USS Stark
USS Stark (FFG-31)
| |
History | |
---|---|
United States | |
Name | Stark |
Namesake | Harold Rainsford Stark |
Awarded | 23 January 1978 |
Builder | Seattle, Washington |
Laid down | 24 August 1979 |
Launched | 30 May 1980 |
Commissioned | 23 October 1982 |
Decommissioned | 7 May 1999 |
Stricken | 7 May 1999 |
Homeport | Naval Station Mayport (former) |
Identification |
|
Motto | Strength for Freedom |
Fate | Scrapped 2006 |
Badge | |
General characteristics [1] | |
Class and type | Oliver Hazard Perry-class frigate |
Displacement | 4,100 long tons (4,200 t), full load |
Length | 445 feet (136 m), overall |
Beam | 45 feet (14 m) |
Draft | 22 feet (6.7 m) |
Propulsion |
|
Speed | over 29 knots (54 km/h) |
Range | 5,000 nautical miles at 18 knots (9,300 km at 33 km/h) |
Complement | 15 officers and 190 enlisted, plus SH-60 LAMPS detachment of roughly six officer pilots and 15 enlisted maintainers |
Sensors and processing systems |
|
Electronic warfare & decoys | AN/SLQ-32 |
Armament |
|
Aircraft carried | 1 × SH-2F LAMPS I |
Notes | Short deck variant, no towed array |
USS Stark (FFG-31) was the 23rd ship of the
Missile attack
USS Stark was deployed to the
No weapons were fired in defense of Stark. The autonomous
On fire and listing, the frigate was brought under control by its crew during the night. The ship made its way to Bahrain where, after temporary repairs by the destroyer tender USS Acadia to make her seaworthy,[6] she returned to her home port of Naval Station Mayport, under her own power. The ship was eventually repaired at Ingalls Shipbuilding in Mississippi for $142 million.[7]
It is unknown whether Iraqi leaders authorized the attack. Initial claims by the Iraqi government that Stark was inside the Iran–Iraq War zone were shown to be false. The motives and orders of the pilot remain unanswered. American officials have claimed he was executed, but an ex-Iraqi Air Force commander later said that the pilot who attacked Stark was not punished, and remained alive.[8] According to Jean-Louis Bernard, author of "Heroes of Bagdad" T1 (Editions JPO 2017), the pilot, Abdul Rhaman, not only was not punished, but would have received the medal of bravery at the end of 'a joint Iraqi-American commission of inquiry.[9][page needed] His subsequent defection is not mentioned in this book. Jean-Louis Bernard also confirms the use of a Falcon 50 during this action.[clarification needed] Citing lapses in training requirements and lax procedures, the U.S. Navy's board of inquiry relieved Captain Brindel of command and recommended him for
1990s
Stark was part of the Standing Naval Forces Atlantic Fleet in 1990 before returning to the Middle East Force in 1991. Stark was attached to UNITAS in 1993 and took part in Operation Uphold Democracy and Operation Able Vigil in 1994. In 1995, Stark returned to the Middle East Force before serving with the Standing Naval Forces, Atlantic (STANAVFORLANT) in 1997 and in 1998.
Stark was decommissioned on 7 May 1999. A scrapping contract was awarded to Metro Machine Corp. of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on 7 October 2005. The ship was reported scrapped on 21 June 2006.[12] Her stern plate was saved and donated to Naval Station Mayport.[13]
References
- ^ "USS Stark (FFG 31)". Navsource.org. Retrieved 11 April 2015.
- ^ a b c d Formal Investigation into the Circumstances Surrounding the Attack of the USS Stark in 1987
- ^ Bacevich, Andrew (2016). America's War for the Greater Middle East: A Military History. Random House.
- ^ Stephen Andrew Kelley (June 2007). "Better Lucky Than Good: Operation Earnest Will as Gunboat Diplomacy" (PDF). Naval Postgraduate School. Archived from the original (PDF) on 23 August 2007. Retrieved 9 November 2007.
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(help) - ^ Navy Jag Corps [dead link]
- ^ Chuck (31 May 2010). "A Stark Reminder".
- ^ "USS Stark Sails To Mississippi For Repairs". AP News. 4 November 1987. Retrieved 9 June 2022.
- ISBN 9781400041510.
- ISBN 978-2-37301-131-9.
- ^ "Two Officers Accept Blame in Frigate Attack, Will Leave Service". Associated Press.
- ^ Cushman Jr, John H. (28 July 1987). "Navy Forgoes Courts-Martial for Officers of Stark". The New York Times.
- ^ Naval Vessel Register. STARK (FFG 31). Retrieved 4 April 2007.
- ^ Lopez, Michael (20 May 2016). "Mayport, Fla., remembers fallen shipmates at Stark Memorial". Aerotech News and Review.
This article includes information collected from the Naval Vessel Register, which, as a U.S. government publication, is in the public domain. The entry can be found here.
Further reading
- Levinson, Jeffrey L. and Randy L. Edwards (1997). Missile Inbound. Annapolis: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 1-55750-517-9.
- 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.
- United States. Congress. House. Committee on Armed Services (1987). Report on the Staff Investigation into the Iraqi Attack on the USS Stark of the Committee on Armed Services, House of Representatives, One Hundredth Congress, First Session. Washington, D.C.: U.S. Government Printing Office.
External links
- Photos of the damaged Stark
- Host page for PDF version of report: Formal Investigation into the Circumstances Surrounding the Attack of the USS Stark in 1987
- US Navy's Damage Control Museum page on the USS Stark
- Photo gallery of USS Stark (FFG-31) at NavSource Naval History
- Information on Operation Earnest Will Archived 31 January 2010 at the Wayback Machine
- MaritimeQuest USS Stark FFG-31 pages
- NPR's interview with OS2 Gable. Aired 15 May 2008. Archived 14 June 2012 at the Wayback Machine
- NPR's interview with Michael Tooker. Aired 9 June 2008. Archived 9 June 2012 at the Wayback Machine