guns in sheer desperation, but the twin cannon Zu-23s have no
hope of doing much more than scratching the paint on the American ships. The US
ships meanwhile score several direct hits on gun positions, destroying them and their operators.
Finally, some of the Iranians radio a request for a ceasefire so they can evacuate. The US
ships comply and allow a number of Iranians to board tugs which they use to flee the platform.
Hardliners however refuse to surrender, and as soon as their compatriots are safely out
of range begin to open fire on the US ships once more. The American destroyers
USS Merrill and Lynde McCormick return accurate fire that destroys the surviving
guns and silence them permanently. This allows Cobra attack helicopters launched from the USS
Trenton to strafe the platforms with cannon and rocket fire, killing any remaining resistance.
US Marines finally board the platform via their transport birds, and sweep the mangled wreckage
for survivors and intelligence. They manage to secure a single wounded survivor, which
is immediately medevac'ed as the Marines plant explosive charges to bring the platform down.
Nearby, the attack on the Sirri platform plays out much the same,
with Iranian defenders briefly exchanging ineffective fire with the US ships before
fleeing the platform. The fierce bombardment by US ships however has set the platform on fire,
and US Navy SEALs, enroute to land on the platform and plant demolition charges as
well as sweep for survivors and intelligence are forced to turn around. The fire is too intense,
and the platform is deemed to have been rendered unusable by Iran anymore.
Two hours later, an Iranian patrol boat, the Joshan, attempts to take revenge on the
Americans and rapidly approaches SAG Charlie. The small boat is no match for the US frigates
and destroyers, but it's not planning on going toe-to-toe with them. Instead,
it's delivering a special gift- planning to attack the US ships with American-made
Harpoon anti-ship missiles, delivered to Iran before the revolution. SAG Charlie detects the
incoming threat and radios a warning to the Joshan, which goes ignored. Suddenly,
air defense radars light up on the American ships, confirming the launch of a Harpoon
missile from the Joshan- the world's first ship-to-ship missile duel has just started.
The US ships immediately engage in defensive manuevers, adopting a zig-zag course that makes
it harder for the missile to track its target. However, the missile has been fired from 13 miles
away, giving the US ships little time to defend themselves. Normally any hostile ship would
never get within this close a range without being engaged, but the Americans have been expressively
ordered not to escalate more than necessary. The Joshan has lived so far only because of an attempt
by the US Navy to not escalate hostilities further- but now it's become fair game.
The Americans fire off chaff to confuse the Harpoon's guidance system and the missile
splashes harmlessly into the ocean. They then respond with their own missiles, firing a volley
of Standard surface-to-surface missiles. These lighter missiles however only manage to do serious
damage to the ship's superstructure, not sink it. The USS Bagley fires its own Harpoon which
goes off-target, but as the Joshan is dead in the water the US ships move in to within gun range
and begin to open fire with their main guns. The Joshan soon is sinking beneath the waves.
In retaliation for the destruction of the platforms though, Iran has dispatched speedboats
to attack multiple civilian targets in the Gulf, including the US supply ship Willie Tide,
the Panamanian oil rig Scan Bay, and the British tanker York Marine. The USS
Enterprise quickly puts up a pair of A-6E Intruders and an F-14 Tomcat to hunt the
speedboats down and deter further attacks. The small, nimble attack boats are fast,
but the Intruders are faster and manage to catch up to the small flotilla,
dropping cluster bombs and strafing them with cannon fire. One of the speedboats
is completely destroyed and several others are seriously damaged as they speed away.
Iran's air force decides to get in on the action. With only one Tomcat in the sky to provide cover
for the Intruders, the SAGs have no air cover save for their own air defense systems- which
are formidable indeed. Two Iranian F-4s are flying an orbit nearby which the USS Wainright is ordered
to disperse, lest they pose a threat to the US ships or neutral merchant vessels. Lighting them
up with its fire control radar, the Wainwright is sending a very strong warning which the F-4s
ignore. Finally, the Wainwright launches a pair of Extended Range Standard missiles at the F-4s,
which gets their attention. The F-4s quickly turn for home and go into full afterburner,
but the missiles are faster and one manages to get close enough to detonate and rip
off part of one of the F-4's wing. The stricken plane manages to land safely,
but the attack sends a strong message to the Iranian air force to stay away.
