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| {{Short description|Oliver Hazard Perry class frigate}}{{Use dmy dates|date= |
{{Short description|Oliver Hazard Perry class frigate}} | ||
| {{Use dmy dates|date=September 2023}} | |||
| <!-- <nowiki>Hanzo missed identifier:shiptablefate:status</nowiki> --> | <!-- <nowiki>Hanzo missed identifier:shiptablefate:status</nowiki> --> | ||
| {|{{Infobox ship begin}} | {|{{Infobox ship begin}} | ||
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| |Ship flag={{USN flag|1999}} | |Ship flag={{USN flag|1999}} | ||
| |Ship name=''Stark'' | |Ship name=''Stark'' | ||
| |Ship namesake=] ] | |Ship namesake=] ] | ||
| |Ship ordered= | |Ship ordered= | ||
| |Ship awarded=23 January 1978 | |Ship awarded=23 January 1978 | ||
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| |Ship reinstated= | |Ship reinstated= | ||
| |Ship homeport=] (former) | |Ship homeport=] (former) | ||
| |Ship identification=*]:FFG-31 | |Ship identification= | ||
| * ]: FFG-31 | |||
| *]:NHPA | * ]: NHPA | ||
| *{{ICS|November}}{{ICS|Hotel}}{{ICS|Papa}}{{ICS|Alpha}} | * {{ICS|November}}{{ICS|Hotel}}{{ICS|Papa}}{{ICS|Alpha}} | ||
| |Ship motto=''Strength for Freedom'' | |Ship motto=''Strength for Freedom'' | ||
| |Ship nickname= | |Ship nickname= | ||
| |Ship honors= | |Ship honors= | ||
| |Ship fate=Scrapped 2006 |
|Ship fate=Scrapped 2006 | ||
| |Ship notes= | |Ship notes= | ||
| |Ship badge={{Dodseal|FFG-31|149}} | |Ship badge={{Dodseal|FFG-31|149}} | ||
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| {{Infobox ship characteristics | {{Infobox ship characteristics | ||
| |Hide header= | |Hide header= | ||
| |Header caption=<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.navsource.org/archives/07/0731.htm |title=USS Stark (FFG 31) |publisher=Navsource.org |access-date= |
|Header caption=<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.navsource.org/archives/07/0731.htm |title=USS Stark (FFG 31) |publisher=Navsource.org |access-date=11 April 2015}}</ref> | ||
| |Ship class={{Sclass|Oliver Hazard Perry|frigate}} | |Ship class={{Sclass|Oliver Hazard Perry|frigate}} | ||
| |Ship displacement={{OHP frigate displacement}} | |Ship displacement={{OHP frigate displacement}} | ||
| |Ship length={{OHP frigate length short hull}} |
|Ship length={{OHP frigate length short hull}} | ||
| |Ship beam={{OHP frigate beam}} | |Ship beam={{OHP frigate beam}} | ||
| |Ship draft={{OHP frigate draft}} | |Ship draft={{OHP frigate draft}} | ||
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| |Ship armament={{OHP frigate armament}} | |Ship armament={{OHP frigate armament}} | ||
| |Ship armor= | |Ship armor= | ||
| |Ship aircraft=1 × ] |
|Ship aircraft=1 × ] | ||
| |Ship aircraft facilities= | |Ship aircraft facilities= | ||
| |Ship notes= Short |
|Ship notes= Short deck variant, no towed array | ||
| }} | }} | ||
| |} | |} | ||
| '''USS ''Stark'' (FFG-31)''' was the 23rd ship of the {{sclass|Oliver Hazard Perry|frigate|4}} of guided-missile ]s and was named after Admiral ] (1880–1972). Ordered from ] in ], on 23 January 1978, ''Stark'' was ] on 24 August 1979, ] on 30 May 1980, and ] on 23 October 1982 |
'''USS ''Stark'' (FFG-31)''' was the 23rd ship of the {{sclass|Oliver Hazard Perry|frigate|4}} of guided-missile ]s and was named after Admiral ] (1880–1972). Ordered from ] in ], on 23 January 1978, ''Stark'' was ] on 24 August 1979, ] on 30 May 1980, and ] on 23 October 1982. In 1987, an ] at ''Stark'', killing 37 U.S. sailors on board. Decommissioned on 7 May 1999, ''Stark'' was scrapped in 2006.<ref name="nhhc1">{{cite news |title=Stark (FFG-31) |url=https://www.history.navy.mil/research/histories/ship-histories/danfs/s/stark--ffg-31-.html |publisher=Naval History and Heritage Command |date=16 March 2017}}</ref> | ||
| ==Missile attack== | ==Missile attack== | ||
