Operation Praying Mantis
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Operation Praying Mantis | |||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Part of the Iran–Iraq War | |||||||
The Iranian frigate Sahand attacked by aircraft of U.S. Navy Carrier Air Wing 11 after the guided missile frigate USS Samuel B. Roberts struck an Iranian mine | |||||||
| |||||||
Belligerents | |||||||
United States |
Iran | ||||||
Commanders and leaders | |||||||
Rear Adm. Anthony A. Less[1] | IRIN Commodore Mohammad-Hossein Malekzadegan[2] | ||||||
Strength | |||||||
1 A-6E Intruder attack jets |
2 frigates 1 ZU-23 guns on 2 platforms | ||||||
Casualties and losses | |||||||
2 killed 1 helicopter crashed (cause unknown) |
1 frigate sunk (45 crew killed)[3] 1 gunboat sunk (11 crew killed)[3] 3 speedboats sunk 1 frigate crippled 2 platforms destroyed[4] 1 fighter damaged Total: 56 killed 5 ships sunk |
Operation Praying Mantis was the 18 April 1988 attack by the United States on Iranian naval targets in the Persian Gulf in retaliation for the mining of a U.S. warship four days earlier.
On 14 April, the American guided missile frigate USS Samuel B. Roberts struck a mine while transiting international waters as part of Operation Earnest Will, the 1987–88 effort to protect reflagged Kuwaiti oil tankers from Iranian attacks during the Iran–Iraq War. The explosion pierced the hull and broke the keel of the Samuel B. Roberts, which nearly sank but was saved by its crew with no loss of life.
After the serial numbers of mines recovered in the area were found to match those of mines seized on an Iranian barge the previous September, U.S. military officials planned a retaliatory operation against Iranian targets. The U.S. attack began on the morning of 18 April, and ultimately destroyed, damaged, or sank two Iranian oil platforms, three warships, several armed boats, and two fighter jets. U.S. losses were two U.S. Marine aviators who died when their helicopter crashed into the Gulf.
The attack pressured Iran to agree to a ceasefire with Iraq later that summer, ending the eight-year Iran-Iraq War.[5]
Later, Iran sued the United States, claiming that the attacks had breached the countries' 1955 Treaty of Amity. On 6 November 2003, the International Court of Justice dismissed the claim but ruled that Operation Praying Mantis and the previous October's Operation Nimble Archer "cannot be justified as measures necessary to protect the essential security interests of the United States of America."[6]
Praying Mantis was the largest of the
Battle
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On 18 April, the U.S. Navy attacked with several groups of surface warships, plus aircraft from the aircraft carrier USS Enterprise, and her cruiser escort, USS Truxtun. The action began with coordinated strikes by two surface groups.
One surface action group, or SAG, consisting of the destroyers USS Merrill (including embarked LAMPS Mk I helicopter detachment HSL-35 Det 1 Helicopter Anti-Submarine Squadron Light 35) and USS Lynde McCormick, plus the amphibious transport dock USS Trenton and its embarked Marine air-ground task force (Contingency MAGTF 2-88 from Camp LeJeune, North Carolina)[7] and the LAMPS helicopter detachment (HSL-44 Det 5) from USS Samuel B. Roberts, 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 twin-barrelled 23 mm
After a
As the SAG departed the Sassan oil field, two Iranian
The other group, which included the
Iran responded by dispatching
Action continued to escalate. Iranian fast-attack craft
Simpson responded to the challenge by firing four Standard missiles, while Wainwright followed with one Standard missile.[12] All missiles hit and destroyed the Iranian ship's superstructure but did not immediately sink it, so Bagley fired another Harpoon. The missile did not find the target. SAG Charlie closed on Joshan, with Simpson, then Bagley and Wainwright firing guns to sink the crippled Iranian ship.[10]
Two Iranian
Fighting continued when the Iranian frigate IRIS Sahand departed Bandar Abbas and challenged elements of an American surface group. The frigate was spotted by two A-6Es from VA-95 while they were flying surface combat air patrol for USS Joseph Strauss.
Sahand fired missiles at the A-6Es, which replied with two Harpoon missiles and four laser-guided
Late in the day, the Iranian frigate
In retaliation for the attacks, Iran fired Silkworm missiles, suspected to be the HY-4 version, from land bases against SAG Delta in the Strait of Hormuz and against USS Gary in the northern central Persian Gulf, but all missed because of evasive maneuvers and use of decoys by the ships. A missile was probably shot down by Gary's 76 mm (3.0 in) gun. The Pentagon and the Reagan Administration later denied that any Silkworm missile attacks took place, possibly in order to keep the situation from escalating further - as they had promised publicly that any such attacks would merit retaliation against targets on Iranian soil.[14]
Disengagement
After the attack on Sabalan, 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, Lynde McCormick was directed to escort a U.S. oiler out through the Strait of Hormuz, while 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
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By the end of the operation, US Marines and US Navy ships and aircraft had destroyed Iranian naval and intelligence facilities on two inoperable oil platforms in the
The U.S. side suffered two casualties, the crew of a Marine Corps
A month later, the guided-missile cruiser
International Court of Justice
On 6 November 2003 the International Court of Justice dismissed a claim by Iran and a counterclaim by the United States'[6] for reparations for breach of a 1955 'Treaty of Amity' between the two countries. In short, the court rejected both claim and counterclaim because the 1955 treaty-protected only "freedom of trade and navigation between the territories of the parties"[6] and because of the US trade embargo on Iran at the time, no direct trade or navigation between the two was affected by the conflict.
