The U.S. Navy's Savage 8-Hour War Against Iran

Defense One Deputy Editor Brad Peniston joins Ward to discuss Operation Praying Mantis, the U.S.'s retaliatory war at sea against the Iranians after the USS Samuel B. Roberts was severally damaged by a mine during the Tanker War of 1988.
Subscribe to THE MOOCH REPORT (this channel's free weekly behind-the-scenes update) here: eepurl.com/hDfbsj
Support this channel by using the SUPER THANKS (heart icon above) or by becoming a Patron at / wardcarroll
Buy one or all three of the books in the PUNK'S TRILOGY, Ward's popular first three novels about life a Tomcat squadron, at www.usni.org/p.... Use the PUNKYT discount code at checkout for 25% off to KZbin channel subscribers.
Also available in KINDLE format here: www.amazon.com...
And as an audiobook here:
PUNK'S WAR: www.audible.co...
PUNK'S WING: www.amazon.com...
PUNK'S FIGHT: www.amazon.com...
Get official channel gear at my-store-b7f9c...

[@mitchlakind]

I was an OS on board the USS Merrill on my first deployment and was in CIC during the action. Thank you for putting this video out there and bringing back a flood of memories.

[@thatguyinelnorte]

The point here is that weakness invites attacks; but setting an example like this stops the trouble very, very quickly.

[@JMcdon1627]

Outstanding professional presentation. USAF Vet here. Thank you.

[@williamblain4049]

As a sailor that was part SAG C, I just wanted to let you know you got a couple things wrong! Most importantly the Joshan engaged the Simpson with its Harpoon not Wainwright. Simpson responded with a expanding rod standard missile which was on the rail at the time. Simpsons standard hit Joshan and the harpoon never left target acquisition mode and over flew Simpson before splashing down. Simpson is credited with being the first ship in history to engage in missile to missile combat with another ship!

[@lancet.346]

I was deployed aboard USS Trenton with BLT 2/2 in 1996. I never knew she played a part in Operation Praying Mantis. Kinda cool.

[@JerrysJets]

This is an absolutely facinating channel!

[@Superfandangoo]

The first time to come by your channel, the experience was riveting together with synchronized narrative. Thank you, you have a new UK sub.

[@judithcampbell1705]

Thank you gentlemen for your excellent report 💛

[@rogerdavies6226]

I had the honor of meeting one of those 444 day people. He had just gone through some married family life disaster and was working at a local Lowes while he got it together. Then he moved on.

[@josephsener420]

Great presentation, Mooch!

[@stansandoval4849]

I was a second class OS with COMDESRON 9 at the time on the Enterprise. Cool summary of the operation.

[@chipthequinn]

Discussion of military contingencies and actions without the John-Waynery. Admirable thinkers and warriors.

[@ChrisLaprise-p8n]

This was a good educational video.

[@kennethporter2114]

I was there on this day onboard USS Wainwright

[@benbailey2037]

That was good . well told gentleman!

[@geraldbouts4586]

Thanks!

[@loganbaileysfunwithtrains606]

Still get cracked up over the soviet ship basically being on vacation watching a boxing match between a amateur and the heavyweight champ

[@pretzelbomb6105]

“Hm, the American missiles are showing their age. If they don’t replace those soon, command will be happy. Oh, those are the same helicopters they used in the Vietnam fight. Holding up a bit too well, like usual. And they still aren’t painting their decks yellow…”

[@patrickhall2971]

I was a 21-year old reactor operator trainee on the Enterprise that day. Although we had all been told at a high level what was going on, we certainly weren't aware of many of the details that were told in this presentation. It's very interesting to learn so many years later what actually happened. After the Samuel B. Roberts hit that mine, we knew the other shoe was going to drop, but we didn't know when. Strange things started happening. For example, we conducted an underway replenishment... with us actually playing the role of the oiler. The Linde McCormick pulled along side us and took on JP-5 from us, which was normally reserved for our aircraft. I had never seen that before or since. Normally, planes on deck had a minimum of armament installed. However, on the morning of April 18th every plane was loaded to the max with weaponry. Guys wrote notes on the missiles like "I'd fly a thousand miles to smoke a Camel". We knew the day had come. It wasn't long before flight ops began, and the flight deck crew seemed to work a very long day. From my point of view, it was almost boring. We were ordered to suspend all our normal reactor maintenance activities, which was highly unusual. The captain didn't want any risk of accidentally tripping a reactor off line while performing calibration checks, which occasionally happened. We just stood our watches in the propulsion plants and got a little extra sleep in between. For several days we were at modified Zebra, meaning that all the large hatches between decks were closed and we had to use the little "scuttle" hatches to get anywhere. It was quite inconvenient, but necessary to be able to quickly protect the ship in case of attack. One of the main concerns was the threat of mustard gas. Every man was issued a Mark V gas mask and encouraged to carry it with him everywhere. Though my role in the event was trivial, it's a day I will always remember.

[@TonyM1961]

I was stationed at NAS Miramar when this all went down. Nice to hear from someone who was actually there. I stayed in until one fine day in Yemen aboard The Cole ended my career.

[@louisludlum8030]

After Earnest Weill

[@louisludlum8030]

“Rocky” after we got the classified war order to execute “Operation Praying Mantis” and was told by the admiral not to not to announce it , “He said, I am not going to lie t my crew.” He just said on the 1 MC, upon announcing flight quarterers, he said,”We are going to kick some butt today.” Long lost history.

[@stillcantbesilencedevennow]

Definitely not trivial.

[@padwar3542]

No task is trivial you are all part of a well oiled machine. Thank you for your service!

[@Borzoi86]

Condolences to the families of the two KIA USMC Cobra aviators lost in this action.

[@angeloftheabyss5265]

You do realize that the flag ship of the Russian Black Sea fleet was sunken by a country with NO navy?

[@stillcantbesilencedevennow]

Tbf, they have drone boats...

[@KNETTWERX]

One of the most impressive things about the Roberts that stand as a testament to the leadership, training, and performance of the crew came after she was out of the theater and being repaired. Every simulation and model done by military think tanks of the event, the ship never survived. The crew of the Roberts truly did the impossible of saving that ship.

[@craigkdillon]

Really? That's amazing. One could say lucky. But, then luck goes to the person ready to take advantage of it.