| {{main|USS Stark incident}} | {{main|USS Stark incident}} | ||
| USS ''Stark'' was deployed to the ] in 1984 and 1987. Captain ] was the ] during the 1987 deployment. The ship was struck on 17 May 1987 by two ] anti-ship missiles during the ] fired from an Iraqi aircraft officially identified as a ] fighter,<ref name="DoD_report"> |
USS ''Stark'' was deployed to the ] in 1984 and 1987. Captain ] was the ] during the 1987 deployment. The ship was struck on 17 May 1987 by two ] anti-ship missiles during the ] fired from an Iraqi aircraft officially identified as a ] fighter,<ref name="DoD_report"></ref> The Reagan administration attributed the blame to Iran for its alleged belligerence in the underlying conflict.<ref>{{cite book |last=Bacevich |first=Andrew |title=America's War for the Greater Middle East: A Military History |year=2016 |publisher=Random House}}</ref> The plane had taken off from ], Iraq at 20:00 and had flown south into the ]. The pilot fired the first Exocet missile from a range of {{convert |22.5 |nmi |km}}, and the second from {{convert|15.5|nmi|km}}, just about the time ''Stark'' issued a standard warning by radio.<ref name=kelley-0706>{{Cite journal |url=http://www.ccc.nps.navy.mil/research/theses/kelley07.pdf |title=Better Lucky Than Good: Operation Earnest Will as Gunboat Diplomacy |author=Stephen Andrew Kelley |date=June 2007 |publisher=] |access-date=9 November 2007 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070823062402/http://www.ccc.nps.navy.mil/research/theses/kelley07.pdf |archive-date=23 August 2007 |df=dmy-all}}</ref> The frigate did not detect the missiles with radar; warning was given by the lookout only moments before the missiles struck.<ref name="DoD_report"/> The first penetrated the port-side hull and failed to detonate, but left flaming rocket fuel in its path. The second entered at almost the same point, and, leaving a {{convert |3 |by |4 |m |ft |0 |adj=on |sp=us}} gash, exploded in crew quarters. The missiles killed 37 sailors and injured 21.<ref name="DoD_report"/> | ||
| ] missiles.]] | ] missiles.]] | ||
| No weapons were fired in defense of ''Stark''. The ] remained in standby mode, ] countermeasures were not armed until seconds before the missile hit. The attacking Exocet missiles and Mirage aircraft were in a blindspot of the STIR ] director (Separate tracking and illumination Radar, part of the ]), and the ] Mk 75 ], but in the clear for the MK 92 CAS (Combined Antenna System, primary search and tracking radar of the Mk 92 Guided Missile Fire Control System) and the Mk 13 Mod 4 single-arm launcher. The ship failed to maneuver to bring its Mk 75 to bear before the first missile hit.<ref name="DoD_report"/> | No weapons were fired in defense of ''Stark''. The autonomous ] remained in standby mode,<ref> {{dead link|date=September 2023}}</ref> ] countermeasures were not armed until seconds before the missile hit. The attacking Exocet missiles and Mirage aircraft were in a blindspot of the STIR ] director (Separate tracking and illumination Radar, part of the ]), and the ] Mk 75 ], but in the clear for the MK 92 CAS (Combined Antenna System, primary search and tracking radar of the Mk 92 Guided Missile Fire Control System) and the Mk 13 Mod 4 single-arm launcher. The ship failed to maneuver to bring its Mk 75 to bear before the first missile hit.<ref name="DoD_report"/> | ||
