Editing Operation Praying Mantis

{{short description|1988 U.S. naval offensive against Iran during the Iran-Iraq War}}
{{more citations needed|date=March 2020}}
{{Use American English|date=October 2014}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2020}}
{{Infobox military conflict
| conflict          = Operation Praying Mantis
| partof            = the [[Iran–Iraq War]]
| image             = OperationPrayingMantis-IS Alvand.jpg
| image_size        = 300px
| caption           = The Iranian frigate {{ship|IRIS|Sahand|1969|2}} attacked by aircraft of U.S. Navy Carrier Air Wing 11 after the guided missile frigate {{USS|Samuel B. Roberts|FFG-58|6}} struck an Iranian mine
| date              = 18 April 1988
| place             = [[Persian Gulf]], Iranian [[territorial waters]]
| casus             = Iranian mining of {{USS|Samuel B. Roberts|FFG-58|6}}
| territory         = 
| result            = United States victory
| combatant1        = {{flagicon|United States}} [[United States]]
| combatant2        = {{flagicon|Iran}} [[Islamic Republic of Iran|Iran]]
| commander1        = {{flagicon|USA}} [[Anthony A. Less|Rear Adm. Anthony A. Less]]<ref>{{cite book|
author=Peniston, Bradley|
title=No Higher Honor: Saving the USS Samuel B. Roberts in the Persian Gulf|
url=http://www.navybook.com/nohigherhonor|
location=Annapolis|
publisher=Naval Institute Press|
year=2006|
isbn=1-59114-661-5|
access-date=25 March 2006|
archive-date=12 July 2006|
archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060712122740/http://www.navybook.com/nohigherhonor/|
url-status=live}}, p. 179.</ref>
| commander2        = {{flagicon|Iran}} IRIN Commodore [[Mohammad-Hossein Malekzadegan]]<ref>{{Cite news |title=Iranians' Words of Praise for Their Forces |url=http://timesmachine.nytimes.comhttp//timesmachine.content-tagging.us-east-1-01.prd.dvsp.nyt.net/timesmachine/1988/04/27/916188.html?pageNumber=22 |access-date=2024-02-06 |work=The New York Times |language=en}}</ref>
| strength1         = 1 [[USS Enterprise (CVN-65)|aircraft carrier]]<br>1 [[USS Trenton (LPD-14)|amphibious transport dock]]<br>4 [[destroyer]]s<br>1 [[guided missile cruiser]]<br>3 [[frigate]]s<br>[[Bell AH-1 SuperCobra|AH-1T]] attack helicopters<br>[[A-6E Intruder]] attack jets
| strength2         = 2 frigates<br>1 [[La Combattante II type fast attack craft|missile boat]]<br>6 [[Boghammar]] speedboats (estimated)<br>2 [[McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II|F-4 fighters]]<br>[[ZU-23]] guns on 2 [[Oil platform|platforms]]
| casualties1       = 2 killed<br>1 helicopter crashed (cause unknown)
| casualties2       = 1 frigate sunk (45 crew killed)<ref name="irna">[https://web.archive.org/web/20110726231418/https://www.irna.ir/NewsShow.aspx?NID=30345346] (archived from [https://web.archive.org/web/20110726231418/https://www.irna.ir/NewsShow.aspx?NID=30345346 the original] on 26 July 2011)</ref><br>1 gunboat sunk (11 crew killed)<ref name="irna" /><br>3 speedboats sunk<br>1 frigate crippled<br>2 platforms destroyed<ref name="wikimapia.org">{{cite web|url=http://wikimapia.org/15625887/Operation-Praying-Mantis-Sirri-Oil-Platform-Attack|title=Operation Praying Mantis: Sirri Oil Platform Attack|website=wikimapia.org|access-date=3 October 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180307022632/http://wikimapia.org/15625887/Operation-Praying-Mantis-Sirri-Oil-Platform-Attack|archive-date=7 March 2018|url-status=live}}</ref> <br>1 fighter damaged<br>'''Total:'''<br>56 killed<br>2 ships and 3 boats sunk
| notes             = 
| campaignbox       = {{Campaignbox Iran-Iraq War}}
}}