[@larry811]

Nowadays they could not save the Bonny Dick pierside. You served in a different navy in a different country. How many state of the art warships collided at sea while you were in? Ran so hard aground the vessel could not be saved? Hell, did they giv you lectures on the basic KKK homophobic nature of white boys?

[@philsalvatore3902]

@@craigkdillon Go find the images ot the Sammy B in drydock in Bahrain. You can't imaging how big a hole that mine blew in the ship unless you see the photos. They are out there but if I name a link my comment will disappear. See how the crew welded aluminum plates over the cracks in the superstructure and rigged cables across the breaks to keep the ship together. Just amazing damage control. If Sammy B had been in any other navy she would have been lost.

[@ДушманКакдела]

This mostly illustrates that military simulations and "think tanks" are almost never representative of reality.

[@philsalvatore3902]

@@ДушманКакдела If you knew anything about our simulation labs you would not say that. They are one of the reasons our weapons and sensors are as good as they are. The original comment does not cite a single study or simulation, just a claim out of thin air. The reality is simulation labs let you conduct a lot more testing in a lot less time and for a lot less money than you ever could if you had to do all your tests on a test range with live hardware. Live fire testing is as much about proving the equipment as they are about confirming the accuracy of your simulations. Labs let you explore weapons and sensor performance and employment tactics that you might not want to test in the open air where your adversaries can see what your stuff can do or what you are thinking in terms of tactics.

[@digitalperson108]

Was stationed on the Roberts, arrived just after the blast when she was in Portland, ME for repairs. Rinn was legend and the stories of that day from my shipmates were something to hear. Impressive leadership and a damn fine crew. Once repairs were complete, under Sestak, DC was of course paramount. We took her back into the Gulf after Desert Storm, proudly and fearlessly. No Higher Honor! Another great long form talk from one of my favorite Brownshoes. Well done Mooch!

[@armyfazer1410]

I was a QM2 on FFG29 Stephen W Groves. Great ships!

[@gerardmichaelburnsjr.]

Thanks to you and all your shipmates. Well done.

[@jacobcdumas]

My father was a plank owner on the sammy b. He was a apart of the mineblast crew. Just went to the reunion with him

[@digitalperson108]

@@jacobcdumas cool..what rate?

[@jacobcdumas]

He was 1st class before the strike and he made chief when he returned

[@BigMouth380cal]

This was a GREAT presentation. When you work with your guest to share a story it is really enjoyable and flows well.

[@WardCarroll]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@B.D.E.]

​@@WardCarrollworks nicely with the editing, a bit like a podcast in video form.

[@midtownmariner5250]

Many inspirational stories in one video! BTW every American should know of the battle off Samar: One of the Navy’s finest moments if not its finest in terms of valor.

[@jeraldsamuel5598]

Ward should do one on the USS Liberty🤣🥸🤣🥸🤣🥸🤣🙊🙉🙈✡️

[@tsriftsal3581]

Hooked me into continuing...

[@Rich206L]

This is without a doubt one of your very best videos to date, Ward. I was literally on the edge of my seat! Great stuff!

[@WardCarroll]

Great to hear, Rich. Thanks.

[@bryanl6081]

@@WardCarroll excellent show, actually shooting down the airliner stopped war. The Iranians got to message.

[@matttttttttttttt685]

I want to hear about the USS Liberty

[@MiaogisTeas]

​@@bryanl6081Major mistake to shoot it down, but major mistake on the side of Iran to not direct their civilian traffic away from the area

[@pattrickhumphreys2257]

Was stationed on the Enterprise during this whole thing. Remember this day very well. Can remember Captain " Rocky" Spane briefing the crew on what was going to happen and when.

[@kurtpena5462]

Ahoy Shipmate! I too remember Operation Praying Mantis!

[@AGhostintheHouse]

I was there too, Capt Spane said we're going to kick the sh!t out of them.

[@jamesjarvis5018]

Thank You All for your service!

[@johnjohnson5116]

Also there. RM-11. One plant reactor. Yeah I definitely remember the captain speeches. That guy was really gung ho.

[@GintaPPE1000]

One more thing about this sequence of events Brad did not mention: as a result of Roberts' mining, and in case the Iranians decided to strike back immediately in the wake of Praying Mantis, we diverted one of our then-rare Aegis cruisers, the Vincennes (CG-49), from the Seventh Fleet to provide area air cover for the remainder of Earnest Will. Unfortunately, on July 3, the Iranians decided to harass her with a couple of boghammers, and in the midst of the gun battle, her crew misidentified an Iran Air A300 on a regular flight (IA 655) as an incoming Iranian F-14. A combination of issues with the early Aegis interface, crew training failures, and the chaotic situation around them caused the mistake, but it was not caught and Vincennes then fired a pair of SM-2s, causing 290 civilian deaths in the deadliest airliner shootdown until MH17 was downed in 2014. Arguably, this incident, more than Praying Mantis or Nimble Archer, is what brought Iran to the negotiating table, as it demonstrated the danger they were posing to even their own civilians through asymmetric warfare and creating intentionally-confusing situations. The ceasefire was agreed to just 2 weeks later, and although it doesn't take away from the triumph of Praying Mantis, it's a grim reminder that technology doesn't replace training, and why we need to train our sailors well: being the best in the world doesn't mean we can't do better.

[@louisludlum8030]

You are right. She wasn’t part of our battlegroup but joined us and we briefed her ops’s people. I personally explained the demographics of the area but they said they were told to shoot first. I then told them they were going to shoot down a lot to airliners. Sadly, I was right.

[@StryderK]

And even more to another tangent, the shooting down of that airliner led Quadaffi and Libya to seek revenge along with Iran, and that led directly to the Lockerbie incident.

[@philsalvatore3902]

Shortly after that happened the van being driven by the wife of the Vincennes' skipper exploded in an intersection in Torry Pines near UCSD. Someone attached a bomb to her car. She escaped serious injury.

[@retiredatc4121]

I remember at the time there were some who believed there WAS an IAF F4 launched but that it "joined up" on the Airbus. Why? Well, perhaps to "hide" itself, believing the USN would NOT fire upon a civilian aircraft or perhaps, more sinisterly, to draw US fire and then evade the incoming, thereby leaving the Airbus to take the hit, become a sacrifice, and give the US an international "black eye." Wishful thinking? Probable or just possible? Who knows.

