Maine Maritime Academy

Operation Preying Mantis | Persian Gulf | 1988

I was commissioned and graduated from MMA 1987. I then attended and graduated from the Naval Surface Warfare Officer Course in Newport, Rhode Island, I was assigned to the guided missile cruiser, USS Wainwright (CG28) I joined the ship in Mina Sulman, Bahrain which was deployed in the Persian Gulf. Due to my 3rd Mate’s license, I was assigned to be the Deck Division Officer, 1st LT. Once underway, we were tasked to patrol our radar picket station and monitor air space; the temperature was a balmy 124°F on the bridge. On 14 April 1988, the USS Samuel B. Roberts was heading east in the main shipping channel when a lookout spotted three black spheres in the water which had run over subsurface mines placed by the Iranians. We stood by to provide assistance as needed. Sadly three engine room crewman perished that day. As a result, we received orders from President Reagan and the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Admiral William Crowe to retaliate. Our Commanding Officer was designated as the Surface Action Group Commander (SAG) . After only six days on board, on April-18-1988 we had our orders to engage in heavy combat with the Iranian Navy. Our ship immediately went to condition Zebra, battle stations. I was assigned to the starboard aft damage control locker with a seaman from my Deck Division and we were in a tight space below the waterline. Shortly afterwards the the Commanding office ordered flank speed and as we approached our target, the Iranian Frigate Joshan’ challenged the Wainwright. The commanding officer of Wainwright directed a final warning after a series of warnings stating that Joshan was to “stop your engines, abandon ship, I intend to sink you”. The warning was not heeded. Within minutes the Iranian ship fired a missile directly at the Wainwright. Suddenly and without warning our ship made a sharp turn to port and fired off the chaff launcher tubes due the missile heading straight toward us. (chaff-metal strips deflect incoming projectiles) Within seconds, I heard the first missile which made a very loud swoosh which turned out to be a Harpoon missile fired from the Iranian frigate. Not too long after the first missile went by, there was a second Harpoon that missed us on the starboard aft quarter.
Our mission objectives were met.

After hostilities subsided I was one of the HLOs on board directing helicopter ops, we suffered two casualties. The crew of a Marine Corps AH-1T Sea Cobra helicopter gunship. The Cobra, attached to USS Trenton, was flying reconnaissance from Wainwright and crashed sometime after dark about 15 miles southwest of Abu Musa island. Very sad to lose shipmates who were keeping us all safe across the globe.

Due to the C.O.’s swift and calm actions during the intense battles the USS Wainwright proved its Naval acumen.