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.jpg) USS Stark (FFG-31)
| |
| History | |
|---|---|
 United States | |
| Name | USS Stark |
| Namesake | Harold Rainsford 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 | Mayport, Florida (former) |
| Identification | Hull symbol:FFG-31 |
| Motto | Strength for Freedom |
| Fate | Disposed of by scrapping – dismantled 21 June 2006 |
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type | Template:Sclass- |
| Displacement | 4,100 long tons (4,200 t), full load |
| Length | 445 feet (136 m), overall |
| Beam | 45 feet (14 m) |
| Draught | 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), 23rd ship of the Template:Sclass- of guided-missile frigates, was named for Admiral Harold Rainsford Stark (1880–1972). Ordered from Todd Pacific Shipyards, Seattle, Washington, on 23 January 1978, as part of the FY78 program, Stark was laid down on 24 August 1979, launched on 30 May 1980, and commissioned on 23 October 1982, CDR Terence W. Costello commanding. 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 fired from an Iraqi Mirage F1 (although some believe it to be a Falcon) aircraft during the Iran–Iraq War. USS Stark was not attacked by a Dassault Mirage F.1EQ fighter-bomber, but - actually - by a Dassault Falcon 50 biz-jet of the Iraqi Air Force, registered as YI-ALE, modified through addition of a radome and entire avionics set of Mirage F.1EQ-5, plus two underwing hardpoints for AM.39 Exocet anti-ship missiles.
Nick-named "Susanna" in IrAF service, this plane was originally intended as a training aid for future Iraqi Mirage pilots, and thus contained not only an entire cockpit of the Mirage F.1 but also an additional fuel tank inside its cabin.
Now, as well known, USS Stark was hit by two Exocets, one of which failed to detonate. "Standard" Mirage F.1EQ-5 could carry two of these big missiles as well, but was very sluggish and slow once airborne. Flying it over 300km away from base proved extremely tiresome for pilots. Susanna could do so without any particular problems.
BTW, according to a letter from the then Iraqi Ministry of Foreign Affairs to the Secretary General UN, from September 1991, together with three other Falcon 50s, Susanna was "evacuated" to Iran. The plane was never seen again ever since...
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 gash, exploded in crew quarters. 37 sailors were killed and 21 were injured.
No weapons were fired in defense of Stark. The 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 tender USS Acadia to make her seaworthy, she returned to her home port of Mayport, Florida, 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 and is currently living in Amman Jordan.
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. Both opted for early retirement, while 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. She was attached to UNITAS in 1993 and took part in Operation Support Democracy and Operation Able Vigil in 1994. In 1995, she 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.
References
- "USS Stark (FFG 31)". Navsource.org. Retrieved 11 April 2015.
- "USS Stark (FFG 31)". Navysite.de. Retrieved 11 April 2015.
- ^ Formal Investigation into the Circumstances Surrounding the Attack of the USS Stark in 1987
- Desert Storm at sea: what the Navy really did by Marvin Pokrant, p. 43.
- http://headmuscle.wordpress.com/2010/05/31/a-stark-reminder-2/
- Fisk, Robert (2005). The Great War For Civilisation: The Conquest of the Middle East. Knopf Publishing.
- 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.
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 1-59114-970-3.
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
- navsource.org: USS Stark (FFG-31)
- Information on Operation Earnest Will
- MaritimeQuest USS Stark FFG-31 pages
- NPR's interview with OS2 Gable. Aired 15 May 2008.
- NPR's interview with Michael Tooker. Aired 9 June 2008.