[@user-im5rw4ho7e]

I was Ship's weapons coordinator (SWC) on the O'Brien and on watch when this was occurring. I had a sheet with all the IFF codes gulf air used. I told our skipper that they targeted a gulf air flight and he went out in the clear telling Vincennes this but it was too late. We were Net Control for NTDS and the Aegis system would blow up NTDS with way too much information, so we had to hand select what we would show from the Vincennes.

[@dannywilliamson3340]

Wow....what a valiant heritage and legacy. From the Wiki article, Samuel B. Roberts (DE-413), a Butler class destroyer escort, was sunk in the Battle off Samar, in which a small force of U.S. warships prevented a superior Imperial Japanese Navy force from attacking the amphibious invasion fleet off the Philippine island of Leyte. The ship was part of a relatively light flotilla of destroyers, destroyer escorts, and escort carriers called "Taffy 3" which was inadvertently left to fend off a fleet of heavily armed Japanese battleships, cruisers, and destroyers off the island of Samar during the Battle off Samar, one of the engagements making up the larger Battle of Leyte Gulf of October 1944. Steaming through incoming shells, Samuel B. Roberts scored one torpedo hit and several shell hits on larger enemy warships before she was sunk. After the battle, Samuel B. Roberts received the appellation "the destroyer escort that fought like a battleship." In June 2022, Victor Vescovo''s team located the wreck of the Roberts at 22,621 feet, making it the deepest wreck ever discovered.

[@Whatsinanameanyway13]

That is a fascinating bit of history, thanks for sharing the additional info.

[@EscapeTheCloudsOfficial]

And when they found her, her guns were still pointing towards the Japanese. Check out the book The Last Stand of the Tin Can Sailors. It's a terrific account of that battle and the odds those DDs/DEs and CVEs were up against.

[@LuvBorderCollies]

My father in law was in the Philippines but didn't learn of the Leyte Gulf battle until 1983ish. He was reading a VFW or Am Legion magazine with a story on the battle. He never knew anything happened. Reason is he was on a Yard Minesweeper (YMS) the smallest ship in the US Navy. In between invasions the YMS ships would supplement the PT boats in doing interdiction patrols in island chains. The Philippines cover an enormous area over 115,000 sq miles and over 7,000 islands. Wherever his ship was, it was a long way from the Leyte Gulf they never heard a sound. The patrol work of his YMS paid off one evening when they caught a Jap sub in the process of unloading supplies to ground troops. The 3" forward mounted gun ended the sub's career. He was pretty proud of that accomplishment. Normally he hated when the 3" was fired since leaks would sprout from all over the ship's hull. The YMS hull was wood slats so any flexing stress would pop open leaks. All hands into the interior to find and plus leaks. And FWIW the 20mm pedestal mounted gun was his favorite weapon for exploding mines that surfaced.

[@braddblk]

The History Guy has a very good video about Taffy 3 and the Roberts.

[@clarkbowen9882]

RIP Commander Evans.

[@dannileigh6426]

Calm, competent, confident. Three qualities of good leadership the captain demonstrated quite well under stress.

[@YourMom-ii7ed]

Just leave marks

[@craigkdillon]

Could you imagine what would happen if the captain lost it -- panicky, blubbering, screaming crazy orders, etc??? I wonder if we ever had a captain who lost it under fire?? If so, I would like to hear that story.

[@dannileigh6426]

@@craigkdillon I feel like I've heard a rare few from ww2 but I can't recall specifics. If anyone else can I'd like to hear them.

[@washingtonforensicsservice5495]

@@craigkdillon His name was Philip Queeg. :)

[@nuvostef]

I was on active duty in the USAF then, on TDY status in WA state. We were all hoping Mr. Reagan would pull out all the stops against Iran, but at the same time we were apprehensive because we worried about the wider regional possibility of igniting a war with numerous other Islamic nations. It was a heady, tense time and, in retrospect, I’m glad we didn’t push Iran to the point of all-out war. Episodes like this make me wish I was still in the military. Great episode, Commander, thank you! 🤙🏼🌹

[@robinpollard7629]

)taq

[@trumanhw]

Agreed: If for no other reason than that it's always better to avoid war...and once it starts, its very difficult for your plans to limit the scope to remain limited. We lost 2 Marine Warrant officers (the AH-1 pilots) in this mission.

[@nuvostef]

@@trumanhw As you’ve probably heard, “The enemy gets a vote”. In this case, I think had we actually dropped the hammer on Iran, we’d have wound up in a war with about every other Islamic nation in SWA, maybe globally. I think the chain of command was right to call knock it off on this one. I’m sorry it cost 2 Warrants, though. I sincerely mean it when I say “Rest Easy, Marines.” Thanks, Truman. 🤙🏼

[@natowaveenjoyer9862]

To be prepared for war is the most effective means of preserving peace. -George Washington Thank you for your service.

[@wedgeantilles8575]

@@natowaveenjoyer9862 If you want peace, prepare for war (Si vis pacem, para bellum) - Latin saying. And the earliest source I know of is Plato. So it is a very old truth - that has been true for millenia and will probably stay true for eternity. Another saying is: Every country has an army stationed in it. Either its own army or a foreign one. (If you play civilisation on PC you realize this too - I primarly like to build wonders and stuff, I do not like the combat system very much. That's why I tended to build too few military units and get attacked. Since I increased my military production I don't have to worry about this anymore...)

[@randybrown7999]

Excellent presentation...in an increasingly frustrating political climate, it is enormously reassuring to learn about the occasional effectiveness of our national assets. Not within your purview but another "slam dunk" has been the James Webb telescope. These outstanding outcomes make me proud to be American.

[@rotorhead8676]

US sword always cuts sharp and deep. It's the hand that holds it that is sometimes screwy.

[@SlapShotTakes]

We just have an interesting fighting tactic, we just get really mad at each other, someone destroys our cool stuff, and then we make a nation not exist.

[@joeblowe3180]

@@SlapShotTakes Like 2 family members fighting... God forbid you throw an insult into the mix. They'll both team up against you

[@AGhostintheHouse]

I was a 22 year old operations specialists not even a year out of A school serving onboard the U.S.S Enterprise when this happened and I was on duty for the whole event. I was aware of everything that was happening in real time and I heard the Iranian vessel being told to abandon ship again in real time. We were shown the video showing the the bomb going down the stack of the Sabalan.

