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| {|{{Infobox ship begin |display title=ital}} | {|{{Infobox ship begin |display title=ital}} | ||
| {{Infobox ship image | {{Infobox ship image | ||
| | Ship image=] | | Ship image=] | ||
| | Ship caption=''Iran Ajr'' |
| Ship caption=''Iran Ajr'', 1986 | ||
| }} | }} | ||
| {{Infobox ship career | {{Infobox ship career | ||
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| | Ship ordered= | | Ship ordered= | ||
| | Ship awarded= | | Ship awarded= | ||
| | Ship builder=Teraoka Shipyard - Minamiawaji, Japan<ref name=shipyd>{{cite web |url=http://maritime-connector.com/ship/iran-ajr-7807196/ |title=7807196 Iran Ajr |publisher=Maritime Connector | |
| Ship builder=Teraoka Shipyard - Minamiawaji, Japan<ref name=shipyd>{{cite web |url=http://maritime-connector.com/ship/iran-ajr-7807196/ |title=7807196 Iran Ajr |publisher=Maritime Connector |access-date=29 June 2015 |archive-date=4 February 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180204014241/http://maritime-connector.com/ship/iran-ajr-7807196/ |url-status=dead }}</ref> | ||
| | Ship original cost= | | Ship original cost= | ||
| | Ship yard number= | | Ship yard number= | ||
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| {{Infobox ship characteristics | {{Infobox ship characteristics | ||
| | Hide header= | | Hide header= | ||
| | Header caption=<ref>{{cite web |url= |
| Header caption=<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/world/iran/ajr-specs.htm |title=Iran Ajr/Hejaz Class |work=globalsecurity.org |date=2012 |access-date=29 August 2012 |archive-date=26 June 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120626100253/http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/world/iran/ajr-specs.htm |url-status=live }}</ref> | ||
| | Ship class= | | Ship class= | ||
| | Ship type= ]/] | | Ship type= ]/] | ||
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| }} | }} | ||
| |} | |} | ||
| '''''Iran Ajr''''', formerly known as the ''Arya Rakhsh'', was a Japanese-built ] used by ] to lay ]s during the ].<ref name="nohigherhonor">{{cite web | last = Peniston | first = Bradley | title = Capturing the Iran Ajr | work = No Higher Honor | year = 2006 | url = http://www.navybook.com/nohigherhonor/pic-iranajr.shtml | |
'''''Iran Ajr''''' ({{Langx|fa|ایران اجر||Iran Gift}}), formerly known as the ''Arya Rakhsh'', was a Japanese-built ] used by ] to lay ]s during the ].<ref name="nohigherhonor">{{cite web | last = Peniston | first = Bradley | title = Capturing the Iran Ajr | work = No Higher Honor | year = 2006 | url = http://www.navybook.com/nohigherhonor/pic-iranajr.shtml | access-date = 29 June 2015 | archive-date = 29 June 2012 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20120629130249/http://www.navybook.com/nohigherhonor/pic-iranajr.shtml | url-status = live }}</ref> Built in 1978, the 614-ton, 54-meter ship was powered by two ]s and featured a bow ramp for unloading cargo. She was ] in 1987. | ||
| ==Iran–Iraq War== | ==Iran–Iraq War== | ||
| On 21 September 1987, U.S. forces involved in ] – the covert part of ], the mission to protect U.S.-flagged ]-carrying ships in the ] – tracked ''Iran Ajr'' and dispatched ] helicopters from the ] ] {{USS|Jarrett|FFG-33}} to shadow her. When the aviators reported that people aboard ''Iran Ajr'' were laying ], the U.S. commander in the Persian Gulf ordered the pilots to "stop the mining." The helicopters fired on the ship, killing some of crewmen and chasing others into the water. A team of ] ] later boarded the ship, confirmed the presence of mines, and detained the surviving Iranians. |
On 21 September 1987, U.S. forces involved in ] – the covert part of ], the mission to protect U.S.-flagged ]-carrying ships in the ] – tracked ''Iran Ajr'' and dispatched ] helicopters from the ] ] {{USS|Jarrett|FFG-33}} to shadow her. When the aviators reported that people aboard ''Iran Ajr'' were laying ], the U.S. commander in the Persian Gulf ordered the pilots to "stop the mining." The helicopters fired on the ship, killing some of the crewmen and chasing others into the water.{{cn|date=September 2024}} A team of ] ] later boarded the ship, confirmed the presence of mines, and detained the 26 surviving Iranians.<ref name="upi1">{{cite news |title=Rear Admiral Harold J. Bernsen, commander of the U.S.... |url=https://www.upi.com/Archives/1987/10/04/Rear-Admiral-Harold-J-Bernsen-commander-of-the-US/9765560318400/ |date=4 October 1987}}</ref> | ||
