(Video) Operation Praying Mantis: The U.S. Navy vs. Iranian Forces, 1988.

[David E. Powell]

For those who have not hear of this unique battle from 1988, for those who have, and for those who more than have: This video may interest you greatly.

David

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UgJdamtK6Xc&lc=z23kz1cihsfqyjjiw04t1aokglyxzurky2kmv3fssgpprk0h00410.1523973526488043

<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UgJdamtK6Xc&lc=z23kz1cihsfqyjjiw04t1aokglyxzurky2kmv3fssgpprk0h00410.1523973526488043>

Operation Praying Mantis: 18 April 1988.

[dump...@hotmail.com]

Hello Everyone!

Since we're on the subject of Operation Praying Mantis:


https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/25/PrayingMantis.png


I'd like to list a few tidbits about this operation (and the events/operations leading up to it), and ask a few questions that I haven't been able to find the answers to online. Perhaps you knowledgeable folks can
help!

May 17, 1987, The USS Stark is struck by 2 Exocet missiles and heavily
damaged. Most accounts claim that the attack was conducted by an Iraqi Mirage
F.1EQ [1]. But Tom Cooper claims that the attack was actually launched by a
specially modified Falcon 50 business jet [2].

Considering that we have much better access to Iraq and Iraqi military
personnel, records, etc. today than we did back then, has anyone been able to
verify if Mr. Cooper's account is true?

24 July 1987 – 26 September 1988 Operation Earnest Will was launched to
protect US-flagged Kuwaiti Oil Tankers:



"It was the largest naval convoy operation since World War II." [3]

"Initially designed to protect Kuwaiti tankers re-flagged as American ships,
Earnest Will would also be the first combat test of the new U.S. Special
Operations Command (USSOCOM), formed just three months earlier on April 16,
1987. Created in response to congressional action in the Goldwater-Nichols
Department of Defense Reorganization Act of 1986 and the Nunn-Cohen Amendment
to the National Defense Authorization Act of 1987, USSOCOM united all of the
services’ special operations components under a dedicated command equal to
that of the other services. It was an independence long advocated by special
operations forces (SOF), and in Operations Prime Chance and Praying Mantis,
part of Earnest Will, they would make an important first step in validating
that decision." [5]



While this was going on publicly, another operation was happening in the
shadows; Operation Prime Chance:



"But while Earnest Will was the widely publicized reaction to Kuwaiti pleas
for help, Prime Chance was secret." [4]

"Planning and preparation for Prime Chance was launched soon after a tanker
on the very first Earnest Will convoy struck a mine, which made it clear that
more forces would be necessary to assure the safety of the civilian vessels."
[4]



"Prime Chance began with missions launched from Bernsen’s flagship, the
command ship USS La Salle (AGF 3), and frigates USS Jarrett (FFG 33) and
Klakring (FFG 42). Additional missions were planned to be staged from two
large oil platform construction barges – the Hercules and the Wimbrown VII –
located in Bahrain that were being converted into mobile sea bases (MSBs).
Once operational, they would then be deployed in international waters near
Iran’s Farsi Island in the northern Gulf. The conversion of the barges, and
especially their deployed location, sparked a bureaucratic firestorm among
traditionalists in the Pentagon opposed to the mobile sea base concept.
Joint Chiefs of Staff critics of the plan claimed the MSBs would be
irresistible targets dangerously vulnerable to air attack. With memories of
the 1983 truck bomb attack on Marines in Beirut, Lebanon, still fresh, some
went so far as to call the barges “Beirut Barracks.” [5]


"With Kuwait funding the project, CENTCOM leased two large oil construction
platforms to serve as water-borne patrol bases, the Hercules and Wimbrown
VII. The Hercules was one of the largest construction barges in the world
at 400 feet by 140 feet, with a large distinctive crane nicknamed “Clyde.”
The Hercules had the added advantage of being surrounded by a floodable tank,
which would provide excellent protection against a mine strike. CENTCOM
stationed special operations forces on each barge, consisting of four sixty-
five-foot Mark III patrol boats; three Army Special Forces “Seabat”
helicopters; a SEAL platoon; and a reinforced Marine platoon. Additional
assets such as an explosive ordnance team and a Marine radio reconnaissance
linguist and communications element on the Hercules brought the total number
of military personnel aboard to 177 for the Hercules and 132 for the
Wimbrown. [7]