[@purplehayes5718]

With the greatest commander and chief. Unlike Obama's line in the sand.

[@j3dwin]

9:50 CDR Paul Rinn's address to his crew is a textbook example of great leadership.

[@Jon.A.Scholt]

Frigates (or destroyer escorts) named Samuel B. Roberts have pretty tough careers! That said, I don't think the USN should ever be without a frigate/destroyer named Samuel B Roberts!

[@navsparks3192]

BZ to the crew of the Sammy B. 👍🇺🇸 They exemplified the spirit of Samuel B Roberts and the USN. 🇺🇸🇺🇸

[@anthonyrose7020]

Outstanding history lesson given Mooch! Thank you sir! I love how you two synchronized your narration back & forth & the editing in of the combat footage (archival, pics & videos) helped tell the story perfectly! Learned a ton...

[@phenri4809]

Þ

[@stephenskierski5633]

I participated in this during 1988, I was on an oil platform building barge called Hercules owned by KBR in the northern gulf near Farsi Island where Iran launched their boats to attack the tankers. They were Boston Whaler with a pair of 100 hp Mercury outboards and a pair of 23mm anti-aircraft guns bolted to the floor. They had to stop before they shot otherwise the recoil would flip their boats. I was attached to a special boat unit using PB MK3 patrol boats. We also had Army OH-58, Marine Stinger man pads, 25mm Bushmaster and 20mm Gatling guns for defense. Our patrol boats along with the Kiowa would launch at night to intercept boats leaving Farsi Island.

[@richardwoodford3365]

Remember USS GARY FFG 51? We had you & Wimbrown 7 covered that day. Stephen, reach out to me if you have photos or recollection of 18 April 1988 because we are filing an appeal to BCNR to add GARY & the Barges to the official record of that day.

[@fyreantz2555]

"Rigging for Revenge" has to be the most Navy sentence I've ever heard. Hail and well met, sailors of the Sammy B.!!!

[@JHillNC]

Story time with Uncle Mooch is always a fascinating listen with excellent visuals and even better Naval insights that you can't get anywhere else. Thank you!!!

[@therickson100]

I do wish you had mentioned the fun and games the USS Gary (FFG-51) had up in the Northern Gulf that day. We where providing cover for a couple of oil service barges which where being used as small boat bases by US Special Forces personnel. The Iranians lobbed a couple of Silkworm missiles our way (launched from Khark Island). One seemed to malfunction and went into the drink and the other was either knocked down by our 76mm or crashed itself too, can't be sure which.

[@markburgunder3761]

Concur. I was with you on Gary as the Lamps Det OIC. Credit to the Ships Crew for employing evasive tactics launching chaff and flair....plus the 18 rounds of 76 MM.

[@GuyAnthonyDeMarco]

@@markburgunder3761 Agree, LCDR Burgunder. AT2 DeMarco from Det 13 here. Would be nice if they added in what happened the next morning. Someone had a recording of 1MC and what was happening with the Silkworms. Hope all is well with you and yours.

[@markburgunder3761]

@@GuyAnthonyDeMarco Guy ...doing well. Hope the same with you. Thanks for reaching out!

[@richardwoodford3365]

​@@markburgunder3761Air Boss, need to hear from you- Gun Boss sends.

[@JonesingUSAF]

That CO is a straight G.O.A.T.!!! Calm, cool, collected.? There was no hesitancy in his voice, only resolve and complete control of a hellish situation. Bravo Zulu to you and your sailors sir!

[@randys2358]

The DC1 who taught me most everything I knew about fire fighting and damage control as a new HT3, was a major player is saving the Samual Roberts. Great guy.

[@gerardmichaelburnsjr.]

Thanks to you and the DC, and all your shipmates.

[@jacobcdumas]

Who was the DC1

[@edwardthames9003]

I was a QMSA fresh out of A-School on my first WESTPAC stationed on the Lynde McCormick DDG-8 . We were on a port visit on the beautiful islands of Seychelles. I believe we had completed that visit and were in route to Australia for another port visit when the incident with the FF the Roberts occurred. We were immediately ordered to abandon our current trip and make a B-line to the Indian Ocean and the Persian Gulf. Once arriving in the hot muggy I O, there we had the privilege of 2 beer days patrolling an area of the region awaiting our call to relieve another destroy that has been on patrol in the Gulf. Any Navy person knows what the requirements are for a crew to have a beer day out to sea. We had two of them in tha blazing t sauna called the Indian Ocean. Of course running drills and training the entire time for war at under GQ conditions, fully geared up most of the time. Finally the day came when we were called to relieve another weary crew in patrolling the Gulf. GQ, port and starboard watches, frequent calls for Nav Detail, hot, irritating, little sleep and always on high alert. The morning DDG-8 earned it's Combat Action Award I was on the Deck Log on the Bridge for the entire event. I turned 21 in the Persian Gulf and got the message my daughter was born while on watch, late night on the plot there as well. Needless to say I will never forget the details of Operation Preying Mantis. It's remarkable hearing the operational details of that event in this video.❤

[@stevehill6207]

Thanks for taking this on -- good show! I was aboard USS Joseph Strauss (SAG D). We were the air control ship in the gulf. Aircraft from Enterprise checked in with us for tasking. You described it well after the first Harpoon hit on Sabalan. It became a Sinkex -- all the aviators had visions of Air Medals dancing in their heads. It was all we, onboard Joseph Strauss, could do to keep our foot in the door to get off our Harpoon shot. Keep up the good work.

[@jamiegalus4017]

CAPT Rinn was the real deal! His historical presentations during SNA National Symposiums were the highlight of the week

[@knoturbusns1248]

Great content Ward! I served aboard the USS Ford FFG-54 during Operation Ernest Will, Aug-87 to Feb-88. We carried 2 SOAR MH-6 Little Birds (SEABAT) and had the first encounter and sinking of Boghammers in Oct 87. This was during Operation Prime Chance which ran concurrent with Ernest Will. We had crew shirts made that said "I got my tan off the shores of Iran". Perhaps you could do an in depth look at Prime Chance?