'''Operation Praying Mantis''' was the 18 April 1988 attack by the [[United States]] on [[Iran]]ian naval targets in the [[Persian Gulf]] in retaliation for the [[naval mine|mining]] of a U.S. warship four days earlier.<ref name="usni1">{{cite news |url=https://www.usni.org/magazines/naval-history-magazine/2013/march/one-day-war |title=One Day of War |date=March 2013 }}</ref>

On 14 April, the American [[Frigate#Guided-missile role|guided missile frigate]] {{USS|Samuel B. Roberts|FFG-58|6}} struck a mine while transiting [[international waters]] as part of [[Operation Earnest Will]], the 1987–88 effort to protect reflagged{{explain|date=January 2025}} [[Kuwait]]i [[oil tanker]]s from [[Tanker War|Iranian attacks]] during the [[Iran–Iraq War]]. The explosion pierced the hull and broke the [[keel]] of the ''Samuel B. Roberts'', which nearly sank but was saved by its crew with no loss of life.

After the serial numbers of mines recovered in the area were found to match those of mines seized on an Iranian [[barge]] the previous September, U.S. military officials planned a retaliatory operation. On 18 April, the attack destroyed, damaged, or sank two Iranian [[oil platform]]s, three warships, several armed boats, and two fighter jets. Two U.S. Marine aviators died when their helicopter crashed into the Gulf.

The attack pressured Iran to agree to a ceasefire with Iraq later that summer, ending the eight-year Iran-Iraq War.<ref>{{cite book |last=Peniston |first=Bradley |title=No Higher Honor: Saving the USS Samuel B. Roberts in the Persian Gulf |url=http://www.navybook.com/nohigherhonor |location=Annapolis |publisher=Naval Institute Press |year=2006 |isbn=1-59114-661-5 |page=217 |access-date=25 March 2006 |archive-date=12 July 2006 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060712122740/http://www.navybook.com/nohigherhonor/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

Later, Iran sued the United States, claiming that the attacks had breached the countries' [[Treaty of Amity, Economic Relations and Consular Rights|1955 Treaty of Amity]]. On 6 November 2003, the [[International Court of Justice]] dismissed the claim but ruled that Operation Praying Mantis and the previous October's [[Operation Nimble Archer]] "cannot be justified as measures necessary to protect the essential security interests of the United States of America."<ref name=IOCjudgement2003>{{cite web|title=Case Concerning Oil Platforms (Islamic Republic of Iran v. United States of America)|url=http://www.icj-cij.org/docket/files/90/9715.pdf|publisher=International Court of Justice|access-date=26 December 2012|date=6 November 2003|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121014012509/http://www.icj-cij.org/docket/files/90/9715.pdf|archive-date=14 October 2012}}</ref>

Praying Mantis was the largest of the [[U.S. Navy]]'s five major surface engagements since [[World War II]].{{efn|The others are the [[Korean War]]'s [[Battle of Chumonchin Chan]], the [[Vietnam War]]'s [[Gulf of Tonkin incident]] and [[Battle of Dong Hoi|Battle of Đồng Hới]], and the 1986 [[Action in the Gulf of Sidra (1986)|Action in the Gulf of Sidra]].}} It saw the [[History of the United States Navy|U.S. Navy]]'s first exchange of [[anti-ship missile]]s with opposing ships, and its only sinking of a major surface combatant since World War II.

==Battle==
{{more citations needed section|date=April 2011}}
On 18 April, the U.S. Navy attacked with several groups of surface warships, plus aircraft from the aircraft carrier {{USS|Enterprise|CVN-65|6}}, and her cruiser escort, {{USS|Truxtun|CGN-35|6}}. The action began with coordinated strikes by two surface groups.

