USS Stark Incident
Encyclopedia
The USS Stark Incident occurred during the Iran-Iraq War
on May 17, 1987 when an Iraq
i jet aircraft fired missiles at the American
frigate
USS Stark
. Thirty-seven United States Navy
personnel were killed and twenty-one others were wounded. The Iraqi government later apologized for the attack.
guided missile frigate, was under the command of Captain
Glenn R. Brindel
and was part of the Middle East Task Force. She was sailing off the Saudi Arabia
n coast near the Iran-Iraq War exclusion boundary, the area of sea off Iran and Iraq which was a no go zone for American warships. The Iraqis attacked with a French
built Dassault Mirage F1
armed with 1,500 pound Exocet
missile
s. It took off from the airbase
of Shaibah at 20:00 and headed south into the Persian Gulf
also along the coast. The aircraft was flying 5,000 feet above the water at 550 miles per hour. An AWACS plane on patrol nearby, with an American and Saudi Arabian crew, first detected the incoming Iraqi jet and informed the Stark which picked up the aircraft on radar
, 200 miles out. When it came within view just before 10:00 pm, it was off the Starks port side beam.
Captain Brindel was not alarmed and he ordered his radioman
to send a message at 10:09, "Unknown aircraft, this is U.S. Navy warship on your 078 for twelve miles. Request you identify yourself." When the message was not responded to, a second was sent but still there was no reply. At 10:10 Captain Brindel was informed that the Iraqi aircraft had locked his Cyrano-IV fire-control radar
onto the ship, then the F-1 fired a missile from twenty-two miles away and a second at fifteen miles. Suddenly the jet banked left and began to withdraw. Starks STIR system failed to detect the incoming missiles and it was not until seconds before the first hit that the Americans discovered they were under fire. The first Exocet came in at just over ten feet above the sea and struck the port side hull near the bridge, it failed to detonate but rocket fuel ignited and caused a large fire which spread throughout the post office, the store room and the combat operations center.
The second Exocet struck the port side as well and exploded, leaving a ten by fifteen foot hole in the frigate's side. Electronics for the Starks Standard
missile defense went out and Captain Brindel did not order his men to return fire. The AWACS plane was still in the area and just after witnessing the attack, it radioed a nearby Saudi airbase to send aircraft for an interception but the ground controllers did not have the authority to order a sortie so the Iraqi jet escaped unharmed. Legally the American warship was allowed to attack any hostile aircraft within twenty miles. Twenty-nine men were killed in the explosion and fire, eight sailors died later of wounds and twenty-one others wounded. Two Americans of the thirty-seven were lost at sea.
Throughout the remainder of the night and the following day, the Americans fought the fire which burned for almost twenty-four hours. Captain Brindel also ordered the starboard side flooded so as to keep the hole on the port side above water, this helped keep the frigate from sinking. A distress call was sent out after the first missile hit, it was received by USS Waddell which was in the area. The Waddell arrived after the fire was under control and provided an escort for the Stark as she slowly made her way to Bahrain
. The incident became the first successful anti-ship missile
attack on a United States Navy warship.
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USS Stark arrived at Bahrain the following day on May 18, 1987, under her own power. There she was temporarily repaired by the tender
USS Acadia before setting a course for Mayport, Florida
. A court of inquiry under Rear Admiral
Grant Sharp was formed to investigate the incident and later Captain Brindel was recommended for court-martial
. It was found that the Stark was two miles outside the exclusion zone and had not violated neutrality as the Iraqis claimed. Saddam Hussein
apologized for the "unintentional accident", and said that the pilot mistook the USS Stark for an Iran
ian tanker
. American officials claimed that the Iraqi jet's pilot was not acting under orders from his government and that he was later executed. This has been disputed though, as an Iraqi Air Force
officer later stated that the pilot was not punished and that he was still alive.
Captain Brindel was relieved of duty and retired for not defending his ship and Tactical Action Officer Lieutenant
Basil E. Moncrief resigned. Back in the United States, President
Ronald Reagan
was criticized for putting American service men in harm's way. Many politicians advocated a pull-out of United States Navy forces in the Persian Gulf but, because of fears that the Soviet Union
would take control of the area, the policy was never put into effect. It has still not been confirmed whether or not the Iraqi aircraft was operating under orders.