| On fire and listing, the frigate was brought under control by its crew during the night. The ship made its way to ] where, after temporary repairs by the ] {{USS|Acadia|AD-42|6}} to make her seaworthy,<ref>{{cite web |url=https://headmuscle.wordpress.com/2010/05/31/a-stark-reminder-2/ |title=A Stark Reminder |last=Chuck |date=31 May 2010 }}</ref> she returned to her home port of ], under her own power. The ship was eventually repaired at ] in ] for $142 million. | On fire and listing, the frigate was brought under control by its crew during the night. The ship made its way to ] where, after temporary repairs by the ] {{USS|Acadia|AD-42|6}} to make her seaworthy,<ref>{{cite web |url=https://headmuscle.wordpress.com/2010/05/31/a-stark-reminder-2/ |title=A Stark Reminder |last=Chuck |date=31 May 2010 }}</ref> she returned to her home port of ], under her own power. The ship was eventually repaired at ] in ] for $142 million.<ref>{{Cite web |date=1987-11-04 |title=USS Stark Sails To Mississippi For Repairs |url=https://apnews.com/article/b94a67938b0cf68c2c186e72a387b060 |access-date=2022-06-09 |website=AP News}}</ref> | ||
| ] | ] | ||
| It is unknown whether Iraqi leaders authorized the attack. Initial claims by the Iraqi government |
It is unknown whether Iraqi leaders authorized the attack. Initial claims by the Iraqi government that ''Stark'' was inside the Iran–Iraq War zone were shown to be false. The motives and orders of the pilot remain unanswered. American officials have claimed he was executed, but an ex-Iraqi Air Force commander later said that the pilot who attacked ''Stark'' was not punished, and remained alive.<ref>{{cite book |last=Fisk |first=Robert |title=The Great War For Civilisation: The Conquest of the Middle East |url=https://archive.org/details/greatwarforcivil00fisk_0 |url-access=registration |year=2005 |publisher=Knopf Publishing|isbn=9781400041510 }}</ref> According to Jean-Louis Bernard, author of "Heroes of Bagdad" T1 (Editions JPO 2017), the pilot, Abdul Rhaman, not only was not punished, but would have received the medal of bravery at the end of 'a joint Iraqi-American commission of inquiry.<ref>{{cite book|last=Bernard|first=Jean-Louis|title=Les héros de Bagdad: Tome 2, Les débuts du Mirage F1, et l'aventure du Super-Etendard|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=znjZzQEACAAJ |year=2020|publisher=Editions Jean-Pierre Otelli|isbn=978-2-37301-131-9}}</ref>{{page needed|date=April 2021}} His subsequent defection is not mentioned in this book. Jean-Louis Bernard also confirms the use of a Falcon 50 during this action.{{clarify|date=May 2021|reason="subsequent defection" needs clarification and support}} | ||
| Citing lapses in training requirements and lax procedures, the U.S. Navy's board of inquiry relieved Captain Brindel of command and recommended him for ], along with |
Citing lapses in training requirements and lax procedures, the U.S. Navy's board of inquiry relieved Captain Brindel of command and recommended him for ], along with tactical action officer Lieutenant Basil E. Moncrief. Instead, Brindel and Moncrief received ] from ] ] and ]. Brindel opted for early retirement while Moncrief resigned his commission after only eight years of service.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://apnews.com/article/4dd26be262aab7b7f9f5404dc46d1111|title = Two Officers Accept Blame in Frigate Attack, Will Leave Service|website = ]}}</ref> The ], ] Raymond Gajan Jr., was detached for cause and received a letter of admonition.<ref>{{cite news |work=The New York Times |title=Navy Forgoes Courts-Martial for Officers of Stark |url= https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9B0DE6DD1439F93BA15754C0A961948260 |date=28 July 1987 |first=John H. |last=Cushman Jr}}</ref> | ||
| ==1990s== | ==1990s== | ||
| ''Stark'' was part of the Standing Naval Forces Atlantic Fleet in 1990 before returning to the Middle East Force in 1991. ''Stark'' was attached to ] in 1993 and took part in ] and ] in 1994. In 1995, ''Stark'' returned to the Middle East Force before serving with the Standing Naval Forces, Atlantic (STANAVFORLANT) in 1997 and in 1998. | |||
| ''Stark'' was decommissioned on 7 May 1999. A scrapping contract was awarded to Metro Machine Corp. of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on 7 October 2005. The ship was reported scrapped on 21 June 2006.<ref>]. {{ |