One surface action group, or SAG, consisting of the destroyers {{USS|Merrill|DD-976|6}} (including embarked [[Light Airborne Multi-Purpose System|LAMPS]] [[Kaman SH-2 Seasprite|Mk I]] helicopter detachment HSL-35 Det 1 ''Helicopter Anti-Submarine Squadron Light 35'') and {{USS|Lynde McCormick|DDG-8|6}}, plus the [[amphibious transport dock]] {{USS|Trenton|LPD-14|6}} and its embarked [[United States Marine Corps|Marine]] air-ground task force (Contingency MAGTF 2-88 from Camp LeJeune, North Carolina)<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Crist|first1=Dr. David B.|title=Before Desert Storm: Marines in the Persian Gulf and the Beginning of U.S. Central Command|journal=Fortitudine|date=2003|volume=29|issue=4|pages=9–12|url=https://www.marines.mil/Portals/1/Publications/Fortitudine%20Vol%2029%20No%204.pdf|access-date=13 July 2019|archive-date=22 April 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220422193326/https://www.marines.mil/Portals/1/Publications/Fortitudine%20Vol%2029%20No%204.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref> and the LAMPS helicopter detachment (HSL-44 Det 5) from USS ''Samuel B. Roberts'', was ordered to destroy the guns and other military facilities on the Sassan oil platform.

At 8 am, the SAG commander, who was also the commander of Destroyer Squadron 9, ordered the ''Merrill'' to radio a warning to the occupants of the platform, telling them to abandon it. The SAG waited 20 minutes, then opened fire. The oil platform fired back with twin-barrelled 23&nbsp;mm [[ZU-23]] guns. The SAG's guns eventually disabled some of the ZU-23s, and platform occupants radioed a request for a cease-fire. The SAG complied.

After a [[tugboat]] carrying more personnel had cleared the area, the ships resumed exchanging fire with the remaining ZU-23s, and ultimately disabled them. [[Cobra helicopter|AH-1 Cobra]] helicopters completed the destruction of enemy resistance. The Marines boarded the platform and recovered a single wounded survivor, who was transported to Bahrain, some small arms, and intelligence. The Marines planted explosives, left the platform, and detonated them. The SAG was then ordered to proceed north to the Rakhsh oil platform to destroy it.

As the SAG departed the Sassan oil field, two Iranian [[F-4]]s made an attack run but broke off when ''Lynde McCormick'' locked its fire-control radar on the aircraft. Halfway to the Rahksh oil platform, the attack was called off in an attempt to ease pressure on the Iranians and signal a desire for de-escalation.

The other group, which included the [[guided missile cruiser]] {{USS|Wainwright|CG-28|6}} and [[frigate]]s {{USS|Simpson|FFG-56|6}} and {{USS|Bagley|FF-1069|6}}, attacked the [[Sirri Island|Sirri]] oil platform. Navy [[SEAL]]s were assigned to capture, occupy, and destroy the Sirri platform but because it had already been heavily damaged by naval gunfire, an assault was not required.

Iran responded by dispatching [[Boghammar]] speedboats to attack various targets in the [[Persian Gulf]], including the American-flagged supply ship ''Willie Tide'', the Panamanian-flagged [[Oil platform|oil rig]] ''Scan Bay'' and the British tanker ''York Marine''. All of these vessels were damaged in different degrees.<ref name=":0" /> The targets were part of the Mubarak off-shore Saudi oil field.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Tyler |first=Patrick E. |date=1988-04-19 |title=Iran Hits Back with Attack on Arab-Owned Oil Complex |language=en-US |newspaper=The Washington Post |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/1988/04/19/iran-hits-back-with-attack-on-arab-owned-oil-complex/503f7283-cc18-47db-9586-5060e01bd9cd/ |access-date=2023-10-17 |issn=0190-8286}}</ref> After the attacks, [[A-6 Intruder|A-6E Intruder]] aircraft launched from USS ''Enterprise'' were directed to the speedboats by an American frigate. The two [[Third VA-95 (U.S. Navy)|VA-95]] aircraft dropped [[Mk-20 Rockeye II|Rockeye]] [[cluster bomb]]s on the speedboats, sinking one and damaging several others, which then fled to the Iranian-controlled island of [[Abu Musa]].<ref name=":0">Palmer, Michael (2005). ''Command at sea: naval command and control since the 16th century''.Harvard University Press, p. 310. {{ISBN|0-674-01681-5}}</ref>

