Number 878: The Farthest Man From Home: P.T.G.

http://www.chron.com/CDA/archives/archive.mpl?id=1988_537336

chron Houston Chronicle Archives

U.S. blasts 5 Iranian targets

Houston Chronicle News Services

MON 04/18/1988 HOUSTON CHRONICLE

MANAMA, Bahrain - The U.S. Navy today destroyed two offshore Iranian oil platforms, sank a defending Iranian patrol boat and bombed two Iranian frigates. Iran attacked oil facilities off Sharjah and fired on at least two U.S. vessels.

The U.S. attack on the Persian Gulf oil platforms came in retaliation for a mine explosion that tore a hole in a U.S. frigate last week, injuring 10 crewmen.

"We aim to deter further Iranian aggression - not provoke it," President Reagan said. "They must know that we will protect our ships, and if they threaten us, they'll pay a price."

Official estimates of the toll from today's fighting changed through the day, but Reagan stated without elaboration that at least five Iranian vessels of various sizes - but no U.S. ones - had been damaged.

"Following the destruction of the two Iranian military platforms, whose personnel had evacuated after our warning, several Iran naval vessels and small boats attempted to engage our ships and aircraft," Reagan said.

"Three Iranian naval vessels and at least two small boats were sunk or very severely damaged," he added.

Also today, Iran said the United States had entered the Iran-Iraq war, charging U.S. helicopters supported an Iraqi land offensive in the Faw Peninsula. The Pentagon dismissed the charge, saying no U.S. military forces have been involved with Iraqi units.

The White House said three U.S. warships ships blasted each Iranian platform. No U.S. casualties were reported in the attacks, and the Iranians fled prior to the shelling, the White House said.

Iran said a number of oil workers aboard the two platforms were killed or injured. It gave no details.

Defense Secretary Frank C. Carlucci said a U.S. helicopter also was fired upon during the raid but was not hit.

One U.S. warship fired missiles at two approaching Iranian jet fighters, but the fighters reversed course; it was unclear whether they were hit, Carlucci said.

He said an Iranian patrol boat fired on the U.S. cruiser Wainwright, which took part in the attack on one of the platforms. The Wainwright was not hit.

http://articles.chicagotribune.com/1988-04-19/news/8803100107_1_iranian-frigate-sabalan-iranian-casualties/2

Chicago Tribune

(Page 2 of 2)

U.s. Strikes Iranian Targets

Navy Blasts 3 Warships, Oil Platform

April 19, 1988 By George de Lama and Nicholas M. Horrock, Chicago Tribune.

``They likewise gave a warning,`` Crowe said. ``We could see that a gun was manned on the platform. It did not fire at us. . . . They commenced abandoning. A few people chose not to. We took the platform under fire. They then went into the water. We do not know if any of these people were killed or not.``

He said the Sirri was destroyed by the shelling of 5-inch guns, which caused a major fire.

It was at the Sirri location, Pentagon officials said, that the U.S. vessels first came under attack. They said the Iranian missile boat Joshan, a 10-year-old, 154-foot high-speed patrol craft, ignored warnings from U.S. ships and ``fired at us.``

``The Simpson fired three standard missiles, two of which hit the PTG

(the Joshan). The Wainwright fired one, which hit the PTG,`` Crowe said. Minutes later the Joshan sank.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0265086/quotes

IMDb

Black Hawk Down (2001)

Quotes

Grimes: Why aren't you shooting?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Praying_Mantis

Operation Praying Mantis

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Operation Praying Mantis was an attack on April 18, 1988, by U.S. naval forces within Iranian territorial waters in retaliation for the Iranian mining of the Persian Gulf during the Iran–Iraq war and the subsequent damage to an American warship.

Battle

Action continued to escalate.

SAG Charlie closed on the Joshan, with Simpson, then Bagley and Wainwright firing guns to sink the crippled Iranian ship.

2016_Nk20_DSCN0190.JPG

http://www.springfieldspringfield.co.uk/movie_script.php?movie=behind-enemy-lines

Springfield! Springfield!

Behind Enemy Lines (2001)

- Tom.
- Sir?
It's why I push 'em so hard.
For times like these.
- Permission to speak freely, sir.
- Come on, Tom.
You're gonna say whatever
you're gonna say. Don't patronize me.
Sir, what in the hell are we doin'? We've got
a guy on the ground, and we're sittin' here.
It's a complicated situation.
Why isn't this all over the news?
Why isn't the president on the phone to Pale,
or whoever, makin' sure this kid gets out?
Well, he was off-mission.

JOURNAL ARCHIVE: 10/7/2006 11:11 AM
I have been having some thoughts lately that the Roberts was actually hit by a torpedo in April 1988. Then I started to wonder why they didn’t fire more to finish it off. But then I thought that maybe they expected the mines to finish it off. They timed the attack with the Roberts entering the minefield. I also think I was on the Roberts at the time and that would explain a lot. I wrote about a “memory” I have of being in Gitmo back in 1985 while the Taylor was down there for shakedown. I wrote about a large metal buoy that was floating near that island where the Navy used to store anchor chain. I have these vague thoughts of being thrown around in a Boston whaler I was in by myself one night while the rest of the guys were on the nearby island, where we were having a party. I was thrown around in the boat because I hit that big metal buoy. Then I have some “memories of towing it in to the island. I think the boat represents that I was on the Roberts at the time of the explosion. The memory of my towing the buoy may represent those thoughts I have described of towing the unexploded mines away from the Roberts so they wouldn’t drift into it and sink it. But I am confused as to whether I towed them away while swimming, with a rope tied to me and the mine, which would actually explain other thoughts, or whether I used the Roberts motor whaleboat to tow away the mines. Those whaleboats are mostly fiberglass as I recall, but the machinery is all metallic of course, and I think there are miscellaneous metallic pieces on it. Maybe I did both as the reports I read indicate there were three mines floating nearby after the explosion. I am thinking I towed them off to a safe distance where they could be detonated with a rifle from a hovering helicopter. I also need to think more about that day we were out boating in the bay at Gitmo. I have been “remembering” a lot of details from that time, but I am not sure what it means. We had a small flotilla of whalers and one large pontoon boat crossing the bay heading towards that island. I remember I had the beer in my boat. One of the other boats wanted some beers so I was throwing beers into their boat as we sped across the bay. At one point, I threw a beer and it was impaled on the other boats anchor.

[JOURNAL ARCHIVE 07 October 2006 excerpt ends]