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Operation Praying Mantis was an April 18 , 1988 attack by U.S. Naval Forces in retaliation for the Iran ian Mining of the Persian Gulf and the subsequent damage to an American warship. On April 14, the guided missile frigate USS ''Samuel B. Roberts'' struck a mine while sailing in the Persian Gulf as part of Operation Earnest Will , the 1987-88 convoy missions in which U.S. warships escorted reflagged Kuwait i oil tankers to protect them from Iranian attacks. The explosion put a 25-foot hole in the ''Roberts''' hull and nearly sank it. The crew saved their ship with no loss of life, and ''Roberts'' was towed to Dubai on April 16. 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 Gulf. The battle, the largest for American surface forces since World War II,Love, Robert William. ''History of the U.S. Navy.'' Harrisburg: Stackpole Books, 1992. ISBN 0811718638 p. 787 sank two Iranian warships and as many as six armed speedboats. It also marked the first surface-to-surface missile engagement in U.S. Navy History . The attack by the U.S. helped pressure Iran to agree to a ceasefire with Iraq later that summer, ending the eight-year conflict between the Persian Gulf neighbors. THE BATTLE On April 18 , 1988 , the Americans responded with several groups of surface warships, plus aircraft from the carrier USS ''Enterprise'' . The action began with coordinated strikes by two surface groups. One group, consisting of two Destroyer s and the Amphibious Transport Dock USS ''Trenton'' , attacked the Sassan oil platform, while the other, which included a Guided Missile Cruiser and two Frigate s, attacked the Sirri oil platform. U.S. Marines from Marine Air-Ground Task Force (MAGTF) 2-88 fast-roped onto the Sassan platform, gathered intelligence, and set explosives to disable it. Iran responded by dispatching Boghammar speedboats to attack various targets in the Persian Gulf , including an American-flagged supply ship and a Panamanian-flagged ship. After these attacks, A-6E Intruder aircraft from the VA-95 "Green Lizards" were directed to the speedboats by an American frigate. The two aircraft, piloted by Lieutenant Commander James Engler and Lieutenant Paul Webb, dropped Rockeye Cluster Bomb s on the speedboats, sinking one and damaging several others, which then fled to the Iranian-controlled island of Abu Musa . Action continued to escalate. ''Joshan'' , an Iranian Combattante II Kaman-class fast attack craft, challenged USS ''Wainwright'' (CG-28) and Surface Action Group Charlie, firing a Harpoon Missile at them. The USS ''Simpson'' (FFG-56) responded to the challenge by firing four ''Standard'' Missiles , while USS ''Wainwright'' (CG-28) followed with two ''Standard'' missiles. The attacks destroyed the Iranian ship's superstructure but did not immediately sink it, so USS ''Bagley'' (FF-1069) fired a Harpoon of its own, which missed. The three ships of SAG Charlie closed on the ''Joshan,'' destroying it with naval gunfire. Two Iranian F-4 fighters then approached the USS ''Wainwright'' , which fired a few Standard missiles at the approaching fighters, driving them away. Fighting continued when the Iranian Frigate ''Sahand'' departed Bandar Abbas and challenged elements of an American surface group. The frigate was spotted by two VA-95 A-6Es while they were flying surface combat air patrol for USS ''Joseph Strauss'' (DDG-16) . burning on April 18, 1988 after being attacked]] ''Sahand'' fired missiles at the A-6Es, and the Intruders replied with two Harpoon s and four laser-guided Skipper bombs. ''Joseph Strauss'' added a Harpoon. Most, if not all, of the U.S. weapons hit the Iranian ship. Fires blazing on ''Sahand'''s decks eventually reached her magazines, causing an explosion that helped sink the ship. Despite the loss of ''Sahand'', one of Iran's most modern ships, the Iranian navy continued to fight. Late in the day, a sister ship, ''Sabalan'' , departed from its berth and fired a surface-to-air missile at several A-6Es from VA-95. Intruder pilot Engler dropped a Laser-guided Bomb on ''Sabalan,'' leaving the ship dead in the water. The Iranian frigate, stern partially submerged, was taken in tow by an Iranian tug. VA-95's aircraft, as ordered, did not continue the attack. Engler was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross by Admiral William J. Crowe , Chairman Of The Joint Chiefs Of Staff , for these actions against the Sabalan and the Iranian gunboats. AFTERMATH By the end of the operation elements of the American fleet had damaged Iranian naval and intelligence facilities on two inoperable oil platforms in the Persian Gulf , and sank at least six armed Iranian Speedboat s. ''Sabalan'' was repaired in 1989 and has since been upgraded, and is still in service with the Iranian navy. In short, Iran lost one major warship and a smaller gunboat. Damage to the oil platforms was eventually repaired and they are now back in service. The U.S. side suffered two casualties: the aircrew of a Marine Corps AH-1T Sea Cobra helicopter gunship. The Cobra, attached to the USS ''Trenton'', was flying reconnaissance from the ''Wainwright'' and crashed sometime after dark about 15 miles southwest of Abu Musa island. The bodies of Capt. Stephen C. Leslie, 30, of New Bern, N.C., and Capt. Kenneth W. Hill, 33, of Thomasville, N.C., were recovered by Navy divers in May, and the wreckage of the helicopter was raised later that month. Navy officials said it showed no sign of battle damage, though the aircraft could have crashed while trying to evade Iranian fire. The guided missile cruiser USS ''Vincennes'' was called to protect the extraction of the ''Roberts'' and arrived a month later. The heightened tensions contributed to the crew of the ''Vincennes'' shooting down a commercial airliner on a routine flight, Iran Air Flight 655 , killing all 290 crew and passengers on July 3 , less than 2 months after their arrival. According to the U.S. government, the Iranian airbus was mistakenly identified as an attacking military F-14 fighter. The Iranian government, however, maintains that the ''Vincennes'' knowingly shot down a civilian aircraft. Operation Praying Mantis is one of five American naval engagements cited by United States Naval Academy Prof. Craig L. Symonds in his book ''Decision at Sea'' (2005) as being decisive in establishing U.S. naval superiority. The others were the Battle Of Lake Erie (1813), the Battle Of Hampton Roads (1862), the Battle Of Manila Bay (1898), and the Battle Of Midway (1942). On , 2006 . U.S. NAVAL ORDER OF BATTLE '' after hitting a Mine in the Persian Gulf .]] Surface Action Group Bravo
Surface Action Group Charlie
Surface Action Group Delta
Air support
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