[[File:PrayingMantis.png|thumb|A combat patch for Operation Praying Mantis]]
Action continued to escalate. Iranian fast-attack craft {{ship|Iranian fast attack craft|Joshan|1977|2}}, an Iranian {{sclass|Kaman|fast attack craft|0}} (La Combattante II type) fast attack craft, challenged ''Wainwright'' and Surface Action Group Charlie. The commanding officer of ''Wainwright'' directed a final warning (of a series of warnings) stating that ''Joshan'' was to "stop your engines, abandon ship, I intend to sink you". ''Joshan'' responded by firing a [[Harpoon (missile)|Harpoon missile]] at them.<ref name=The_Cutting_Edge_News_1-16-11>{{cite web|url=https://thecuttingedgenews.com/index.php?article=11451&pageid=37&pagename=Page+One.html|title=The Cutting Edge News|website=thecuttingedgenews.com|access-date=19 July 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171215211218/http://www.thecuttingedgenews.com/index.php?article=11451&pageid=37&pagename=Page+One.html|archive-date=15 December 2017|url-status=live}}</ref> The missile was successfully lured away by chaff.<ref>{{cite news |work=The New York Times |url=https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=940DE0DC1038F93AA25757C0A96E948260 |title=U.S. Strikes 2 Iranian Oil Rigs and Hits 6 Warships in Battles over Mining Sea Lanes in Gulf |date=19 April 1988 |access-date=11 February 2017 |archive-date=13 April 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200413211556/https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=940DE0DC1038F93AA25757C0A96E948260 |url-status=live }}</ref>

''Simpson'' responded to the challenge by firing four [[RIM-66 Standard|Standard missiles]], while ''Wainwright'' followed with one Standard missile.<ref name="Zatarain">"America's First Clash with Iran: The Tanker War" by Lee Allen Zatarain, Chapter 15: "Stop, Abandon Ship, I Intend to Sink You"</ref> All missiles hit and destroyed the Iranian ship's [[superstructure]] but did not immediately sink it, so ''Bagley'' fired another Harpoon. The missile did not find the target. SAG Charlie closed on ''Joshan,'' with ''Simpson'', then ''Bagley'' and ''Wainwright'' firing guns to sink the crippled Iranian ship.<ref name=The_Cutting_Edge_News_1-16-11/>

Two Iranian [[F-4 Phantom]] fighters were orbiting about {{convert|48|km|nmi|abbr=on}} away when ''Wainwright'' decided to drive them away. ''Wainwright'' fired two [[RIM-67 Standard|Extended Range Standard]] missiles, one of which detonated near an F-4, blowing off part of its wing and peppering the fuselage with shrapnel. The F-4s withdrew, and the Iranian pilot landed his damaged airplane at [[Bandar Abbas]].<ref name="Zatarain"/>

Fighting continued when the Iranian frigate {{ship|IRIS|Sahand|1969|6}} departed Bandar Abbas and challenged elements of an American surface group. The frigate was spotted by two A-6Es from VA-95 while they were flying surface combat air patrol for {{USS|Joseph Strauss|DDG-16|6}}.

[[File:Bild-Prayingmantis5sahand.jpg|thumb|The Iranian frigate {{ship|IRIS|Sahand|1969|2}} burning from bow to stern on 18 April 1988 after being attacked]]

''Sahand'' fired missiles at the A-6Es, which replied with two Harpoon missiles and four laser-guided [[AGM-123 Skipper|Skipper]] missiles. ''Joseph Strauss'' fired a Harpoon missile. Most or all of the shots scored hits, causing heavy damage and fires. Fires blazing on ''Sahand''{{'}}s decks eventually reached its munitions magazines, causing an explosion that sank it.

Late in the day, the Iranian frigate {{ship|IRIS|Sabalan|73|6}} departed from its berth and fired a surface-to-air missile at several A-6Es from VA-95. The A-6Es then dropped a [[Mark 82]] [[laser-guided bomb]] into ''Sabalan''{{'}}s [[Funnel (ship)|stack]], crippling the ship and leaving it burning. The Iranian frigate, stern partially submerged, was taken in tow by an Iranian tug, and was repaired and eventually returned to service. VA-95's aircraft, as ordered, did not continue the attack. The A-6 pilot who crippled ''Sabalan'', Lieutenant Commander James Engler, was awarded the [[Distinguished Flying Cross (United States)|Distinguished Flying Cross]] by [[Admiral (United States)|Admiral]] [[William J. Crowe]], [[Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff]], for the actions against ''Sabalan'' and the Iranian gunboats.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.95thallweatherattack.com/operation-praying-mantis/operation-praying-mantis.html|title=ATKRON 95 Operation Praying Mantis|website=95thallweatherattack.com|access-date=14 December 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180113035553/http://www.95thallweatherattack.com/operation-praying-mantis/operation-praying-mantis.html|archive-date=13 January 2018|url-status=dead}}</ref>