Iran-Iraq War
The Iran–Iraq War was an armed conflict between the armed forces of Iraq and Iran, lasting from September 1980 to August 1988, making it the longest conventional war of the twentieth century...
on May 17, 1987 when an Iraq
Iraq
Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
i jet aircraft fired missiles at the American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
frigate
Frigate
A frigate is any of several types of warship, the term having been used for ships of various sizes and roles over the last few centuries.In the 17th century, the term was used for any warship built for speed and maneuverability, the description often used being "frigate-built"...
USS Stark
USS Stark (FFG-31)
USS Stark , 23rd ship of the Oliver Hazard Perry class of guided-missile frigates, was named for Admiral Harold Rainsford Stark ....
. Thirty-seven United States Navy
United States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
personnel were killed and twenty-one others were wounded. The Iraqi government later apologized for the attack.
Incident
USS Stark, a Perry classOliver Hazard Perry class frigate
The Oliver Hazard Perry class is a class of frigates named after the American Commodore Oliver Hazard Perry, the hero of the naval Battle of Lake Erie...
guided missile frigate, was under the command of Captain
Captain (naval)
Captain is the name most often given in English-speaking navies to the rank corresponding to command of the largest ships. The NATO rank code is OF-5, equivalent to an army full colonel....
Glenn R. Brindel
Glenn R. Brindel
Captain Glenn R. Brindel, was the Commanding officer of and was in command when the ship was attacked and struck by two Exocet missiles in the Persian Gulf on May 17, 1987. The incident review board, led by Rear Admiral Grant Sharp, recommended he be court-martialed for his actions. However, he...
and was part of the Middle East Task Force. She was sailing off the Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia , commonly known in British English as Saudi Arabia and in Arabic as as-Sa‘ūdiyyah , is the largest state in Western Asia by land area, constituting the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula, and the second-largest in the Arab World...
n coast near the Iran-Iraq War exclusion boundary, the area of sea off Iran and Iraq which was a no go zone for American warships. The Iraqis attacked with a French
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
built Dassault Mirage F1
Dassault Mirage F1
The Dassault Mirage F1 is a French air-superiority fighter and attack aircraft designed and built by Dassault Aviation as a successor of the Mirage III family. The Mirage F1 entered service in the French Air Force in the early seventies...
armed with 1,500 pound Exocet
Exocet
The Exocet is a French-built anti-ship missile whose various versions can be launched from surface vessels, submarines, helicopters and fixed wing aircraft. Hundreds were fired in combat during the 1980s.-Etymology:...
missile
Missile
Though a missile may be any thrown or launched object, it colloquially almost always refers to a self-propelled guided weapon system.-Etymology:The word missile comes from the Latin verb mittere, meaning "to send"...
s. It took off from the airbase
Airbase
An airbase is a military airfield that provides basing and support of military aircraft....
of Shaibah at 20:00 and headed south into the Persian Gulf
Persian Gulf
The Persian Gulf, in Southwest Asia, is an extension of the Indian Ocean located between Iran and the Arabian Peninsula.The Persian Gulf was the focus of the 1980–1988 Iran-Iraq War, in which each side attacked the other's oil tankers...
also along the coast. The aircraft was flying 5,000 feet above the water at 550 miles per hour. An AWACS plane on patrol nearby, with an American and Saudi Arabian crew, first detected the incoming Iraqi jet and informed the Stark which picked up the aircraft on radar
Radar
Radar is an object-detection system which uses radio waves to determine the range, altitude, direction, or speed of objects. It can be used to detect aircraft, ships, spacecraft, guided missiles, motor vehicles, weather formations, and terrain. The radar dish or antenna transmits pulses of radio...
, 200 miles out. When it came within view just before 10:00 pm, it was off the Starks port side beam.
Captain Brindel was not alarmed and he ordered his radioman
Radioman
Radioman was a rating for United States Navy and United States Coast Guard enlisted personnel, specializing in communications technology.-History of the rating:...
to send a message at 10:09, "Unknown aircraft, this is U.S. Navy warship on your 078 for twelve miles. Request you identify yourself." When the message was not responded to, a second was sent but still there was no reply. At 10:10 Captain Brindel was informed that the Iraqi aircraft had locked his Cyrano-IV fire-control radar
Fire-control radar
A fire-control radar is a radar which is designed specifically to provide information to a fire-control system in order to calculate a firing solution...
onto the ship, then the F-1 fired a missile from twenty-two miles away and a second at fifteen miles. Suddenly the jet banked left and began to withdraw. Starks STIR system failed to detect the incoming missiles and it was not until seconds before the first hit that the Americans discovered they were under fire. The first Exocet came in at just over ten feet above the sea and struck the port side hull near the bridge, it failed to detonate but rocket fuel ignited and caused a large fire which spread throughout the post office, the store room and the combat operations center.
