27 years ago; USS Stark attacked by Iraq aircraft
Riflemusket writes to remind us that it was 27 years ago today (May 17, 1987) that the USS Stark was attacked by a single Iraqi Aircraft two miles outside the exclusion zone with two Exocet anti-ship missiles. 29 men were killed in the explosion and the fire, eight died late and twenty one were wounded. Of the twenty nine killed, two were lost at sea. From Wiki;
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 that 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 Stark’s 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. The USN rules of engagement applicable at the time allowed the Stark to defend herself after sufficiently warning the hostile aircraft.
Here are some photos from the memorial held in Jacksonville, FL this year from News4Jax and a list of the casualties the Arlington National Cemetery website.
Category: Historical, Navy
We talk a good game to the Russians, Iranians, Syrians, Chinese, and any other independent, sovereign state whose mere existence threatens our elected officials’ maniacal quest to take over the world. But we forget what a couple of exocets from a friendly government can do to our WWII-ready fleet.
God rest the souls of those lost. What is it you Navy vets say…”Fair Winds and Following Seas”.
I was stationed in Ansbach Germany at the time of the incident. We watched it on AFN. I remember feeling real bad for those guys on the ship. Little did I realize that i would be facing the Iraqi army in the desert 4 years later.
About 15 years later i meet someone who was on the Stark that fateful day. I have alot of respect for those guys and theirs is a story that deserves to be told and remembered.
Because of that attack the Navy changed several shipboard designs and uniform requirements.
Heat from the fire weakened or melted ladders (Made from aluminum) Uniforms melted to Fire Fighting teams.
The damage control teams welded cables to hold the ship together, there was a very real concern that it would split in half.
Lessons learned from the Stark and Cole were incorporated into the design of the Training Aid, All Navy recruits must pass a test called Battle Stations 21. It is conducted on a mock up ship located at Great Lakes RTC.
“A fast ship, going in Harm’s Way…”
FFGs in the Persian Gulf provided two salient examples of Damage Control in the 80s. At Damage Control school up in Newport, RI, both were taught as case studies. STARK was the negative case study – damage on her became worse than it had to be. (Not part of the curriculum, but a shipmate who I respect deployed with STARK, and said that no one in the battle group was surprised when she was hit, as the command’s apprpoach to the deployment was not that of a warship going into a hostile AOR. Take that for what it’s worth.) The SAMUEL B. ROBERTS (FFG 58) was the positive case. Her back broken by a mine strike (in 1988), by all rights, she should have sunk, but a heroic effort by the crew saved her.
The USS HEPBURN (FF-1055) was properly relieved by USS STARK. On on transit back to Pearl the bridge received unofficial ship to ship chatter that a US Navy was hit.
A photo was taken shortly after the incident (that made it into the news) of a damage control party in a compartment that was damaged … there in in photo was an unexploded EXO missle (French made).
EOD TECH Div, Indian Head saw the photo and I believe it went something like this, “Holy Sweet Baby Jesus, that is an unexploded EXO surface to surface missle between racks 2 and 3”.
Tensions were very high just prior to the Stark incident, our 4 months on station were filled with GQ’s for multiple unknown inbounds.
Our Skipper said, “pray for the crew of the USS Stark … And thank God they are not praying for the crew of the Hepburn”.
BTW. I was staioned in Newport 80 – 86. I steamed Valdez and Edson and taught engineering at SWOS in the “Plastic Palace”.
I was a frequent visitor to the Newport “Butter Cup” and the associated cold water of Narragansett Bay.