April 18, 1988, was the largest surface naval engagement the United States Navy had fought since World War II. In a single day of coordinated action in the Persian Gulf, American ships and aircraft destroyed or damaged half of Iran's operational navy — sinking two frigates, destroying several speedboats and armed patrol craft, and neutralizing two oil platforms that Iran had been using as command posts for attacks on shipping. Operation Praying Mantis was swift, overwhelming, and deliberate. It was also the direct response to an attack on an American warship that had nearly killed everyone aboard. USS McInerney (FFG-8) was one of the ships in the fight, and the story of her participation in Praying Mantis is the story of what American naval power looks like when it is unleashed with precision and purpose.
The Context: Earnest Will and the Mining of the Roberts
Operation Praying Mantis was born from Operation Earnest Will — the 1987-88 mission to escort reflagged Kuwaiti tankers through the Persian Gulf during the Iran-Iraq War. Iranian forces had been attacking neutral shipping with mines, speedboats, and aircraft, and the United States had committed its Navy to protecting the tanker traffic. On April 14, 1988, USS Samuel B. Roberts (FFG-58) struck an Iranian mine while transiting the Gulf. The explosion tore a 15-foot hole in her hull, flooded her engine room, and caused fires that burned for hours. Ten sailors were wounded. Miraculously, no one was killed — but only because the crew fought heroically to save their ship. Four days later, the Navy struck back.
McInerney's Role
USS McInerney (FFG-8) was one of the surface combatants assigned to the operation. Operating as part of a surface action group, McInerney contributed to the engagement that resulted in the sinking or disabling of Iranian naval vessels attempting to intervene in the American strikes on the Sassan and Sirri oil platforms. The operation involved coordinated attacks by multiple surface ships and aircraft, with strict rules of engagement designed to limit the action to Iranian military forces and platforms that had been used to direct attacks on shipping.
For the crew of McInerney, the day was the realization of everything they had trained for. Oliver Hazard Perry-class frigates were designed as convoy escort ships — capable, affordable, and armed with Standard Missiles, a 76mm gun, and torpedoes. They were not the most heavily armed ships in the fleet, but in the Persian Gulf of 1988, they were exactly what the mission required: maneuverable surface combatants capable of engaging Iranian small craft and larger ships in the confined, shallow waters of the Gulf.
The Result
By the end of April 18, Iranian naval power in the Persian Gulf had been cut in half. The frigate Sahand was sunk; the frigate Sabalan was badly damaged; the oil platforms were destroyed. Iran's ability to threaten shipping with its conventional naval forces was substantially degraded. The engagement sent a message that the United States military had been trying to send for months: that attacks on American ships and American-protected shipping would be met with overwhelming and precisely calibrated force. The crew of USS Samuel B. Roberts — still repairing their ship in a dry dock in Dubai — received the news with the satisfaction that justice had been served.
The Men of McInerney
The sailors who served aboard USS McInerney during her Persian Gulf deployments were part of one of the most demanding and dangerous operational environments of the Cold War era. The Persian Gulf in 1987-88 was a minefield in the literal sense, a shooting war in the practical sense, and a test of naval professionalism in every sense. The crew of McInerney met that test. They were part of the force that kept the oil flowing and avenged the Roberts, and that is a record worth keeping.
If you served aboard USS McInerney or any frigate in the fleet, browse the frigate collection at The Ship's Store — gear honoring the crews who stood the Persian Gulf watch.