''Stark'' was decommissioned on 7 May 1999. A scrapping contract was awarded to Metro Machine Corp. of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on 7 October 2005. The ship was reported scrapped on 21 June 2006.<ref>]. {{Naval Vessel Register URL|id=FFG31|title=STARK (FFG 31)}}. Retrieved 4 April 2007.</ref> Her stern plate was saved and donated to ].<ref>{{cite news |last1=Lopez |first1=Michael |title=Mayport, Fla., remembers fallen shipmates at Stark Memorial |url=http://www.aerotechnews.com/blog/2016/05/20/mayport-fla-remembers-fallen-shipmates-at-stark-memorial/ |publisher=Aerotech News and Review |date=20 May 2016 }}</ref> | ||
| ==References== | ==References== | ||
| {{Reflist}} | {{Reflist}} | ||
| {{ |
{{Naval Vessel Register|{{Naval Vessel Register URL|id=FFG31}}}} | ||
| ==Further reading== | ==Further reading== | ||
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| * page on the USS ''Stark'' | * page on the USS ''Stark'' | ||
| *{{navsource|07/0731|USS Stark (FFG-31)}} | *{{navsource|07/0731|USS Stark (FFG-31)}} | ||
| * | * {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100131222541/http://eightiesclub.tripod.com/id344.htm |date=31 January 2010 }} | ||
| * | * | ||
| * | * {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120614151553/http://thestory.org/archive/search_media?review_state=published&start.query:record:list:date=2008-05-15%2023:59:59&start.range:record=max&end.query:record:list:date=2008-05-15%2000:00:00&end.range:record=min&month:int=5&year:int=2008 |date=14 June 2012 }} | ||
| * | * {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120609232457/http://thestory.org/archive/search_media?review_state=published&start.query:record:list:date=2008-06-09%2023:59:59&start.range:record=max&end.query:record:list:date=2008-06-09%2000:00:00&end.range:record=min&month:int=6&year:int=2008 |date=9 June 2012 }} | ||
| {{Oliver Hazard Perry class frigate}} | {{Oliver Hazard Perry class frigate}} | ||
Latest revision as of 15:34, 27 September 2024
Oliver Hazard Perry class frigate
.jpg) USS Stark (FFG-31)
| |
| History | |
|---|---|
 United States | |
| Name | Stark |
| Namesake | Admiral Harold Raynsford Stark |
| Awarded | 23 January 1978 |
| Builder | Todd Pacific Shipyards, Seattle, Washington |
| Laid down | 24 August 1979 |
| Launched | 30 May 1980 |
| Commissioned | 23 October 1982 |
| Decommissioned | 7 May 1999 |
| Stricken | 7 May 1999 |
| Homeport | Naval Station Mayport (former) |
| Identification |
|
| Motto | Strength for Freedom |
| Fate | Scrapped 2006 |
| Badge |  |
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type | Oliver Hazard Perry-class frigate |
| Displacement | 4,100 long tons (4,200 t), full load |
| Length | 445 feet (136 m), overall |
| Beam | 45 feet (14 m) |
| Draft | 22 feet (6.7 m) |
| Propulsion |
|
| Speed | over 29 knots (54 km/h) |
| Range | 5,000 nautical miles at 18 knots (9,300 km at 33 km/h) |
| Complement | 15 officers and 190 enlisted, plus SH-60 LAMPS detachment of roughly six officer pilots and 15 enlisted maintainers |
| Sensors and processing systems |
|
| Electronic warfare & decoys | AN/SLQ-32 |
| Armament |
|
| Aircraft carried | 1 × SH-2F LAMPS I |
| Notes | Short deck variant, no towed array |
USS Stark (FFG-31) was the 23rd ship of the Oliver Hazard Perry class of guided-missile frigates and was named after Admiral Harold Raynsford Stark (1880–1972). Ordered from Todd Pacific Shipyards in Seattle, Washington, on 23 January 1978, Stark was laid down on 24 August 1979, launched on 30 May 1980, and commissioned on 23 October 1982. In 1987, an Iraqi jet fired two missiles at Stark, killing 37 U.S. sailors on board. Decommissioned on 7 May 1999, Stark was scrapped in 2006.