| ] ] said later that the detainees "were given the opportunity to seek ]. I think that was stated in Washington." Bernsen was "not actually present" when the offers were made by "an officer on my staff," whom he refused to identify. There were no State Department personnel present at the time, he said, but it was within his authority to make the offer in conformity with the policies of the ]. "I think it was done very simply, and very generously."<ref name=upi1/> | |||
| On 26 September, ] MU5 Detachment 5 ] the ship in ]. | |||
| When the U.S. Navy guided-missile frigate {{USS|Samuel B. Roberts|FFG-58}} struck a mine in the Persian Gulf in April 1988, U.S. Navy explosive ordnance specialists matched the serial numbers of nearby unexploded mines to the ones aboard ''Iran Ajr''. This evidence of Iranian involvement in the mining of ''Samuel B. Roberts'' led to the biggest surface-warfare naval battle since ], the retribution campaign of 18 April 1988 called ].<ref name="nohigherhonor"/> | When the U.S. Navy guided-missile frigate {{USS|Samuel B. Roberts|FFG-58}} struck a mine in the Persian Gulf in April 1988, U.S. Navy explosive ordnance specialists matched the serial numbers of nearby unexploded mines to the ones aboard ''Iran Ajr''. This evidence of Iranian involvement in the mining of ''Samuel B. Roberts'' led to the biggest surface-warfare naval battle since ], the retribution campaign of 18 April 1988 called ].<ref name="nohigherhonor"/> | ||
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| ==Further reading== | ==Further reading== | ||
| *{{cite book|last=Wise |
*{{cite book|last=Wise|first=Harold Lee|title=Inside the Danger Zone: The U.S. Military in the Persian Gulf 1987-88|url=http://www.insidethedangerzone.com|location=Annapolis|publisher=Naval Institute Press|year=2007|isbn=978-1-59114-970-5}} | ||
| *{{cite book|last1=Crist|first1=David|title=The Twilight War: The Secret History of America's Thirty-Year Conflict With Iran|date=2012|publisher=The Penguin Press|location=New York|isbn=978-1-59420-341-1}} | *{{cite book|last1=Crist|first1=David|title=The Twilight War: The Secret History of America's Thirty-Year Conflict With Iran|date=2012|publisher=The Penguin Press|location=New York|isbn=978-1-59420-341-1}} | ||
| ==External links== | ==External links== | ||
| * | * | ||
| * | * | ||
| * | * | ||
| {{1987 shipwrecks}} | {{1987 shipwrecks}} | ||
| {{Iran–United States relations}} | |||
| {{coord missing|Indian Ocean}} | {{coord missing|Indian Ocean}} | ||
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| ] | ] | ||
| ] | ] | ||
| ] | ] | ||
| ] | ] | ||
Latest revision as of 17:55, 17 November 2024
 | This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. Find sources: "Iran Ajr" – news · newspapers · books · scholar · JSTOR (January 2013) (Learn how and when to remove this message) |
 Iran Ajr, 1986
| |
| History | |
|---|---|
 Iran | |
| Name | Iran Ajr |
| Builder | Teraoka Shipyard - Minamiawaji, Japan |
| Christened | Arya Rakhsh |
| Acquired | by purchase, 1978 |
| Renamed | Iran Ajr (1980) |
| Identification | IMO number: 7807196 |
| Fate | Seized and scuttled by U.S. Navy, 26 September 1987 |
| Notes | Originally acquired by Imperial Iranian Navy as part of pre-1979 Revolution defense build-up. Was intended to be the first of a class of four. |
| General characteristics | |
| Type | Landing ship/Minelayer |
| Displacement | |
| Length | 53.85 m (176 ft 8 in) |
| Beam | 10.81 m (35 ft 6 in) |
| Draught | 3 m (9 ft 10 in) |
| Propulsion | 2 × diesel engines, 2 screws |
| Speed | 11 knots (20 km/h; 13 mph) |
| Complement | 30 |
| Armament |
|
Iran Ajr (Persian: ایران اجر, lit. 'Iran Gift'), formerly known as the Arya Rakhsh, was a Japanese-built landing craft used by Iran to lay naval mines during the Iran–Iraq War. Built in 1978, the 614-ton, 54-meter ship was powered by two diesel engines and featured a bow ramp for unloading cargo. She was scuttled in 1987.