[@sprout5199]

I served on the USS Flatley FFG-21, the USS Stark outchopped with us and we got her Stinger Det. We were the southern radar picket ship. And just a side note, my then brother-in-law was the Sammie B's Independant Duty Corpsman, HM1 James Lambert. Dan in Jupiter

[@tomricketts7821]

Great content the best of the US at their best great then and still great now despite what some claim

[@ke6ziu]

Boghammers are crunchy in milk! They don't take .50 cal rounds very well!

[@gmikegaines]

I was an EW on the Ford during that deployment

[@knoturbusns1248]

Good friend of mine was an EW2 SLQ-32 operator on that deployment... can't remember his name. I was an STG2, spent a lot of time topside at my gq station aft 50 cal starboard by the stack. We must have met each other.

[@nevek3647]

Down the stack and into the engine room. That’s like bullseye a womp rat with your T16. The Force was with him.

[@dmutant2635]

I'd like to see Mythbusters recreate that!

[@jannarkiewicz633]

I was in Abu Dhabi at the time. We had access to a couple of local English papers and BBC radio driving to the military base in the mornings. We did not pick up what happened until U.S. newspapers were brought in as part of weekly mail shipment (no cable tv yet, no cell phones, no internet). Those were primitive times. Great content. My head is spinning remembering this but it took 7-10 days to get about a 10% understanding of what took place.

[@wrightsublette1701]

Fantastic episode Mooch and Brad, I was active duty during this time onboard USS Austin (LPD-4) as well. Perhaps a follow up episode is to get Captain Larry Seaquist (ret) to talk about commanding the Battleship USS Iowa (BB-61) and their time on station the Gulf. Bravo Zulu!!!

[@GM-fh5jp]

The Death Ride of the Sammy B, the Johnston and the Hoel off Samar against Yamato and her heavy cruiser escorts was the ultimate David V Goliath battle of the Pacific war and was clearly the US Navy's finest hour. Captain Rinn had no doubt been brought up with this famous legacy and was determined not to fail in the eyes of the world and of such proud naval history. Many accounts have been written of the desperate efforts made to save the Roberts and it is to their great credit the ship was able to be saved and live to fight another day. I often wonder why a major motion picture depicting the heroics off Samar has never been made. The brilliant book "Last Stand of the Tin Can Sailors" by James D. Hornfischer tells the story beautifully and I would love to see Tom Hanks play the part of Capt Evans of the Johnston as his awesome acting skills would be on full display in this story of courage and sacrifice, rarely surpassed in history. Assemble the team that made Apollo 13, with Ron Howrad directing and it would be superb. Thanks for posting this tribute to the "Sammy B" of the 1980s Navy, Ward.

[@Dudearoosker]

The out-gunned destroyer Johnson was saluted as it was sinking by the captain of the Japanese cruiser it was attacking, according to the account in James D. Hornfischer's book "The Fleet at Flood Tide."

[@mad9039]

I've read "No Higher Honor"- A great read! My cousin's husband was flying SH-60s from another frigate out there at the same time. He described the gulf as "Not a place you'd want to hang out"... Another great episode!

[@takashiyamamoto9172]

Mooch, good topic. To add to the last commentary regarding transition from single service to joint warfare, when I deployed to the Gulf with a west coast FFG in '86-87 and '88-89, we got the Navy Expeditionary Medal. When I went back to serve on the AGF (LASALLE) in '89, we got the Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal for EARNEST WILL.

[@billhumphrey5308]

Ward, thank you for your informative video. Note, as a former USMC Aviator, I can tell you that your video clip of the AH-1T shooting TOW was probably not FLIR. More likely it was just video taken through , or somehow patched from, the aircraft’s Telescopic Sight Unit. The TOW system on the AH-1T was designed to be a daylight-only system, as the aircraft didn’t have FLIR. I had the privilege of flying the last three USMC AH-1Ts in 90 and 91. Due to the lack of FLIR, our methodology for shooting TOW during NVG ops was to operate in a section with 2.75” FFAR illumination rockets to light the target for TOW. One A/C would light up the target with a series of illum rounds while the other would shoot TOW, after which they would switch. To really grasp how archaic our equipment was, we had to fly NVGs with green chem sticks duct taped on to our instrument panel because the A/C only had red cockpit lighting.

[@WardCarroll]

Thanks for the correction, Bill. Semper Fidelis!

[@rogerbrown1323]

@@WardCarroll Did the early AH-1W SuperCobras have FLIR capability? If so, might USS Trenton's MAGTF have had AH-1Ws? I ask because I deployed with the follow-on MAGTF and our air combat element had the SuperCobras. Semper Fi.

[@johnsoule2417]

@@rogerbrown1323 All USS Trenton Cobras were AH-1T. There was a total of 4, all from HMLA-167.

[@rogerbrown1323]

@@johnsoule2417 Thanks for the clarification.

[@RCAvhstape]

Wouldn't be the Corps if you weren't using equipment that dates back to WWII. Semper Fi.

[@baomao7243]

Outstanding walkthrough. I really enjoy the supplemental commentary on the platforms and their capabilities - one sees why they’re chosen to meet specific goals.

[@SoloRenegade]

if you're commanding a warship of the name "Samuel B Roberts", you have no choice but to live up to that name. You'd better be prepared to fight like hell.

[@Abrxas01]

Man, listening to the CO give that little speech over the 1MC just made you FEEL like, yeah we got this. You can tell he actually cared for his crew as well. Looking out for them if they are getting exhausted. Just awesome leadership and that translated to the training and moral of the crew.

[@reggierico]

Well done, Ward and Brad! Excellent presentation with informative explanations that have long been forgotten. I believe you when you say that the Iran/Iraq war was incredible costly. I was attending San Jose State University and had several Iranians in my classes. One girl told me that two of her four brothers had been killed in the war.

[@PJNiteballer]

So far I haven't served...my biggest regret. Thanks to all who served and serve. Another great episode!

