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| History | |
|---|---|
 US | |
| Namesake | Harold Rainsford Stark |
| Builder | Todd Pacific Shipyards, Seattle, Washington |
| Laid down | August 24, 1979 |
| Launched | May 30, 1980 |
| Commissioned | October 23, 1982 |
| Decommissioned | May 7, 1999 |
| Stricken | May 7, 1999 |
| Homeport | Mayport, Florida (former) |
| Motto | Strength for Freedom |
| Fate | Disposed of by scrapping – dismantled June 21, 2006 |
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type | Oliver Hazard Perry-class frigate |
| Displacement | 4,100 long tons (4,200 t), full load |
| Length | 453 feet (138 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 | 2 SH-60 LAMPS III helicopters |
USS Stark (FFG-31), 23rd ship of the Oliver Hazard Perry class of guided-missile frigates, was named for Admiral Harold Rainsford Stark (1880–1972).
Ordered from Todd Pacific Shipyards, Seattle, Washington, on January 23, 1978, as part of the FY78 program, Stark was laid down on August 24, 1979, launched on May 30, 1980, and commissioned on October 23, 1982, CDR Terence W. Costello commanding.
In 1987, an Iraqi jet fired a missile at Stark, killing 37 U.S. sailors on board. It is the only successful anti-ship missile attack on a U.S. Navy warship.
Decommissioned on May 7, 1999, Stark was scrapped in 2006.
Missile attack
Main article: USS Stark incidentThe USS 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 May 17, 1987, by two Exocet antiship missiles fired from an Iraqi Mirage F1 (although some believe it to be a Falcon) aircraft during the Iran–Iraq War. The plane had taken off from Shaibah at 8 p.m. 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 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, and the attacking Exocet missiles and Mirage aircraft were in a blindspot of the defensive STIR (Separate Target Illumination Radar) fire control system, preventing use of the ship's Standard missiles. The ship failed to maneuver to bring its weapons batteries 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.
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 in the Atlantic in 1997 and in 1998.
Stark was decommissioned on May 7, 1999. A scrapping contract was awarded to Metro Machine Corp. of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on October 7, 2005. The ship was reported scrapped on June 21, 2006.
See also
- Korean Air Lines Flight 007 for the role of the USS Stark.
References
- http://www.jag.navy.mil/library/investigations/USS%20STARK%20BASIC.pdf
- Desert Storm at sea: what the Navy really did by Marvin Pokrant, p. 43.
- Stephen Andrew Kelley (June 2007). "Better Lucky Than Good: Operation Earnest Will as Gunboat Diplomacy" (Document). Naval Postgraduate School.
{{cite document}}: Unknown parameter|accessdate=ignored (help); Unknown parameter|format=ignored (help); Unknown parameter|url=ignored (help) - ^ Formal Investigation into the Circumstances Surrounding the Attack of the USS Stark in 1987
- 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. (1987-07-28). "Navy Forgoes Courts-Martial for Officers of Stark". The New York Times.
- Naval Vessel Register. STARK (FFG 31). Accessed April 4, 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 May 15, 2008.
- NPR's interview with Michael Tooker. Aired June 9, 2008.