In retaliation for the attacks, Iran fired [[Silkworm (missile)|Silkworm]] missiles, suspected to be the [[Silkworm (missile)#HY-4|HY-4]] version, from land bases against SAG Delta in the Strait of Hormuz and against {{USS|Gary|FFG-51|6}} in the northern central [[Persian Gulf]], but all missed because of evasive maneuvers and use of decoys by the ships. A missile was probably shot down by ''Gary''{{'}}s {{convert|76|mm|in|abbr=on}} gun. The Pentagon and the Reagan Administration later denied that any Silkworm missile attacks took place, possibly in order to keep the situation from escalating further - as they had promised publicly that any such attacks would merit retaliation against targets on Iranian soil.<ref name="Zatarain2">"America's First Clash with Iran: The Tanker War" by Lee Allen Zatarain, Chapter 17: "Multiple Silkworms Inbound"</ref>

===Disengagement===
After the attack on ''Sabalan'', U.S. naval forces were ordered to assume a de-escalatory posture, giving Iran a way out and avoiding further combat. Iran took the offer and combat ceased, though both sides remained on alert, and near-clashes occurred throughout the night and into the next day as the forces steamed within the Gulf. Two days after the battle, ''Lynde McCormick'' was directed to escort a U.S. oiler out through the Strait of Hormuz, while a Scandinavian-flagged merchant remained near, probably for protection. While the ships remained alert, no hostile indications were received, and the clash was over.

==Aftermath==
{{More citations needed|date=July 2021}}
By the end of the operation, US Marines and US Navy ships and aircraft had destroyed Iranian naval and intelligence facilities on two inoperable oil platforms in the [[Persian Gulf]], and sunk at least three armed Iranian [[Boghammer]] [[speedboat]]s, one Iranian frigate, and one fast attack missile boat. One other Iranian frigate was damaged in the battle.<ref name="nhhsite">{{cite web|last=Peniston|first=Bradley|title=No Higher Honor: Photos: Operation Praying Mantis|year=2006|url=http://www.navybook.com/nohigherhonor/pic-prayingmantis.shtml|access-date=2 February 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120614190554/http://www.navybook.com/nohigherhonor/pic-prayingmantis.shtml|archive-date=14 June 2012|url-status=dead}}</ref> ''Sabalan'' was repaired in 1989 and has since been upgraded, and is [[List of current ships of the Islamic Republic of Iran Navy#Frigates|still in service with the Iranian navy]]. The fires eventually burned themselves out but the damage to the infrastructure forced the demolition of the Sirri platforms after the war.{{citation needed|date=October 2015}} The site was built up again for oil production by French and Russian oil companies, after buying the drilling rights from the Iranian government.{{citation needed|date=October 2015}}

The U.S. side suffered two casualties, the crew of a Marine Corps [[AH-1 SuperCobra|AH-1T Sea Cobra]] attack helicopter. The Cobra, attached to USS ''Trenton'', was flying reconnaissance from ''Wainwright'' and crashed sometime after dark about {{convert|15|mi|km}} southwest of [[Abu Musa]] island. The bodies of the lost personnel were recovered by Navy divers in May, and the wreckage of the helicopter was raised later that month. Navy officials said it showed no sign of battle damage.<ref>{{cite news|title=Will Block Oil Traffic if Its Tankers Are Stopped: Iran|work=Los Angeles Times|date=18 May 1988|pages=7}}</ref> In his book "Tanker War," author Lee Allen Zatarain indicates there was some evidence the helicopter may have crashed while evading hostile fire from the island.{{citation needed|date=January 2023}}

A month later, the guided-missile cruiser {{USS|Vincennes|CG-49|6}} arrived, summoned in haste to protect the frigate ''Samuel B. Roberts'' as it was hauled back to the United States. On 3 July 1988, ''Vincennes'' shot down [[Iran Air Flight 655]], a commercial airliner flying a scheduled route, killing all 290 crew and passengers. The U.S. government claimed that the crew of ''Vincennes'' mistook the Iranian Airbus for an attacking [[F-14 Tomcat|F-14]] fighter. The Iranian government alleged that ''Vincennes'' knowingly shot down a civilian aircraft and called for the deaths of its crew.