[@mrmultimediaman]

I was on the Merrill (SAG Bravo) for Praying Mantis. As a side note, the MEF (Marine Expeditionary Force) that boarded the Sason Oil Platform, brought back a life preserver ring from the platform and gave it to the commodore of the SAG. Our MMC Chief who was great in Calligraphy, dated the preserver and the names of the ships that comprised of SAG Bravo along with Operation Praying Mantis. He did a great job and I am sure the commodore still has it hanging in his home. I was also in CIC when we tracked that Russian Frigate and went to GQ thinking it was the Iranian Destroyer. I then saw our CO leaning over to our Missile Officer sitting the Harpoon Fire Control console and told him "Now Mr. Everett, this one is for the port side and this one is for the starboard!". Lt. Everett nervously acknowledge our CO's instructions. Luckily we never used them, but the T-Hawkers (Tomahawk Missile Team) was anxious to launch one at Iran since they shot those Chinese Silkworm Dumb missiles at us during our attack on the platform, which fell short.

[@blakeh6250]

Cool, the Merrill was my first ship in May of 1990..CIWS guy

[@NotSure-m6g]

Well maybe I know you. I was on the Merrill during this as well. I was a Radioman on board.

[@erictaylor5462]

How common is it for someone to allow the enemy to evacuate a target before that target is destroyed? I know they did it in WWI, and sometimes in WWII, but when the enemy takes advantage of your kindness to counter attack, they stop allowing evacuation PDQ.

[@AdurianJ]

Boghammar (Bow Hammer) Marin is a Swedish shipyard just outside stockholm. They normally build smaller vessels like ferries for commuter service. But also speedboats. If you took a boat as a tourist in Stockholm its highly likely its built by Boghammar.

[@daletimms7792]

Update leading up to the one sided battle our shop on the big E had the BBC turned into and the radio broadcaster was saying the new nuclear US Navy doesn’t have anything to take out the Iranian bog hammers, it’s called Rockeyes. You could just think about what we called them Brit’s on BBC

[@abramasada]

Any idea if the Iranian Tomcats are the policy changer for our arms exports never being the grade A equipment we use ourselves? It just seemed strange that Nixon said OK to whatever they wanted. Good stuff as always. Keep up the good work!

[@July41776DedicatedtoTheProposi]

Nixon was a weirdo with Teutonic inclinations.

[@TraditionalAnglican]

The Shah had been “America’s Friend & Ally” for 20 years at that point. The F-15’s, F-16’s, F-35’s, M1A2’s and other weapons we’ve sold to various countries are our “latest & greatest”…

[@olivere5497]

Persia (before Iran) was up there with Saudi Arabia, cruel royal family, loads of oil, western ties, why not give them the best arms deal? The british offered them the best tank available and took the money but ever delivered the goods.

[@bryanl6081]

@@olivere5497 The chieftains MK-5Ps were super bad. Tones of problems

[@bryanl6081]

Iran paid the 400 million dollars R&D and development cost actually.

[@andikim4612]

History repeats itself. I was on USS Truxtun as the CICWO during Praying Mantis. NTDS was awesome!

[@michaellovett8773]

Ward’s Russian speaking English accent leans toward Rodney Dangerfield influence.

[@WardCarroll]

😀

[@williammorris584]

“We’re not coming back to the deck with this ordnance”. Safety first!

[@TorToroPorco]

So glad the exploits of the FFG Roberts was brought up, they truly deserved recognition for saving their ship. Incredible to think this was 35 years ago. Ships were still carrying the SM1 and the Harpoon had been first deployed 11 years earlier. If the Sabalan launched SAMs against the Intruder it must have been a MANPAD.

[@leegeanuleas3726]

SA-7.

[@user-im5rw4ho7e]

I was a LtJG on the O'Brien (DD-975) during Operation Praying Mantis. Hell of a way to spend 8 hours. Excellent presentation of the events of that day. We then provided cover for the recovery of the cobra crew.

[@rickcoleman8903]

I use to serve on uss obrien DD 975 in 86 went to USS Robert G Bradley FFG 49 served in Ernest Will in 88 GSE 2.

[@user-im5rw4ho7e]

@@rickcoleman8903 I was electrical officer and MPA from spring 86-march 88

[@gregorymaupin6388]

I was on the Forestall we finished up as we finally ported I believe in August 88, I was part of the 108 on the deck. That was my last cruise I was in VA-37 it was the longest time in the heat launching aircraft and we literally had been in the North Sea and froze ourselves to death, talk about one extreme to another. I remember the Roberts being hit and we were all angry about the Roberts being hit since the Forestall was based out of Mayport and we knew some of the sailors on the Roberts.

[@Smannellites]

Thanks for this, a very interesting piece of history. I used to work for Plessey, a British electronics company. Before the Shah was deposed, I was sent with a colleague to work with the Iranian navy during Exercise Midlink, which involved a US carrier (Midway, I think) and a Spruance class frigate, the British frigate HMS Rothesay, and two of the Iranian Saam-class Vosper Mk V frigates, Faramarz (later renamed Sahand) and Rostam (later Sabalan). The captain of Farmarz was Prince Shafiq, the Shah's nephew, who was later assassinated in Paris. We were supposed to join Faramarz, but after being taken in a small boat out to the Faramarz in Bandar Abbas harbour, we were refused access at the point of machine guns! Anyway, to cut a long story short, we were then taken aboard Rostam. We helped out with some maintenance tasks, including getting the WW2 era sonar working with the help of some WD40 (yes, really!) and adjusted the 3-barrel AS mortar electro-mechanical computer, which was supposed to be fired during the exercise, but thank providence it never was. When we arrived the barrels just pointed vertically and oscillated wildly, a tad disconcerting! At that time, the British ran a maintenance team in Bandar Abbas harbour. The Saam-class ships mainly did day-running out of the harbour, and when they returned the Brits would go aboard and fix the things that were broken. The Iranians apparently thought that maintenance work was too menial to dirty their hands with. Even when the ships were still in the UK, they were regarded by the authorities as a total nightmare. They were very fast ships, powered by twin Olympus gas turbines and could do about 40 knots at full speed. During the official work-up in Portland Harbour, they would cast off and immediately cross the harbour at full speed (I think the official speed limit was about 6 knots). The Queen's Harbourmaster was definitely unamused. Anyway, Rostam set off into the Persian Gulf to join the exercise Midlink. The first night, a fuel pipe came off one of the Olympus engines and we spent an hour rolling about until it was fixed. The next day, the exercises commenced, including a gunnery exercise shooting at aircraft-towed drogues using the 4.5" Vickers Mk 8 gun. For the exercise, there was a guy from Vickers there to help. It is a feature of this gun that it has about 6 ready-use rounds, and the next rounds have to be fed from the magazine once the gun crew have closed up. The gun could be fired remotely, I assume from the ops room. When it was Rostam's turn to fire at the target, there were six bangs and then everything went silent. They had failed to close up the gun crew before the exercise. Needless to say the Iranians then blamed the Vickers guy! The ship also had a twin-barrel 35mm gun on the after-deck. At night, we went onto the after deck to get some air and were alarmed that the gun crew seemed to think it hilarious to point this lethal device at anybody walking on the deck. We just prayed that the safety interlocks worked, because the guns were loaded, but knowing the state of the rest of the ship, we did not hang around to find out. This characterised the whole ethos of the ship's crew - with a few honourable exceptions, they were volatile, unprofessional, lazy and just totally dangerous. Having worked extensively with the UK Royal Navy, the contrast could not have been more stark. At the end of the exercise, we went back to Bandar Abbas and were told that Prince Shafiq wanted to talk to us about our impressions. But he did the usual thing, of getting us to hang about until some unspecified date that suited him. After our experiences, we decided to take the first plane back to Teheran and then on the next available flight back to the UK. A few months later, the Shah was deposed.