Iran–Iraq War
On 21 September 1987, U.S. forces involved in Operation Prime Chance – the covert part of Operation Earnest Will, the mission to protect U.S.-flagged petroleum-carrying ships in the Persian Gulf – tracked Iran Ajr and dispatched United States Army helicopters from the United States Navy guided-missile frigate USS Jarrett (FFG-33) to shadow her. When the aviators reported that people aboard Iran Ajr were laying mines, the U.S. commander in the Persian Gulf ordered the pilots to "stop the mining." The helicopters fired on the ship, killing some of the crewmen and chasing others into the water. A team of United States Navy SEAL commandos later boarded the ship, confirmed the presence of mines, and detained the 26 surviving Iranians.
Rear Admiral Harold Bernsen said later that the detainees "were given the opportunity to seek political asylum. I think that was stated in Washington." Bernsen was "not actually present" when the offers were made by "an officer on my staff," whom he refused to identify. There were no State Department personnel present at the time, he said, but it was within his authority to make the offer in conformity with the policies of the US Department of State. "I think it was done very simply, and very generously."
On 26 September, EOD MU5 Detachment 5 scuttled the ship in international waters.
When the U.S. Navy guided-missile frigate USS Samuel B. Roberts (FFG-58) struck a mine in the Persian Gulf in April 1988, U.S. Navy explosive ordnance specialists matched the serial numbers of nearby unexploded mines to the ones aboard Iran Ajr. This evidence of Iranian involvement in the mining of Samuel B. Roberts led to the biggest surface-warfare naval battle since World War II, the retribution campaign of 18 April 1988 called Operation Praying Mantis.
The captured colors of Iran Ajr are in the U.S. Navy Museum.
References
- ^ "7807196 Iran Ajr". Maritime Connector. Archived from the original on 4 February 2018. Retrieved 29 June 2015.
- "Iran Ajr/Hejaz Class". globalsecurity.org. 2012. Archived from the original on 26 June 2012. Retrieved 29 August 2012.
- ^ Peniston, Bradley (2006). "Capturing the Iran Ajr". No Higher Honor. Archived from the original on 29 June 2012. Retrieved 29 June 2015.
- ^ "Rear Admiral Harold J. Bernsen, commander of the U.S..." 4 October 1987.
Further reading
- 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.
- Crist, David (2012). The Twilight War: The Secret History of America's Thirty-Year Conflict With Iran. New York: The Penguin Press. ISBN 978-1-59420-341-1.
External links
- The attack on the Iran Ajr
- Another narration of the attack
- Photos of the captured Iran Ajr and its detainees aboard U.S. Navy warships
| Shipwrecks and maritime incidents in 1987 | |
|---|---|
| Shipwrecks |
|
| Other incidents |
|
1986   1988 | |
Categories:
- Amphibious warfare vessels of Japan
- Minelayers of Japan
- Amphibious warfare vessels of the Islamic Republic of Iran Navy
- Ships built in Japan
- 1978 ships
- Iran–Japan relations
- Minelayers of the Islamic Republic of Iran Navy
- Operations involving special forces
- United States Navy in the 20th century
- Iran–United States relations
- Shipwrecks in the Persian Gulf
- Maritime incidents in 1987
- Vessels captured by the United States Navy
- Iran–Iraq War naval ships of Iran
- Scuttled vessels