===International Court of Justice===
On 6 November 2003 the International Court of Justice dismissed a claim by Iran and a counterclaim by the United States'<ref name=IOCjudgement2003 /> for reparations for breach of a 1955 'Treaty of Amity' between the two countries. In short, the court rejected both claim and counterclaim because the 1955 treaty protected only "freedom of trade and navigation between the territories of the parties"<ref name=IOCjudgement2003 /> and because of the US trade embargo on Iran at the time, no direct trade or navigation between the two was affected by the conflict.

The court did state that "the actions of the United States of America against Iranian oil platforms on 19 October 1987 (Operation Nimble Archer) and 18 April 1988 (Operation Praying Mantis) cannot be justified as measures necessary to protect the essential security interests of the United States of America". The Court ruled that it "...cannot however uphold the submission of the Islamic Republic of Iran that those actions constitute a breach of the obligations of the United States of America under Article X, paragraph 1, of that Treaty, regarding freedom of commerce between the territories of the parties, and that, accordingly, the claim of the Islamic Republic of Iran for reparation also cannot be upheld;".<ref name=IOCjudgement2003 />

==U.S. naval order of battle==
[[File:MightyServantRoberts19882turned.jpg|thumb|right|''Samuel B. Roberts'' is carried away aboard {{ship||Mighty Servant 2}} after hitting a [[naval mine|mine]] in the [[Persian Gulf]].]]

*[[Officer in Tactical Command]]: Commander [[U.S. Naval Forces Central Command|Joint Task Force Middle East]] (aboard {{USS|Coronado|AGF-11|6}})<ref>{{cite web|title=Proceedings, U.S. Naval Institute 66 (May 1989) United States Naval Institute The Surface View: Operation Praying Mantis By Captain J. B. Perkins III, U.S. Navy|url=http://www.strategypage.com/militaryforums/8-8434/page3.aspx|website=Strategypage.com|access-date=17 July 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110616211848/http://www.strategypage.com/militaryforums/8-8434/page3.aspx|archive-date=16 June 2011|url-status=live}}</ref>
*Battle Group Commander: Commander, Cruiser/Destroyer Group Three (aboard USS ''Enterprise'')

Surface Action Group Bravo
* On Scene Commander: Commander, Destroyer Squadron Nine (Embarked on ''Merrill'')
* {{USS|Merrill|DD-976|6}} – destroyer
* {{USS|Lynde McCormick|DDG-8|6}} – guided missile destroyer
* {{USS|Trenton|LPD-14|6}} – amphibious transport dock
* [[Marine Air-Ground Task Force]] (MAGTF) 2–88 (4 [[AH-1T]], 2 [[UH-1]], 2 [[CH-46]])
* Helicopter AntiSubmarine Squadron 44 Detachment 5 – [[LAMPS]] Helicopter ([[SH-60B]])

Surface Action Group Charlie
*OSC: CO, USS ''Wainwright''
* {{USS|Wainwright|CG-28|6}} – guided missile cruiser
* {{USS|Bagley|FF-1069|6}} – frigate
* {{USS|Simpson|FFG-56|6}} – guided missile frigate
* [[United States Navy SEALs|SEAL]] platoon

Surface Action Group Delta
* OSC: Commander Destroyer Squadron Twenty Two (Embarked on ''Jack Williams'')
* {{USS|Jack Williams|FFG-24|6}} – guided missile frigate
* {{USS|O'Brien|DD-975|6}} – destroyer
* {{USS|Joseph Strauss|DDG-16|6}} – guided missile destroyer

Air support
* Elements of [[Carrier Air Wing Eleven]] operating from aircraft carrier {{USS|Enterprise|CVN-65|6}}
* [[A-6E]] & [[KA-6 Intruder|KA-6D Intruders]] of [[Third VA-95 (U.S. Navy)|VA-95]] operating from aircraft carrier USS ''Enterprise''