[@simonchandler9601]

My 1st reaction to the thumbnail was the SS Torrey Canyon (oil tanker) incident (1967) where it struck a reef between Isles of Scilly and Cornwall (UK). The response was to bomb it with RN Blackburn Buccaneers & RAF Hawker Hunters

[@bahbarino4479]

Really great to see my old command USS Trenton LPD 14 🇺🇸⚓️

[@Stetsonhatman]

I was on USS Enterprise CVN-65, Battlegroup Foxtrot. I kept our ship's newspaper "Shuttle" dated 4/19/1988 with a burning Iranian SAAM frigate on the front page. The article states the ship was destroyed by combined missile fire from Enterprise aircraft and USS Strauss DD-16. A second Iranian ship was also destroyed. Iirc, the second ship was destroyed by 500 lb Rockeyes and cluster bombs from Enterprise as well.

[@Warhorse500]

A few thoughts come to mind: 1) 6:33 It sounds as though Roberts died during the same operation as the USCG's MoH winner, SM1 Douglas Munro. Not sure about this however. 2) It's funny to me, as a Coast Guardsman, to hear the Navy guys refer to their destroyers and frigates as "small boys", when their idea of a "small boy" is probably double the length of a USCG medium-endurance cutter, or 1.5x the size of our larger cutters.

[@WALTERBROADDUS]

You're correct it was the same engagement.

[@ratagris21]

He didn't win the MoH he received it.

[@WALTERBROADDUS]

@@ratagris21 🙄Please, don't be that internet guy? The guy that makes nitpicking posts about punctuation and Awarding a MOH...

[@ratagris21]

@@WALTERBROADDUS to bad because heros are awarded for their actions and not winning it. It's actually insulting their legacy by saying they won the decorations.

[@WALTERBROADDUS]

@@ratagris21 and then you double down..... really unnecessary.

[@willmorris574]

Great overview and takeaways Ward. For those wondering about the lost Cobra/crew (from Wikipedia): “The U.S. side 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 (24 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.[14] 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.”

[@wrestrel5]

I think one of the crew members on the helicopter was engaged to a friend of mine back then. Sad day for her.

[@spydude38]

If memory serves me correctly, I believe the ordnance that the A-7s dropped on the Sahand were actually 4 x AGM-123 Skipper II 1,000lb rocket assisted, laser guided bombs. The Iranian military has changed since that engagement in that today, instead of the regular IRIN that was regarded as professional and well-trained (predictable), are now playing second fiddle to the IRGCN, which now has all the nice toys and is far less predictable. I've always felt that Iran after the revolution was a far greater long term threat than Iraq.

[@philsalvatore3902]

We were briefed on Praying Mantis right before departing on deployment to the region by the Ops O of the Bagley. He told us Skippers were used in the engagement. He also told us that the Shahan didn't fire Harpoons but rather Standard SM-1s. Iran never had Harpoons. The SM-1s were in box launchers on deck just like the Tacoma Class PGMs had. In fact the Ops O from Bagley told us NO Harpoons were used by the US either side, preferring to use SM-2s because they were semi active homing and you could control what ship they going to hit. With Harpoon, it flies out on INS, climbs at a pre-determined point, turns its radar on, does a search and goes for whatever it detects first. Not a good thing in a region full of neutral shipping. At least with SM-2 the ship illuminates the target and the missile follows the reflected energy. At least that was the brief before our departure. Skippers make more sense than Harpoon because they were dirt cheap and they were laser homing so you could control what they hit.

[@V2catapults]

Another Great Story. Loved the 1MC address by the Capt. of the Roberts Pure Leadership. On aside note I noticed over your guest right shoulder on the shelf was a A-4/C-1 Cod half Tee bar ( Yellow & Blue) and a A-6/ C-2 half Tee Bar (White). I'm guessing he had at least two cat shots.

[@DonWan47]

Brilliant video. I’ve had a huge interest in this op for some time. It combines all the levels of command from president to flight lead, and every type of combatant, aircraft, ships, soldiers/marines. Remarkable operation.

[@Esteban318ful]

Was there.... On Enterprise supporting air wing and operations during this one. Thank you Ward. I am still learning more and more of what happened that very busy Monday. (After a very bad Thursday for the Roberts) Thank you for all you do.

[@AdAstraOnYafro]

I couldn’t help but notice the peavey amp behind your guest. I was waiting for you guys to break out the guitars. This kind of storied naval battle could easily serve as fodder for song! Love your channel - great to see you on Twitter as well.

[@suttonmatthew]

I gotta put a plug in for my colleagues in our U.S. Marine Corps, 2d Air Naval Gunfire Liaison Company (ANGLICO).

[@ohms497]

I served with guys that participated in that excursion. Heck I didn't even remember hearing about the navy skirmish in Persian Gulf in the news. USN 1991-1995. Those F-4s in Iran. Always had their IFF transponders up dated and on. 😉☠📡

[@MarkusHoshino]

This was a good leader (Cdr Rinn). It sounds almost like a movie his leadership is so good.