These forces patrolled a fifty-mile stretch of the tanker route. The patrol
boats maintained a twenty-four-hour presence on the water to prevent
penetration by Iranian small craft; the helicopters provided a quick reaction
force and nighttime surveillance. Should the Iranians get past the helicopters
and U.S. patrol boats to attack the barges, each was reinforced with metal
plating and 20,000 sandbags. The marines provided local security, manning a
variety of weapons including heavy machine guns, grenade launchers,
antiaircraft guns, mortars, and Stinger missiles. For additional protection,
the barges were moved randomly every few days." [7]


"Even though he advocated Prime Chance, Bernsen harbored some doubts about
the Little Birds’ stealth capability, worried that Iranian ships would be
able to identify and target them. The Night Stalker commander, Lt. Col. Bob
Codney, set up an exercise to allay those concerns. On a moonless night, a
pair of Little Birds was launched on a “patrol.” A half-hour later they
reappeared – directly in front of the La Salle’s bridge. The first thing
Bernsen or anyone else in the bridge knew of their presence was when they
received the radio message: “Bang. You’re dead.” Bernsen was sold. From that
point on, the call sign for the Night Stalkers in the Gulf was “Seabats.” [5]



I know that the Army had modified some of it's Kiowa helicopters with
stealth capabilities after Operation Desert Storm [6], but now I wonder
if something similar was available for the Little Bird helos even earlier?



"Unwilling to attack the United States directly, Iran decided to target
Kuwait again. On October 15, Iran launched two captured Iraqi Silkworm
missiles from al-Faw toward Kuwait harbor. One missile hit the reflagged
tanker Sea Isle City, injuring fifteen crewmen and permanently blinding a
U.S. Navy captain. President Ronald Reagan ordered a limited retaliation
by destroying the Rostam oil platform, which had been a key link in the
IRGCN operations." [7]



This retaliation would be called Operation Nimble Archer, which occurred
on Oct. 19, 1987.



"U.S. officials said the platforms were being used by Iranian forces as
command-and-control posts with radars to track shipping in the area and
communications gear to relay messages between the mainland and Iranian
forces operating near the platforms. U.S. Defense Secretary Caspar W.
Weinberger said Iran used the facility to "launch small boat attacks
against nonbelligerent shipping.""[8]



The Iran Ajr incident may also have been part of the motivation for
Operation Nimble Archer:



"A SEAL team boarded the Iran Ajr at dawn. A search of the vessel discovered
nine mines still on its deck, as well as a logbook detailing the number and
location of the mines that had been laid and other intelligence. Five Iranians
had been killed and 26 captured, later to be repatriated. After they had
gathered all the intelligence they could, the SEALs scuttled the Iran Ajr."[5]



Ill will over the Iranian minelaying finally came to a head on April 14,
1988 when the Samuel B. Roberts (FFG 58) struck an Iranian mine:



"On April 14, 1988, lookouts on the frigate USS Samuel B. Roberts sighted
three mines directly ahead of the ship. As the Roberts reversed engines in an
attempt to retrace its path and maneuver out of the minefield, it hit a fourth
mine. The blast caused extensive fire and flooding, injuring ten sailors. A
later examination revealed that the explosion had cracked the ship’s entire
hull; only the deck plate had held the ship together."[7]


"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."[9]



After that, it was game on:


"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 with opposing ships and
the only occasion since World War II on which the US Navy sank a major
surface combatant.

By the end of the operation, U.S. air and surface units had sunk, or severely
damaged, half of Iran's operational fleet."[9]



Things started off with attacks on Iranian oil platforms:


"At the first muzzle flash from the Merrill's 5-inch mount 51, the Iranian
23-mm. gun mount opened up, getting the attention of the ship's bridge and
topside watchstanders. The Merrill immediately silenced the Iranian gun with
a direct hit, and encountered no further opposition. After about 50 rounds
had exploded over the southern half of the GOSP, a large crowd of converted
martyrs gathered at the northern end. At this point, we checked fire and
permitted a tug to return and pick up what appeared to be the rest of the
Sassan GOSP occupants."[10]



After that, surface ships started getting involved, resulting in some
identification SNAFUs:



"First, a United Arab Emirates patrol boat approached at high speed from
the northwest. We evaluated it as a possible Boghammer—a popular
classification that day. It could be engaged under the ROE, but we just
identified it and asked it to remain clear. Later, we reconstituted SAG Bravo
and headed north to attack Rahkish GOSP, for no ship had yet been located and
sunk. A Cobra helo crew, our closest air asset, evaluated a 25-knot contact
closing from the northeast as a warship. This quickly took shape as a
"possible Iranian Saam FFG," and the Merrill made preparations to launch a
Harpoon attack. We then asked for further descriptive information and
ultimately for a hull number. The contact turned out to be a Soviet
Sovremennyy- classDDG. The skipper, when asked his intention, replied with a
heavy accent, "I vant to take peectures for heestory."[10]



I wonder what sort of $#^&-storm would've broken loose if they'd fired on
the UAE patrol boat, or - worse yet - the Soviets?