Missile attack
Main article: USS Stark incidentUSS Stark was deployed to the Middle East Force in 1984 and 1987. Captain Glenn R. Brindel was the commanding officer during the 1987 deployment. The ship was struck on 17 May 1987 by two Exocet anti-ship missiles during the Iran–Iraq War fired from an Iraqi aircraft officially identified as a Dassault Mirage F1 fighter, The Reagan administration attributed the blame to Iran for its alleged belligerence in the underlying conflict. The plane had taken off from Shaibah, Iraq at 20:00 and had flown south into the Persian Gulf. The pilot fired the first Exocet missile from a range of 22.5 nautical miles (41.7 km), and the second from 15.5 nautical miles (28.7 km), just about the time Stark issued a standard warning by radio. The frigate did not detect the missiles with radar; warning was given by the lookout only moments before the missiles struck. The first penetrated the port-side hull and failed to detonate, but left flaming rocket fuel in its path. The second entered at almost the same point, and, leaving a 3-by-4-meter (10 by 13 ft) gash, exploded in crew quarters. The missiles killed 37 sailors and injured 21.
No weapons were fired in defense of Stark. The autonomous Phalanx CIWS remained in standby mode, Mark 36 SRBOC countermeasures were not armed until seconds before the missile hit. The attacking Exocet missiles and Mirage aircraft were in a blindspot of the STIR fire control director (Separate tracking and illumination Radar, part of the Mk 92 Guided Missile Fire Control System), and the Oto Melara Mk 75 76 mm/62 caliber naval gun, but in the clear for the MK 92 CAS (Combined Antenna System, primary search and tracking radar of the Mk 92 Guided Missile Fire Control System) and the Mk 13 Mod 4 single-arm launcher. The ship failed to maneuver to bring its Mk 75 to bear before the first missile hit.
On fire and listing, the frigate was brought under control by its crew during the night. The ship made its way to Bahrain where, after temporary repairs by the destroyer tender USS Acadia to make her seaworthy, she returned to her home port of Naval Station Mayport, under her own power. The ship was eventually repaired at Ingalls Shipbuilding in Mississippi for $142 million.
It is unknown whether Iraqi leaders authorized the attack. Initial claims by the Iraqi government that Stark was inside the Iran–Iraq War zone were shown to be false. The motives and orders of the pilot remain unanswered. American officials have claimed he was executed, but an ex-Iraqi Air Force commander later said that the pilot who attacked Stark was not punished, and remained alive. According to Jean-Louis Bernard, author of "Heroes of Bagdad" T1 (Editions JPO 2017), the pilot, Abdul Rhaman, not only was not punished, but would have received the medal of bravery at the end of 'a joint Iraqi-American commission of inquiry. His subsequent defection is not mentioned in this book. Jean-Louis Bernard also confirms the use of a Falcon 50 during this action. Citing lapses in training requirements and lax procedures, the U.S. Navy's board of inquiry relieved Captain Brindel of command and recommended him for court-martial, along with tactical action officer Lieutenant Basil E. Moncrief. Instead, Brindel and Moncrief received non-judicial punishment from Admiral Frank B. Kelso II and letters of reprimand. Brindel opted for early retirement while Moncrief resigned his commission after only eight years of service. The executive officer, Lieutenant Commander Raymond Gajan Jr., was detached for cause and received a letter of admonition.