The court did state 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 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;".[6]
- Joint Task Force Middle East (aboard USS Coronado)[17]
- Battle Group Commander: Commander, Cruiser/Destroyer Group Three (aboard USS Enterprise)
Surface Action Group Bravo
- On Scene Commander: Commander, Destroyer Squadron Nine (Embarked on Merrill)
- USS Merrill – destroyer
- USS Lynde McCormick – guided missile destroyer
- USS Trenton – amphibious transport dock
- Marine Air-Ground Task Force(MAGTF) 2–88 (4 AH-1T, 2 UH-1, 2 CH-46)
- Helicopter AntiSubmarine Squadron 44 Detachment 5 – LAMPS Helicopter (SH-60B)
Surface Action Group Charlie
- OSC: CO, USS Wainwright
- USS Wainwright – guided missile cruiser
- USS Bagley – frigate
- USS Simpson – guided missile frigate
- SEAL platoon
Surface Action Group Delta
- OSC: Commander Destroyer Squadron Twenty Two (Embarked on Jack Williams)
- USS Jack Williams – guided missile frigate
- USS O'Brien – destroyer
- USS Joseph Strauss – guided missile destroyer
Air support
- Elements of Carrier Air Wing Eleven operating from aircraft carrier USS Enterprise
- A-6E & KA-6D Intruders of VA-95 operating from aircraft carrier USS Enterprise
Ship maintenance and support
- USS Samuel Gompers – destroyer tender – performed ship maintenance and repairs operating off the coast of Oman
- USS Wabash – fast attack oiler – provided underway replenishment of fuel, ammunition, and supplies to the USS Enterprise Battle Group
- USS San Jose – fast attack support – conducted SAR support including firefighting equipment and medical evacuation of USS Samuel B. Roberts FFG 58 personnel after the mine strike, and provided underway replenishment of fuel and supplies to the USS Enterprise Battle Group
See also
Notes
- Battle of Đồng Hới, and the 1986 Action in the Gulf of Sidra.
References
- ISBN 1-59114-661-5., p. 179.
- ^ "Iranians' Words of Praise for Their Forces". The New York Times. Retrieved 6 February 2024.
- ^ a b [1] (archived from the original on 26 July 2011)
- ^ "Operation Praying Mantis: Sirri Oil Platform Attack". wikimapia.org. Archived from the original on 7 March 2018. Retrieved 3 October 2015.
- ISBN 1-59114-661-5.
- ^ a b c d "Case Concerning Oil Platforms (Islamic Republic of Iran v. United States of America)" (PDF). International Court of Justice. 6 November 2003. Archived from the original (PDF) on 14 October 2012. Retrieved 26 December 2012.
- ^ Crist, Dr. David B. (2003). "Before Desert Storm: Marines in the Persian Gulf and the Beginning of U.S. Central Command" (PDF). Fortitudine. 29 (4): 9–12.
- ^ ISBN 0-674-01681-5
- ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 17 October 2023.
- ^ a b "The Cutting Edge News". thecuttingedgenews.com. Archived from the original on 15 December 2017. Retrieved 19 July 2019.
- ^ "U.S. Strikes 2 Iranian Oil Rigs and Hits 6 Warships in Battles over Minin Sea Lanes in Gulf". The New York Times. 19 April 1988.
- ^ a b "America's First Clash with Iran: The Tanker War" by Lee Allen Zatarain, Chapter 15: "Stop, Abandon Ship, I Intend to Sink You"
- ^ "ATKRON 95 Operation Praying Mantis". 95thallweatherattack.com. Archived from the original on 13 January 2018. Retrieved 14 December 2011.
- ^ "America's First Clash with Iran: The Tanker War" by Lee Allen Zatarain, Chapter 17: "Multiple Silkworms Inbound"
- ^ Peniston, Bradley (2006). "No Higher Honor: Photos: Operation Praying Mantis". Archived from the original on 14 June 2012. Retrieved 2 February 2009.
- ^ "Will Block Oil Traffic if Its Tankers Are Stopped: Iran". Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles, California. 18 May 1988. p. 7.
- ^ "Proceedings, U.S. Naval Institute 66 (May 1989) United States Naval Institute The Surface View: Operation Praying Mantis By Captain J. B. Perkins III, U.S. Navy". Strategypage.com. Archived from the original on 16 June 2011. Retrieved 17 July 2008.
Further reading
- Huchthausen, Peter (2004). America's Splendid Little Wars: A Short History of U.S. Engagements from the Fall of Saigon to Baghdad. New York: Penguin. ISBN 0-14-200465-0.
- Palmer, Michael (2003). On Course to Desert Storm. University Press of the Pacific. ISBN 1-4102-0495-2.
- Peniston, Bradley (2006). No Higher Honor: Saving the USS Samuel B. Roberts in the Persian Gulf. Annapolis: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 1-59114-661-5. Archived from the originalon 12 July 2006.
- Sweetman, Jack (1998). Great American Naval Battles. Annapolis: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 1-55750-794-5.
- Symonds, Craig L. (2005). Decision at Sea: Five Naval Battles that Shaped American History. USA: Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-19-517145-4.
- Taheri, Amir (18 April 2007). "A History Lesson Still Unlearned". Gulf News. Archived from the original on 27 March 2008. Retrieved 29 March 2008.
- Wise, Harold Lee (2007). Inside the Danger Zone: The U.S. Military in the Persian Gulf 1987–88. Annapolis: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 978-1-59114-970-5.
- Zatarain, Lee Allen (2008). Tanker War, America's First Conflict With Iran, 1987–1988. Drexel Hill: Casemate. ISBN 978-1-932033-84-7.