Ship maintenance and support
* {{USS|Samuel Gompers|AD-37|6}} – destroyer tender – performed ship maintenance and repairs operating off the coast of Oman
* {{USS|Wabash|AOR-5|6}} – fast attack oiler – provided underway replenishment of fuel, ammunition, and supplies to the USS ''Enterprise'' Battle Group
* {{USS|San Jose|AFS-7|6}} – fast attack support – conducted SAR support including firefighting equipment and medical evacuation of USS Samuel B. Roberts FFG 58 personnel after the mine strike, and provided underway replenishment of fuel and supplies to the USS ''Enterprise'' Battle Group

==See also==
*[[Operation Prime Chance]]
*[[Operation Martyr Soleimani]]
*[[Bridgeton incident]]
*[[Iran Air Flight 655]]

==Notes==
{{Notelist}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==Further reading==
*{{cite book|author=Huchthausen, Peter|title=America's Splendid Little Wars: A Short History of U.S. Engagements from the Fall of Saigon to Baghdad|location=New York|publisher=Penguin|year=2004|isbn=0-14-200465-0|url=https://archive.org/details/isbn_9780142004654}}
*{{cite book|author=Palmer, Michael|title=On Course to Desert Storm|publisher=University Press of the Pacific|year=2003|isbn=1-4102-0495-2}}
*{{cite book|author=Peniston, Bradley|title=No Higher Honor: Saving the USS Samuel B. Roberts in the Persian Gulf|url=http://www.navybook.com/nohigherhonor|location=Annapolis|publisher=Naval Institute Press|year=2006|isbn=1-59114-661-5|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060712122740/http://www.navybook.com/nohigherhonor/|archive-date=12 July 2006|url-status=dead}}
*{{cite book|author=Sweetman, Jack|title=Great American Naval Battles|location=Annapolis|publisher=Naval Institute Press|year=1998|isbn=1-55750-794-5}}
*{{cite book|author=Symonds, Craig L.|title=Decision at Sea: Five Naval Battles that Shaped American History|location=USA|publisher=Oxford University Press|year=2005|isbn=0-19-517145-4|url=https://archive.org/details/decisionatseafiv00symo}}
*{{cite news|author=Taheri, Amir|title=A History Lesson Still Unlearned|publisher=Gulf News|date=18 April 2007|url=http://archive.gulfnews.com/articles/07/04/18/10118970.html|access-date=29 March 2008|author-link=Amir Taheri|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080327180930/http://archive.gulfnews.com/articles/07/04/18/10118970.html|archive-date=27 March 2008|url-status=dead}}
*{{cite book|author=Wise, 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|author=Zatarain, Lee Allen|title=Tanker War, America's First Conflict With Iran, 1987–1988|location=Drexel Hill|publisher=Casemate|year=2008|isbn=978-1-932033-84-7|url=https://archive.org/details/isbn_9781932033847}}

==External links==
{{Commons category|Operation Praying Mantis}}
*[https://www.bing.com/videos/searchq=uss+pray+mantis+regean&&view=detail&mid=8FE4DCD99E24FDA618968FE4DCD99E24FDA61896&&FORM=VRDGAR President Reagan authorizes USS ''Simpson'' to Sink Iranian Ship]
*[https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=uss+pray+mantis&&view=detail&mid=6571B8B9DD10925F70146571B8B9DD10925F7014&&FORM=VRDGAR USS ''Simpson'' FFG-56]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20120614190554/http://www.navybook.com/nohigherhonor/pic-prayingmantis.shtml Operation Praying Mantis photos: U.S. ships, assault on Sassan platform, Sahand afire]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20120204153819/http://www.navybook.com/nohigherhonor/vid-prayingmantis.shtml Operation Praying Mantis video news clip produced by Navy public affairs, aired 30 April 1988]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20070317173102/http://members.cox.net/va95lizard/va95main.htm Attack Squadron 95]
* https://www.history.navy.mil/browse-by-topic/wars-conflicts-and-operations/middle-east/praying-mantis.html
{{Coord missing|Indian Ocean}}
{{Iran–United States relations}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Praying Mantis, Operation}}
[[Category:April 1988 in Asia]]
[[Category:United States Navy in the 20th century]]
[[Category:United States naval aviation]]
[[Category:Naval battles of the Iran–Iraq War involving the United States]]
[[Category:Iran–United States relations]]
[[Category:United States Marine Corps in the 20th century]]
[[Category:Punitive expeditions of the United States]]