1990s
Stark was part of the Standing Naval Forces Atlantic Fleet in 1990 before returning to the Middle East Force in 1991. Stark was attached to UNITAS in 1993 and took part in Operation Uphold Democracy and Operation Able Vigil in 1994. In 1995, Stark returned to the Middle East Force before serving with the Standing Naval Forces, Atlantic (STANAVFORLANT) in 1997 and in 1998.
Stark was decommissioned on 7 May 1999. A scrapping contract was awarded to Metro Machine Corp. of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on 7 October 2005. The ship was reported scrapped on 21 June 2006. Her stern plate was saved and donated to Naval Station Mayport.
References
- "USS Stark (FFG 31)". Navsource.org. Retrieved 11 April 2015.
- "Stark (FFG-31)". Naval History and Heritage Command. 16 March 2017.
- ^ Formal Investigation into the Circumstances Surrounding the Attack of the USS Stark in 1987
- Bacevich, Andrew (2016). America's War for the Greater Middle East: A Military History. Random House.
- Stephen Andrew Kelley (June 2007). "Better Lucky Than Good: Operation Earnest Will as Gunboat Diplomacy" (PDF). Naval Postgraduate School. Archived from the original (PDF) on 23 August 2007. Retrieved 9 November 2007.
{{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires|journal=(help) - Navy Jag Corps
- Chuck (31 May 2010). "A Stark Reminder".
- "USS Stark Sails To Mississippi For Repairs". AP News. 4 November 1987. Retrieved 9 June 2022.
- Fisk, Robert (2005). The Great War For Civilisation: The Conquest of the Middle East. Knopf Publishing. ISBN 9781400041510.
- Bernard, Jean-Louis (2020). Les héros de Bagdad: Tome 2, Les débuts du Mirage F1, et l'aventure du Super-Etendard. Editions Jean-Pierre Otelli. ISBN 978-2-37301-131-9.
- "Two Officers Accept Blame in Frigate Attack, Will Leave Service". Associated Press.
- Cushman Jr, John H. (28 July 1987). "Navy Forgoes Courts-Martial for Officers of Stark". The New York Times.
- Naval Vessel Register. STARK (FFG 31). Retrieved 4 April 2007.
- Lopez, Michael (20 May 2016). "Mayport, Fla., remembers fallen shipmates at Stark Memorial". Aerotech News and Review.
This article includes information collected from the Naval Vessel Register, which, as a U.S. government publication, is in the public domain. The entry can be found here.
Further reading
- Levinson, Jeffrey L. and Randy L. Edwards (1997). Missile Inbound. Annapolis: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 1-55750-517-9.
- Wise, Harold Lee (2007). Inside the Danger Zone: The U.S. Military in the Persian Gulf 1987–88. Annapolis: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 978-1-59114-970-5.
- United States. Congress. House. Committee on Armed Services (1987). Report on the Staff Investigation into the Iraqi Attack on the USS Stark of the Committee on Armed Services, House of Representatives, One Hundredth Congress, First Session. Washington, D.C.: U.S. Government Printing Office.
External links
- Photos of the damaged Stark
- Host page for PDF version of report: Formal Investigation into the Circumstances Surrounding the Attack of the USS Stark in 1987
- US Navy's Damage Control Museum page on the USS Stark
- Photo gallery of USS Stark (FFG-31) at NavSource Naval History
- Information on Operation Earnest Will Archived 31 January 2010 at the Wayback Machine
- MaritimeQuest USS Stark FFG-31 pages
- NPR's interview with OS2 Gable. Aired 15 May 2008. Archived 14 June 2012 at the Wayback Machine
- NPR's interview with Michael Tooker. Aired 9 June 2008. Archived 9 June 2012 at the Wayback Machine