After the sinking of the Iranian patrol boat Joshan, there was also some
anti-air action:



"an F-4 made a high-speed approach just prior to the sinking of the Joshan
hulk (SAG Bravo also detected approaching F-4s, but those dove to the deck
and departed as they reached SM-1 range). The Wainwright is SM-2 equipped. As
the F-4 continued to close, ignoring warnings on both military and internal
air defense circuits, the SAG Commander fired two missiles and hit the
Iranian aircraft. Only the pilot's heroic efforts enabled the Iranians to
recover the badly damaged aircraft at Bandar Abbas."[10]



I suppose the Iranians thought they were dealing with another SM-1
equipped ship?

There were other surface-to-air engagements as well:



"Reports of Iranian Silkworm antiship missile firings and the apparent presence
of targeting aircraft caused the SAG to fire SM-1 missiles at suspected air
contacts and in several other near engagements."[10]


At least one of these engagements may have been a friendly-fire incident in
which a LAMPS helo was engaged by a Standard missile, which the helo avoided
by dropping to wave-top height and dropping chaff. I remember reading about this
in an article years ago, but I can't find the article online anywhere. It may
have been "Operation Praying Mantis: The Air View" [11], but I can't access the
article.

If anyone out there can access this article, can you confirm/refute this?

One of the Iranian ships the U. S. was especially interested in sinking was
the Sabalan, due to the actions of its captain:



"Two days after the Samuel B. Roberts hit the mine, the Enterprise Battle Group
received voice heads up from Vice Adm. (Tony) Less to prepare for a possible
“War at Sea Strike” to sink the Iranian frigate Sabalan. This particular frigate
was singled out by the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs, Adm. William Crowe, because
of the ship’s ruthless attacks against unarmed merchants in the Gulf, targeting
bridge and crew quarters with RPG rounds and gunfire specifically aimed at
killing ship crews."[12]


Eventually, a Saam class frigate was detected:


"Shortly after takeoff, the Battle Group air intelligence officer (E-2) alerted
us and the carrier of indications that a Saam-class frigate in Banbar Abbas was
getting underway. We were already approaching Strait of Hormuz when the signals
collection aircraft from VAQ-135 informed me they confirmed a Saam frigate
electronic emission at a 2:00 position. My B/N confirmed radar contact and
forward-looking infrared imagery (FLIR) of possibly the frigate Sabalan coming
out of port at Bandar Abbas making about thirty knots. It was difficult getting
a visual to sufficiently identify the ship because of the milk bowl low
horizontal visibility in the Gulf." [12]



And was struck HARD:



"The missile failed to launch so we had to go out again reset all the ordnance
switches and make another run. This time, the missile locked on and launched
correctly. We watched the Harpoon skim low on the water and impact the frigate
behind the bridge. Fire and billowing black smoke came from the explosion and
the ship went dead in the water. We made another attack run with the Skipper
rocket assisted bombs and a laser guided bomb.

By this time, I could hear the Walleye-equipped A-7s calling in hot followed by
the A-6 calling out the Harpoon attack. One Walleye hit the front gun turret in
a massive explosion, knocking it partially off the deck. Subsequent hits put the
ship further ablaze as the remaining four A-7s rolled in with their strings of
500-pound bombs. The ship remained on fire and listed heavily but did not sink
as the attack ended and the strike group egressed."[12]


But it turned out to be the Iranian frigate Sahand. Later on, the Sabalan
was hit by a single 500lb laser-guided bomb, but it survived, and was towed
back to port, while the Sahand eventually sank. I guess the Sanahd died for
the Sabalan's sins.

Even though the U.S. could have finished off the Sabalan, it didn't. This
surprised the Iranians:



"the sparing of the Sabalan had a surprising effect on the Iranian leadership.
Those leaders who understood the power of the U.S. military were surprised
that Washington had spared the ship. “It was as if God himself had gently
touched her with his little finger,” a senior Iranian official remarked. In
a meeting with an Arab counterpart, Iranian foreign minister Ali Akbar
Velayati expressed amazement that the United States did not sink the ship:
“I never expected the United States to show that kind of mercy.” How much
impact this had on Iranian politics is not known, but it appears that the
power displayed by the United States undercut the hardliners’ arguments for
attacking U.S. forces."[7]



In addition to aircraft and ships, the Iranians also used shore-based
missiles against the U.S., but they didn't score any hits:



"During Operation Praying Mantis, Iran launched another Silkworm from al-
Faw in the general direction of the Mobile Sea Bases, just before Iraqi
forces overran the missile position."[7]



At least the Iraqis finally got their Silkworm launcher back :)

Shore-based missiles were used around the Strait Of Hormuz, though it's
unclear what type they were. The sources differ:



"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 the USS Gary in the northern central Persian Gulf, but
all missed due to the evasive maneuvers and use of decoys by the ships. A
missile was probably shot down by the Gary's 76 mm (3.0 in) gun. The
Pentagon and the Reagan Administration later denied that any Silkworm
missile attacks took place probably since it was the only way to keep the
situation from escalating further as they had promised before publicly that
any such attacks would merit retaliation against targets on Iranian soil."
[9]


"Although there were reports of Silkworm missiles being used during
Operation Praying Mantis, the after-action review revealed no evidence of
a Silkworm missile being used around the Strait of Hormuz, although Iran
may have modified a Maverick missile for surface-to-surface use."[7]



So, what sort of missiles were used by Iran in the Strait Of Hormuz?
I'm sure the crew of the USS Gary were firing at *something* with their
76mm gun. BTW, is this the first (only?) surface-to-air kill by a Perry
class Frigate?

One of the things made obvious by all the mis-identifications during
Operation Preying Mantis was that the Navy had problems with target
identification. This issue would rear its ugly head again in a deadly
fashion after the Operation ended, when the USS Vincennes arrived in the
Gulf:



"The Vincennes was providing cover for a heavy lift vessel that was
carrying the Roberts back to the United States for repairs. Flight 655
took off from Bander Abass bound for Dubai. The flight path skirts the
northern part of the Straits of Hormuz, crossing the shipping lanes that
lie closer to Iran than the Emirates, and then into Emirates airspace
before landing at Dubai. The airport at Bander Abass is a joint
military-civilian airfield, which may have been a factor in the American
ship determining that the intent of the aircraft was hostile. Early in
the morning the Vincennes’ helicopter received small arms fire from an
Iranian gunboat. As the Vincennes moved to engage the gunboats, they
noticed the track of Flight 655 was on a bearing directly toward their
position. Flying in a regular commercial air corridor Flight 655 took
off then climbed to altitude. The Vincennes officers felt that the
aircraft could be an F-14 armed with bombs using commercial routes to
mask their approach to attack the American cruiser. The warship fired
two missiles that destroyed the airliner killing all 290 passengers and
crew"[13]



Another aftereffect of Operation Praying Mantis was much more positive,
it may have helped end the Iran-Iraq war:


"Years later after declassification, a CIA report was revealed which
exposed how Iran thought Operation Praying Mantis was a coordinated strike
with Iraq, the US Navy from the south and Iraq from the north. The Iran-
Iraq war had been going on for some eight years in its northern border
with Iraq. By pure coincidence on the morning of April 18, 1988, Iraq
launched a major offensive across Iran’s disputed northwest border.

Iranian Intel had mistakenly told the Ayatollah that Saddam and US had
formed a pact to take on Iran from north and southern fronts. The tragic
shoot-down of an airliner by Vincennes further convinced Ayatollah that
U.S. was going to continue from the South. Knowing that they could not win
against two major fronts, Iran sued for peace with Iraq a month later. I
was most pleased to learn that Operation Praying Mantis had served to both
restore America’s national pride and also stopped the long Iran-Iraq war
that had killed hundreds of thousands of soldiers and civilians."[12]



Did Operation Praying Mantis really have such a large influence on the
Iranian decision to sue for peace?




[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Stark_(FFG-31)#Missile_attack

[2] https://warisboring.com/in-1987-a-secret-iraqi-warplane-struck-an-american-frigate-and-killed-37-sailors/

[3] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Earnest_Will

[4] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Prime_Chance

[5] https://www.defensemedianetwork.com/stories/ussocoms-first-test-of-fire-operations-prime-chance-and-praying-mantis/

[6] https://www.flightglobal.com/FlightPDFArchive/1992/1992%20-%201098.PDF

[7] https://www.washingtoninstitute.org/uploads/Documents/pubs/PolicyFocus95.pdf

[8] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Nimble_Archer

[9] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Praying_Mantis

[10] https://www.usni.org/magazines/proceedings/1989-05/operation-praying-mantis-surface-view

[11] https://www.usni.org/magazines/proceedings/1989-05/operation-praying-mantis-air-view

[12] http://www.navyhistory.org/2017/04/operation-praying-mantis-an-enterprise-combat-mission/

[13] https://weaponsandwarfare.com/2017/09/27/operation-prime-chance/