The Iranians now decide to throw their heavier surface combat vessels into the mix,
and the IRIS Sahand and IRIS Sabalan join the mix.
First is the Sahand, which departs from its port at Bandar Abbas and steams towards one of the
American SAGS. Two American Intruders flying combat air patrol over the USS Joseph Strauss
spot the frigate and radio a warning to friendly ships. The Sahand immediately engages the A-6's,
firing off air defense missiles at the US planes. Dropping chaff and maneuvering to low level
though, the US planes manage to avoid the Iranian missiles, and then immediately turn to exact their
revenge. The Intruders fire off two Harpoons and four laser-guided Skipper anti-ship missiles,
each armed with a 1,000 pound warhead. The USS Strauss launches its own Harpoon attack against
the Iranian frigate, which starts to throw off chaff to try to confuse the American missiles.
The Harpoons have difficulty dealing with the chaff countermeasures, but the Skippers
are guided to their targets via laser designators and are deadly accurate. No amount of maneuvering
or countermeasures can throw them off their course, and the Sahand takes numerous hits.
Fire erupts across the ship, burning out of control as the crew begins to abandon ship
(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Bild-Prayingmantis5sahand.jpg). Soon the fire reaches the
magazines, which sets off a massive detonation.
Anyone not off the ship dies instantly as the Sahand slinks beneath the waves.
The IRIS Sabalan has not learned anything from the day's events it seems, as it soon steams
out of port and heads into the fray. It spots American Intruders on its air defense radar
and engages them with surface-to-air missiles. The Americans once more engage in defensive manuevers,
dropping chaff and flares to throw off the Iranian missiles. Out of surface to air missiles,
the Sabalan- one of the primary targets of Operation Praying Mantis- is about to discover
the power of one of the US military's most revolutionary accomplishments: precision weapons.
Lieutenant Commander James Engler turns his A6 towards the enemy ship. Using a laser
designator he places the laser pip directly onto the Sabalan's smoke stack. As the Intruder roars
by overhead, he releases a single Mark 82 laser-guided bomb, which uses onboard fins
to guide itself as its seeker head sniffs out the Intruder's laser designator painted directly onto
the enemy ship. In an incredible feat of precision that will be echoed just a few years later in
Desert Storm, LCDR Engler puts his bomb directly down the Sabalan's smoke stack, causing a massive
explosion directly in the belly of the ship that rips the engines apart and cripples the vessel.
The Sabalan is helpless and listing heavily, its stern below the water line. However,
before the American planes can finish the job they are ordered to return to
base. The US does not want to escalate the fighting further,
and deeming the day's events a satisfactory response to Iran's mining of the gulf,
calls off the executioner's blade looming over the Sabalan and its crew. The Iranian frigate
will live to see another day as tugs rush out to save the sinking ship and tow it back home.
Later in the day Iran fires multiple Silkworm missiles from shore-based launchers at SAG Delta
and the USS Gary. None of the missiles find their targets as at least one is destroyed
by air defense cannon fire and the rest are lured away by countermeasures. For a
moment a full war between the US and Iran seems imminent, as just a few years previously the US
had warned that the use of Silkworm missiles against US ships in the region would trigger
an automatic retaliation against the Iranian mainland. However, the White House decides that
there have been enough casualties for the day and it's not worth escalating the situation further,
thus the Reagan administration downplays the launching of Iranian silkworms.
As night falls, the US takes further de-scalationary measures, which are
accepted by Iran. AT the end of the fighting, Iran has lost 6 ships at a loss of 56 sailors,
with two of the three oil platforms destroyed. The US meanwhile loses 2- a
crew of a Cobra attack helicopter believed to have been killed when their aircraft suffered
an unknown malfunction while evading enemy fire. Their bodies are later
recovered by US divers and the wreckage of the Cobra lifted from the sea floor.
The 24 hour war between the US and Iran would narrowly avoid a full-blown conflict between
the two nations, but tragically set the stage for heightened tensions which would
lead directly to the accidental downing of an Iranian airliner by the USS Vincennes.
Now go check out What Would Happen If USA and Iran Went To War, or click this other video instead!