[@natopeacekeeper97]

Great history lesson. Unfortunately, the lessons of not only this operation but others seems to have been forgotten by too many of today's leaders. People like Iran are ONLY convinced of the futility of their actions when a bigger, modern Navy shows up in their backyard. I'm all for diplomacy when it works-but when it doesn't, then you need to consider all your options.

[@Wuestenkarsten]

Well.....as Theodore "Teddy" Roosevelt did say....Speak softly and carry a big stick; you will go far.

[@bobbys4327]

An operation name of Beatdown would be cool.

[@MarkGardner66Bonnie]

WOW!... What a great video...Im an old guy and served with HC-1, and listening to this brought back a flood of memories... Thank you for this. Now... if you ever show up in Texas, please give me a holler, as I could not help but admire over all the guitars in the background. I play, as well as piano and would love to have a beverage and make some music while talking about time in the Navy! God Bless Sir!

[@vapoet]

I was in the CIC of the USS Wainwright during all of it. We heard the Harpoon pass on the starboard side and I was watching over an FC's shoulder its entire way in. Capt. Chandler, who was also in charge of SAG Charlie was as cool as a cucumber throughout all of it. The F-4s were something. After we shot at them, one went supersonic getting home and the other was limping back. It gave us quite a grin. Oh, we were also one of the ships that went to the Roberts' aid, but no ship ever got near it. We stood a mile off shuttling supplies and hosting CNN who needed good shots. Never knew if I ended up on TV.

[@daletimms7792]

I was in VA-94 and USS ENTERPRISE CVN-65 op’s O debriefed crew and air wing on ships Kent TV. This was a very tight air wing and ships company. CO of Enterprise was a great leader.

[@mikebridges20]

Mooch, your content just keeps teaching me details I lived through as a common citizen; thanks to you and Brad!

[@mrgcav]

It was not a war. The Navy does not declare war. It was an operation and a good one.

[@Ferndalien]

The Oliver Hazard Perry class weren't viewed by Navy rank and file with much admiration. But after the Stark and the Roberts were returned to service someone pointed out that the Perry class was the only warship class with a proven record of battle damage survivability. Something you'd want in a ship you were on.

[@ImGumbyDangit]

TOW Missile from a Cobra? I remember firing TOW from a M113 and we have launch excursions from fast tracking. I can see how wire tracking works from a Helicopter.

[@Dfl87165]

Love the detailed presentation. Really, really well done in style and content (a thriller !). Thank you!

[@eligebrown8998]

Flys at the Iranian ship so low to not get hit but prevokes it into shooting at them, in return rules of ingagement has been initiated and enemy ship can now be sunk. Lol. You sir definitely have a lot of great storys. Thanks for sharing.

[@christophercamp2844]

No mention of the silkworm missiles fired at sag Delta After the ceasefire. I was the helmsman on board the USS O Brien D975 and was on the bridge for the whole operation. Your video was well presented and there's not enough out there about operation praying mantis. Thank you very much.

[@MADMAX353]

Hardly "proportional" but absolutely the way to go.....hit 'em back hard enough to know to think twice before challenging the US Navy! Semper Fi.

[@hr1meg]

FRANCO I agree. Proportional to me would be 10 of theirs for every one of ours. Maybe they meant monetarily proportional. A whole in one of our ships is worth the same as a couple of their crappy ships.

[@longshotballpark5975]

This need to be made into a movie

[@StarwaterCWS]

Oh yes, Operation Praying Mantis. Ordnance used. I was the aviation ordnance assembly QA on all ordnance assembled below decks in BIG E’s G3 weapons department. It was the first and only War-At-Sea use of AGM-123 SKIPPER-II 1000 pound bombs fitted with LGB nose with SHRIKE rocket motor bolted to the tail. Four worked as advertised delivered by A6 on SAHAND, in addition to LGB 500 pounders. A ugly but effective piece of ordnance. The issue as we were told became Iranian bog hammer speed boats. So we broke out cluster bombs, MK-20s. We never got word if they were effective. Glad to hear they were. I have a photo of Captain Spane awarding me with a NCM (I was a AO1, the only weapons department NCM awarded for that effort which was the most humble award I have ever received on behalf of the entire department that made it happen). All departments were awarded Battle Efficiency Awards and the BIG E as well. Great days.

[@MrJoshcc600]

I served on a perry frigate the Kaufman ffg59 and can seriously picture all this happening like it was yesterday. Amazing video boys this was my first visit to your channel and I'm a new subscriber. I especially appreciate the detail and editing in of video cuts specifically what the topic is

[@multitieredinvestor183]

I can understand the SEALS feelings that their job was done by the Sags. We were about to jump into Santo Domingo during the civil war. We would have gotten a gold star on our jump wings. Very gung-ho. The pilot og our C-130 comes on the Mike and says we will land the air field is secure (no jump). We are all pissed. No gold star. Later, we found out the intelligence about the drop zone was old. The DZ was a vineyard with poles and wires. Had we jumped, we would have been decimated. 9 May 1965. Fought the war for six weeks then made arrangements to go to Vietnam. Was in country on 27 November 1965.

[@olentangy74]

"When the navy could do a one day war by itself". It was a time when we had a 14 carrier navy, and a National Command Authority that was competent. With a navy that is a 3rd the size of what we had then, and the people now in charge, I wonder if such a feat could be carried out today.

[@harryricochet8134]

Not unless an enemy was prepared to use the right pronouns, respect safe spaces and refrain from any form of deadnaming, you know, all the most important stuff of all.

[@johnhildenbrand2642]

​@@harryricochet8134 😂😅

[@harryricochet8134]

@@thegreatone11 USS Harvey Milk-off Merchant, a Degenerate Class vessel of the Rainbow sub-class of utterly nauseating wokeness. Milk was the leading elected supporter of Jim Jones' People's Temple in Guyana, hardly a person deserving of recognition under the USN's formerly very strict rules relating to the naming of its ships which upheld the finest traditions of the service memorialising those who actively contributed towards its role in defence of the Republic and many of its members and allies who gave their lives in doing so. My country's navy ceded the name 'Canberra' to the USN when it chose to honour that vessel for the actions of its crew at the Battle of Savo Island, naming a ship after that degenerate pervert is deeply disrespectful.