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| Syria-Lebanon-Iran |
| Happy Operation Preying Mantis Day, everyone! |
| 2006-04-18 |
| Operation Praying Mantis was the 18 April 1988 action waged by U.S. naval forces in retaliation for the Iranian mining of an American warship. The 14 April mining nearly sank the guided missile frigate USS Samuel B. Roberts, which was sailing in the Persian Gulf as part of Operation Earnest Will, the 1987-88 convoy missions in which U.S. warships escorted reflagged Kuwaiti oil tankers to protect them from Iranian attacks. By the time the Roberts was towed to Dubai on 15 April, battered but saved with no loss of life, U.S. planning for the retaliatory operation had already begun in Washington and in the Middle East. The battle, the largest between surface forces since World War II, sank two Iranian warships and as many as six armed speedboats. The attack by the U.S. may have helped pressure Iran to agree to a ceasefire with U.S-backed Iraq later that summer, ending the eight-year conflict between the Persian Gulf neighbors. More at the link. |
| Posted by:Seafarious |
| #16 The Midway anniversary (otherwise known as "SBD Dauntless Day") is June 4. |
| Posted by: Mike 2006-04-18 20:59 |
| #15 Well, Midway Night must be gettin close. |
| Posted by: 6 2006-04-18 20:12 |
| #14 It's also the anniversary of the Doolittle Raid and the Midnight Ride of Paul Revere. |
| Posted by: Mike 2006-04-18 19:13 |
| #13 ...If I may, I'd like to remind everyone about another anniversary that we should remember today: on 18 Apr 1942, 16 B-25s commanded by LTC James Doolittle were launched against Japan. Although militarily the effect was negligible, the Japanese were so badly infuriated and embarassed that they made the decisions that led directly to the battle of Midway - and their ultimate defeat. We need men like Doolittle's Raiders once more...and thank God we have them. Mike |
| Posted by: Mike Kozlowski 2006-04-18 18:48 |
| #12 Just remember that small craft were used to attack the USS Cole. Small craft that made their way to the Cole as the US ship was under orders not to fire at anything since they were in port and the guns were empty. Stupid ROE by stupid ass people who don't know crap. |
| Posted by: DarthVader 2006-04-18 18:44 |
| #11 Just remember that small craft were used to attack the USS Cole. |
| Posted by: doc 2006-04-18 18:11 |
| #10 Somewhere, I would like to think that there is a US Navy Seal Team who just *live* for the day when they scuttle everything Iranian that floats larger than a rubber ducky. |
| Posted by: Anonymoose 2006-04-18 18:07 |
| #9 During the first Gulf War I remember a breathless reporter on CNN announcing that a Navy A-6 had sunk a "Zodiac Patrol Craft." Made it sound like the Bismark. I was shouting at the TV, "It's a rubber boat! A R-U-B-B-E-R BOAT!" |
| Posted by: Laurence of the Rats 2006-04-18 17:41 |
| #8 yeah your ded right i think mate - mk20 rockeye cluster bombs from memory - cool stuff! |
| Posted by: ShepUK 2006-04-18 17:03 |
| #7 Best headline ever - ever! |
| Posted by: ShepUK 2006-04-18 17:01 |
| #6 I was on the Big E when this happened. Mess Deck Intelligence has it that the Air Wing used cluster bombs to knock out some of these speedy and manouverable "speedboats". |
| Posted by: radrh8r 2006-04-18 16:46 |
| #5 OPeration IMPENDING DOOM 2! |
| Posted by: mojo 2006-04-18 16:14 |
| #4 The attack by the U.S. may have helped pressure Iran to agree to a ceasefire with U.S-backed Iraq later that summer, ending the eight-year conflict between the Persian Gulf neighbors. Sounds like a strategic mistake. Should have sold them more TOWs at 5X markup to keep the war going for another 20 years. |
| Posted by: ed 2006-04-18 16:12 |
| #3 I watched this action from the Pentagon. |
| Posted by: Penguin 2006-04-18 16:02 |
| #2 SPEEDBOATS!!! HAHAHAHAHAHA!!! |
| Posted by: Mike N. 2006-04-18 15:50 |
| #1 I'm holding out for "Operation Preying Mantis: part 2" |
| Posted by: DarthVader 2006-04-18 15:46 |