Standard missile
Standard Missile can refer to a family of several different American missiles:* RIM-66 Standard , a medium range surface-to-air missile, the successor of the RIM-24 Tartar missile...
missile defense went out and Captain Brindel did not order his men to return fire. The AWACS plane was still in the area and just after witnessing the attack, it radioed a nearby Saudi airbase to send aircraft for an interception but the ground controllers did not have the authority to order a sortie so the Iraqi jet escaped unharmed. Legally the American warship was allowed to attack any hostile aircraft within twenty miles. Twenty-nine men were killed in the explosion and fire, eight sailors died later of wounds and twenty-one others wounded. Two Americans of the thirty-seven were lost at sea.
Throughout the remainder of the night and the following day, the Americans fought the fire which burned for almost twenty-four hours. Captain Brindel also ordered the starboard side flooded so as to keep the hole on the port side above water, this helped keep the frigate from sinking. A distress call was sent out after the first missile hit, it was received by USS Waddell which was in the area. The Waddell arrived after the fire was under control and provided an escort for the Stark as she slowly made her way to Bahrain
Bahrain
' , officially the Kingdom of Bahrain , is a small island state near the western shores of the Persian Gulf. It is ruled by the Al Khalifa royal family. The population in 2010 stood at 1,214,705, including 235,108 non-nationals. Formerly an emirate, Bahrain was declared a kingdom in 2002.Bahrain is...
. The incident became the first successful anti-ship missile
Anti-ship missile
Anti-ship missiles are guided missiles that are designed for use against ships and large boats. Most anti-ship missiles are of the sea-skimming type, many use a combination of inertial guidance and radar homing...
attack on a United States Navy warship.
Aftermath
Tender
-Transportation:* Tender , a type of railroad car hauled immediately after the locomotive and used to carry fuel and water* Water tender, fire truck tanker-Boats/ships:* Buoy tender, used to maintain Aids to Navigation including buoys...
USS Acadia before setting a course for Mayport, Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
. A court of inquiry under Rear Admiral
Rear Admiral
Rear admiral is a naval commissioned officer rank above that of a commodore and captain, and below that of a vice admiral. It is generally regarded as the lowest of the "admiral" ranks, which are also sometimes referred to as "flag officers" or "flag ranks"...
Grant Sharp was formed to investigate the incident and later Captain Brindel was recommended for court-martial
Court-martial
A court-martial is a military court. A court-martial is empowered to determine the guilt of members of the armed forces subject to military law, and, if the defendant is found guilty, to decide upon punishment.Most militaries maintain a court-martial system to try cases in which a breach of...
. It was found that the Stark was two miles outside the exclusion zone and had not violated neutrality as the Iraqis claimed. Saddam Hussein
Saddam Hussein
Saddam Hussein Abd al-Majid al-Tikriti was the fifth President of Iraq, serving in this capacity from 16 July 1979 until 9 April 2003...
apologized for the "unintentional accident", and said that the pilot mistook the USS Stark for an Iran
Iran
Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
ian tanker
Tanker
- Transportation :* Tanker , a ship designed to carry bulk liquids** Chemical tanker, a type of tanker designed to transport chemicals in bulk** Oil tanker, also known as a petroleum tanker...
. American officials claimed that the Iraqi jet's pilot was not acting under orders from his government and that he was later executed. This has been disputed though, as an Iraqi Air Force
Iraqi Air Force
The Iraqi Air Force or IQAF is the military branch in Iraq responsible for the policing of international borders, surveillance of national assets and aerial operations...
officer later stated that the pilot was not punished and that he was still alive.
Captain Brindel was relieved of duty and retired for not defending his ship and Tactical Action Officer Lieutenant
Lieutenant
A lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer in many nations' armed forces. Typically, the rank of lieutenant in naval usage, while still a junior officer rank, is senior to the army rank...
Basil E. Moncrief resigned. Back in the United States, President
President of the United States
The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
Ronald Reagan
Ronald Reagan
Ronald Wilson Reagan was the 40th President of the United States , the 33rd Governor of California and, prior to that, a radio, film and television actor....
was criticized for putting American service men in harm's way. Many politicians advocated a pull-out of United States Navy forces in the Persian Gulf but, because of fears that the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
would take control of the area, the policy was never put into effect. It has still not been confirmed whether or not the Iraqi aircraft was operating under orders.